1. Ecosystems

2. Setting Up Your Journal
Title page
‘Ecosystems’ should be written on the page and you should include illustrations.

3. Table of Contents Essential Questions Page 4 – Essential Questions
Pages Vocabulary
Essential Questions
In what ways are environmental systems connected?
How do changing environmental systems affect organisms, including people?
How does the location on Earth impact the characteristics of an ecosystem?

4. Vocabulary You need to have 4 pages for this section.
Write the word ‘vocabulary’ on the top of each page.
Your first 2 vocabulary words will be:
1. Ecosystem
2. Biome

5. Biome: a large scale ecosystem Biomes Worksheet
Ecosystem: all the populations of living and non living things in an environment and the interaction among them
Biome: a large scale ecosystem
Biomes Worksheet
Read and highlight information
Glue into journal on page 10
Add to Table of Contents

6. Brain Pop video Rainforest video Land Biomes videos
All about the rainforest
Jot down notes while watching the video

7. Deciduous (Temperate) Forest
Average temperatures and average amount of rainfall
Exists on every continent, except Antarctica and Africa
Trees shed their leaves each year
Multiple seasons occur due to the amount of sunlight
Several layers of plants can be found here
Tall trees (which create a canopy) let light reach the bottom where bushes and smaller trees grow (unlike in the rainforest)
These plants provide a variety of habitats for animal life

8. Taiga Biome Tundra Biome Watch the video and listen for key elements
Jot down notes
Tundra Biome

9. Grasslands/Savanna Biome video Grasslands, Savanna, Prairie
also known as Savanna(Africa) or Prairies(North America)
mainly have grasses growing and few trees
little rain
long slender leaves allow little water loss in plants
Write down other info you found important from the video

10. Desert Biome video Deserts soil and air are dry little rain
sun shines most of the time
temperature hot in day (summer) and can be 
freezing at night (winter)
few plants: cactus and bushes
snakes, lizards, few mammals like rabbits
Write down other info you found important from the video

11. Mr. Parr's Biome song Terrestrial = land Aquatic = water
Aquatic Ecosystems
Learn about the difference between a freshwater ecosystem and a saltwater ecosystem

12. Water Biomes
Water-based regions home to a unique group of living things.

13. Vocabulary
Organism: an individual plant, animal, or single-celled life form
Individual: a single organism in an environment
Population: individuals of the same kind living in the same environment
Community: all the populations of organisms living together

14. Wetland Also known as swamp, marsh, or bog
Land covered with shallow water for all or part of the year
Water comes from rain, melted snow, underground spring
Marsh-grassy with reeds and cattails near river or lake
Bog- found in cool climate, spongy peat moss
Swamp- forested wetland full of trees and shrubs
Everglades Brainpop video
Bill Nye the Science Guy – Wetlands

15. River A ribbon of water that weaves over land
Constantly moving and changing
Can carve canyons and form waterfalls
Water comes from melted snow, springs, rainwater, underground
Water flows downhill
Underwater plants anchor in the river bottom
Water level drops and rises depending on rain fall.
Rivers Brainpop video

16. Vocabulary Habitat: a place in an ecosystem where a population lives
Niche: the role each population has in a habitat

17. Lake A pool of freshwater that fills low spots in land
Form from mountain snow, natural springs, along rivers, or behind dams
Trees line the sides of the lake
Water lilies grow on top of the water
Tall grasses are on the water edge

18. Estuary Where a river meets the ocean Part wet part dry
Forms brackish water (fresh water and salty water mixed)
Found on edges of continents and islands
Experience high and low tides
Mud is full of nutrients

19. Ocean Covers 75% of earths surface Very salty Largest water biome
Waves move water and has high and low tide
Sea weed and algae grow
Deep water gets no light so few producers and cold temperatures