Entry #1

1) Materials Needed for your eco system

 The materials required for our eco system were 2.5 Dixie cup of gravel that was added to the bottom bottle, 745 mL of spring water, potting soil, string, a 25 cm elodea plant, 2 snails, 10 daphnia, 5 seeds of pepper, 4 shrimps, and two plastic bottles to create the ecosystem.

2) A detailed description of the procedure for putting together the dual ecosystem

 We first added 2.5 Dixie cups of gravel into the bottom bottle, then we added 745 mL of water, and finally we added 4 shrimp, 2 snails, 10 daphnia, and a 25 cm long elodea plant into the bottom bottle. We put this container aside and started working on the terrestrial section. Before filling up this section with potting soil we first put a string that would go from the terrestrial section into the bottom section through the bottle cap of the terrestrial section. Then we added 5 seeds of pepper and dampened the soil. Finally we sealed up the containers with a good amount of tape.

3) Any initial data you recorded

 All our living material seemed to be doing fine after we sealed it up. We may have added a little bit too much water because the water level is quite close to the bottle cap, but it is not touching it!

4) Personal/group reflection on the scientific PROCESS you learned about

 This activity highlights the importance of the scientific process. There are many times when one can mess up if they are not following the procedure correctly. Also, some observations can be missed if you do not keep them in mind. The adding of the materials must be done carefully and jotted down quickly or else it will be difficult to analyze the results correctly.

5) Personal/group reflection on the scientific CONTENT you learned about

I learned about how Daphnia can serve like a green light for safe water. I thought that was pretty neat and definitely applicable to real life. I also learned about the proper way of planting a seed. I used to always think it was as simple as letting them lay on the soil, but we actually need to put them in deep and dampened the soil.

6) Reflection on the ecosystem in terms of your own teaching (can include issues related to bilingual education).

 I can already see how great this activity can be for elementary students, especially because of the high amount of interaction it requires among peers. It is a great way to not only get children to learn about the scientific process but also give them an opportunity to interact with each other like scientists. In terms of bilingual education, I can see the English language learners teaching the mainstream students words from their own language pertaining to the materials of the ecosystem. English language learners can also learn plenty of scientific vocabulary because they can simply ask their peers what certain words mean without feeling embarrassed about asking the teacher.