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Topic 2 Practical Ideas

Topic 2 Practical Ideas

There are many practical activities and labs which can be done during this topic. You will need to think about when you teach these units as some of these practicals can work in classroom settings with minimal access to the outdoors while others may require you to plan a field trip at a suitable time of year.

2.0 Topic 2 Introductory Ideas

Ecology and ecosystems are fundamental to the course and student understanding of how humans impact ecosystems but I've often found that students struggle with these concepts. It can be a challenge to...

2.1 Predator-Prey Simulations

There are many online simulations and downloadable mini-programmes to run simulations of predator-prey interactions. We are going to use a simple one that looks at the interaction of lynx and snowshoe...

2.1 Yellowstone National Park Wolves

This activity is adapted from one created by Kathy Felter Freeman as an APES lab. I use the activity to develop data processing skills at the beginning of the course. I am looking for students to use...

2.2 Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification

This is a modification of Lab 4 in Environmental Science Lab Manual by D.T. Wells, largely by Ryan Carter from the APES Facebook Group (a closed and private group).1. Each M&M represents a phytoplankton....

2.2 Energy Content in Biomass

The image shows the explosive power of energy in glucose power, much to my surprise and the amusement of my students (many years ago). We prepared a metal tin with a hole at the side, attached to some...

2.3 Introducing Primary Productivity

I decided I wanted my students to have more of a connection with what is happening during photosynthesis. We are an MYP school and sometimes their background knowledge can be very patchy. Also, most of...

2.5 Using the Lincoln Index

Using the Lincoln Index, also know as capture-mark-recapture, we capture the organism, mark it in a fashion that does not harm it in any way, and returning it to its habitat so that it can resume its...

2.5 Measuring Dry Biomass

The experimental approach to measuring dry biomass should only be used for producers. It is not appropriate to do these methods on any organism other than plants, including when the organism has died...

2.5 Investigating Lakes

I am lucky that our school is located near a lake and so it makes sense to include some ecological studies of the lake. This is a new ecological domain for me and so I have had to do some research to...

2.5 Investigating Streams

Investigating streams is a really fun way for students to learn some of the techniques in topic 2.5.First we teach the kick sampling technique, give an overview of identifying freshwater macroinvertebrates...

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