Students worked on a cycles packet with a more formal question and answer format covering each of the cycles (except water b/c it's much easier). We are going to spend a total of 4 days looking at these cycles. These can be complicated concepts and the more time one spends with the content, the more one can absorb.
Today we used math to explore a concept from chapter 3. We will be using math throughout the year since it is an important skill for the FRQ portion of the AP exam. The activity was called Eating At a Lower Trophic Level.
Today we had our first try at a Free Response Question (FRQ). We completed an in-class essay (Ecosystem Essay) and students were allowed to use their books/notes as a resource, but NOT talk to their neighbors. Once their essays were written they used a rubric to grade someone else's.
We went through the PowerPoint for Chapter 3 - Module 6 that focuses on how energy flows through an ecosystem.
Today we focused on the topic of Free Response Questions (FRQ's). We discussed a handout with tips on how to write an FRQ in APES.
I then handed out the Unit 2 FRQ Options. These questions will be scrambled to make up the free repose question that will appear on the Unit 2 Exam. A list of questions will be provided for each unit exam through out the year. The BEST strategy is to prepare for all of them so that you are as prepared as possible for the essay part of the exam. To introduce the new unit, the students worked on an activity where they needed to put a series of events in chronological order that went with a a story called "The Top of the Food Chain". This story illustrates the point that even if we have the best intentions, if we don't understand how nature/ ecosystems work, there will be unforeseen negative consequences.
Students also got a copy of the Unit 2 Schedule and the Unit 2 Study Guide. Today we watched "The Lorax" by Dr. Suess. This classic is about the unsustainable use of a fictional resource and serves as a metaphor for the current state of affairs concerning resource use on our planet. After the video, I answered any questions about the Unit 1 Quiz tomorrow.
We did an activity entitled "I've Got Mine". It was a fishing simulation used to illustrate The Tragedy of the Commons which explains how shared resources are almost always over-exploited. This is a concept that will be touched upon throughout the year.
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This blog explains what we did in class each day. Any files mentioned are available on the corresponding pages of our website.
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May 2018
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