Welcome to 6th Grade

Bio Bottle

 

Students are introduced to an anchoring phenomena of a “fifty year old bio bottle.”  Students create a preliminary design of a Bio Bottle, which will “make visible” what their baseline understanding is of what is needed for life to exist in a contained environment.

Students then begin to identify the key components of an ecosystem- the abiotic and biotic factors. Students  test a specific abiotic factor and the effect that factor has on bean germination. Students then revise their model of their bio bottle, to include necessary abiotic components.

Focus then turns to the biotic factors of an ecosystem- consumers, producers, and decomposers.  Students recognize the importance of all three kinds of organisms in an ecosystem. As students acquire continued understanding of the necessary components of an ecosystem, they again modify their original model of their bio bottle.  Students show understanding of the relationship among key components of an ecosystem through formative assessments.

Student attention then turns to producers, and the process in which they attain energy- photosynthesis. Students again return to their bio bottle design and ensure that their bottle will contain enough producers and access to sunlight for photosynthesis to occur.

Photosynthesis on the molecular level is then explored, in addition to the law of conservation of matter.

Students then identify how matter, specifically atoms of key elements, flow from producers to consumers, and throughout an ecosystem.  Students also recognize that states of matter change as matter flows through an ecosystem. Students again return to their model of their bio bottle and trace the flow of at least one form of matter through their bottles’ ecosystem.

The interactions of all components of an ecosystem are then identified.  Predator- prey relationships and over- population are explored. The vital role of bees as pollinators is explored.  Students identify that anyone one change in an ecosystem often impacts the entire ecosystem. Students are challenged to identify the components necessary for a healthy ecosystem, as well as identifying factors that may place an ecosystem at risk.The culminating review with final revisions to the students’ bio bottles are then completed.  Students’ culminating challenge is the actual creation of their bio bottle, accompanied by a written defense of why each biotic and biotic factor was included in their final design.

(Note:  If this unit occurs at the start of the year, students can continue to evaluate the success of their bio bottle design for the remainder of the year.  Successful bio bottles can be kept in the classroom for the following year!