Nature & Ecosystems
Objective: Giving students front-row seats to experience the diversity of the natural world, teaching them the basics of ecosystems. Description: This four-week lesson gives the students front-row seats to experience the diversity of the natural world, teaching them the basics of ecosystems: their structure, major characteristics, and the complex interactions between plants and animals within them. During each week, students explore one of the major types of ecosystems - temperate forest, tropical rainforest, savanna, and desert - and the relevant habitats, learning the names of significant plants and animals and witnessing first-hand the feel of each ecosystem through hands-on demonstrations and exhibits. At the end of each lesson, games and activities reiterate the unique features of each ecosystem so that the students have concrete examples with which to remember them.