5th grade students in Ms. Heller’s classroom at Arbor View Elementary started the year off with science lessons focused on rainforest ecosystems and a hands-on learning experiment! As part of their lessons, students took on the role of ecologists and were tasked with working together in groups to restore a Costa Rican rainforest ecosystem that had been impacted by environmental degradation. Students will continue to observe their terrariums throughout the unit so that they can learn all about what ecosystems need to grow and thrive.
To create their terrariums, students were given soil, grass seed, and alfalfa seed, and they collected other things on their own to create an ecosystem consisting of living and nonliving things. Using the provided and gathered materials, students had creative freedom with their teams to create their ecosystem however they wanted to!
One student, Charlotte, excitedly shared that she enjoyed the project because she learned how to plant seeds which wasn’t something she was familiar with. Overall, the lesson was well-received by students who had a great time diving into their studies and seeing how that knowledge transferred to the real world!
