Lesson 18 of 84 · Ecosystems
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🌿 Wild JungleThe Rainforest Ecosystem
Ecosystems.
🎯 Your mission
Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).
⚡ The twist
What the body does in one minute is wilder than any cartoon.
Mind = Blown
🐙 An octopus has 9 brains and 3 hearts.
Make a hypothesis first
Guess: how does the body solve this problem?
What You'll Learn
Organisms in an ecosystem depend on each other. Producers make food, consumers eat other organisms, and decomposers break down dead material to recycle nutrients.
Key Words
- pollination
- photosynthesis
- vertebrate
Materials Needed
- water
- plastic wrap
- ruler
Safety First
- Keep small objects away from young children.
- Work in a well-ventilated area when using vinegar or other strong-smelling substances.
- Dispose of materials properly after the experiment.
Steps
Read the introduction and identify the main idea of this lesson.
Create a detailed food web for a local ecosystem. Include at least 8 organisms and use arrows to show energy flow from producers to top predators.
Look for patterns in your observations.
Make a graph or chart showing your results.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What is the role of fungi in an ecosystem?
Where you see this in real life
Your own body is doing this thousands of times every second.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Find one thing about your body that's different from a friend's. Wonder why.
For the dinner table
“Tell me something you noticed about your own body today.”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Checkout complete lesson on Ecosystems for 4th Grade
Get the full Ecosystems track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.