Thursday, February 25, 2010

A Snowy BlogWork!


Hey everyone. I wish I were wearing the pink wig today. Oh well, perhaps we will return to school tomorrow. I'm not ready to make a prediction yet.

BlogWork

Go to the following website: National Geographic.

Pick one of the links on the page describing a habitat (sustainable agriculture, grasslands, deserts, etc.).

Read the whole article about that habitat and then write 5 - 10 good questions about the article.


Thursday, February 18, 2010

Adaptations!


As we read and learn about the climates and living conditions in biomes around the world, we are also spending time thinking about how plants and animals have adapted qualities that allow them to survive in a wide range of physical settings. I’m always interested in seeing extreme examples of survival techniques. The world is covered in these examples, as life tends to find ways to survive in the harshest of environments. One example of this is the lungfish, which is one of the strangest animals I know of.

BlogWork

First watch the video about the lungfish and write a response about that crazy fish.

Then, pick a video from the same page about another animal and write a paragraph describing the adaptations that the animal has that allows it to survive in its biome.


Thursday, February 4, 2010

Rainforest!


This weeks biome is the Rainforest. Located in a belt that wraps around the Earth's equator, the world's rainforests are home to some of the most diverse species on the planet. A plethora of life exists at every level of this biome, from the understory up through the canopy. At night, the rainforest continues to be an active space for species to make their way in the world.

BlogWork

Go to the website: Rainforest at Night

Search for and read about all five species found in this tour, plus the section about deforestation (you are required to leave the sound on the whole time you are doing your homework). Write a description of two of the species and answer the following questions about deforestation:

1. Who are the Penan and what challenges do they face?

2. What does "loss of biodiversity" mean? Give an example.

3. How might deforestation lead to global warming?

Monday, February 1, 2010

Biomes!


Our latest unit involves learning about the different types of biomes that exist on the planet. A biome is a large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities. The two biggest influences on what determines a biome is the climate and the vegetation, because they, in turn, determine everything else.

BlogWork

Go to one of the following websites:



Pick one of the biomes described on the website and write 5-10 sentences describing some of the characteristics of the biome. Please write the sentences in your own words (no cutting and pasting).