Students use the EcoBeaker Maine Explorer program to investigate the complex relationships within ecosystems. Students are exposed to the idea of lakes and ponds in the state of Maine. They identify different organisms that live in lakes and ponds and transfer the characters into a food web. Students are then challenged to design a food web of a ecosystem they are familiar with and then identify the different trophic levels. Students use the EcoBeaker program to understand food chains and trophic cascades in lake ecosystems.
Another goal of the unit, and the program is for students to understand the role of models in understanding the workings of nature. They finish the unit by investigating invasive species, examining current articles and creating an “America’s Most Unwanted Species” poster. Finally, students end the unit with a reflection of human impact on ecosystems.
