Ecosystem Project

Due ___/___/___

This is a two part project:

A) Pick an animal. Research* and answer the following questions in your own words:

1. Is your animal a mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, or an invertebrate?

2. Describe your animal. How is it like other animals? How is it different?

3. What does it require to live? Describe its habitat.

4. How many different things does the animal eat? What are they? Is your animal an herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, producer, or decomposer? Who are its predators?

5. What is your animal’s life cycle? Does it have different phases in its life? What is it called as a baby? How long does it live?

6. Is the animal endangered? Do people affect its habitat?

7. If you could be this animal for a day, would you? Why or why not? What would it be like?

8. If your animal could talk, what would it say was the most important thing in life? What advice might it give you? What advice might you give it?

B) Students are to create a diorama in a shoe or similar sized box. The diorama must show their chosen animal along with at least two aspects of its habitat: food, water, and/or shelter. Space and arrangement, while important to understanding an animal’s habitat, are not easily shown in most dioramas. Students may create their animal and its habitat using any materials including modeling clay, paint, markers, yarn, cloth, small rocks, construction paper, etc. Toys are not allowed (for example, stuffed or plastic animals). Students should create everything themselves, using families for guidance and suggestions only.

Be prepared to share your project with the class.

*A works cited page will be required for future research projects, but is not for this one. Research may include a trip to the public library, the Internet, nature program on television, etc. Students may check out books relating to the topic from the school library during normal library time. This is a minor research project to be completed entirely at home. Later in the year, larger research projects will include time for research during the school day.