Web+of+Life

Some links to help your research: General information for all groups: [|habitats] [|great resource for all biomes] [|another great resource for all] [|biomes and ecosystems]  __Deserts:__ __[|plants and wildflowers]__ __[|desert plants]__ __[|desert animals]__  __Rainforests:__  __[|Rainforest -lots of information]__ __Grasslands:__ <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">__[|All about prairies]__

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">__Activities for your free time:__ make a variety of food webs <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">[|make an arctic food web] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">[|animal habitats quiz] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">[|Build a fish!] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Dear Parents,

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Our first PYP Unit of Inquiry is entitled ‘Web of Life’, with the central idea of, ‘All living things function in an ecosystem with complex inter-relationships. The students have been learning about what constitutes an ecosystem and the interdependencies of the living things found in different ecosystems.

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It is an inquiry into:


 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">the parts of an ecosystem
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">how organisms are inter-related in an ecosystem
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">how humans impact all living things

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 19px; line-height: 19px;"> <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">As part of our unit, the grade 4 classes will be baking weekly nature walks in the forest beside the school. Over the course of the three (4 if scheduling allows) walks, we will be looking to see what the forest ecosystem contains, as well as food chains and food webs in the forest. We will also take a closer look at the pond/wet area and we will spend our final walk learning how the forest prepares for winter. Your child's teacher will communicate the forest walk days to you in advance. On the days of the walks, please make sure your child comes to school with good walking shoes (preferably rain boots or hiking shoes, please). Each walk will last approximately one hour. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 16px; line-height: 16px;"> ====<span style="font-size: 1.066em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17px; line-height: 17px;">**﻿** ==== ====<span style="font-size: 1.066em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**To make this a truly rich learning experience for your child, we encourage you to discuss this unit at home. Some things to try are:** ==== <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 16px; line-height: 16px;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 16px; line-height: 16px;"> <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Explore Moscow! Visit different parks around the city and discuss the types of plants and animals that can be seen. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 16px; line-height: 16px;"> <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Discuss with your family how humans have impacted the ecosystems here, both in positive and negative ways. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 16px; line-height: 16px;"> <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Read books about ecosystems and habitats with your child in his/her mother tongue. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 16px; line-height: 16px;"> <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Take a walk around your neighborhood. Notice the insects, birds, plants, and animals. Consider how they all work together, even in an urban environment like Moscow. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 16px; line-height: 16px;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 16px; line-height: 16px;"> <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">As always, if you or someone you know is an expert on any area of this unit, or could share a slide show or contribute in some way, we would love to have you join our classes for an hour, a day, whatever! Having first-person resources makes for practical and authentic learning experiences.

====<span style="font-size: 1.066em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**Here is some vocabulary your students will be learning and using in this unit:** ====

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">biome <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">biodiversity <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">ecosystem <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">ecology <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">environment <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">habitat <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">aquatic <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">producer <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">consumer <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">decomposer <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">herbivore <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">carnivore <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">omnivore <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">insectivore <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">nocturnal <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">behavior <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">conserve <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">conservation <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">preserve <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">preservation <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">observe <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">observation <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">domestic <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">enclosure <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">breeding

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">threatened <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">vulnerable <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">rare <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">endangered <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">extinct