7th Grade Ecology Activity Predator Prey Cycle

7th grade is enjoying the Ecology Unit in science. We have been able to play many simulation games to help us better understand difficult concepts. In this activity students started with 20 rabbits (pink paper squares) and 5 coyotes (white index card). They spread the rabbits on the table and then they were to flip the coyotes on top of the rabbits to capture and eat them. The surviving rabbits and coyotes at the end of each round then would double (reproducing). The students recorded their data on a Predator/Prey table, and later graphed their information. This activity showed us there is a predictable pattern if the amount of prey increased the predators would increase also, but then when the prey (rabbits) decreased so did the predator population (coyotes). The students worked together in groups of 3 to 4 and everyone enjoyed cooperating and sharing in this activity!

 

Students working together to figure out

 the next generation of predators and prey

 

Fun flipping coyotes

 

A group working really well all focusing on the task

 

Adding the next generation of rabbits

 

 

Our graph

Rabbit and Coyote Populations Over Time!

 

Recycle, Reduce, Reuse...Create!

The 7th and 8th grade collected and repurposed used milk cartons and pop bottles to create bird feeders. We spent days painting, decorating, cutting and creating our bird feeders! All the students enjoyed being creative and making their own designs. We practiced cooperation, sharing, and following the decorations. After we completed our bird feeders we hung some of them around the school for us to observe on Jeffers Journal Fridays. We look forward to seeing what types of birds and other critters visit our feeders. The other bird feeders that were not hung outside the school will be brought home with students, who will then make weekly observations and report back to the class. I will also be bringing some home with me and since I live in a different area I will take pictures of  the critters that eat from those feeders and share and compare them to the birds and critters that we see around our school.
After we hung our bird feeders we took a 2 block walk and cleaned up our neighborhood since the snow melted there is a lot of trash. The students did a great job and even one of the neighbors came out to thank us for cleaning up the trash! I thought this was a great way to kick off the start of spring and get us ready to think about the up and coming EARTH DAY!

                                              Our Bird Feeders

                                           
                                  7B hung theirs near our front doors!

 

More of 7B's feeders hung near back doors

 

8th grade hung theirs on our big oak tree near front play area

 

7A hung theirs on the north side of the building in some pretty pines

 

Neighborhood clean up with a smile!