Down To Earth 
Specialists in Education, Leadership & Training

Phone: 905 - 627- 3140  
Fax:     905 - 627- 8100      

Grade 7  An Investigation of 
Natural Communities

Grade 7/8 students are invited to participate in the outdoor, environmental education field trip:  An Investigation of Natural Communities. This unit supports the Overall Expectations found in Science and Technology - Life Systems.  Students will investigate and compare interactions within natural ecosystems found in the Dundas Valley and identify factors that affect the natural balance within these systems.  

 
Specific Expectations include:

• Identification of  the living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) elements within an ecosystem.  

• Identification of organisms within these ecosystems and factors that contribute to their survival in that system.  

• An examination of the roles of producers,  consumers and decomposers in the food chain and their affect on the environment.

Activity:  An Investigation of Natural Communities

• Work in small groups to complete their investigations.

• Utilize a worksheet to measure, record and identify the some of the various components of an ecosystems.

• Measure, observe and record the abiotic conditions in order to determine their affect on the biotic elements within an ecosystem.

 Trip Organization:

Spring and Fall classes will split the day, with the on-site instructor leading the Investigation of Natural Communities outdoor environmental education program with the assistance of the classroom teacher.  Classes will switch programs after lunch.  The second class is responsible for their own activity as outlined in the teacher information kit.  

Winter classes are invited to continue their  half day program studies in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area for the remainder of the day under the direct supervision of the classroom teacher who will be responsible for their own self directed activity.

 Environmental Sustainability:  Program Sponsorship

These outdoor environmental education field trips have been developed to complement teaching units on Environmental Sustainability developed in partnership with The Hamilton Spectator, Dofasco and the Hamilton Conservation Authority. Teachers of students in Grades 4/5, 7/8, 9 & 10 are encouraged to contact The Hamilton Spectator, Newspapers in Education for further information on receiving detailed teaching packages on the topic of Environmental Sustainability.  These programs are available free of charge to schools participating in the Newspapers in Education program.