Zoo Signs

After our visit to the Zoo, we noticed the signs on the outside of the enclosures, and found them to be very helpful. They told us a lot of information about the animals, as well as showing us pictures of them. 

We decided to make some of our own! 

These signs had to be informative (give our readers interesting information), they needed to be factual (we couldn't make stuff up) and they needed to be easy to read, as well know a lot of people of different ages go to the zoo. 

Researching Skills!

In reading and inquiry it has become very clear how important it is to be able to find and interpret information. 

We have been using websites and non-fiction stories, in our journals, to find information about a lot of different topics. 

But, how do you interpret information? 

What does interpret mean?

We discussed it and decided that interpret means to understand, but more than this, it means to understand, put into your own words, and use the information correctly. 

We have been doing this! 

In our reading we been identifying facts and important or relevant information. We have been brainstorming this information and sorting it into groups. When we sort it into groups we are able to use it to help us answer questions or in our writing. 

   

Our learning: Food Webs

After learning about the different animal roles within a food chain, we looked at food webs! These are much more complex than a food chain. Food webs show you all of the feeding relationships that exist between animals within one habitat. 

We watched another Study Jams video to help us understand more about what food webs are. 

Working collaboratively, in our table groups, we were able to have different roles, to help us investigate how a food web in a garden (this is not a New Zealand garden). There are so many connections in this food web and we could see how much animals relied on one another. 

Miss Johnson told us that within a food web, that one plant or producer, could be at the bottom of many food chains. We also discovered that one animal could be at the top of many food chains, this was made very clear by our food webs. 

Our Learning: Food Chains

This term we have been learning about belonging. We know that animals belong in different groups, you can classify animals by their "type", such as mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and fish.

We discovered that habitats provide animals with all of the things that they need to survive. Within a habitat we discovered that food chains exist. 

We used this StudyJam video to help us understand what a food chain was... it was new learning for some of us! 

A food chain is the relationship that exists between different animals, it shows how animals are connected through what they eat. 

In this food chain the snake is the third level consumer and he is a carnivore (he only eats meat). The lizard is the secondary consumer. The locust is the primary or first consumer, he is a herbivore (only eat plants). In this food chain the maize is the producer, these are plants that produce their own food from the soil and the sun. 

Check out some of our work around food chains! 

 

We looked at a garden habitat and classified or sorted the animals within this habitat, into their different roles. 

A decomposer is an animal that breaks down rotten plants and animals, so that their nutrients can be put back into the soil.

 

Then we selected our own habitats and explored the animals that live within these habitats. It took a lot of research, but we were able to create our own food chain on Google Docs. This website was SO helpful!