• One student decided to connect her mini-environment work with a curent event.

"On Thursday, October 28, 1998, John Glenn traveled into space. At 2:15, in science class, 8-3 witnessed the NASA blast off. I figured this showing was just for us to see a very important event. Mr.McWeeny told me that it had to do with what we were (and still are) working on. I automatically connected this flight into space with my mini-environment. John Glenn (astronaut) is just as dependant on NASA as the life in my tank are on me. Since he is going to a foreign place, NASA needs to to provide Glenn with everything he needs in order to survive. Since my snails and crabs have gone to a foreign environment, I am responsible for providing them with everything they need to survive.

• Another student writes that I began to connect information we had learned from one tab and then remembered that information while doing another tab and realized how it related and connected together. It's one thing to just do some work and forget about it, and it's another thing to take in what you learned previously and fit the pieces all together...I think that my learning skills have improved ...

• Still another student started raising questions about the relationship between algae and mold:

To connect all of the ecology information taught in the unit, Mr. McWeeny created another letter from Dr. Yez Ahhuh:

Dear Student of Oecology,

Wow! November already, would you believe it?
Anyway, I noticed what a great list of things you compiled about learning in Tab 18. It is most interesting reading about HOW you learned things as well as WHAT you learned.

I know Mr. McWeeny has shared Ken Zwicker's article with you about writing a research article. Well, there is no better time than right now to try writing an article of your own! You can follow Ken's outline, kind of, to make sure the scientific community will be able to understand what you have done and accomplished.

That's a good question. What did you do? Well, in general you studied an ecosystem and then attempted to recreate it in a small container. You can measure your success by how healthy (or unhealthy) your mini-ecosystem was. Look through your journal for observations that indicate good or poor health. These are your RESULTS.

Now, start writing that article. The introduction is a good place to start -- then the materials and methods. Report your results next and follow your results with a good discussion answering the question "Was my mini-ecosystem a healthy one?" Finaly acknowledge any help you recieved and cite your literature.

When you have done all that - then make up a good, descriptive title and write a brief, one paragraph summary. I can't wait to read your article!

Yours for sure,
Yez Ahhuh

Pictures of Practice Contents Introduction The Colonial Biography Unit (7th Grade History) A Year of Seventh Grade English A Year of Eighth Grade Science The Jazz Unit Snapshot Using the CCDT to Develop Generative Topics