4th Grade Science Ecosystem Diorama Project
Date Assigned: / / Date Due: / /__
Students will understand how energy is exchanged in an ecosystem.
Students will learn how to search for information and reference where the information was gathered.
Students will practice presenting their essay or visual presentation to the class.
Parent’s Signature: ______
Students Signature: ______
1. Choose a TYPE of ecosystem that interests you.
a. Desert f. Grassland
b. Chaparral g. Deciduous Forest
c. Coniferous Forest h. Rainforest
d. Tundra i. Riparian Zone
e. Ocean j. Coral Reef
2. Choose one location on Earth where your ecosystem can be found.
Type: ______Specific Location on Earth: ______
3. Create a realistic model of a habitat.
a. Use a shoe box to display your habitat.
b. Your habitat must represent a real life Earth habitat.
4. Habitat Dioramas should include the following:
a. Your name and the name of your ecosystem.
b. The sun, source of solar energy, in your ecosystem.
c. 4 real life animals that would live in your habitat.
d. 2 real life producers that would grow in your habitat.
e. 1 real life decomposer that would break down organisms in your habitat.
f. Optional, include any abiotic factors that might be found there.
5. Create a food pyramid showing the flow of energy in the habitat.
a. Label the sun outside the pyramid with a line to the producer.
b. At the base of the pyramid label the producer(s) in your ecosystem.
c. In the next level up, identify the primary consumer(s).
d. Add levels to the top of your pyramid to identify the consumer(s).
e. Don’t forget to label the loss of energy.
i. Label 100% of the sun’s energy going into the producer.
ii. Label 10% of the sun’s energy going into the primary consumer.
iii. Label the top levels of the energy pyramid with the following percentages: 1%, 0.1%, 0.01%, etc.
6. Choose:
Write an Essay (200+)
OR
Create a Power Point Presentation (10 slides+)
7. Answer the following questions in your essay/presentation
a. Where on Earth is your ecosystem?
Identify the specific continent and country.
b. What other continents, and/or countries, can your ecosystem be found?
c. How do plants and animals interact in your ecosystem?
i. What producers live there?
List at least one major producer.
ii. What consumers live there?
List the four or more animals in your diorama.
1. Name the herbivores that live there.
What do they eat?
2. Name the omnivores that live there.
What do they eat?
3. Name the carnivores that live there.
What do they eat?
iii. What decomposers live there?
What do they decompose?
d. Is your ecosystem changing? If so, how?
Find out if natural events or human activities are hurting your ecosystem.
8. Students must use at least 3 outside resources.
a. Only one website may be from a “wiki” sight.
b. There is no limit to the number of books or websites a student may use.
c. If you use Google to find your images, record the website the picture was taken, not Google.
Book/Website Title: ______
Website URL: ______
Book ISBN #: ______
Book/Website Title: ______
Website URL: ______
Book ISBN #: ______
Book/Website Title: ______
Website URL: ______
Book ISBN #: ______