Ecosystem unit

I am student teaching in second grade now and am enjoying it. I am finding myself really busy at this point in time with writing all the lesson plans that I need and also the unit plans. I also am working on my portfolio which is taking a lot more time than I first thought it would. My own children are ages 12, 13 and almost 16 years old. I have a hard time keeping my eyes open to help them with their school work which is really hard as I home school the two younger ones. My 12-year-old daughter also does ballet and softball.

                This week I am working on my unit plan for teaching ecosystems to second graders. I thought that I knew what I was going to do but am stuck. So if anyone has any ideas that would help me through this that would be great. Please post any and all ideas you have for a unit on this. So far I have a list of read aloud books and an end project that the students will do but now I just need to connect the two things. The end project will be where I have the students work in pairs to create one of the major ecosystems. They can do a poster, a diorama or something that shows the other students a little about that ecosystem. For example, for the students doing the rain forest:

Or for the students doing the ocean:

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tasty crockpot meal

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        This semester I am doing my student teaching in two different schools. I am dual majoring in elementary education and special education. I always thought that I wanted to teach first or second grade but am now liking the older students and special education. I have had many people ask me how I can be a mom to three children, be a full-time college student, and still find time to cook a nutritious meal for my family. Well I do a lot of crockpot cooking and would like to share one of my family’s favorite recipe.

INGREDIENTS NUTRITION 

Servings 4-6 Units

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 12 ounces cottage cheese (we like 2%)
• 1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese or 1⁄2 cup asiago cheese
• 12 ounces lasagna noodles, uncooked

16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in frypan.
2. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt and oregano.
3. Cook long enough to get it warm.
4. Spoon a layer of meat sauce onto the bottom of the slow cooker.
5. Add a double layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (break to fit) and top with cheeses.
6. Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheeses until all are used up.
7. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
8. Serve and enjoy!