Activities

1. List 5 natural systems on Earth.
   
   
2. Draw a simple model of the water cycle.

3. A plastic bag is filled with a mixture of starch and water.  The bag is placed in a beaker filled with iodine.  The plastic is permeable to the iodine, but it is not permeable to the starch.  Draw arrows on the diagram below to predict the movement of the two substances.
   
   
4. A park ranger at Yosemite National Park has noticed that there has been a recent decrease in the bird population.  What do you think could be causing this decrease?

5. Roseanne predicts that if a plant grows in artificial light instead of sunlight, it will create a different sugar, not glucose which is usually produced during photosynthesis.  Do you agree with her prediction?  Why or why not?

Answer Key/Rubric

1. Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:
   • Water cycle
   • Carbon cycle
   • Nitrogen cycle
   • Watershed
   • Food web
   • photosynthesis
     
     
2. Acceptable components of the model may include, but are not limited to:
   • Condensation
   • Clouds
   • Precipitation
   • Ground water
   • Run off
   • Respiration
   • Transpiration

3. Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:
   • The iodine moves into the plastic bag.
   • The starch does not move out of the bag.

Example:

4. Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:
   • Time to migrate
   • Too many tourists
   • Decrease in food supplies
   • Population became too large so some moved and some died

5. Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:

1. Roseanne is incorrect.
2. Energy for sunlight is needed for photosynthesis to take place.
3. The energy does not need to be provided by sunlight.
4. Energy can be provided by any type of light.
5. If a plant is grown with artificial light, it will still get the energy it needs.
6. Glucose will still be produced.