Fallen Log
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It’s amazing how many things live in and on rotting logs. In this activity, your students will become familiar with some of those organisms by observing fallen logs or other decomposing pieces of wood. They’ll gain an understanding of how decomposition takes place and a better appreciation for microhabitats and communities.
Objectives
Students will
- Identify some of the organisms that live in, on, and under fallen logs or rotting pieces of wood.
- Explain how organisms depend on dead wood for survival.
- Describe the process of decomposition.
For the complete activity and more like this, purchase the Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide at Shop.PLT.org and/or attend a professional development training in your state.
Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide is a supplementary curriculum that is multi-disciplinary, with an emphasis on science, reading, writing, mathematics, and social studies.
Each activity displays explicit connections to practices and concepts expected by the following national academic standards so teachers can easily see where the materials will fit into their lesson plans:
- Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
- Common Core Toolkit, includes
- English Language Arts (CCSS.ELA)
- Mathematics (CCSS.MATH)
- College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies (C3)
Our professional development further demonstrates these connections, as well as to state and local standards, contact your state coordinator.
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EE Resources
Video Demo: The Fallen Log
Watch The Fallen Log Demonstration video (13 minutes). PLT’s The Fallen Log helps students develop skills in data collection and learn what’s living on rotting stumps and logs in their backyard. This video was developed by Laurie Haines, a PLT Facilitator in Maine.
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