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The TerrAqua Column
 The TerraAqua Column (see building
instructions) is a bottle
system that is composed of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. The terrestrial
habitat,
or terrarium,
houses organisms in soil and above ground sub-habitats. The aquatic habitat,
or aquarium, houses floating and submerged organisms, as well as organisms
that live on top of or in aquatic sediments. The terrarium and the aquarium
are connected to one another through water — the terrarium drains
into the aquarium, which, in turn, provides the terrarium with water
that is drawn through a wick that runs between the two.
The Essential
Science for Teachers TerrAqua Column is designed as a companion
to the video for Sessions
1 (“What Is Life?”) and 2 (“Classifying
Living Things”). This system provides opportunities for learning
about the characteristics of life by observing living things in their
environments over time. It is also well suited for activities that
involve distinguishing between organisms based on habitat, the roles
they play,
or the features that classify them as plants, animals, or other life
forms.
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Get a Life Necklace
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Essential Science for Teachers suggests several
activities for the TerrAqua Column that are excellent introductions to
a scientific
study
of the
living world. “Get a Life!” features
the “necklace” worn
in the video by Bottle Biology creator Paul Williams. In this activity,
the challenge is to test whether an object is alive by creating
life-sustaining conditions in small tubes that can be worn around
the neck.
“Taking Inventory” emphasizes
careful description of the living things that are introduced into the
system, while “Pondering
Change” allows
you to keep track of changes in the system over time. “Is
it Alive?” parallels
an activity seen in Session 1 in LauraJo
Kelly’s second-grade
classroom where items are classified as living, dead, or nonliving.
The fascinating world of microbes is made visible with “Now
You See It.” “What is It?” provides a systematic
approach to classifying living things into the groups that scientists
use to organize
the living world.
You can follow along online and Track Our Progress
with “Is it
Alive?” “Now You See
It,” and “What is
It?”
For more background information and additional activity
ideas, you can visit the Bottle Biology website
at www.bottlebiology.org.
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