Quadrats to Biodiversity

Can one square meter predict the health of our ecosystem?

Grades
5-7
Subjects
Science, Math
Key Content
ratios, unit rate, percentages, organisms and populations, ecosystems, informative writing
Two children, one wearing a pink shirt and the other a blue shirt, stand in front of a multicolored playground structure in a park.

Students mark out sample one square meter areas (quadrats) in the local ecosystem. They use collected data to calculate the abundance of different species. They then analyze data using ratios, unit rate, and percentages to determine the health of the local ecosystem. They submit their findings to a local news publication.