This week Grade 8 Scientists were completing an assessment for there first unit on communities. The task was assessed by criteria A: knowing and understanding and had them apply their understanding to the unfamiliar topic of scallop fisheries.
Later this week they began their next unit on ecosystems. This has the Statement of inquiry (SOI) the Earth will become uninhabitable for humans and many other organisms if we continue to damage the environment. As an introduction they were collaboratively discussing differing ecosystems. They then created a poster, as a form of mind map, to represent their original understanding of ecosystems. As we work through the unit they will build on this understanding. This will, hopefully, help them make more of a connection to the topic as they will build new knowledge onto what they know already. 
