On Monday, May 11, the Dyker Heights campus turned into a living science lab for fifth grade discoveries. To help students connect classroom learning to the real world, Middle School teacher Noreen Malik took her students on a mini scientific expedition around campus to observe organisms in their natural habitats and discuss the important roles each plays in the environment. 

Everything Is Connected

Students practiced scientific observation skills and explored how living things interact and depend on one another in an ecosystem. In class, students studied producers such as plants and moss, consumers including termites, Bess beetles, birds and isopods, and decomposers like fungi and mushrooms. Their curiosity about moss, insects, and logs naturally extended their fieldwork to birds and their role in local food webs. By learning about ecosystems, students begin to understand how interconnected everything in nature is—from plants and animals to water, air, and soil.

Alice J. ’33 discovered a nurse log, a fallen decaying tree that provides nutrients and protection for new growth. “I went near a tree where the nurse log was near its roots. We’re learning how plants and animals interact with a nurse log and how it supports the environment. A nurse log becomes a home for pill bugs, beetles, and termites, which feed on it for energy. Decomposers like fungi and mushrooms also grow on it.”

Fresh Air, Field Work, and Friends

This time spent outdoors helped make science come to life for Patrick T. ’33. “Getting out in nature and learning about cool, wildlife species like [different species of] birds makes science a lot more exciting,” said Patrick. “You also get to work with your friends in partner groups, while enjoying a beautiful day. We’ve been learning about ecosystems, decomposers, termites, nurse logs, and mushrooms and spotted birds like European starlings, and previously wild turkeys around campus.

Seeing the World With New Eyes

The outdoor investigation reflected the course’s systems-based approach by giving students a firsthand look at how organisms, energy, and matter interact within an ecosystem while strengthening scientific observation, modeling, and evidence-based reasoning skills. Rowan W. ’33 reflected on how classroom learning has changed the way he observes the natural world, turning everyday sights into meaningful scientific understanding. “I’ve always seen stumps with bugs on them. Now that we’re learning the bugs’ names and more about their species, it allows me to take in [my natural surroundings] more deeply.”