Fort Stockton ISD students are getting a hands-on look at how Earth’s systems work by building miniature ecosystems inside sealed glass jars.
In a recent classroom project, students created “ecosystems in a jar,” applying lessons about the water, carbon and nitrogen cycles to design small, stable environments that can be observed over time.
According to the district, students layered gravel and nutrient-rich soil, then added clover and grass seeds along with plant samples collected on campus. Once assembled, the jars were sealed to allow for long-term observation of how the closed ecosystems change and sustain themselves.
The activity gives students an opportunity to connect textbook science concepts to real-world biology, while also encouraging careful planning, experimentation and monitoring as the ecosystems develop.
