Simulators / APES Unit 1 / Ecocolumn lab
Ecocolumn Lab
Your students' bottle is a small model ecosystem. They enter their weekly readings and the lab draws their column, charts the nitrogen cycle, graphs any two measurements against each other, and suggests what to change when a reading goes out of range. Built for a three-chamber column with land, sand, and water. Free, with no login.
Open the lab in its own tab (best on phones and Chromebooks)
Take it to class
Run it with your own ecocolumns
The lab opens on a Start here tab with the measurement guide, and it has ten weeks of example data so you can see every tab before students add anything. Their first saved reading replaces the examples.
Enter and see
Students log dissolved oxygen, nitrogen compounds, pH, temperature, total dissolved solids, plant height, and soil fertility, and the column drawing changes to match.
Graph and report
Pair any two measurements, such as water temperature and dissolved oxygen. Then build a printable report with findings, charts, and claim, evidence, and reasoning prompts.
Saved on their device
Readings stay in the browser on that device. Students can copy them as spreadsheet rows, or paste rows in from a class sheet.
About the model: the ranges and explanations are simplified for teaching. They are not a substitute for lab-grade water testing, and your own column may behave differently.