Finding Relationships

In this section you will uncover and describe "relationships" or the way things interact with each other.

Thinking in terms of relationships between people, activities, or things is a very powerful tool for understanding things such as families and ecosystems. Any two or more things that are tied together in some way can be explained or described in terms of relationships. The trick is to discover the relationship.

Your family relationships

What relationships can exist between the members of your family? Think about your family, or a family you know with a brother and sister.

Now think about some other relationships. How do the members of your family relate -- share the same house, share household duties, like the same food, like the same music?

Now for a tough one!

How are prehistoric dinosaurs and driving a car to the store related?

Hint - Following the links, or relationships, between the dinosaurs dying out and being buried in the ground, crude oil or fossil fuel formation, processing oil into gas, and the development of gasoline powered automobiles.

You will discover how to answer even difficult questions by looking for the "relationships."

Something to try on your own

Next time you are learning something, try to discover the relationships between the things you are learning about.

Now let's try to use relationships in some subject examples

Reference Library links

• Animal Classification - See how animals are related to each other, such as mammals, reptiles and amphibians
• Who lives where - See which animals live in the same types of homes, such as caves, trees and water
• Who eats what - See which animals eat the same type of food
• The Food Chain - See how animals depend on each other for food and survival
• Beak and Bills - What is the relationship between a bird's beak and the type of food it eats? Check it out.

Workbook Pages links

• The Food Chain
• Beaks and Bills
• California Missions
• California Gold Rush
• Mexican American War