edtl4480.bgsu.wikispaces.netedtl4480.bgsu.wikispaces.net/file/view/Snyder... · Web viewFocus learner’s thinking. Spark ... slideshow provides a review of the content aligned

Your Name: Cindy Snyder Unit Name: Ecosystems Lesson Name: Lesson #1 What are Ecosystems?

Learner outcomes: (content and inquiry – measurable): The students will:

Incorporate their information from several articles on ecosystems into a graphic organizer with 100% accuracy

Be able to list at least 7 different dynamics from their ecosystem on the exit slip

Grade Level Standards, Grade, Theme, & Topic

Standard (highlight one): Earth Life Physical

Grade: 6th (this year, but will be under 5th next year)

Grade Band Theme: Interconnections within Systems, Science Inquiry and Application

Topic: Interactions within Ecosystems (This topic focuses on foundational knowledge of the structures and functions

of ecosystems.)

Condensed Content Statements

Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem

All of the processes that take place within organisms require energy.

Food webs can be used to identify the relationships among producers, consumers and decomposers in an ecosystem.

Misconceptions

Meaning of the words "animal" and "plant"

Elementary- and middle-school students hold a much more restricted meaning than biologists for the word "animal" (Mintzes et al., 1991). For example, most students list only vertebrates as animals. Elementary- and middle-school students use such criteria as number of legs, body covering, and habitat to decide whether things are animals. High-school students frequently use attributes that are common to both plants and animals (e.g., reproduction and respiration) as criteria (Trowbridge & Mintzes, 1985). Because upper elementary-school students tend not to use hierarchical classification, they may have difficulty understanding that an organism can be classified as both a bird and an animal (Bell, 1981). Elementary- and middle-school students also hold a much more restricted meaning than biologists do for the word "plant." Students often do not recognize that trees, vegetables, and grass are all plants (Osborne & Freyberg, 1985).

Academic Language:

1. ecosystem2. competition3. population4. habitat5. abiotic 6. biotic

Procedural Language:

1. organize2. explain3. compare4. identify

Living and nonliving

Elementary- and middle-school students typically use criteria such as "movement," "breath," "reproduction," and "death" to decide whether things are alive. Thus, some believe fire, clouds, and the sun are alive, but others think plants and certain animals are nonliving. (Bell & Freyberg, 1985; Leach et al., 1992). High-school and college students also mainly use obvious criteria (e.g., "movement," "growth") to distinguish between "living" and "nonliving" and rarely mention structural criteria ("cells") or biochemical characteristics ("DNA") (Brumby, 1982; Leach et al., 1992).

5-E Phase Planned Activity/Event Guiding Questions Notes: Materials, Safety, Modifications

Day 1

Engage Time: 5 min

Tap prior knowledge

Focus learner’s thinking

Spark interest in topic

1. Watch YouTube video on different ecosystems/biomes rap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD38Y6T4e3k&feature=related

Explore Time: 15 min

Provide learners with common, concrete, tactile experiences with skills and concepts

Observe and listen to students

Ask probing questions

Act as a consultant

1. Students are split into groups based on their reading level and each group is given an article on an ecosystem.

2. Students will write down the main ideas described in their articles.

3. Have the students organize their information into a

1. Articles on Ecosystems. (4 articles) Graphic Organizers (Ecosystems Dynamics web map

document)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD38Y6T4e3k&feature=related

graphic organizer.

Use Ecosystem Dynamics web map document

Explain Time: 15 min

Encourage students to explain concepts in their own words

Ask for justification

Use students previous experiences as the basis or explaining concepts

Clarify and correct misconceptions

1. The students will explain to each other what the main ideas of their articles were and compare them with the other groups.

2. Students will make a web map of what of what defines an ecosystem.

Use Ecosystem Dynamics web map document.

1. What are some examples of ecosystem dynamics?

2. How can we identify these dynamics?

3. What do you think could happen to an ecosystem if these ecosystems are dramatically altered?

4. What could be some reasons that these dynamics change?

1. List from each group of main ideas of their articles.

Ecosystem Dynamics web map document

Extend Time: 15 min

Apply same concepts and skills in a new context resulting in deeper and broader understanding

1. The class will have to try and decide what ecosystem is being described by the clues that they are given on flashcards.

2. Then each group will share their clues with the entire class

1. Flashcards of clues about ecosystems. (5 per group)

Encourage the students to apply the concepts/skills to new situations

and what ecosystem they thought it was and why.

Evaluate Time: 5 min

Observe as students apply new concepts and skills

Assess, formally and/or informally student progress toward achieving the learner outcomes

Assess students’ knowledge and/or skills

Allow students to assess their own learning and group process skills

1. Exit card will be used to determine if the students have met the objective of the lesson. Students will be given a picture of an ecosystem and told to identify different dynamics shown on the picture.

1. Pictures of different ecosystems on exit slips. (35)

5E Planning Guide for Inquiry Teaching!

Your Name: Cindy Snyder Unit Name: Ecosystems Lesson Name: Lesson #2 How Do Organisms Get Energy?

Learner outcomes: (content and inquiry – measurable): The students will:

1. using the I-Pad create 3 food chains with 100% accuracy.

2. construct a food web of their study site or selected ecosystem using construction paper, Journal, butcher paper, poster board, or Inspiration. Identify the sun, producers, consumers, carnivores, herbivores, omnivores,

and decomposers with 100% accuracy.

Grade Level Standards, Grade, Theme, & Topic

Standard (highlight one): Earth Life Physical

Grade: 6th (this year, but will be under 5th next year)

Grade Band Theme: Interconnections within Systems, Science Inquiry and Application

Topic: Interactions within Ecosystems (This topic focuses on foundational knowledge of the structures and

functions of ecosystems.)

Condensed Content Statements

• Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem

All of the processes that take place within organisms require energy.

Food webs can be used to identify the relationships among producers, consumers and decomposers in an ecosystem.

Misconceptions


Elementary- and middle-school students hold a much more restricted meaning than biologists for the word "animal" (Mintzes et al., 1991). For example,

most students list only vertebrates as animals. Elementary- and middle-school students use such criteria as number of legs, body covering, and habitat to

decide whether things are animals. High-school students frequently use attributes that are common to both plants and animals (e.g., reproduction and

respiration) as criteria (Trowbridge & Mintzes, 1985). Because upper elementary-school students tend not to use hierarchical classification, they may have

difficulty understanding that an organism can be classified as both a bird and an animal (Bell, 1981). Elementary- and middle-school students also hold a

Academic Language:

1. Producer2. consumer3. decomposer4. ecosystem5. food chain6. food web7. energy pyramid8. environment9. extinct10. transferred11. advantage12. disadvantage13. significance

Procedural Language:

1. simulate2. examine3. discover4. identify5. create6. construct

much more restricted meaning than biologists do for the word "plant." Students often do not recognize that trees, vegetables, and grass are all plants

(Osborne & Freyberg, 1985).


Elementary- and middle-school students typically use criteria such as "movement," "breath," "reproduction," and "death" to decide whether things are alive.

Thus, some believe fire, clouds, and the sun are alive, but others think plants and certain animals are nonliving. (Bell & Freyberg, 1985; Leach et al., 1992).

High-school and college students also mainly use obvious criteria (e.g., "movement," "growth") to distinguish between "living" and "nonliving" and rarely

mention structural criteria ("cells") or biochemical characteristics ("DNA") (Brumby, 1982; Leach et al., 1992).

5-E Phase Planned Activity/Event Guiding Questions Notes: Materials, Safety, ModificationsDay 2Engage Time: 10 min

Tap prior knowledge



1. Students will simulate the flow of energy through a food chain. Select 5 students to line up in a food chain based on the following living thing organisms such as grass, cricket, toad, snake, hawk.

2. Give the producer a bag containing 10 m long adding tape or meter tape.

3. To simulate a food chain,-The producer will cut off 1/10 (1 m) of the strip (food) and hand it to the next animal (cricket).-The cricket will tear off 1/10 (1 dm) of the strip(food) he was given and hand it to the next predator(mouse).-The toad will tear off 1/10 (1 cm) of the strip(food) he was given, and hand it to the next predator(snake).-The snake will try to tear off 1/10 (1 mm) of the strip(food) he was given and place inside his stomach. Students will see what a small amount of energy

1. Where do we get our energy?

2. What happened to the amount of food (energy) the hawk received compared to the amount of food (energy) the other animals received? Explain. The hawk receives less energy than a consumer lower on the energy pyramid.

3. How does this explain the shape of the energy pyramid? There are fewer hawks because there is not enough food to support a larger population.

4. What would happen if one of the animals were missing from the chain? What other factors could affect the food chain?

5. Do we have greater

1. Adding Tape(10 meters strip)

2. Meter Stick3. Ruler (cm side)

this will be.

4. Examine the contents of the hawk’s stomach.

populations of insects or mammals on Earth? Insects. They are lower on the pyramid.

Explore Time: 15 min Provide

learners with common, concrete, tactile experiences with skills and concepts



Act as a consultant

1. Students will use I-pads to try and make food chains of their own and to discover what happens when part of the food chain is missing.

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/frogs/chain_reaction/play_chainreaction.cfm

1. What do you think will happen if any part of the food chain is missing?

1. I-pads (35)

Explain Time: 10 min Encourage

students to explain concepts in their own words

Ask for justification

Use students previous experiences as the basis or explaining concepts

Clarify and correct

1. Students should draw an energy pyramid and then use fractions to show how the energy passes between each level. Some resources show bacteria at the top of the pyramid. Discuss with students why this would be the case

1. Which organisms are producers, and which are consumers?

2. What do we call animals that just eat meat? plants? both meat and plants?

3. What would happen in a grassland food chain if people overpopulated the area with grazers?

4. What would happen in a forest if most of the trees were cut down to develop a neighborhood? What would happen to the food chain in the forest?

misconceptions

2. Identify the sequence from plant to hawk as a food chain. Draw the food chain on the board with arrows pointing to the consumer that is getting the food. Students should record the example of the energy pyramid and food chain in their Journals.

5. What would happen if all of the birds in a forest ecosystem were killed from carbon dioxide pollution put off by a nearby highway? How would it affect the food chain?

6. Ask the students for examples of other ways people can cause changes in an ecosystem and impact the food chain—bring up a recent oil spill and its impact on the environment if no one else does.

7. Ask groups of students to create a food chain for a given ecosystem. Share with the class, and record each group’s responses in the room. (share examples if they need guidance)

8. Ask and discuss:Do the food chains ever overlap? yesCan an animal eat more than one thing? yesWhat would we call a food chain with animals eating more than one other animal or producer? Food web

Extend Time: 10 min Apply same

concepts and

1. Place students into groups of eight. Have one student sit in the middle—he/she is the sun. Give each student

1. What do we call overlapping food chains? Identify this system as a food web.

skills in a new context resulting in deeper and broader understanding


one of the organism cards: grass, cricket, beetle, rabbit, mouse, tree, squirrel, coyote, snake, hawk, fungus, and armadillo. Each student must wear their card.

2. Give the student holding the sun card a ball of yarn or string.

3. Ask the sun, “Who turns you energy into a form that is usable by earth’s organisms? The sun will identify the producer and toss that person the ball of yarn or string.

4. Ask the grass, “Who eats you?” The grass will identify a consumer that eats grass, and toss that person the ball of yarn or string.

5. Ask the next person, “Who eats you?” The person who now holds the yarn or string will identify a consumer that eats it and pass them the yarn.

6. Students should continue passing the yarn until everyone has identified “who eats them.”

7. Students may be passed the yarn more than once depending on the availability of different foods.

8. Be prepared to guide students when the hawk receives the yarn, and then has no one to pass it to. Discuss the process of decomposition by the fungus.

2. What would happen if the beetle were wiped out by pesticides? The beetle should leave the web. Anyone that eats (predator) the beetle should drop the string. If they are holding string connecting them to another source of food, they may stay in the web. Otherwise, the predator must leave the web and go sit down. Continue asking questions like the beetle question that would include people’s actions interrupting the food chain. Continue the process as long as possible.

3. Is there any organism that could leave the web that would not affect another organism?

4. What is the role of the fungus? Identify the term: decomposer. Also identify the fungus’s niche (role)

5. Who are the carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores in the web?

Evaluate Time: 5 min Observe as

students apply new concepts and skills




1. Students create a food web of their study site or selected ecosystem using construction paper, Journal, butcher paper, poster board, or Inspiration. Identify the sun, producers, consumers, carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, and decomposers.

1. Construction paper2. Journal3. Poster board4. Inspiration

5E Planning Guide for Inquiry Teaching! Academic Language:1. biotic2. abiotic3. population4. ecological succession

Your Name: Cindy Snyder Unit Name: Ecosystems Lesson Name: Lesson #3 – How Do Organisms Interact?

Learner outcomes: (content and inquiry – measurable): The students will: complete graphic organizer with 100% accuracy complete vocabulary handout with 100% accuracy complete readiness assessment with 100% accuracy

Grade Level Standards, Grade, Theme, & TopicStandard (highlight one): Earth Life PhysicalGrade: 6th (this year, but will be under 5th next year)Grade Band Theme: Interconnections within Systems, Science Inquiry and ApplicationTopic: Interactions within Ecosystems (This topic focuses on foundational knowledge of the structures and functions of ecosystems.)

Condensed Content Statements1. Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem2. All of the processes that take place within organisms require energy.3. Food webs can be used to identify the relationships among producers, consumers and decomposers in an

ecosystem.

Misconception





5-E Phase Planned Activity/Event Guiding Questions Notes: Materials, Safety, Modifications

Academic Language:1. biotic2. abiotic3. population4. ecological succession

Day 3Engage Time: 20 min

Tap prior knowledge



1. The STAARter slideshow provides a review of the content aligned to the module. Each student will record and organize the concepts in a graphic organizer in the STAARter Student Handout.

1. https:// sample.stemscopes.com/pdf_elements/8759/download(Slide Show and handout)

Explore Time: 30 min Provide learners

with common, concrete, tactile experiences with skills and concepts



Act as a consultant

1. A dichotomous key is a classification tool that can be used to identify organisms or things by their similarities and differences. Inferences made from clues in the key can be used to gain additional information about the organism or thing being identified.

Use the key below to identify each animal.

A. Lives mainly on land. Go to D or E.

B. Lives mainly in the water. Go to C.

C. Eats plants in the water. Go to H.

D. Eats grasses mainly, but will eat from trees. Go to F.

E. Eats from trees mainly, but will eat grasses. Go to G.

F. Animal is an elephant.

G. Animal is a giraffe.

1. Which of the animals above compete for at least one of the

same limiting factors? Explain.

1. https:// sample.stemscopes.com/pdf_elements/8762/download(Table for writing down factors)

H. Animal is a hippopotamus.

2. You will play the role of a lion in the African Savanna. A roll of the

die will determine your chance of survival. To survive you need adequate food, water, shelter, and space. The things you need to survive are called limiting factors. A lack of limiting factors may lead to death.

You will complete three trials. Each trial consists of three rolls of the die. Follow the steps below for each round.

1. Roll the die once to determine the limiting factor you are seeking. Fill in the data table.

[1] Food [3] Shelter [5-6] Free Choice[2] Space [4] Water

Roll the die again to determine the limiting factor you found. Fill in the data table.

Example: Roll 1 = [1] You are looking for food. Roll 2 = [2] You found space

Example: Roll 1 = [4] You are looking for water Roll 2 = [6-Free Choice]. You select water; for it is the limiting factor you are seeking.

To survive, you have to find your limiting factor at least once in the

three rounds. Your success will determine if your environment was normal, abundant, or restrictive.

Day 4Explain Time: 30 min

Encourage students to explain concepts in their own words

Ask for justification Use students

previous experiences as the basis or explaining concepts


1. Play Flip It Game

Using the Word Bank below, write the correct terms in the spaces provided with the correct definitions.

Cut out cards. Keep word cards separate from definition cards. Shuffle both sets.

Place word cards and definition cards, upside down, in layout shown below.

Player One flips one word card and one definition card.

Player Two uses his/her matched words and definitions completed in Step 1 to verify Player One’s cards. If the pair matches, Player One keeps both cards and play continues.

Player Two flips one word card and one definition card. If the pair matches, Player Two keeps both cards.

When all cards are gone, the player with the most cards wins.

1. https:// sample.stemscopes.com/pdf_elements/8760/download(handout to fill in vocabulary)

Extend Time: 15 min Apply same

concepts and skills in a new context

1. Widespread drought is one of the big issues that our country has faced this past year. The drought has played a role in

1. https://sample.stemscopes.com/pdf_elements/8761/download(handout of questions)

resulting in deeper and broader understanding


increased wildfires. These fires spread and cause great destruction. Many people want to blame droughts on global warming. If events such as droughts continue, it can change the interactions that take placein an ecosystem. Think about your local geographic area, and describe how a drought changes the biotic, abiotic, and environmental interactions.

2. Life Without Man is an educational television special. It shows succession in a major city if man were to disappear all at once. All other life remained. In 50 year increments, starting with this year going forward 150 years, predict what would happen in your city. (HINT: Think about historic human impact on the area, biodiversity, and sustainability.

3. NASA’s Johnson Space Center, located south of Houston, has a large deer population living in the enclosed fenced area surrounding the facility. The facility opened in 1961. The original population of deer started out as a small herd.Currently there are a little over 200 deer in the 1,620 acre enclosure. The ecosystem can be described as 25% trees and 75% fields. There are no naturalpredators left in the area except

coyotes, and they would only hunt deer in rare cases. Coyotes generally go for smaller prey or scavenge. For the past couple ofdecades, the deer have had to be fed through the winter. Each scenario below involves a limiting factor. Determine the limiting factor and describe its impact on the deer population.

*The deer are no longer fed in the winter.

* The fence is taken down so the deer can roam in the surrounding area.

Evaluate Time: 5 min Observe as

students apply new concepts and skills




1. Readiness Assessment 1. https:// sample.stemscopes.com/quiz_elements/3168(readiness assessment)

5E Planning Guide for Inquiry Teaching!

Your Name: Cindy Snyder Unit Name: Ecosystems Lesson Name: Lesson#4 What are Biomes?

Academic Language:

1. Biome2. Organism3. Arctic4. Global warming5. Greenhouse effect6. Gulf Stream

Learner outcomes: (content and inquiry – measurable): The students will:1. Complete the maps with 85% accuracy2. Create a brochure or public service announcement with 100% accuracy

Grade Level Standards, Grade, Theme, & TopicStandard (highlight one): Earth Life PhysicalGrade: 6th (this year, but will be under 5th next year)Grade Band Theme: Interconnections within Systems, Science Inquiry and ApplicationTopic: Interactions within Ecosystems (This topic focuses on foundational knowledge of the structures and functions of ecosystems.)

Condensed Content Statements1. Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem2. All of the processes that take place within organisms require energy.3. Food webs can be used to identify the relationships among producers, consumers and decomposers in an ecosystem.

Misconceptions:





5-E Phase Planned Activity/Event Guiding Questions Notes: Materials, Safety, ModificationsDay 5 1. Have each student draw a 1. What do the cards have on 1. Create a deck of ecology cards--

Academic Language:

1. Biome2. Organism3. Arctic4. Global warming5. Greenhouse effect6. Gulf Stream

Engage Time: 10 min Tap prior knowledge Focus learner’s thinking Spark interest in topic

card from the deck of ecology cards. They will either be a “place” (AKA: Biome) or anorganism that lives in one of the “places.”

2. Give students a couple of minutes to “match up” according to the places andthe organisms that live within them.

3. List “places” on the board and discuss the matches made in the activity.

them?

2. How should you match up?

cards with pictures and/or names of biomes on themand cards with organisms livingwithin each biome.

2. For examples of biomes andorganisms within them seehttp://library.thinkquest.org/11922/habitats/habitats.htm

Explore Time: 20 min Provide learners with

common, concrete, tactile experiences with skills and concepts


Ask probing questions Act as a consultant

1. Give each student a blank world map and a color key of the “places” discussedin the engage. Each student will color locations on the map according to wherethey think these “places” belong.

2. Students should come up with what they believe to be characteristics of each“place.”

3. Students share maps and characteristics with students in their original group from the engage phase.

4. Students research the “place” in which they were grouped to see if thecharacteristics they came

1. Where do you think each of the “places” in the key on your map is found on our Earth?

2. What are the components ofand characteristics of theseplaces?

1. Blank world map and a color key of “places” (AKA: biomes)

2. Research materials that include characteristics ofthe various “places.”

up with are actually true characteristics of the “place.”

Explain Time: 20 min Encourage students to

explain concepts in their own words

Ask for justification Use students previous

experiences as the basis or explaining concepts


1. Discuss maps and characteristics of the “places” as a class.

2. Introduce the word “biome.”

3. Show world biomes map at the following site:http://library.thinkquest.org/11922/habitats/habitats.htm

4. Have students compare the biomes map to the one they created.

5. Discuss characteristics of each biome.

6. Discuss organisms that live in each—characteristics that make them welladapted to each biome.

1. What do we call this group of “places” we are exploring?

2. What are some characteristics of and components of each biome?

3. What organisms live in each biome?

4. Why can these organisms survive in their respected

biome?

5. Could these organisms survive in other biomes? Why or why not?

1. World biomes map

Day 6Extend Time: 40 min

Apply same concepts and skills in a new context resulting in deeper and broader understanding


1. Students brainstorm ideas of how global warming may affect the various biomes.

2. Students watch the video Biomes: Extreme Climate paying attention to specific terms listed in the next column.

3. Students play “Worldwide

1. According to the video, whatdo these terms mean? Arctic,global warming, greenhouseeffect, Gulf Stream, glacier,permafrost, fossil fuel, climate.

2. How is the Arctic (and thecomponents within it) affectedby global warming?

1. Video: Biomes: Extreme Climate

2. Large index cards

3. Pens

4. Ball of string or yarn

web.”

4. See Discovery School lesson at http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/

programs/biomes arctic

Evaluate Time: 10 min Observe as students

apply new concepts and skills




1. Students create a travel brochure with thefollowing components:

A complete definition of the word “biome.”

Two examples of biomes, Two organisms living within each biome, and reasons why the organisms are well-suited for survival in each biome.

2. A public service announcement detailing what could happen to thebiomes and the organisms discussed due to global warming.

1. Students can draw and color entire brochures or use already existing pictures. Possible materials needed include:

• Paper• Crayons or markers• Magazines to cut pictures out of• Computer with internet access to print pictures

EcosystemsYour Name Cindy Snyder Date 11/27 – 11/29Subject/ Course Life Science Grade 6thCCSSM Domain

Science Inquiry and Application Interconnections within Systems

# of Students 32

CCSSM Strand Interactions within Ecosystems Class Length 50 min.Unit Topic or Theme

Food Webs Day 2,3,4 of 7 CMT Initials

Essential Question: What are the elements that make up an ecosystem?

Lesson Rationale and SummaryRationale: Here are the main reasons for preserving natural ecosystems:

1. to maintain biodiversity2. to provide a genetic reservoir3. to provide areas for education and scientific study4. to provide wilderness areas which form natural museums5. to maintain water quality and conserve soil6. and to prevent the spread of diseases.

Summary: Food chains and food webs examine how the nutrients and energy contained in food is passed from organism to organism. Each living thing, whether it is a plant or animal, depends on nutrients and energy to survive and reproduce.

Common Core Standards (preferably) or Ohio Academic Content Standards (Indicators)1. This topic focuses on foundational knowledge of the structures and functions of ecosystems.2. Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem.3. All of the processes that take place within organisms require energy4. Food webs can be used to identify the relationships among producers, consumers and decomposers in an

ecosystem.

Learning Objectives1. Identify animals that live in four different environments orally in class on Day 2.2. Create a class food web showing the interactions among elements of the ecosystem with 100%

accuracy.

Academic LanguageabioticDefinition: The nonliving elements of an ecosystemContext: Air and water are abiotic elements of an ecosystem.

autotrophDefinition: The elements in an ecosystem that produce their own foodContext: Plants are autotrophs and make their own food through a process called photosynthesis.

bioticDefinition: The living elements of an ecosystemContext: Plants and animals are the biotic elements of an ecosystem.

ecosystemDefinition: A habitat in which plants, animals, and microorganisms interact with each other and their surroundingsContext: In the ocean ecosystem, algae produce food that is eaten by fish and other marine animals.

food webDefinition: The relationships of interacting food chains in an ecosystemContext: A food web shows that an relationships between plants and animals are extremely complex.

heterotrophDefinition: The organisms in an ecosystem that cannot make their own foodContext: Heterotrophs, also known as consumers, are animals that eat plants or other animals.

predatorDefinition: Animals that hunt other animals for foodContext: In many forests, the coyote is the major predator of deer.

primary consumerDefinition: An animal that eats only plantsContext: Giraffes are primary consumers in their ecosystem on the African plains.

preyDefinition: An animal that is eaten by other animals in an ecosystemContext: A balance of predators and prey in an ecosystem shows that it is healthy.

secondary consumerDefinition: Animals that live off primary consumersContext: Lions and tigers are secondary consumers because they eat zebras and other animals that eat plants.

Planned AssessmentsUse the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work at end of three days:

3 points: Students demonstrated a clear understanding of an ecosystem and its elements; made careful, thorough observations of an element; and made significant contributions to the creation of a food web.

2 points: Students demonstrated some understanding of an ecosystem and its elements; made adequate observations of an element; and made some contributions to the creation of a food web.

1 point: Students demonstrated little understanding of an ecosystem and its elements; did not complete

observations of an element; and made no contributions to the creation of a food web.

Differentiated Instructional StrategiesDay 1Slower readers – Teacher types answers on board as class discusses the questions so that they can have ample time to record the answers in their journals.

Day 2Lower level learner – peer teaching is a great strategy.

Day 3Dysgraphia – Have these students draw the arrows on the food web.

List Resources1. Elements of Biology: Ecosystems: Organisms and Their Environments video2. Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears3. Essential Science for Teachers4. Flow of Matter and Energy, Plant and Animal Nutrition5. Computer with Internet access6. Paper and markers7. Pencil and paper8. Colored pencils9. Textbook

THE LESSON PROCEDURES

1. READINESS (also called “Motivation” or the “Engage” segment) Allotted Time: 5 min/dayDay 1Read Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears is an online magazine for K-5 teachers that provides information for misconceptions about plants and how they acquire energy.

Day 2The Annenberg Media series Essential Science for Teachers can be used to provide greater insight to misconceptions children hold about living things and energy. Classroom videos and lessons are provided to help students avoid these misconceptions.

Day 3Read Flow of Matter and Energy, Plant and Animal Nutrition, outlines children’s misconceptions about energy in relationship to producers and consumers

2. CENTRAL LESSON OR ACTIVITY (Explore, Explain, Extend) Allotted Time: 40 min/dayDay 1-Have students watch the program Elements of Biology: Ecosystems: Organisms and Their Environments.

- Ask them to think about the following questions:1. What is an ecosystem?2. What elements make up an ecosystem?3. How are the elements of an ecosystem related?4. What is the relationship between predators and prey in an ecosystem?5. What is the relationship between producers and consumers in an ecosystem?6. What is a food web?

Homework: After watching the video, have the classes investigate their backyards. For homework, have students visit the ecosystem and observe its plants and animals. Ask them to keep a list and to focus on a couple of elements.

Day 2-During the next class, make a list of the elements the students observed; it will probably include trees, shrubs, squirrels, birds, rabbits, and other small animals.

Assign each student pair (peer teaching) to one element and have them answer:1. Is the element an autotroph or a heterotroph?2. If it is an animal, what does it eat?3. Is the animal a primary or secondary consumer?4. Is the animal predator or prey?5. What abiotic, or nonliving things, are part of the ecosystem?

Day 3-After students have completed the assignment, have them pool their observations to create the ecosystem's food web. Put up a large sheet of paper and ask students to draw the food web.

- Make sure that the students include the sun, which provides the energy for plants to make food, in the middle of the food web, followed by plants and the animals that eat plants.

-Students should show how the animals that eat other animals are related to those that eat plants.

-Give students time in class to work on the food web.

- Encourage them to be creative and make it look interesting and attractive.

-Conclude the lesson by holding a discussion about ecosystems.1. What have students learned by observing an ecosystem?2. How are different elements of the ecosystem related to each other?

3. CLOSURE Allotted Time: 5 min/dayDay 1Finish reading Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears from beginning of period.

Day 2Finish watching Essential Science for Teachers from beginning of period.

Day 3Finish reading Flow of Matter and Energy, Plant and Animal Nutrition from beginning of period.

Enrichment/ExtensionUsing the Smart Board, and going to website http://www.gould.edu.au/foodwebs/kids_web.htm the students can match which plants and animals belong in which niches of the food web.

Owl Pellets LabQuestion: What would you expect to find in the pellet of an owl?

Hypothesis:

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

Materials:

_______________ _______________ _______________

_______________ _______________

_______________ _______________ _______________

_______________ _______________

Procedure

1. Put on your gloves and place your pellet on a sheet of white paper. Then unwrap your sterilized pellet.

2. Measure the length and width of your owl pellets.Length of your owl pellet_______ (cm)Width of your owl pellet_______ (cm)Mass of your owl pellet______ (g)

3. Carefully examine the exterior of the pellet. Do you see any signs of fur? _____any signs of feathers? ____

4. Gently pull the ends of the pellet until it comes apart.

5. Using forceps and /or large paper clips carefully separate the bones and teeth from the hair and feathers. Make sure that you get all of the bones, even thosethat are very tiny. Check over the fur thoroughly to make sure that you get all of the bones out. Some of the bones (especially the skulls) may be very fragile.

6. Clean the bones of debris and sort them according to type (for example, skulls, ribs, vertebrae, etc.) as these are the best bones for identifying prey.

7. Determine the number of prey in the pellet (by the number of skulls or jawbone pairs).

8. After you have removed all bones, you can begin to identify the prey usingthe bone chart.

9. Group bones of the same kind together.

10. Record how many animals you found in the table below.

11. Using the bone chart and skeleton guides, mount (glue) the bones to a sheet of construction paper to reconstruct the animal as close to its original shape as possible. Then label the bones. Construction paper will serve as a mounting surface. Grade will be based on neatness, labeling and organization.

RESULTS/OBSERVATIONS:Record all your observations in the table below:

BONE TYPE NUMBERSkullJaw

ScapulaFore limbHind limb

Pelvic boneRib

Vertebrae

Draw Conclusions – Answer these questions on this page of your journal.

1. Was your hypothesis correct? Why or why not?2. Were you able to put together a complete skeleton from the bones in the pellet? Describe your skeleton.3. What animals were eaten by the owl? What does this tell you about the owl’s feeding habits?4. How do your results compare to those of your classmates?

What are Ecosystems?1. population Definition:

Examples:

2. community Definition:

Examples:

3. habitat Definition:

Examples:

4. niche Definition:

Examples:

5. diversity Definition:

Examples:

Understanding Living Things Lesson 1

How Do Organisms Get Energy?1. food web Definition:

Examples:

2. energy pyramid Definition:

Examples:


How do Organisms Interact?1. symbiosis Definition:

Examples:

2. competition Definition:

Examples:


What are Biomes?1. climate Definition:

Examples:

2. adaptation Definition:

Examples:


www.gould.edu.au/foodwebs/kids_web.htm

www.ecokids.ca › Games & Activities › Wildlife

Formal Assessment

Name________________________________________________________________________

Use the terms below to complete the sentences.

ecosystem habitat producer symbiosis

community niche consumer biome

1. An organism’s role in an ecosystem is its _______________________________________.

2. All the populations living in an ecosystem make up a _____________________________.

3. A close relationship between organisms of different species that benefit one or both of the organisms is ________________________________.

4. The part of an ecosystem in which an organism lives is its _________________________.

5. A region of the world defined by its climate and by the kinds of plants and animals thatlive there is a ____________________________________.

6. All the living and nonliving things that interact with one another in an area make upan __________________________________.

7. An organism that makes its own food is a ____________________________________.

8. An organism that eats other organisms is a __________________________________.

Circle the letter of the best choice.

9. Which of these is NOT an abiotic part of an ecosystem?A. bacteriaB. humidityC. soilD. sunlight

10. Which would happen if all the rabbits in this ecosystem died from a disease?grass-rabbit-snake-owlA. Snakes would eat grass instead of rabbits.B. No energy would flow through the ecosystem.C. Producers would not make food.D. The population of snakes would decrease.

11. Which of the following ecosystems would be likely to have the greatest diversity?A. a high mountain meadowB. a desert valleyC. a temperate deciduous forestD. a lake in the taiga

12. Which is the source of energy in an ecosystem?A. decomposersB. nutrients in the soilC. sunlightD. water

13. Which of these is an example of commensalism?A. You catch a fish and eat it.B. A mosquito bites you.C. You pick and eat a peach from a tree.D. A virus gives you the flu.

14. Why do organisms compete within ecosystems?A. There are limited resources.B. They occupy different niches.C. They want to increase diversity.D. Humans cause them to compete.

15. Which of these is NOT a forest biome?A. the taigaB. the tundraC. an area in which most of the plants are deciduous treesD. an area in which most of the plants are conifers

16. Which of these would be a useful adaption for living in a desert biome?A. thick leaves with a waxy coatingB. trees that lose their leaves in the fallC. broad, thin leavesD. fur that repels water

Write your answers on the lines following the questions. Complete sentences.

17. To compare the climates of two different biomes, why is it more useful to interpret datafrom graphs and tables than to take notes from direct observations?

18. From your observations of owl pellets, what can you infer about the foods owls eat?

Explain your answers with 3 to 4 complete sentences.

19. A company wants to build a new shopping center. To do so, it must drain a swamp and cut down several hectaresof a forest. The company promises to replant trees as part of a new park when the shopping center is finished. Howwill these plans affect the swamp and forest ecosystems? Will the new park provide a solution?

20. As you learned, the chief way to analyze biomes is by looking at temperature and precipitationdata from a region.

PART A Summarize the temperature and precipitation data shown in the graphs.PART B In which biome is it most likely that these temperature and precipitation readingswere taken? Explain your answer.

Analysis of Assessment

The data of the assessment is shown below.

The students in Mrs. Godosky’s 6th grade science class did well on the assessment of ecosystems. 2/3 of the class had A’s and B’s. They all

had studied ecosystems in 4th grade also and the students from Haskins had even done the owl pellet experiment already. So a lot of the material

was review. I would teach the unit the same as I did this time. We drew and used a lot of interactive pictures of food chains, food webs, biomes,

populations, and of course the lab was easy to remember. The students actually glued the bones on to a piece of paper trying to form a mouse,

bird, etc. skeleton of what the owl ate. The vocabulary was easy words, not hard like the cell unit they just finished. And I had the students discuss

amongst themselves about the food webs and what would happen if an animal was suddenly gone and they discussed in detail about the

temperature and precipitation of different biomes. This was done on purpose to cause them to think critically about these subjects before the test.

Reflection of Ecosystems Unit

I enjoyed teaching Mrs. Godosky’s 6th grade class about the ecosystem. We started with simple terms such as abiotic and biotic parts of an

ecosystem. I stressed that the abiotic parts were climate, air, water, soil, and light, beyond this it was biotic. Their first impression was that it

seemed to be really easy after the unit that they just finished on cells. I went from there into populations, communities, etc. The next step was food

chains which led into food webs. The last subject that I spent time teaching was the biomes, stressing the temperature and precipitation graphs of

the different areas.

Some of the students were getting confused on the populations, communities, and niches of an ecosystem. So I slowed down and we spent

time actually drawing a picture of an ecosystem of their choice and then they were able to choose a population and what niche it would have in the

ecosystem and then they had to critically think about what type of plants and animals would be in that community. I purposefully had each student

choose the ecosystem of their choice, so that they would have to decide why certain plants and animals served specific parts of that ecosystem.

After this, we took some time and read an article about rescuing seals off the Netherlands coast and why it was important to spend the money and

time trying to save the seals. When I related it to a real life situation they were able to all of a sudden come up with all kinds of ecosystems,

populations, etc. This example made me a big believer in relating information to the real world that the kids could understand and visualize. We

had taken the time with the article to decide what niche the seal was, the population, and community it lived in. It seemed as if this made the

definition of an ecosystem come alive to the class.

The food chain and the food web were a lot of fun to teach and they were a lot of fun for the students. I used the Smart board and we did

many interactive things that the kids could manipulate. If the food chain was correct, they could watch the animals eat each other – which they

thought was great. We also used use food web charts that had rows for decomposers, producers, primary consumers, secondary producers, etc.

They had to guess where about 20-25 different plants and animals fit into this chart. Anytime they can use the Smart board is a plus for the class.

The hardest part of the food webs was the decomposers.

The best part of the unit was dissecting the owl pellets and trying to form a skeleton from the bones they found. The students had to come

up with a hypothesis and realize that it doesn’t matter if it right or wrong, it part of the scientific method and that scientists are wrong all the time.

I was afraid that the kids would be rough with the owl pellets, but after they started finding the bones, I ended up having to rush them so they

would finish in time. They loved using their hands and trying to figure out what parts they had and then what animal it belonged. I realized again

that the students seemed to really be into this experiment because it was something they could relate to real life and not just something they were

reading from a textbook. The skeletons that they glued together were great and they were learning about anatomy as well as the food chain

without even realizing it. If the groups didn’t have enough for a skeleton, then I had them group them by what they were, groups of skulls, hind

legs, vertebrae, etc. I had a lot of fun with lab also! I was also impressed that not one student had to be disciplined about the issue of safety with

the probes and such. The students enjoyed the lab so much that they came in to work on it even during recess.

I will admit that it was hard to get them to focus on biomes after the experiment, so I tried to have them think about actually visiting the

different areas and what animals they use for their experiments besides owls. I tried to take this discussion to the graphs of climate and

precipitation. I felt that this was most difficult section of the unit to teach. It required that the students could read a graph in order to understand

the information which is something that I didn’t even think about. I had to slow down again and explain how a graph works to a few students. This

was the section of the assessment that students lost points on the most. It also made sense because it was towards the top of Bloom’s pyramid.

Most of the students did well with the lower part, such as recall, and missed more points towards the analysis where they had to think logically

through a situation. Overall, I was pleased with the unit and it fit the students learning and testing patterns of what I had been taught about 4 th -8th

grade students. It means a lot more now having seen it play out with a real class of students.

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