Lesson Development Organizer for Ecosystems

Lesson Development Organizer for Ecosystems 1. Bundle PE’s 2. Do Intent Protocol, record key information on organizer for future reference  Note possible contexts, driving questions, projects for summative task for unit development 3. Research pertinent misconceptions 4. Determine connections to ELA and math 5. Determine lesson sequence needed to meet identified PE’s Performance Expectations: Students who demonstrate understanding can:  3-LS2-1. Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.  3-LS4-1. Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago. [Clarification Statement: Examples of data could include type, size, and distributions of fossil organisms. Examples of fossils and environments could include marine fossils found on dry land, tropical plant fossils found in Arctic areas, and fossils of extinct organisms.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include identification of specific fossils or present plants and animals. Assessment is limited to major fossil types and relative ages.]  3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. [Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence could include needs and characteristics of the organisms and habitats involved. The organisms and their habitat make up a system in which the parts depend on each other.]  3-LS4-4. Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of environmental changes could include changes in land characteristics, water distribution, temperature, food, and other organisms.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to a single environmental change. Assessment does not include the greenhouse effect or climate change.] Driving Question: Survivor: Animal Edition: Velociraptor vs. Lion: Who will make it out alive? Summative Task (Project) Description: Construct an argument with evidence to explain which would be the best for survival: living in a group or living alone. DCIs: LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience When the environment changes in ways that affect a place’s physical characteristics, temperature, or availability of resources, some organisms survive and reproduce, others move to new locations, yet others move into the transformed environment, and some die. (secondary to 3-LS4-4) LS2.D: Social Interactions and Group Behavior Being part of a group helps animals obtain food, defend themselves, and cope with changes. Groups may serve different functions and vary dramatically in size. (Note: Moved from K–2) (3-LS2-1) LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity Some kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no longer found anywhere. (Note: Moved from K–2) (3-LS4-1) Fossils provide evidence about the types of organisms that lived long ago and also about the nature of their environments. (3-LS4-1) LS4.C: Adaptation For any particular environment, some kinds of organisms survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. (3-LS4-3) LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans Populations live in a variety of habitats, and change in those habitats affects the organisms living there. (3-LS4-4) Practice(s) in Foreground:

1. Analyzing and Interpreting Data 2. Engaging in an Argument from Evidence 3. Organizing Pros and Cons Cross-cutting Concepts in Foreground: Cause and Effect . Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified and used to explain change. (3-LS2-1),(3-LS4-3) Scale, Proportion, and Quantity . Observable phenomena exist from very short to very long time periods. (3-LS4-1) Systems and System Models . A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions. (3-LS4-4) Misconceptions: Plants Students may think… Instead of thinking… Plants are dependent on humans. Humans (and all other animals) are dependent on plants. Plants cannot defend themselves against Plants have a range of defenses including external structures (sap, hairs, thorns, wax) herbivores. and chemicals that either reduce digestibility or are toxic. Food Chains and Webs Students may think… Instead of thinking… Food webs are interpreted as simple food chains. Food webs most accurately depict the flow of energy within an ecosystem. They depict a complex set of relationships that is not easily simplified to a food chain. Organisms higher in a food web eat everything Organisms higher in a food chain eat some, but not necessarily all, of the organisms that is lower in the food web. below them in the food web. There are more herbivores than carnivores There are more herbivores than carnivores because of the decreasing amount of energy because people keep and breed herbivores. available at each level of the food web. Food chains involve predator and prey, but not Producers are an essential part of all food chains and webs. producers. Decomposers release some energy that is cycled Decomposers break down dead organisms, returning nutrients to the soil so they can be back to plants. used by plants. Some decomposers are eaten by carnivores. Carnivores have more energy or power than While some carnivores may be larger and require more food than some herbivores, herbivores do. they do not have more energy or power.

Carnivores are big or ferocious, Although some carnivores may be big and ferocious, or both. Herbivores are small and some herbivores small and passive, there is a and passive. great diversity among each group of organisms. Predator/Prey Populations and Relationships Students may think… Instead of thinking… Predator and prey populations are similar in Prey populations tend to be larger than predator populations. size. The relative sizes of predator and prey The sizes of predator and prey populations influence each other. populations have no bearing on the size of the other. Ecosystems Students may think… Instead of thinking… Varying the population size of a species may not All organisms are important within an ecosystem. Varying a species’ population size affect an ecosystem because some organisms are may not affect all other species equally, but it will affect the ecosystem as a whole. not important. Ecosystems are not a functioning whole but Ecosystems include not just the organisms but also the interactions between organisms simply a collection of organisms. and between the organisms and their physical environment. Ecosystems change little over time. Ecosystems change as a result of natural hazards, environmental changes, and human activity. Species coexist in ecosystems because of their Within an ecosystem, species compete for resources and feed on one another. Species compatible needs and behaviors; they need to live in the same ecosystem because of similar adaptations and environmental needs. get along. Ecological Adaptations Students may think… Instead of thinking… Traits are developed by individuals in response Traits are developed across generations in response to environmental demands. to the needs of the individual. Jessica Fries-Gaither, Ohio State University Paige Keeley, NSTA Press Connections to ELA and Mathematics: Connections to ELA – Ask and answer questions utilizing various text throughout the unit. Determine main idea of text and key supporting details, Describe the relationship between events, ideas, or concepts using language that support cause/effect, Write opinion pieces on topics or texts with supporting reasoning, Write informative/explanatory texts to convey information clearly, Recall information from experiences or gather information from sources, Report on a topic or text, story or experience with appropriate facts and details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace. Connections to MATH – Reason abstractly or quantitatively, Model with mathematics, Use appropriate tools strategically, Draw a scaled picture graph or bar graph and solve more/less problems with it, Generate measurement data by using rulers marked to one fourth of an inch, showing the data in a line plot. Focus Investigations/Experiences Claim derived Learning Questions (Activities) from DCI’s Outcomes (Storylines) (Learning Targets) What is in an  Hula hoop biodiversity count on the playground. Populations live in a I can develop and ecosystem?  Brainpop Video: Ecosystems variety of habitats. use a model to describe observed relationships of the ways that living things interact with their ecosystem. How do living  Teachingchannel.org/ecosystems The ecosystem contains I can develop and and nonliving  www.teachingchannel.org Video – Exploring living things and use a model to things interact in Garden Ecosystems nonliving elements that describe observed an ecosystem?  ReadWorks text: Living Things and Ecosystems interact. relationships of Need Water. the ways that living things interact with their ecosystem. Why do living  Owl Pellet dissection Living thing live in a I can construct an things live where o Compare owl pellets from 2 different particular habitat explanation using they do? regions in US where their basic needs evidence about o Record data and compare are met. how organisms  Flipbook for the Vocabulary respond to their environment in different ways, which may affect their survival.

How do  Trade Book: How Mountains are Made The environment may I can analyze and ecosystems  Picture Book: Earth Then and Now change in ways that interpret data to change?  ReadWorks text: Invaders of the Ecosystem affect a place’s physical describe how an  Color picture set characteristics, ecosystem has  Data sets for different places collected over time temperature and changed. (physical char., water distribution, temperature, available resources. resources) What do fossils  Examine fossils from KY Some kinds of plants I can analyze and tell us about life  Book: Fossils of KY guide and animals that once interpret data in the past?  Science Mystery – Whale in the desert lived on Earth are no about fossils to  Students make fossils or longer found anywhere. provide evidence Chocolate chip excavation. Fossils provide of what evidence about the environments types of organisms that were like long lived long ago and also ago. about the nature of their environments. How do  Extinction research When an ecosystem I can construct an organisms  Endangered species research changes, some argument using respond to  Migratory animals research organisms survive and collected evidence changes in an  www.kineticcity.com reproduce, some move that explains how ecosystem?  www.mindgames/fossil to new locations, and organisms some may die. respond to changes in an ecosystem. I can describe the relationships between events and organisms’ responses using cause and effect text structure. (RI.3.3) I can write an informative text that clearly describes how organisms respond to changes in an ecosystem. (W.3.2) How does being  Books: ants, bees, herd animals, wolf packs… Being part of a group I can construct an part of a group  Group research projects may help animals argument that help an organism obtain food, defend some animals survive? themselves, and cope form groups to with changes. Groups help members may serve different survive. functions and vary I can report on greatly in size. how being part of a group may help some animals survive using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive detail. (SL.3.4) How can living  Nature walk Plants and animals can I can gather things change an  Research change their information to ecosystem?  Photos environment. provide evidence  Easy to observe: moles, ants, plants, spiders that plants and animals can change their environment.

How do people  Sustainability picture cards Things that people do I can gather change an  Brainpop can affect the world information to ecosystem?  Orange/green predator game around them in helpful provide evidence  Engineer in Elementary: Cleaning up an Oil and harmful ways. that humans can Spill change their ecosystem. I can compare solutions to a problem caused when the environment changes and plant and animal populations may also change.