Target Course/Grade Level: Second Timeline: 18 Sessions

Unit Overview
Content Area: Science
Unit Title: Ecosystems Unit: 4
Target Course/Grade Level: Second Timeline: 18 sessions
Unit Summary
Students will use what they have learned in prior units about the common needs of living things while exploring how ecosystems meet those needs. They will study the effects of change on the ability/inability of certain organisms to survive in different ecosystems.
Primary interdisciplinary connections: Language Arts, Math, Social Studies
21st century themes and skills: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving; Collaboration, Teamwork and
Leadership; Cross-Cultural Understanding; Communication and Media Fluency
Unit Rationale
This unit builds upon prior knowledge of life cycles of plants and animals. Students will explore ecosystems in greater depth to determine the health and future of all living things. This will provide more opportunities to use critical thinking. Students will also have the opportunity to evaluate the effects of human behavior on the general health of each ecosystem explored during the Unit study.
Learning Targets
Standards
5.1 Science Practices
All students will understand that science is both a body of knowledge and an evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. The four Science Practices strands encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must acquire to be proficient in science.
A.  Understand Scientific Explanations: Students understand core concepts and principles of science and use measurement and observation tools to assist in categorizing, representing, and interpreting the natural and designed world.
B.  Generate Scientific Evidence Through Active Investigations: Students master the conceptual, mathematical, physical, and computational tools that need to be applied when constructing and evaluating claims.
C.  Reflect on Scientific Knowledge: Scientific knowledge builds on itself over time.
D.  Participate Productively in Science: The growth of scientific knowledge involves critique and communication, which are social practices that are governed by a core set of values and norms.
5.3 Life Science
All students will understand that life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. Order in natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted through the use of mathematics.
A.  Organization and Development: Living organisms are composed of cellular units (structures) that carry out functions required for life. Cellular units are composed of molecules, which also carry out biological functions.
B.  Matter and Energy Transformations: Food is required for energy and building cellular materials. Organisms in an ecosystem have different ways of obtaining food, and some organisms obtain their food directly from other organisms.
C.  Interdependence: All animals and most plants depend on both other organisms and their environment to meet their basic needs.
D.  Evolution and Diversity: Sometimes, difference between organisms of the same kind
provide advantages for surviving and reproducing in different environments. These selective
differences may lead to dramatic changes in characteristics of organisms in a population
over extremely long periods of time.
5.4 Earth Systems Science
All students will understand that Earth operates as a set of complex, dynamic, and interconnected systems, and is a part of the all-encompassing system of the universe.
G. Biogeochemical Cycles: The biogeochemical cycles in the Earth systems include the flow of microscopic and macroscopic resources from one reservoir in the hydrosphere, geosphere, atmosphere, or biosphere to another, are driven by Earth's internal and external sources of energy, and are impacted by human activity.
9.1 21st – Century Life & Career Skills
All students will demonstrate the creative, critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills needed to function successfully as both global citizens and workers in diverse ethnic and organizational cultures.
Content Statements
·  Fundamental scientific concepts and principles and the links between them are more useful than discrete facts.
·  Outcomes of investigations are used to build and refine questions, models, and explanations.
·  Science has unique norms for participation. These include adopting a critical stance, demonstrating a willingness to ask questions and seek help, and developing a sense of trust and skepticism.
·  Living organisms: Exchange nutrients and water with the environment; reproduce; grow and develop in a predictable manner.
·  Living organisms: Interact with and cause changes in their environment; exchange materials (such as gases, nutrients, water, and waste) with the environment; reproduce; grow and develop in a predictable manner.
·  Animals have various ways of obtaining food and water. Nearly all animals drink water or eat foods that contain water.
·  Almost all energy (food) and matter can be traced to the Sun.
·  Organisms interact and are interdependent in various ways; for example, they provide food and shelter to one another.
·  A habitat supports the growth of many different plants and animals by meeting their basic needs of food, water, and shelter.
·  Humans can change natural habitats in ways that can be helpful or harmful for the plants and animals that live there.
·  Plants and animals have features that help them survive in different environments.
·  In any ecosystem, some populations of organisms thrive and grow, some decline, and others do not survive at all.
·  There are many sources and uses of water.
·  Organisms have basic needs and they meet those needs within their environment.
·  Most of Earth’s surface is covered by water. Water circulates through the crust, oceans, and atmosphere in what is known as the water cycle.
·  Properties of water depend on where the water is located (oceans, rivers, lakes, underground sources, and glaciers).
·  The ability to recognize a problem and apply critical thinking and problem-solving
skills to solve the problem is a lifelong skill that develops over time.
·  Practice collaborative skills in groups, and explain how these skills assist in completing tasks in different settings such as home, play or school.
·  Use effective oral and written communication in face-to-face and online interactions
and when presenting to an audience.
·  Demonstrate an awareness of one’s own culture and other cultures during interactions
within and outside of the classroom.
·  Explain how digital media are used in daily life in a variety of settings.
·  Distinguish how digital media are used by individuals, groups and organizations for varying purposes
CPI # / Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI)
5.1.4.A.1 / Demonstrate understanding of the interrelationships among fundamental concepts in the physical, life, and Earth systems sciences.
5.1.4.A.3 / Use scientific facts, measurements, observations, and patterns in nature to build and critique scientific arguments.
5.1.4.D.1 / Actively participate in discussions about student data, questions, and understandings.
5.3.2.A.1 / Group living and nonliving things according to the characteristics that they share.
5.3.4.A.1 / Develop and use evidence-based criteria to determine if an unfamiliar object is living or non-living.
5.3.2.B.2 / Compare how different animals obtain food and water.
5.3.4.B.1 / Identify sources of energy (food) in a variety of settings (farm, zoo, ocean, forest).
5.3.2.C.1 / Describe the ways in which organisms interact with each other and their habitats in order to meet basic needs.
5.3.2.C.2 / Identify the characteristics of a habitat that enable the habitat to support the growth of many different plants and animals.
5.3.2.C.3 / Communicate ways that humans protect habitats and/or improve conditions for the growth of the plants and animals that live there, or ways that humans might harm habitats.
5.3.2.E.2 / Describe how similar structures found in different organisms (e.g., eyes, ears, mouths) have similar functions and enable those organisms to survive in different environments.
5.3.4.E.2 / Evaluate similar populations in an ecosystem with regard to their ability to thrive and grow.
5.4.2.G.2 / Identify and use water conservation practices.
5.4.2.G.3 / Identify and categorize the basic needs of living organisms as they relate to the environment.
5.4.4.G.3 / Trace a path a drop of water might follow through the water cycle.
5.4.4.G.4 / Model on the properties of water can change as water moves through the water cycle.
9.1.4.A.5 / Apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills in classroom and family settings.
9.1.4.C.1 / Practice collaborative skills in groups, and explain how these skills assist in completing tasks in different settings (at home, in school, and during play).
9.1.4.D.1 / Use effective oral and written communication in face-to-face and online interactions and when presenting to an audience.
9.1.4.D.3 / Demonstrate an awareness of one’s own culture and other cultures during interactions within and outside of the classroom.
9.1.4.E.1 / Explain how digital media are used in daily life in a variety of settings.
9.1.4.E.3 / Distinguish how digital media are used by individuals, groups, and organizations for varying purposes.
Unit Essential Questions
·  What is the most important ingredient of an ecosystem?
·  How diverse is life, and why is it diverse?
·  How does the whole earth depend on the whole earth?
·  Why is it important to make and follow a written plan or procedure when doing an investigation?
·  How do we communicate the results of our investigation to others? / Unit Enduring Understandings
·  There are certain components of living and nonliving things.
·  Ecosystems are made up of climate, plants, soil, and animals.
·  Within each ecosystem there is a relationship between living things and nonliving things.
·  Energy can change from one form to another, starting with the Sun.
·  Organisms have basic needs (animals need air, and food; plants need air, water, nutrients and light.) though the amount of these needs may vary.
·  When the environment changes plants and animals adapt, move or die.
·  Each plant and animal adapts in their own way to their environment.
·  All animals depend on plants to survive (some animals eat plants; others eat animals that eat plants.)
·  All organisms cause changes in their environments (some are detrimental, some are beneficial.)
·  Each ecosystem has characteristics that affect the living things survival adaptations.
·  All ecosystems are affected by human interaction requiring conservation.
·  Rapid ecosystem changes (earthquake, flooding, volcanic eruptions) have a devastating effect on the living organisms in that system.
·  Some organisms can survive in multiple ecosystems due to their adapting abilities.
·  Students understand core concepts and principles of science and use measurement and observation tools to assist in categorizing, representing and interpreting the natural and designed world.
·  The growth of scientific knowledge involves critique and communication, which are social practices.
·  Scientists use inquiry skills and science tools to find out information.
Unit Learning Targets
Students will ...
·  Research, comprehend and teach relevant ecosystem vocabulary.
·  Use tables and graphs to represent the climate and interpret data.
·  Locate where various ecosystems are on a map.
·  Identify ecosystems indigenous to New Jersey.
·  Identify the sources and uses of water.
·  Observe and record the properties of water as it moves through the water cycle.
·  Associate organisms’ basic needs with how they meet those needs within their surroundings.
·  Identify basic needs of plants and animals and recognize the interdependence of these organisms.
·  Explain a food chain in one or more ecosystems.
·  Examine the ways plants and animals adapt to their environment.
·  Name plants and animals in various ecosystems.
·  Recognize that different types of plants and animals live in different parts of the world due to the adaptations the species has made to adapt to the ecosystem.
·  Compare and contrast different ecosystems based on climate, plants, soil & animals.
·  Synthesize characteristics of an animal into a specific ecosystem.
·  Recognize the contribution of various ecosystems to the health of our planet.
·  Determine positive ways humans can affect different ecosystems.
·  Explore the effect of rapid ecosystem changes (earthquake, flooding, volcanic eruptions) on the living organisms of that system.
·  Determine the qualities of living organisms that help best with adapting to various ecosystems.
Evidence of Learning
Summative Assessment
·  Students will be able to place various animals into learned habitats based on information given about each animals’ needs.
·  Draw and/or explain water cycle and food chain.
·  Design a t-shirt with your own message about conservation.
(Develop our guidelines!!)
Equipment needed: world map
Teacher Instructional Resources:
Changing Ecosystem by Michael Bright. This book gives overview for the teacher on past changes to ecosystems that effected life in those ecosystems and current threats.
Science Kids: Planet Earth by Deborah Chancellor. An overview of all the information we need to teach in this unit.
http://www.earthrangers.com/ A variety of resources to use during this unit.
http://teachnet.com/lessonplans/science/cooperative-lesson-create-a-food-web/ Explanation of a game you can play in class to illustrate a food chain in a specific ecosystem.
http://iitc.tamu.edu/lessons/lesson8.html This in class game will illustrate how elements of a ecosystem are affected by the availability of each element on its inhabitants.
http://lgfl.skoool.co.uk/content/keystage3/biology/pc/learningsteps/ADSLC/launch.html 8 slides that show a picture of an animal in an ecosystem with a fact how that animal has adapted for that ecosystem. Can be used for discussions about animal and plant adaptations for survival.
Formative Assessments
Observe students as they…
·  Present researched of ecosystem vocabulary word.
·  Compare components of various ecosystems.
·  Locate ecosystem on a map.
·  Explain water cycle & food chain in various ecosystems.
·  Discuss adaptations plants and animals make to live in different ecosystems.
·  Brainstorm ways humans can make a positive impact on various ecosystems.
Integration of Technology
SMARTBoard to play online games and utilize on-line resources.
ELMO to use for demonstration purposes.
Technology Resources
Click the links below to access additional resources used to design this unit:
United Streaming Video: Homes for Living Things: Gives overview of what makes a place a habitat for living things by comparing the needs to humans to other living organisms. Made for 2nd grade.
http://www.learn4good.com/games/online/play_fishy_online.htm Fun interactive game to show the food chain and the difficulty to find food and stay away from becoming food.