Grade 7, Cluster 1: Interactions Within Ecosystems
Table of Contents
Unit IntroductionPage 2
The Importance of Understanding Interactions in EcosystemsPage 3
Unit ActivitiesPage 4
Essential QuestionsPage 5
Cross-Curriculum ConnectionsPage 6
AssessmentPage 7
Lesson #1: Unit IntroductionPage 11
Lesson #2: What is an Ecosystem? Page 13
Who Wants To Be A Science Expert? (game)Page 15
Lesson #3: Photosynthesis and Cellular RespirationPage 16
While You Are Taking Care Of Your Plants ... Page 18
Blackline Master 7-BPage 19
Lesson #4: Ecological Pyramids and Food WebsPage 21
Create An Ecological Pyramid (worksheet)Page 23
Food Web (worksheet)Page 24
Lesson #6: Why I Learned To Stop Being Grossed OutPage 25
Vocabulary Quiz #1Page 27
Lesson #7: Energy Transfer In EcosystemsPage 29
The Energy Game!Page 31
Lesson #8: Interacting with Nature: A Field TripPage 32
Ecosystem ChecklistPage 34
Lesson #9: Reflections on NaturePage 35
Lesson #10: Creating a HabitatPage 37
Assessment Rubric for Animal HabitatsPage 39
Lesson #11: Under the MicroscopePage 40
Microscope SketchpadPage 42
Lesson #12: Good Germs, Bad GermsPage 43
Assignment Handout for Microorganism Research ProjectPage 45
Assessment Rubric for Microorganism Research ProjectPage 46
Lesson #14: Design Your Own EcosystemPage 47
Assignment Handout (Build Your Own Ecosystem)Page 49
Build Your Own Ecosystem Marking RubricPage 50
Lesson #15: Unit WrapupPage 52
Vocabulary Quiz #2Page 54
Unit Self-ReflectionPage 56
Outside SourcesPage 57
Unit Introduction
Grade Three, Cluster One: Interactions within Ecosystems:
In this cluster, students investigate the complex interactions between organisms and their environment. Students identify biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems and analyze the cycling of matter that takes place within them. This includes an investigation of the transfer of energy that occurs at various consumer levels, the implications of the loss of produers and consumers to the transfer of energy, and the potential for bioaccumulation within an ecosystem. Students explore ecological succession and assess the positive and negative impacts of human interventions on this natural process. Students discuss environment, social and economic factors that should be considered in the management and preservation of ecosystems. They propose a course of action that would help protect the habitat of a particular organism. Students observe microorganisms with microscopes and discuss their beneficial and harmful roles. Students consider how knowledge of microorganisms has imprved food production and preservation techniques.
-From the Grade 5-8 Science Foundations for Implementation
The Importance of Understanding Interactions within Ecosystems:
Humans are an animal species, a biotic part of virtually every ecosystem around the world and it is vitally important for young people to understand what previous generations have often tried to ignore. Human populations and human needs have escalated dramatically over the last century, from a population of around 2 billion in 1920 to 7.5 billion less than a century later. About a quarter of all modern humans that have ever existed are living today, and our impact on the natural world is colossal, occasionally positive, all too often sharply negative.
In order to understand our impact on ecosystems, however, students must know what an ecosystem is and the components of the ecosystem and the diverse interactions between the biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) elements of an ecosystem. They must understand the cycling of matter and energy, and of the importance of every organism within the ecosystem, including often unloved scavengers and decomposers, such as vultures and bacteria. They should understand notions like bioaccumulation and ecological succession, that ecosystems are finely balanced and easily disrupted, and that they are not powerless to help ecosystems.
The purpose of the unit is not to deride modern society for its industrial or technological advances- to put it bluntly, there are too many of us on Earth to give it up wholesale and in any case, in Western societies at least, few can deny that more of us have lived better than ever before. However, we must be considerate of the other organisms that share our planet with us. We have to understand that there is only one Earth and that ecosystems, and on a wider scale, the whole biosphere, are like living beings. If we totally disregard the needs of our planet, we might find that biosphere will collapse, and us with it. We cannot live without the Earth, it is our duty to learn as much as we can about it and do our best to protect its living and non-living systems.
Unit Activities:
My goal for this unit is to challenge the traditional paradigm of Middle Years Science education, wherein fun activities supplement traditional methods of educations, such as lecturing and testing. As much as possible, students will be actively engaged in creative assignments and activities that will test not just their understanding, but their creativity. Some of these assignments will call upon students to reflect and create individually, others to work in groups and some in a whole-class environment.
The major graded assignments for this unit will consist of the following:
1.)The creation of a functional animal shelter, which will be donated to an appropriate non-profit agency, such as Brandon Riverbank Inc. or Ducks Unlimited for their use. The animal shelters will be completed by table groups.
2.)The conduction of a research project on one harmful or helpful role that microorganisms play. These research projects will be done either in pairs or individually.
3.)The creation of a model of a functioning ecosystem, using animals of the students’ own creation.
Other activities will include games such as the Energy Game and Who Wants To Be An Energy Expert, hands-on activities like a field trip to the Riverbank Discovery Centre and the use of microscopes, the examination of media such as the award-winning Planet Earth documentary and educational YouTube videos, written worksheets and reflections, and even a free snack with surprisingly educational results.
Essential Questions:
The list of fifteen outcomes presented in the Manitoba Science Curriculum is rather daunting, but can be organized easily enough into key questions, which students must understand in order to have successfully completed the unit.
1.)What is an Ecosystem? Students must know what an ecosystem is and all the parts that comprise it.
2.)How do living things function within an ecosystem? Students must know the roles of organisms in an ecosystem, from producers to apex predators. They must grasp the transfer of energy and matter, and concepts like ecological succession.
3.)How do human beings interact with an ecosystem? Students should have a grasp of the different ways that humans interact with their ecosystems, both positive and negative. They should have a sense of some ways in which they can encourage sustainability and responsible practices, on an individual and social level.
Cross-Curriculum Connections:
It is difficult to satisfy all of the competing needs of a successful middle school curriculum, and virtually impossible to do so if one adhered strictly to lesson plans that could only relate to a single subject. While most of the material in this unit is decidedly Science-oriented, there are significant connections to other subject areas present in the offered material.
English Language Arts: There are significant links between the material in this unit and English Language Arts, for much of the material relies on skills of reading, writing and representing that are key to ELA. Research skills are a significant requirement of completing the unit successfully, another skill that is of great importance in English Language Arts.
Social Studies: Material that has to do with development, sustainability and ecological protection have significant crossover with elements of Grade 7 social studies that deal with sustainable development and human impact on the environment. In many ways, the Science material that is presented here supplements the Social Studies material on World Communities.
Physical Education/Health: Some of the activities involve direct physical activity, such as the field trip to the Riverbank Discovery Centre, and the Energy Game, which can only be played while up and walking around the classroom. The sections of the unit that deal with microorganisms are significant as well for a potential crossover into Health material, as microorganisms play a major role in food production but also in the cause of disease.
Assessment:
Unit Assessment Philosophy:
The assessment of this unit and all other units that I teach is assessment not only of learning, but for learning and as learning as well. Assessment is not something that simply happens at the end of a unit, but occurs throughout it. It is not simply for the purpose of getting a grade- indeed, getting a grade is decidedly secondary to the goals of both assessing the learning that has taken place and facilitating further learning.
Assessment Techniques:
Observation:
Observation is an everyday activity in the classroom, with incidental notes taken so that important observations or impressions can be recorded permanently. Not only will I go about and examine student work, but I will engage them periodically in conversation about their work and assess their understanding of the task at hand and the core knowledge and skills behind it there.
Conferences:
Students will frequently engage in conferences with each other in which they will look at each other’s work and give feedback on strengths and areas that need improvement. As well, I will occasionally speak with students, perhaps two or three times in the teaching of a cluster, perhaps about a specific thing that they are working on, but perhaps about the unit generally. It is there that I can not only get an impression of student learning, but it is also an opportunity for students to communicate openly and honestly about any questions or concerns they may have.
Reflections:
Students will be frequently called upon to write reflections upon both what they have learned in instruction and upon the work they have done. Self-assessment will be an important and ongoing process, giving the student a strong sense of their own strengths, weaknesses and learning, while simultaneously granting the teacher the same perspective. These reflections could be important in shaping instruction as the unit goes on- for example, if student reflections generally show that there is not an understanding of the concept of ecological succession, I may decide to include a quick review of the concept or possibly even another full lesson on it. I also believe that the making of honest and thorough self-assessments is a skill in and of itself, and students should be encouraged to do so often.
A final self-assessment will be given at the end of the unit, which will provide students with an opportunity to reflect on the totality of their learning. This will also be paired with an instructor evaluation in which they assess the performance of the teacher delivering the unit instruction.
Graded Work:
The provincial government requires there to be graded work as a feature of Middle Years assessment. While this may not be ideal, there are a few principles that can be followed in order to make it more valuable and less arbitrary for students. The first of which is to base grades around a standard, wherein students whom meet the standard get good grades, as opposed to simply passing. Graded work that meets the standard for the assignment, as set out in the rubric will receive a grade of about 80 percent, leaving some room for those who exceed standards to receive higher grades and giving some leeway for students who are approaching or struggling with the standards.
There will be four elements of this unit which will be formally graded projects, with 20% of the unit grade being reserved for the completion of minor assignments. Any student who completes all of the work in the term will receive the full 20% for this.
Habitat Project: In this project, students will be creating a functional habitat for a particular species of animal. The most important element of success in this project is functionality- the animal should be able to actually live in the shelter designed, with creativity and a brief write-up about the shelter and how it satisfies the needs of the animal in question also being called for. This project is worth 25% of the total unit grade.
Microorganism Research Project: In this project, one or a pair of students will do research on one harmful or helpful role that microorganisms play for us. The primary criteria for evaluation will be the quality of the content in the project, the depth of the research done and the organization and quality of writing inside the project. This project is worth 20% of the total unit grade.
Ecosystem Project: In this project, students will be creating their own ecosystem and are expected to include all the functional levels of the ecosystem, including scavengers and decomposers. Originality and creativity will also be important factors in this project, which will be the most significant graded assessment piece in the unit, being worth 25% of the total unit grade.
Vocabulary Quiz: Two vocabulary quizzes will be issued during the teaching of the unit, in order to assess the knowledge of key vocabulary amongst students. The quizzes are each worth 5%, for a total of 10%.
Lesson #1: What Is An Ecosystem?
Lesson PlanMr. Keen
Subject: ScienceTopic: Introduction to Ecosystems
Unit: Interactions within EcosystemsGrade: Grade 7
Learning Outcomes:
7-1-01: Use appropriate vocabulary related to their investigations of interactions within ecosystems.
7-1-02: Define ecosystem and describe various examples that range from the microscopic to the entire biosphere.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed through observation of their interactions and contributions, with incidental notes taken. The student summaries will be examined as well, and this will count towards the unit work portion of their grade.
Connection to other Lessons:
This lesson is intended to begin the unit and get students to think about the concept of an ecosystem.
Flexible Groupings:
Students will discuss the video and information presented from it as an entire class.
Activating Strategies: Students will engage in a brief brainstorming session about what they think some of the key words and concepts, such as “ecosystem” and “biosphere” mean.The three Essential Questions of the unit will be introduced to the students.
Acquiring Strategies: Students will watch a portion of the BBC documentary Planet Earth, being directed to watch out for signs of functioning ecosystems.
Applying Strategies: Students will engage in a group discussion of the key concepts of ecosystems in relation to the video clip they have seen. Students will write a brief reflections on their reactions to the video and what they learned in it.
Learning Resources:
Manitoba Science Curriculum
Planet Earth DVD
Different Ways of Learning:
Interpersonal Students
Intrapersonal: Students will write about their own personal reactions and learning from the video.
Verbal/Linguistic: Students will engage in class discussion and write a brief summary of
Visual: Students will watch portions of Planet Earth.
Materials Used:
Whiteboard/Smartboard
Lesson #2: What Is An Ecosystem?
Lesson PlanMr. Keen
Subject: ScienceTopic: Introduction to Ecosystems
Unit: Interactions In EcosystemsGrade: Grade 7
Learning Outcomes:
7-1-01: Use appropriate vocabulary related to their investigations of interactions within ecosystems.
7-1-02: Define ecosystem and describe various examples that range from the microscopic to the entire biosphere.
7-1-03: Identify abiotic and biotic components of ecoystems that allow particular organisms to survive.
7-1-04: Describe ecological succession and identify signs of succession in a variety of ecoystems.
Include: The natural process whereby some species are replaced by other species in a predictable pattern.
Assessment:
After students do the lesson, they will engage in a game of Who Wants To Be A Science Expert?, in which students will be asked questions from the slides taken, with correct answers meaning prizes.
Connection to Other Lessons:
This lesson picks up immediately after the previous lesson has left off, expanding student knowledge about ecosystems considerably.
Activating: Students will engage in a roundtable discussion of what was brought up last period, and then bring what they discussed to the class as a whole.
Acquiring: A PowerPoint lesson will be taught, giving the students an overview of the most important themes of the unit. The lesson will be stopped periodically to check on student understanding
Applying: After the PowerPoint lesson is over, the class will engage in a spirited round of Who Wants To Be A Science Expert, in which students will be put on the spot for a series of four questions. If they go through all of them correctly, they will gain a prize. The rules for Who Wants To Be A Science Expert are given below.
Learning Resources:
Grade 7 Interactions Within Ecosystems Notes, by Kathy Lyons, Christ the Redeemer Catholic School
Powerpoint
Smartboard
Flexible Groupings:
The class will engage in the lesson as a whole group, and play the game Who Wants To Be A Science Expert? Together as well.
Different Ways of Learning:
Interpersonal: The class will have to help each other for the Who Wants To Be A Science Expert game.
Verbal: The PowerPoint presentation will be viewed as well as watched.
Materials Used:
Who Wants To Be A Science Expert
Who Wants To Be A Science Expert?
Rules:
The student has to answer five questions correctly to win. They will get a small prize for participating and another one if they succeed in answering all questions successfully. I have no objection to offering small candies as a prize, but if schools are stubborn about this or you prefer something else, use stickers or some other small and cheap item students like in your class.
If the student does not know the answer to the question, they have three Lifelines:
50/50: The student eliminates two of the options, leaving the correct and one incorrect answer.