5th Grade exploring the interdependent relationships in ecosystems

Scope and sequence

Suggested Time Frame: 5th Grade Science Curriculum Map

1st Nine Weeks- Consult the 5th Grade Science Curriculum Map for specific details.

The 5th Grade Science Curriculum Map outlines the following information:

1. Recommended pacing, scope, and sequence for each unit.
2. Alignment with standards, conceptual understandings, and performance indicators
3. Links to Unit Concept Storyboard Maps, Content and SEP Support Documents, and Curriculum Guides
4. Details for Evidence of Understanding, Essential Learning Experiences, and Suggested Learning Engagements
5. Where appropriate, alignment with specific FOSS, DSM, GEMS, and STC kit Activities and Investigations

Standards and vertical alignment

Science Standards, Conceptual Understandings, and Indicators

5.L.4A Ecosystems are complex, interactive systems that include both the living components (biotic factors) and physical components (abiotic factors) of the environment. Ecosystems can be classified as either terrestrial (such as forests, wetlands, and grasslands) or aquatic (such as oceans, estuaries, lakes, and ponds).
- 5.L.4A.1 Analyze and interpret data to summarize the abiotic factors (including quantity of light and water, range of temperature, salinity, and soil composition) of different terrestrial ecosystems and aquatic ecosystems.
- 5.L.4A.2 Obtain and communicate information to describe and compare the biotic factors (including individual organisms, populations, and communities) of different terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
5.L.4B All organisms need energy to live and grow. Energy is obtained from food. The role an organism serves in an ecosystem can be described by the way in which it gets its energy. Energy is transferred within an ecosystem as organisms produce, consume, or decompose food. A healthy ecosystem is one in which a diversity of life forms are able to meet their needs in a relatively stable web of life.
- 5.L.4B.1 Analyze and interpret data to explain how organisms obtain their energy and classify an organisms as producers, consumers (including herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore), or decomposers (such as fungi and bacteria).
- 5.L.4B.2 Develop and use models of food chains and food webs to describe the flow of energy in an ecosystem.
- 5.L.4B.3 Construct explanations for how organisms interact with each other in an ecosystem (including predators and prey, and parasites and hosts).
- 5.L.4B.4 Construct scientific arguments to explain how limiting factors (including food, water, space, and shelter) or a newly introduced organism can affect an ecosystem.

Prior and Future Learning Connections

See Science Standards Content Vertical Articulation Chart

Learning goals, skills, and concepts

Learning Goals

Students will gather, analyze, and interpret data from various sources, including measurements, observations, online data sets, and research in order to describe the biotic and abiotic factors in different ecosystems. Ecosystems should include but are not limited to :
- Forests
- Wetlands
- Grasslands
- Oceans
- Estuaries
- Lakes
- Ponds
Students will gather, analyze, and interpret data from various sources,including direct observations, online observations, and research to construct explanations for how organisms obtain their energy and to classify the roles different organisms play in energy transfer.
Students will use their data to develop food chain and food web models to illustrate energy transfer in an ecosystem.
Students will gather, analyze, and interpret data from various sources,including direct observations, online observations, and research to describe how organisms in an ecosystem interact with one another.
Students will gather data to support claims for how limiting factors or new organisms can affect an ecosystem.

Skills and Concepts

Analyze and Interpret Data- SEP Support Document
Develop and Use Models- SEP Support Document
Obtain and Communicate Information- SEP Support Document
Construct Scientific Arguments- SEP Support Document
Construct Explanations- SEP Support Document
Abiotic Factors- Essential Knowledge Support Document
Biotic Factors- Essential Knowledge Support Document
Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers- Essential Knowledge Support Document
Food Chains and Food Webs- Essential Knowledge Support Document
Interactions in an Ecosystem- Essential Knowledge Support Document
Limiting Factors- Essential Knowledge Support Document

Science Concept Storyboard

This link will take you to a print-friendly version of the science concept storyboard

Essential learning

Core Essential Learning Experience(s)

- It is ESSENTIAL that students gather information from various sources (including direct observations, online observations, measurements, and research) about an assigned or selected ecosystem in order to describe the abiotic and biotic factors, how they interact within an ecosystem, and what happens when those factors are out of balance.
- Teacher Note: There is a difference between abiotic and abiotic factors as well as biotic and biotic factors. It is NOT sufficient for students to know that abiotic means nonliving things and biotic means living things. They need to know what the factors are (listed in the indicators) and how they interact and are necessary for the health of an ecosystem.

Essential Questions

What does a balanced ecosystem look like?
What is necessary for a healthy ecosystem?
How do organisms interact with one another and get their energy?
What happens if a component of an ecosystem changes?

Essential Vocabulary

Abiotic Factors
Aquatic
Bacteria
Biotic Factors
Carnivore
Community
Composer
Decomposers
Ecosystem
Estuary
Food Chain
Food Web
Forest
Fungi
Grassland
Herbivore
Host
Invasive Species
Lake
Limiting Factors
Ocean
Omnivore
Organism
Parasite
Pond
Population
Predator
Prey
Producers
Quality of Light
Salinity
Soil Composition
Temperature
Terrestrial
Water Quality
Wetland

Lessons and activities

Ecosystem Unit Planning Support Doc

Elementary Science 1st NW Science Planning Support- 5th grade

Instructional Strategies and Lessons

Ecosystems (STC Kit) All Investigations
5.L.4A.1 Analyze and interpret data to summarize the abiotic factors (including quantity of light and water, range of temperature, salinity, and soil composition) of different terrestrial ecosystems and aquatic ecosystems.
5.L.4A.2 Obtain and communicate information to describe and compare the biotic factors (including individual organisms, populations, and communities) of different terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
- Pearson SC Interactive Science Textbook:
  - Lesson 1: What are the parts of an ecosystem? (p. 176-185)
  - Inquiry Warm-Up (p.174)
  - Quick Lab (p.217)
- AIMS Activities: 2005 SC Science AIMS 5th Grade Life Science
  - Fishing for Clues
  - Vore-acious Eaters
  - Design Your Own Shelter
  - At Home in the Biome
  - Bubble of Life
  - Ecosystem Scramble
- Environmental Interactions (5.L.4A.1 and 2)
  - This activity, from the TeachEngineering website, is a modification of the "yarn-ball" food web activity. Students make a whole-class mode illustrating the interactions between abiotic and biotic factors in an ecosystem.
5.L.4B.1 Analyze and interpret data to explain how organisms obtain their energy and classify an organisms as producers, consumers (including herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore), or decomposers (such as fungi and bacteria).
5.L.4B.2 Develop and use models of food chains and food webs to describe the flow of energy in an ecosystem.
5.L.4B.3 Construct explanations for how organisms interact with each other in an ecosystem (including predators and prey, and parasites and hosts).
- Pearson SC Interactive Science Textbook:
  - Lesson 4: How do organisms interact in ecosystems? (p.204-215)
  - Quick Lab: (p.197)
  - Lab Investigation (p.226)
- Weaving the Web (5.L.4B.2)
  - This lesson (from the USDA-Ag in the Classroom website) is a whole class activity where they model different variations of a food web using yarn and picture of animals.
    - This can be modified and extended by having student groups select plants and animals based on some of the distinct biomes and ecosystems they study as part of the standard and each group can lead the class through the construction of the yarn food web.
- AIMS Activities: 2005 SC Science AIMS 5th Grade Life Science
  - Survival Rivalry
  - Life in the Food Chain
  - Nocturnal Hunter
  - Plenty of Plankton
  - Pizza Parts and Web Wheels
5.L.4B.3 Construct explanations for how organisms interact with each other in an ecosystem (including predators and prey, and parasites and hosts).
- Predator-Prey-Parasite-Host Tag
  - Thanks to Melissa McCutchan for sharing this.
5.L.4B.4 Construct scientific arguments to explain how limiting factors (including food, water, space, and shelter) or a newly introduced organism can affect an ecosystem.
- Oh Deer Activity
  - Activity that allows students the opportunity to understand the roles of limiting factors in an ecosystem along with a graphing component.
- Pearson SC Interactive Science Textbook:
  - Lesson 1: What are the parts of an ecosystem? (p.185)
- AIMS Activities: 2005 SC Science AIMS 5th Grade Life Science
  - What’s the Net Worth?
  - I Need My Space
  - Color Me Pink
AIMS Activities: 2005 SC Science AIMS 5th Grade Life Science Master List
- Fishing for Clues
- Vore-acious Eaters
- Design Your Own Shelter
- At Home in the Biome
- Bubble of Life
- Ecosystem Scramble
- Survival Rivalry
- Life in the Food Chain
- Nocturnal Hunter
- Plenty of Plankton
- Pizza Parts and Web Wheels
- What’s the Net Worth?
- I Need My Space
- Color Me Pink
Mensaforkids.org
- Ecosystems Unit that has activities covering various indicators

Assessment ideas

5th Grade Model Science Assessment Item Banks

Formative

- Exit slip using checkpoints in the text
- Fist to five
- Turn & Talk
- Think/Pair share
- Vocabulary Smart Cards Games
- Kahoot! (browse or create interactive reviews for ecosystems content)
- Pearson SC Interactive Science Textbook:
  - Got It? (p.185 and p.213)
  - Vocabulary smart Cards (p. 233-235)
- BrainPop.com-videos/assessments (login required)
  - Ecosystems
  - Food chains
  - Energy Pyramid
- Studyjams.com-videos/assessments (no login required)

Summative

- Pearson SC Interactive Science ExamView 9.0 (login required)
  - This interactive website provides ready-made assessments as well a bank of assessment questions to create summative assessments for ecosystems indicators.
  - Ecosystems Brochure Project
- ABC Book
  - Generic Rubric
  - The Ocean Alphabet Book by Jerry Palotta (Mentor Text)
- Ecosystems Project Board
  - Create a “science project” type board that allows the students to incorporate their learning, along with data analysis and incorporation.

Additional Resources

Web Resources

- Science Court: Living Things
  - Interactive animated series that probes discussion on abiotic vs. biotic vs. dead and promotes class discussion. (Book available for purchase with activity worksheets *not required)

Missouri Botanical Garden Biomes and Ecosystems Webpage (5.L.4A.1 and 2)
- This website provides background information about a wide array of biomes and habitats, including the plants and animals that live in them, as well as the different abiotic factors that impact the organisms there. This can serve as a resource for students when conducting research into different habitats and ecosystems.
- Wild Finder (5.L.4A.2)
  - This World Wildlife Federation website lets you search for different ecosystems and different animals and see what regions they live in and what other animals live with them.
- Biome/Habitat Resource
  - This website is part of All About Nature and Enchanted Learning and has many links to resources about different habitats and biomes and the plants and animals within them. This may be useful for grades 3-5 life science units. As with any resource, be sure to preview any materials before incorporating them into the learning experience.
Explore Live Cams of Animals and Habitats: this site is home to several dozen live cams of many different animals and habitats.
- http://explore.org/live-cams/player/alligator-spoonbill-swamp-cam
- EekoWorld
  - This website provides information for various ecosystem
- Food Chain Game
  - This website provides interactive activities to construct a food chain.
- Food Web Game
- This website features a game to construct a food web.
National Geographic Video Resource:
- As with any video resource, teachers should carefully preview and vet any videos before showing them to students.

Field Studies

- Blue Marble Science
  - Dr. Doug offers in-school field studies and other standards related activities
- Bull’s Island
- Experience that provides hands on activities covering specific organisms in various aquatic ecosystems. The “Birds of Prey” activity incorporates organism classification.

Print-Friendly Unit Plan

Harbor Seal, Volcano, Flowers, and Robot Banner Images Courtesy of National Science FoundationHurricane Banner Image Courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationGalaxy Banner Image Courtesy of NASA

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