Sharing the Planet

An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.

Central Idea: The relationships between living things are interconnected.

Lines of Inquiry: Diversity in ecosystems (form); Needs of living things to grow & survive (function); Human interactions with living things in their natural habitats (responsibility)

NGSS Standard: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

Performance Expectations

1. Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow. 2-LS2-1
2. Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants. 2-LS2-2
3. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. 2-LS4-1

Books in the iCommons:

1. Where the forest meets the sea story and pictures by Jeannie Baker. Summary: On a camping trip in an Australian rain forest with his father, a young boy thinks about the history of the plant and animal life around him and wonders about its future.

2. Cherry tree by Ruskin Bond ; illustrated by Allan Eitzen. Summary: A story from India in which a little girl plants a cherry seed and cares for the cherry tree through its difficult life. A story about life and growing older.

3. Two old potatoes and me by John Coy ; pictures by Carolyn Fisher. Summary: After a young girl finds two old potatoes at her father's house, they plant and tend them to see if they will have new potatoes in September.

4. The great kapok tree : a tale of the Amazon rain forest by Lynne Cherry. Summary: The many different animals that live in a great kapok tree in the Brazilian rainforest try to convince a man with an ax of the importance of not cutting down their home.

5. Our community garden written and illustrated by Barbara Pollak. Summary: A diverse group of people in San Francisco shares the work and fun of a community garden.

6. Eddie's garden and how to make things grow by Sarah Garland. Summary: Eddie learns about how plants grow and the connections between all living things when he, his mother, and his little sister plant a garden.

7. Little yellow pear tomatoes written by Demian Elainé Yumei ; illustrated by Nicole Tamarin.A young girl describes all of the things that go into her favorite tomatoes, from worms to stars, that make them so wonderful to eat.

8. What is a plant? by Bobbie Kalman. Summary: Presents an introduction to plants, in simple text with illustrations, including information on their structure--seeds, stems, leaves--the different species of as carnivorous and parasitic plants, and concepts such as single cells, germination, and photosynthesis. Includes a glossary and activities.

9. What if there were no bees? : a book about the grassland ecosystem by Suzanne Slade ; illustrated by Carol Schwartz. Summary: Discusses the importance of each animal in the grassland ecosystem, and looks at what would happen if bees were to become extinct.

10. Weird and wacky plants by Katherine Kenah. Summary: Introduces some of the more unusual plants in the world including the pitcher plant and Venus Flytrap that eat bugs, poison ivy, Saguaro cactus, Giant Sequoia, and kelp.

11. Vegetable garden by Douglas Florian. Summary: A family plants a vegetable garden and helps it grow to a rich harvest.

12.When the monkeys came back by Kristine L. Franklin ; illustrated by Robert Roth. Always remembering how the monkeys in her Costa Rican valley disappeared when all the trees were cut down, Marta grows up, plants more trees, and sees the monkeys come back.