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: Humans play a role in the balance of ecosystems

Needs of living things within an ecosystem (Form)

Interdependence of all living things (Connection)

Conflict between needs and wants within an ecosystem (Causation)

Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems

  1. Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water. 5-LS1-1
  2. Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment. 5-LS2-1
  3. Use models to describe that that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun. 5-PS3-1

Resources from Open ED for standards 5-LS1-1 & LS2-1

Resources:

  • Seed Plants, Seedless plants, Plant Growth, Photosynthesis, Pollination, Agricultural Revolution, Organic food
  • Soil
  • Ecosystems, Food Chains, Deserts, Tropical Rainforests, Tundra, Taiga, Extinction, Everglades, Savanna, Energy pyramids,

Books in the iCommons:

1. Forest food chains by Bobbie Kalman. Summary: Presents an introduction to forests, explains why all living things need food, displays the energy pyramid, and looks at the cycle of how food is produced and consumed in forest environments. (Nonfiction)

2. A parade of plants by Melissa Stewart ; [illustrator, Jeffrey Scherer]. Summary: A simple book explaining and introduces the parts of a plant, life cycles, and how they grow.

3. A fruit is a suitcase for seeds by Jean Richards ; illustrated by Anca Hariton.Provides an illustrated description of seed dispersal by which plants, most specifically fruits, travel from one place to another.

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

5. What do you find in a backyard? by Megan Kopp. Summary: Content-rich photographs and accessible text combine to guide readers as they discover the often overlooked ecosystems found outside their own back doors! Children will be fascinated to learn more about the animals, insects, and plants they often take for granted, including squirrels, skunks, bees, and dandelions.

6. Deep ocean food chains by Marybeth L. Mataya ; illustrated by Hazel Adams. (Series: Fascinating food chains) Summary: Text and illustrations describe a deep ocean food chain and provide facts about plants and animals in a marine ecosystem.