In the Environments unit students are asked to share their ideas for why such diversity of plant types within different ecological communities on the Olympic Peninsula. Students are presented with images taken at three different locations on the Olympic Peninsula and ask to make claims as to why the plants look so different from place to place. Over the course of two to three days students will develop their arguments as they are provided with further evidence for the variation in plant structure which includes weather patterns, elevation, and climate data.

We suggest some introductory activities exploring the variety of ecosystems on the Olympic Peninsula, followed by some of the Investigations in the FOSS module. Students will learn that different organisms have different structures that allow them to survive in specific habitats. Students will set‐up terrariums and consider the living and non‐living factors as they observe growth and change over time. Students learn about the living and nonliving factors that will impact the growth of the plants within the terrarium over two weeks of collecting observations. They then consider the living and non‐living factors impacting the plants within the various environments on the Olympic Peninsula.

The documents below have been created to help consider the FOSS materials in the context of the Next Generation Science Standards. We recommend you review, at the very least, the following documents:

• Unit Guide - A summary of materials, sequencing and content for the module.

• Storyline - An overview of the sequencing and reasons for the various activities

• Assessment - A collection of assessment tools including what to look for as students work on the activities.