Unit 4: Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Performance Expectations:

• MS-LS1-6: Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.

• MS-LS1-7: Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism.

• MS-LS2-3: Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

Essential Questions:

• How do organisms obtain and use matter and energy?

• How does matter cycle and energy flow in an ecosystem?

• What is the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy in an ecosystem?

Disciplinary Core Ideas, Science & Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, Supporting Standards:

• • MS-LS1-6

  • MS-LS1-7

  • MS-LS2-3

Concepts & Skills:

• The students will know...

  • How energy moves from the sun through the ecosystem (food webs).

  • How energy is transferred between organisms.

  • The role decomposers play in an ecosystem.

  • The process of photosynthesis (including chemical formula).

  • The process of cellular respiration (including chemical formula).

  • The relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration.