TEKS Addressed: 7.2A, 7.2C, 7.2E, 7.3A, 7.3B, 7.3C, 7.4A, 7.5A, 7.5B, 7.7A, 7.12C

Introduction

This unit bundles Student Expectations that address interactions between matter and energy in living systems.

Prior to this Unit

• Grade 3

  • 3.9B – Identify and describe the flow of energy in a food chain and predict how changes in a food chain affect the ecosystem such as removal of frogs from a pond or bees from a field.

• Grade 4

  • 4.9B – Describe the flow of energy through food webs, beginning with the Sun, and predict how changes in the ecosystem affect the food web.

• Grade 5

  • 5.9B – Describe the flow of energy within a food web, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers.

• Grade 6

  • 6.9C – Demonstrate energy transformations such as energy in a flashlight battery changes from chemical energy to electrical energy to light energy.

During this Unit

Students use scientific practices and tools to investigate how radiant energy from the Sun is transformed into chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis. They diagram the flow of energy through living systems in food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids. Students also illustrate the transformation of energy within an organism, such as the transfer from chemical energy to thermal energy. They continue to identify levels of organization in the context of this unit. Additionally, students communicate and discuss their observations and record and organize data in their notebooks. Students continue to demonstrate safe practices as outlined in the Texas Education Agency-approved safety standards and consider environmentally appropriate and ethical practices with resources during investigations.

After this Unit

In Biology, students will analyze the flow of matter and energy through trophic levels using various models, including food chains, food webs, and ecological pyramids. In addition, they will compare the reactants and products of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in terms of energy and matter.