1 Shimella Cordis, Patricia Owens
2 Ecosystem GRADE: 4th Elementary Science Core Curriculum Grades K-4:Standard 4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science. Key Idea 6: Plants and animals depend on each other and their physical environment. Performance Indicator 6.1: 6.1a Green plants are producers because they provide the basic food supply for themselves and animals. 6.1b All animals depend on plants. Some animals(predators)eat other animals(prey). 6.1c Animals that eat plants for food may in turn become food for other animals. This sequence is called a food chain. 6.1d Decomposers are living things that play a vital role in recycling nutrients. 6.1e An organism’s pattern of behavior is related to the nature of that organism’s environment, including the kinds and numbers of other organisms present, the availability of food and other resources, and the physical characteristics of the environment. 6.1f When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations. Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence(s): Visual Spatial, Linguistic, Kinesthetic, and Interpersonal.
3 Lesson 1: Ecosystem(Biotic vs. Abiotic Factors)Analysis The Biotic Factors Pictograph illustrates the number of living things in an ecosystem. At a count of 17, plants outnumber the animals in the ecosystem, which total 12. The relevant statistics for this pictograph is the minimum, maximum, and range. The minimum tells us what living thing is the scarcest in the ecosystem. While the maximum, tell us what living thing is the most abundant. The range tells us the difference between the minimum and maximum amount of living things. This information is important because the living things in an ecosystem depend on other living things to survive. Anticipation guide to assess students present knowledge about the ecosystem. Video on YouTube about the Biotic vs. Abiotic factors. Biotic vs. Abiotic factors worksheets. Pictograph to students.
4 Lesson 2: Species and Food ChainBrain Pop video about the food chain link: https://www.brainpop.com/science/ecologyandbehavior/foodchains/ study.com about the trophic levels on the food chain. Link:
5 LESSON 3: Adaptation and HabitatsThe third day the teacher will introduce an online Ecosystem Jeopardy Review game Students will then be given the opportunity to interact with the smart board in a jeopardy review game about the ecosystem. https://www.superteachertools.us/jeopardyx/jeopardy-review-game.php?gamefile=78443#.WDeXHXfMxo4 Student Performance Base Product for Assessment 2 ASSESSMENT 2
6 Embracing Our Environment: Lives worth Saving Lesson 4: Part 1 Museum Scavenger huntHello my name is an oxmoron and mystatus is as you may have guessed “ endangered. I can be found between Central and South America from belize to Uruguay and Northern Argentina. Who am I? Giant Anteater Hello, my initials are G.G. My status is “endangered” and I can be found in Borneo, who am I? Gray Gibbon. Hello I am furry and really cute . I am endangered and I like to swing through the trees. My home is in Madagascar. Who am I? Black and White Lemeur Hello Part of my name is a bird and my status is endangered. I live throughout warm and tropical seas. Who am I? Hawksbill Turtle What is the scientific name of the Blue Whale? Balaenoptera musculus What is a fun fact you learned about the Blue Whale? The blue whale is the largest animal ever to have lived upon the earth. Why is the Blue Whale endangered? Mostly because of Commercial Whaling What are some of the differences between the desert and the tundra habitats? The desert Tundra habitat is located on the edge of glacial ice fields or polar seas and the desert habitat sometimes has vast stretches of sand and get very little rain Describe one thing that the Temperate and Boreal Forests Habitats have in common? They are both threatened by logging What are the threats to the Ocean Forests Habitat? Atmospheric pollution, shipping waste and human waste
7 Embracing Our Environment: Lives worth Saving Lesson 4: Part 2https://youtu.be/6P0vEH1sWm8
8 Embracing Our Environment: Lives worth Saving Lesson 4: Part 2Student Performance Based Product # 4 Student Performance Based Product # 3 Statistics Mean 155.83 Median 95 Mode 75 Min Max 315 Range 240 States Number of Species per state Texas 75 Tennessee Alabama 80 Florida 110 California 280 Hawaii 315 Total 935 Mean (The average of a set of numbers found by adding all the numbers in the set together and then dividing by the amount of numbers in the set) Median (The number or numbers that falls in the middle of a set that is listed from least to greatest) Mode (The number that occurs most frequently) Range (The difference between the highest number in a set and lowest number obtained by subtracting the greatest number from the lowest) Maximum (the largest number within a set of numbers) Minimum (the smallest number within a set of numbers) Student Performance Based Product #5 Based on the Endangered Species by state graph and spread sheet, there are over nine hundred endangered species residing in various states across America. At 315 Hawaii has the highest population of endangered species. Trailing closely is California with Florida follows at a distant 110 while Alabama is not too far off with 80. Tennessee and Texas both tie with 75 endangered species. According to the data from the graph and spread sheet the relevant statistics include the minimum which is 75 and the maximum which is Since Hawaii and California have the largest population of endangered species it is necessary that they make the greatest efforts towards conservation. On the other hand, Texas and Tennessee having the least number of endangered species do not have to make such a drastic effort.
9 Embracing Our Environment: Lesson 6 THE CONCLUSION Teacher will explain to the class that they will be doing an end of unit class project. The teacher will explain that the class will be separated into five groups and each group will have its’ own topic which will be either ecosystems and food chains, endangered species, and extinction, different types of habitats, deforestation, and adaptation. The teacher will explain that the objective is to create a class poster collage. The teacher will explain that this project will be done using the Engineering Design process as follows: How can we design a class poster collage that will make others aware of the environment and the human actions that threaten it. Each group will evaluate their posters for mistakes and to see how they may improve on their design. Each group will evaluate another group to offer feedback as to how that group can improve their design to best contribute to the class poster collage. Our class poster collage must be the sum of five individual group posters that cover the topics of ecosystems and food chains, endangered species, and extinction, different types of habitats, deforestation, and adaptation. Each student in the group will sketch possible ideas of how they can make their group’s posters engaging and informative of the environment and the human actions that threaten it. The parts of each sketch should be labeled for clarity Each group will construct a full-size or scale poster based on their drawings. The teacher will help identify and acquire appropriate materials and tools. Each group will identify the poster design that they feel most adequately contribute to the class poster collage by making others aware of the environment and the human actions that threaten it. Each student in the group will develop two or three ideas more thoroughly by adding more detail to their sketches. They will also label each new detail for clarity. Each group member will share and discuss their ideas amongst the group. Together each group will record the pros and cons of each design idea directly on the paper.
10 Embracing Our Environment: Lesson 6 THE CONCLUSION
11 Embracing Our Environment: Lesson 6 The Conclusion