3rd 9 weeks Unit: The Student As An Ecologist
This unit allows the student to take on the role of an ecologist and will lead to an understanding that the sun is the primary source of energy, and that organisms depend on one another as well as their environment for survival. Students will be able to use and create a food web to demonstrate that matter and energy is transferred and recycled among organisms and their environment. As a result of the activities contained within this unit students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the interactions that occur in both the terrestrial biomes and aquatic ecosystems found on earth. Additionally, students will be able to demonstrate the impact humans have had on each of these biomes.
Focus Standard: S7L4
Enduring Understandings
- In all environments—freshwater, marine, forest, desert, grassland, mountain, and others—organisms with similar needs may compete with one another for resources, including food, space, water, air, and shelter.
- In any particular environment, the growth and survival of organisms depend on the physical conditions.
- Environments have both living and nonliving elements.
- Earth has many diverse ecosystems on land and in water.
- Living organisms interact with their environment and with one another in many ways.
Essential Questions
- How might the organization of life be affected by the loss of individuals? of species?
- How would a change in the climate (average temperature and precipitation) affect the living organisms within a biome?
- How do the non-living aspects of an environment contribute to the adaptations of living organisms?
- How have humans impacted the biomes of the world?
- How do the various components of an environment affect competition within both populations and communities?
- How can the biomes of the world be compared? How are they different?
Characteristics of Science
Characteristics of Science Standards (S7CS1-10) cover the characteristics of scientific thinking and investigating, such as keeping accurate records, using hypotheses, using safety techniques and scientific tools, organizing, analyzing, and interpreting data via calculations and inference, and explaining data with precision and accuracy. These characteristics of science will be addressed in depth at the beginning of the school year and reinforced throughout the year with the content standards in all Life Science Units.
1st 9 weeks Unit: The Student as a Taxonomist
Students will step into the shoes of a taxonomist and make observations and inferences about specimens from the six kingdoms of living organisms. They will learn how to use a dichotomous key to compare and contrast the specimens in terms of cellular organization, method for obtaining oxygen, method for obtaining food, etc. One species will be studied in depth and an illustration of this organism's classification will be created. Students will also create a dichotomous key for arthropods.
Focus Standard: S7L1
Enduring Understandings
- Organisms are classified into the six kingdoms based on cellular organization, method of obtaining food for energy, and cellular structure.
- Levels of organization serve the needs of cells for obtaining oxygen and food, and removing wastes.
- Differences and similarities exist within the structures and functions among the six kingdoms.
- Dichotomous keys are made up of paired and opposite statements that allow the reader to identify and organism.
Essential Questions
- What are the physical characteristics that define specimens from the six kingdoms?
- How can a dichotomous key be used to classify various specimens from the six kingdoms?
- How can classification be illustrated?
- How is a dichotomous key created?