Name: _________________________
Date: _______________
Plaid Pete Discovers What Matters In Ecosystems
Pre-Assessment
Directions: Please read the scenario below and answer the questions to the best
of your ability.
Scenario: Plaid Pete and Seth were very excited because Mrs. Glaze announced that they
were going to be starting a new unit in Science about ecosystems. This was Plaid Pete’s favorite
topic! They decided to go to Ravenna Park, because it has a small wetland area. They took
some notes about what they found there. Of course, Plaid Pete got so excited he didn’t pay
attention to the headings on the tables he had created. As you can imagine, his notes were a
bit of a mess. Help Plaid Pete out by correcting or completing his notes, as indicated.
I.
Plaid Pete noticed the following items at the park: leaf, tree branch, rock,
water, sun, squirrel, wind, clouds, flowers, soil, birds
Sort the items from Plaid Pete’s list into one of the two boxes below
Things That Are Living/Once Living
II.
Things That Are Not Living
What criteria did you use to sort the items above? What characteristics
does something need to have in order to classify it as living?
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III.
What is an ecosystem? What are some things that are commonly found
in an ecosystem?
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