Ecological Principals Unit Plan – 7th Grade
Mr. Tommy Renfro
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September 18 – October 30
Schedule of Events
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Biotic/Abiotic Lab
Pass out Unit Plan
Pre Unit Test
Order Quiz
Food Webs and
Food Chains
Symbiosis
Video Clip
Symbiosis Quiz
Overpopulation
and our Ecological
Footprint
Bigfoots and
Biomes Day 1
Research
Friday
Order of Life
(Population,
Community, etc)
90-10 Energy Rule
Transfer of Energy
Food Web Activity
Biomes of the
world
Succession
Primary and
Secondary
Monster Quest –
Bigfoot
Bigfoots and
Biomes Day 2
Bigfoots and
Biomes Day 4
Bigfoots and
Biomes
Presentations
Thursday
Bigfoots and
Biomes Day 3
Bigfoots and
Biomes Day 5
Bigfoots and
Biomes
Presentations
Introduction
The majority of 7th grade science standards wrap themselves around student understanding of
ecological interactions. Prior to this unit we spent 3 days discussing what makes something alive then
proceeding to manipulate it against biotic and abiotic factors. Ecological principles finished strong with
a cross-curricular problem-based learning activity involving mythology and ecosystem interactions.
Labs
Standards 7th Grade
Biotic/Abiotic Interactions
Commensalism/Mutualism/Parasitism
B.7.2 – Investigate how organisms or
populations may interact with one another
through symbiotic relationships and how
some species have become so adapted to
each other that neither could survive without
the other.
Projects
Bigfoots and Biomes Major Project
Vocabulary
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Biotic
Abiotic
Symbiosis
Predator
Prey
Population
Community
Habitat
Ecosystem
Biome
Biosphere
Mutualism
Commensalism
Parasitism
Producer
Consumer
90/10 Rule
Pseudoscience
Primary Succession
Secondary Succession
B.7.3 – Explain how the number of
organisms an ecosystem can support
depends on adequate biotic resources and
abiotic resources.
B.7.4 – Investigate how overpopulation
impacts an ecosystem.
B.7.5 – Explain that some environmental
changes occur slowly while other occur
rapidly.
B.7.6 – Summarize the ways that natural
occurrences and human activity affect the
transfer of energy in Earth’s ecosystems.
B.7.8 – Investigate the great diversity
among organisms
Essential Questions
How does energy flow through ecosystems?
How can the human population impact
ecosystems?
How do organisms interact with abiotic and
biotic factors?