Content Area:
Unit Plan Title:
Life Science
Grade(s) 4
Ecosystems
Overview of Unit
Students will study the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of living organisms on Earth. Students will
study the interaction and dependency of organisms within an ecosystem, an understanding of which is basic to
their understanding of the natural world.
Essential Question(s) and Enduring Understandings
1. How do organisms interact with their physical and living environment?
 Life on earth is complex, diverse, and interconnected.
 Living organisms exchange materials and energy (in the form of gases, nutrients, water, and waste) with
their environment.
 Within ecosystems, organisms interact with and are dependent on their physical and living environment.
 Species change over time in response to environmental change.
2. How do ecosystems change?
 Changes in an ecosystem can be rapid or gradual.
 Changes in an ecosystem have positive and negative consequences.
Revised 11/29/11
Content Statements and CPIs
Content: Living organisms—
 Interact with and cause changes in their environment
 Exchange materials (such as gases, nutrients, water, and waste) with the environment
 Reproduce
 Grow and develop in a predictable manner
5.3.4.A.1 Develop and use evidence-based criteria to determine if an unfamiliar object is living or nonliving
Content: Essential functions required for the well-being of an organism are carried out by specialized structures in
plants and animals
5.3.4.A.2 Compare and contrast structures that have similar functions in various organisms, and explain how those
functions may be carried out by structures that have different physical appearances.
Content: Almost all energy (food) and matter can be traced to the Sun
5.3.4.B.1 Identify sources of energy (food) in a variety of settings (farm, zoo, ocean, forest).
Content: Organisms can only survive in environments in which their needs are met. Within ecosystems, organisms
interact with and are dependent on their physical and living environment.
5.3.4.C.1 Predict the biotic and abiotic characteristics of an unfamiliar organism’s habitat.
Content: Some changes in ecosystems occur slowly, while others occur rapidly. Changes can affect life forms,
including humans.
5.3.4.C.2 Explain the consequences of rapid ecosystem change (e.g. flooding, wind storms snowfall, volcanic
eruptions) and compare them to consequences of gradual ecosystem change (e.g. gradual increase or decrease in daily
temperatures, change in yearly rainfall).
Content: Plants and animals have life cycles (they begin life, develop into adults, reproduce, and eventually die).
The characteristics of each stage of life vary by species.
5.3.4.D.1 Compare the physical characteristics of the different stages of the life cycle of an individual organism and
characteristics of stages among species.
Content: Individuals of the same species may differ in their characteristics, and sometimes these differences give
individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing in different environments.
5.3.4.E.1 Model an adaptation to a species that would increase its chances of survival, should the environment
become wetter, dryer, warmer, or colder over time.
Content: In any ecosystem, some populations of organisms thrive and grow, some decline, others do not thrive at all.
5.3.4.E.2 Evaluate similar populations in an ecosystem with regards to their ability to thrive and grow.
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Student Learning Targets/Objectives
Students will be able to:
1. Define an ecosystem.
2. Identify different ecosystems (e.g., desert, rain forest, coral reef, deciduous forest, tundra, rotting log, pond,
etc.).
3. Observe and describe the living and nonliving elements of an ecosystem.
4. Explain how living organisms exchange materials with each other and their environment.
5. Understand that predator/prey relationships are one example of how ecosystems change.
6. Understand that ecosystems change.
7. Compare and contrast structures and functions of organisms that help them succeed in their changing
environment.
Strategies/Justifications

Notebooking helps students clarify their own thinking, identify weaknesses, and document progress.

Classifying helps students focus on how scientists organize information into frameworks and model
thinking patterns.

Gathering evidence helps students organize their thoughts for analytical writing/note taking.

Predicting how pieces of evidence fit into a larger schema helps students become aware of the “big picture”
thinking.

Designing and controlling experiments to test a hypothesis provides experience in experimental
investigation.

Graphing growth patterns helps students visualize mathematical patterns and understand universal
exponential growth rates.
Revised 11/29/11
Teaching Points, Activities, and Assessments
Teaching Point #1
All things can be categorized into three groups: living, nonliving, and once-living.
Time Frame
40 minutes
Presented with a number of living and nonliving objects, students build claims about the
objects they are observing –“This object is nonliving, this object is living, this object was
once living but …” and critique the claims made by other students. Students should be able
to explain why an object is classified as living, nonliving, or once-living.
Students chart a list of the living, nonliving, and once-living objects that they examined, and
add to their lists other living or nonliving objects brainstormed within their group.
Teaching Point #2
An ecosystem is defined as a community that includes all the living and nonliving things
found in a certain area.
40 minutes
Show students pictures of two different ecosystems, and have them make observations of
living and nonliving components (see resources). Teacher should post guiding questions in
the room, such as:
 What do you notice in these pictures?
 What differences do you see?
 What similarities do you see?
Show students pictures of interactions of animal and plant life in the same ecosystems that
were shown earlier (see resources). Teacher should post guiding questions in the room,
such as:
 What do you notice in these pictures?
 Who/what eats whom/what?
Students list as many ecosystems as they can, as teacher charts their ideas.
*Teacher Note: Students should be aware that ecosystems can be both on a small scale—
such as a pond or tree log—and a large scale—such as a rainforest or desert.
Teaching Point #3
Ecosystems are complex, with a diversity of interacting organisms and physical
components.
Examine one ecosystem in depth through a variety of media (allow a few periods to use a
variety of resources). Students should observe how the organisms interact with one another
and their habitat. Students record observations and sketches.
Revised 11/29/11
2-3/40 minute
periods
Teaching Point #4
The community within an ecosystem includes the Sun, producers, consumers, and
decomposers.
40 minutes
Based on the ecosystem studied already, students will participate in a Sun, producers,
consumers, and decomposers activity (see resources for complete lesson).
Talk about what the students see and think about the web they have created. Help students
to see that living things in an ecosystem can be divided into four groups based on how they
get energy: Sun, producers, consumers, or decomposers. Students write new vocabulary
terms in their notebooks and include illustrations of the Sun, producers, consumers, and
decomposers.
*Teacher Note 1: It is important that students make a connection between themselves and
an ecosystem so that they can understand that ecosystems are not something outside of
themselves, but also something of which they are a part.
*Teacher Note 2: Be prepared to discuss with students the distinctions among first level
consumers, second level consumers, and third level consumers.
Teaching Point #5
Energy flows from the Sun through producers, consumers, and decomposers.
40 minutes
Review the basic parts of food webs (Sun, decomposers, producers, and consumers). In
groups, have students organize pictures of 12-14 species into a food web using arrows to
show the flow of energy (allow for web research for this activity or provide copies of
background information about each species).
Discuss different groups’ answers, and then provide a copy of an ecosystem energy
diagram. Make sure students understand the flow of energy in the diagram, then introduce
the Energy Pyramid to students.
*Teacher Note: It is important during this lesson to discuss the process of photosynthesis, so
that students understand that producers are producing energy from the sun.
Teaching Point #6
Predators and prey live in a balance that can be disturbed by changes in an ecosystem.
Students complete the “Oh Deer” activity (see resources). Post-activity discussion should
include how dynamic the predator/prey relationship was, and how the activity represented
one type of ecosystem change.
*Teacher Note: Make sure that—upon completion of the activity—students are aware of the
definitions of predator and prey.
Revised 11/29/11
40 minutes
Teaching Point #7
There are many causes for changes in an ecosystem, which can be gradual or rapid.
40 minutes
Break students into groups. Provide each group with an example of an ecosystem change
(e.g., weather, pollution, forest fires, drought, human development of land, invasive species,
etc.).
Groups should identify whether the change is rapid or gradual. Then, the groups should
discuss how the change can impact the organisms within the ecosystem, and share their
findings with the class.
Afterwards, students should brainstorm any additional causes of ecosystem change.
Teaching Point #8
Organisms have different structures and functions that enable them to carry out their roles
in an ecosystem.
2/40 minute periods
Students complete the “What Does It Do? How Does It Do That?” activity (see resources).
First Allotted Period: Students complete the activity portion.
Second Allotted Period: Students share and discuss results.
Teaching Point #9
When ecosystems change, members of a species with certain characteristics succeed better
than others in the new environment.
Students complete the “Peppered Moth” activity (see resources).
Benchmark Assessment
Students will read about an unfamiliar ecosystem, and answer open-ended questions about
living, nonliving, and once-living elements, and their interactions and adaptations in the
ecosystem.
Revised 11/29/11
40 minutes
Unit Resources
Producers/Consumers/Decomposers
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/science_up_close/311/deploy/interface.html (Producers/photosynthesis)
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain/producersconsumers.htm
http://www.geography4kids.com/files/land_foodchain.html
Living and Nonliving
Living, Nonliving, and Once Living handout
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=10989
http://utahscience.oremjr.alpine.k12.ut.us/Sciber06/3rd/Stand_2/html/2_1b.htm
http://www.saburchill.com/chapters/chap0001.html
www.nps.gov/tica/.../upload/living-or-non-living-powerpoint-2.pptx
http://www.tomsnyder.com/products/product.asp?SKU=SCILIV
Ecosystems
1. Harcourt Textbook pages (grade 5 book)
2. Ecosystem Pictures
3. http://www.unitedstreaming.com/videos/dsc/data/09220d93-e070-437b-8b71-27b774818edf.pdf (gradual
versus rapid ecosystem change)
4. Ecosystems book from STC
5. Gradual vs. Rapid Ecosystem Change Handout
6. Books:
What If There Were No Bees: A Book About Grasslands by Suzanne Buckingham
Earth's Ecosystems (Planet Earth) by Jim Pipe
Food Webs/Energy Pyramids
http://www.fossweb.com/CA/modules3-6/Environments/activities/saguaro/
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/science_up_close/314/deploy/interface.html (energy pyramid)
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/food/index.html (fun with food webs)
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/games/foodchaingame.htm (food chain game)
http://www.vtaide.com/png/habitats/index.htm (food chain cards)
http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecologyandbehavior/foodchains/preview.weml (food chains)
Food Chain and Food Web SmartNotebook files(2 files)
Interdependence/Predator-Prey
http://cosmos.bgsu.edu/PiR2/sessionstuff/nov/Oh%20Deer%20Activity%20Includes%20Graph.pdf
Adaptations
Natural Selection Peppered Moth Activity
Smartboard Adaptations File
General Resources
http://www.harcourtschool.com/menus/science/grade4_nl.html
Ecosystem SmartBoard File (living/nonliving; ecosystems; food web)
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Technological Resources
Technology to be integrated (tools, equipment, software, and online learning)
 DVDs


Internet
Video Clips
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Smart Notebook Files
ELMO
Revised 11/29/11