SCIENCE: Forest Ridge School District 142
Ecosystems Unit: Grade 6
Unifying Theme :Energy Transfer
What is energy? How can we investigate the transfer of energy within and between systems?
Guiding Questions:
In what ways do organisms interact with each other and their environment?
What happens to ecosystems as a result of interactive relationships?
How do organisms depend on the feeding relationships of one another and of the
physical (abiotic) environment?
How do organisms in an ecosystem get the materials and energy they need?
How is energy transferred from one organism to the next?
What happens to organisms and ecosystems when there are changes in the environment?
Big Ideas
An ecosystem is
composed of all
populations living
together and the physical
factors with which they
interact.
Populations are
categorized by the
function they serve in an
ecosystem, they
interact with each other
in several ways, which
may be competitive or
mutually beneficial.
Sun is the primary
source of energy in the
ecosystem. Sunlight is
transferred by producers
through out an
ecosystem. That energy
Power Standards
Evaluate how populations and physical factors
function and interact with each other in an
ecosystem.
Examine the path of energy and matter through
ecosystems.
Predict how invasive species may impact a population
within an ecosystem.
Descriptors: Based on National & State Documents
Distinguish between biotic and abiotic factors.
Investigate roles and interactions within ecosystems.
(Examples: producers, consumers, decomposers,
scavengers, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism,
and symbiotic relationships)
Investigate energy relationships within an ecosystem.
Compare and contrast cycles within ecosystems.
(Examples: Carbon Cycle, Nitrogen Cycle, Water
Cycle)
Construct a food web and explain the transfer of
energy within it.
Draw inferences about an organisms place within the
food web. Support claim with evidence.
Investigate the impact of introduced species on
populations and ecosystems.
Model the interactions of populations.
Graph and interpret population data.
Apply understanding of carrying capacity to non-
ASSESSMENT
Summative:
Analyze tradeoffs of invasive s
Develop an argument and sup
Formative:
Define tradeoff
Distinguish between a claim an
Compare and contrast risks/be
Predict population changes
Represent and analyze popula
Predict how a food web would
Summative:
Write a narrative: “The Life an
Choice: Select the carbon, nitr
Formative:
Illustrate the carbon, nitrogen
Compare and contrast cycles
passes from organism to
organism through food
webs.
native species population study.
Matter is transferred in
and amongst organisms
in an ecosystem.
Within environments
organisms with similar
needs may compete with
one another for limited
resources including food,
space, water, air and
shelter.
The health of an
ecosystem can be
impacted by human
interaction. (e.g.
introduction of an
invasive species)
Scientific Inquiry
Scientific inquiry is a dynamic
process that is not limited to
one scientific method.
Propose scientific questions and engage in active
inquiry gathering and prioritizing evidence,
formulating explanations, making connections to
scientific knowledge and communicating and
justifying explanations.
Ask questions about invasive species and prioritize
evidence
Formative:
Create a risk/benefit chart for
Justify scientific claims, using supporting evidence.
Distinguish between a claim and evidence
See formative section one
Inquiry engages learners in
asking scientifically oriented
questions, gathering and
prioritizing evidence,
formulating explanations,
making connections to scientific
knowledge and communicating
and justifying explanations.
The Nature of Science
Science is an imaginative
endeavor that is subject to
modification as new information
challenges current theories. It
involves the collection of data,
the use of logical reasoning,
argumentation and the devising
of hypotheses and explanations
informed by evidence.
Habits of Mind
Scientists keep
honest/unbiased, clear and
accurate records, value
hypotheses and understand
that more than one explanation
can be given for the same
evidence.
Scientists value the role of
computation and estimation in
their work.
Scientists use a variety of tools
to inform their observations.
Scientists organize information
using tables, graphs, diagrams
and symbols.
Scientists question claims
based on vague attributions
and are skeptical of arguments
based on small data samples.
Scientists embrace unexpected
results.
Vocabulary
Analyze scientific data
Graph and interpret population data.
Defend the validity of a claim
Distinguish between a claim and evidence
See formative section one
Tier Two: evidence, claim, support, argue, defend, analyze, justify, system, interaction, relationship, tradeoff,
Tier Three: abiotic, biotic, population, carrying capacity, invasive species, producer, consumer, decomposer, energy transfer, scavengers, mutualism,
commensalism, parasitism, and symbiotic relationships, atom, molecule, cycle