LS G5:M2:U1

The Cycle of Matter and Energy In Healthy Ecosystems, Unit Overview

View the unit overview

Lesson 1Anchoring Phenomenon
Agenda	Daily Learning Targets	Ongoing Assessment	Anchor Charts & Protocols
Total Time: 1 hour of instruction Section 1 1. Opening A. Reviewing Learning Targets and Launching Science Notebooks (15 minutes) Optional Extension: Personalizing My Notebook 2. Obtaining Information A. Anchoring Phenomenon: Recording Observations about Ecosystems (15 minutes) Optional Extension: Video of Olympic National Park Optional Extension: U.S. Parks Virtual Tours B. Scientists Meeting: Gathering Ideas (30 minutes)		Student science notebook: Anchoring Phenomenon entry Scientists Meeting: Gathering Ideas

Lesson 2Defining Matter
Agenda	Daily Learning Targets	Ongoing Assessment	Anchor Charts & Protocols
Total Time: 2 hours of instruction Section 1 1. Opening A. Reviewing Learning Target and Focusing Question (20 minutes) 2. Carrying Out Investigations A. Demonstrating Matter (40 minutes) Optional Extension: Additional Experiments with Air Section 2 1. Obtaining Information A. Close Reading: “Three States of Matter” (30 minutes) 2. Engaging in Argument A. Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding (30 minutes)		Student science notebook: Defining Matter entry Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding

Lesson 3Plant Growth
Agenda	Daily Learning Targets	Ongoing Assessment	Anchor Charts & Protocols
Total Time: 3 hours of instruction, plus one week for observation. As part of their investigation, students observe the plants in Section 2 for at least one week before they can move on to Section 3. While students observe their plants, they should move on to Lesson Sequence 4. Section 1 1. Opening A. Introducing Learning Target and Focusing Question (10 minutes) 2. Obtaining Information A. Close Reading: “From Questions to Conclusions: The Experimental Process” (35 minutes) 3. Planning and Carrying Out Investigation A. Scientists Meeting: Planning Investigation (45 minutes) Section 2 1. Carrying Out Investigation A. Observing Plants (Note: This time is spread out over one week. Times will vary.) Section 3 1. Analyzing and Interpreting Data A. Reviewing Learning Target and Focusing Question (10 minutes) B. Drawing Conclusions: Plant Investigation (20 minutes) Section 4 1. Evaluating Information A. Developing a Model (40 minutes) B. Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding (20 minutes)		Scientists Meeting: Planning Investigation Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding Participation in Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol Student science notebook: Plant Growth entry

Lesson 4Flow of Energy
Agenda	Daily Learning Targets	Ongoing Assessment	Anchor Charts & Protocols
Total Time: 2 hours of instruction Section 1 1. Opening A. Introducing Learning Target and Focusing Question (10 minutes) 2. Carrying Out Investigation A. Demonstrating Energy (45 minutes) Section 2 1. Obtaining Information A. Close Reading: “The Law of Conservation of Energy” (45 minutes) 2. Engaging in Argument A. Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding (20 minutes)		Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding Participation in Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol Student science notebook: Flow of Energy entry

Lesson 5Part of an Ecosystem
Agenda	Daily Learning Targets	Ongoing Assessment	Anchor Charts & Protocols
Total Time: 2.5 hours of instruction Section 1 1. Opening A. Introducing Learning Targets and Focusing Question (10 minutes) 2. Obtaining Information A. Viewing “Forests” (10 minutes) 3. Developing a Model A. Creating an Ecosystem in a Baggie (30 minutes) Section 2 1. Evaluating Information A. Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding (20 minutes) Optional Extension: Outdoor Observation of Schoolyard Ecosystem 2. Obtaining Information A. Collecting Information for Expert Ecosystems (30 minutes) Optional Extension: Study Role of Bugs in Ecosystem Section 3 1. Developing a Model A. Developing an Expert Ecosystem Explanatory Model (30 minutes) 2. Evaluating Information A. Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding (20 minutes)		Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding Student science notebook: Parts of an Ecosystem entry Expert ecosystem explanatory model

Lesson 6Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers
Agenda	Daily Learning Targets	Ongoing Assessment	Anchor Charts & Protocols
Total Time: 2 hours of instruction Section 1 1. Opening A. Introducing Learning Targets and Focusing Question (10 minutes) 2. Obtaining Information A. Viewing “The Food Chain” and “Food Web” (20 minutes) Optional Extension: Additional Information about Decomposers 3. Developing a Model A. Revising the Schoolyard Ecosystem Explanatory Model (20 minutes) Section 2 1. Obtaining Information A. Gathering Information about Expert Ecosystems (20 minutes) Optional Extension: Additional Information about Rainforest Organisms 2. Developing a Model A. Revising Expert Ecosystem Explanatory Models (30 minutes) Section 3 1. Communicating Information A. Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding (20 minutes) Optional Extension: Create Independent Models of Food Webs		Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding Student science notebook: Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers entry Food web sketch Expert ecosystem explanatory model

Lesson 7Energy Transfer
Agenda	Daily Learning Targets	Ongoing Assessment	Anchor Charts & Protocols
Total Time: 2 hours of instruction Section 1 1. Opening A. Introducing Learning Target and Focusing Question (10 minutes) 2. Obtaining Information A. Playing “Pass the Energy, Please” (25 minutes) B. Close Reading: “How Animals Use Energy” (30 minutes) Optional Extension: Weigh a Class Pet Optional Extension: Food Chain Pyramid Section 2 1. Communicating Information A. Revising Expert Ecosystem Explanatory Models (20 minutes) B. Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding (20 minutes) C. Independent Practice: Creating Models (15 minutes)		Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding Student science notebooks: Matter and Energy Transfer entry Matter and energy transfer model Expert ecosystem explanatory model

Lesson 8Water, Air, and Waste Matter
Agenda	Daily Learning Targets	Ongoing Assessment	Anchor Charts & Protocols
Total Time: 2.5 hours of instruction Section 1 1. Opening A. Introducing Learning Target and Focusing Question (10 minutes) 2. Carrying Out Investigation A. Exploring What Animals Breathe Out (20 minutes) B. Exploring Plants’ Interaction with Water (20 minutes) Optional Extension: Leaf Shape and Water Loss Experiment Section 2 1. Obtaining Information A. Understanding the Roles of Plants, Animals, and Decomposers in Moving Matter (30 minutes) 2. Communicating Information A. Revising Expert Ecosystem Explanatory Models (40 minutes) Section 3 1. Evaluating Information A. Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding (30 minutes)		Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding Student science notebook: Water, Air, and Waste Matter entry Expert ecosystem explanatory model

Lesson 9Stability and Balance
Agenda	Daily Learning Targets	Ongoing Assessment	Anchor Charts & Protocols
Total Time: 2.5 hours of instruction Section 1 1. Opening A. Introducing Learning Targets and Focusing Question (5 minutes) 2. Carrying Out Investigation A. Modeling: Stability and Balance (30 minutes) B. Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding (15 minutes) Section 2 1. Engaging in Argument A. Constructing an Argument: Health of Ecosystems (35 minutes) 2. Evaluating Information A. Peer Critique: Health of Ecosystems (45 minutes) Section 3 1. Engaging in Argument A. Revising an Argument: Health of Ecosystems (20 minutes)		Scientists Meeting Student science notebooks: Stability and Balance entry Ecosystem explanatory model

Lesson 10Changing Ecosystems
Agenda	Daily Learning Targets	Ongoing Assessment	Anchor Charts & Protocols
Total Time: 2 hours of instruction Section 1 1. Opening A. Introducing Learning Target and Focusing Question (10 minutes) 2. Obtaining Information A. Studying the Removal of Wolves from Yellowstone (50 minutes) Optional Extension: Read Aloud Section 2 1. Obtaining Information A. Studying Invasive Species (15 minutes) Optional Extension: Deeper Dive into Invasive Species 2. Engaging in Argument A. Evaluating a Model Argument (20 minutes) 3. Developing and Using Models A. Making Predictions Using Explanatory Models (25 minutes)		Student science notebooks: Changing Ecosystems entry Participation in Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol Expert ecosystem explanatory model

Lesson 11Summative Assessment: Assess and Improve the Health of an Ecosystem
Agenda	Daily Learning Targets	Ongoing Assessment	Anchor Charts & Protocols
Total Time: 3.5 hours of instruction Section 1 1. Opening A. Introducing Learning Targets (5 minutes) 2. Evaluating and Communicating Information A. Revisiting the Anchoring Phenomenon (15 minutes) B. Scientists Meeting: Making Meaning (20 minutes) Section 2 1. Engaging in Argument A. Summative Assessment: Assessing a Forest Ecosystem (60 minutes) Section 3 1. Engineering Design Cycle A. Introducing the Challenge (10 minutes) Optional Extension: Alternative Performance Task: Improving the Health of Our Local Schoolyard Ecosystem Optional Extension: Alternative Performance Task: Improving the Health of Another Local Ecosystem B. Imagining: Improving the Health of a Schoolyard Ecosystem (10 minutes) C. Planning: Suggestions for Improving the Health of a Schoolyard Ecosystem (10 minutes) Optional Extension: Peer Critique: Three Suggestions for Improvement D. Creating: Improving the Health of a Schoolyard Ecosystem Explanatory Model (15 minutes) E. Praise, Question, Suggestion: Improving the Health of a Schoolyard Ecosystem Explanatory Model (15 minutes) F. Revising: Improving the Health of a Schoolyard Ecosystem Explanatory Model (30 minutes) G. Pair Share: Improving the Health of a Schoolyard Ecosystem Explanatory Model (10 minutes) Optional Extension: Presentation to Authentic Audience Optional Extension: Community Service 2. Communicating Information A. Reflecting on Learning (10 minutes)		Scientists Meeting: Making Meaning Student science notebook: Improving the Health of an Ecosystem entry Summative Assessment: Assessing a Forest Ecosystem Improving the Health of an Ecosystem Explanatory Model

Get updates about our new K-5 curriculum as new materials and tools debut.