Finding Balance (Beta)
Students will use their knowledge of food webs to restore balance to an ecosystem on Dejerria.
Anja and her team need help to determine what is causing grass populations to decline rapidly. The crew will work with their team to investigate the ecosystem and develop a corrected model that will return balance to the ecosystem.
Est. time: 43 min.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
A. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
B. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
C. Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others.
D. Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
A. Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information logically; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
B. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
C. Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially)
D. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
E. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
A. Apply grade 5 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or a drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., how characters interact]”).
B. Apply grade 5 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., “Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point[s]”).
Phenomenon
Science and Engineering Practices
Asking questions or defining problems
- Ask questions about what would happen if a variable is changed.
- Ask questions that can be investigated and predict reasonable outcomes based on patterns such as cause and effect relationships.
Developing and using models
- Collaboratively develop and/or revise a model based on evidence that shows the relationships among variables for frequent and regular occurring events.
- Develop and/or use models to describe and/or predict phenomena.
- Use a model to test cause and effect relationships or interactions concering the functioning of natural or designed system.
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
- Make predictions about what would happen if a variable changes.
Analyzing and interpreting data
- Compare and contrast data collected by different groups in order to discuss similarities and differences in their findings.
- Analyze data to refine a problem statement or the design of a proposed object, tool, or process.
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
- Use evidence (e.g., emasurements, observations, patterns) to construct or support an explanation or design a solution to a problem.
Engaging in Argument from Evidence
- Respectfuly provide and receive critiques from peers about a proposed procedure, explanation, or model by citing relevant evidence and posing specific questions.
- Construct and/or support an argument with evidence, data, and/or a model.
Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
- Read and comprehend grade appropriate complex texts and/or other reliable media to summarize and obtain scientific and technical ideas and describe how they are supported by evidence.
- Obtain and combine information from books and/or other reliable media to explain phenomena or solutions to a design problem.
Crosscutting Concepts
Systems and System Models
- Students understand that a system is a group of related parts that make up a whole and can carry out functions its individual parts cannot. They can also describe a system in terms of its components and their interactions.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
- Matter cycles between the air and soil and among organisms as they live and die.
LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience
- When the environment changes some organisms survive and reproduce, some move to new locations, some move into transformed environment, and some die.