A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Science Dpt Bio Core Strand 1 Strand 2 Strand 3 Strand 4 Strand 5
Ecosystems are shaped by interactions among living organisms and their physical environment. Ecosystems change constantly, either staying in a state of dynamic balance or shifting to a new state of balance. Matter cycles in ecosystems, and energy flows from outside sources through the system. Humans are part of ecosystems and can deliberately or inadvertently alter an ecosystem.
Strand 1
Students will understand that living organisms interact with one another and their environment.
Objective 1
- Summarize how energy flows through an ecosystem.
- Arrange components of a food chain according to energy flow.
- Compare the quantity of energy in the steps of an energy pyramid.
- Describe strategies used by organisms to balance the energy expended to obtain food to the energy gained from the food (e.g., migration to areas of seasonal abundance, switching type of prey based upon availability, hibernation or dormancy).
- Compare the relative energy output expended by an organism in obtaining food to the energy gained from the food (e.g., hummingbird – energy expended hovering at a flower compared to the amount of energy gained from the nectar, coyote – chasing mice to the energy gained from catching one, energy expended in migration of birds to a location with seasonal abundance compared to energy gained by staying in a cold climate with limited food).
- Research food production in various parts of the world (e.g., industrialized societies’ greater use of fossil fuel in food production, human health related to food product).
Objective 2
- Explain relationships between matter cycles and organisms.
- Use diagrams to trace the movement of matter through a cycle (i.e., carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, water) in a variety of biological communities and ecosystems.
- Explain how water is a limiting factor in various ecosystems.
- Distinguish between inference and evidence in a newspaper, magazine, journal, or Internet article that addresses an issue related to human impact on cycles of matter in an ecosystem and determine the bias in the article.
- Evaluate the impact of personal choices in relation to the cycling of matter within an ecosystem (e.g., impact of automobiles on the carbon cycle, impact on landfills of processed and packaged foods).
Objective 3
- Describe how interactions among organisms and their environment help shape ecosystems.
- Categorize relationships among living things according to predator-prey, competition, and symbiosis.
- Formulate and test a hypothesis specific to the effect of changing one variable upon another in a small ecosystem.
- Use data to interpret interactions among biotic and abiotic factors (e.g., pH, temperature, precipitation, populations, diversity) within an ecosystem.
- Investigate an ecosystem using methods of science to gather quantitative and qualitative data that describe the ecosystem in detail.
- Research and evaluate local and global practices that affect ecosystems.
Language science students should use: predator-prey, symbiosis, competition, ecosystem, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, oxygen cycle, population, diversity, energy pyramid, consumers, producers, limiting factor, competition, decomposers, food chain, biotic, abiotic, community, variable, evidence, inference, quantitative, qualitative
Boreal Forests
pg 4 (2:05) Canada’s boreal forest
pg 6 (2:39) Why the boreal forest is important
pg 22 – website – threats to the boreal forest
pg 24 – website – tracking animals with radio collars
Clownfish (K)
pg 4 (:30) Clownfish (no narration)
pg 8 (1:46) Sea Anemone (symbiosis)
pg 12 (1:01) Tending eggs (no narration)
Coral Reefs
pg 4 (4:17) Why do we car about coral reefs
pg 18 (3:43) Protecting coral reefs
pg 20 (6:24) Coral reef species
Deciduous Forests LB 577.3 HUR
pg 4 (2:17) Need for forest ecosystem
pg 6 (1:50) Why leaves change color
pg 18 (1:24) Opossum
pg 20 – website – Acid Rain
Decomposers LB 577 LAP
pg 4 (3:18) Decomposition
pg 6 (2:42) Using microbes to make hydrocarbons
pg 12 (2:18) Slime mold growth
Deserts LB 577.54 BAN
pg 4 (3:12) A day in the desert (no narration)
pg 6 (2:00) Sahara Desert and climate change
pg 20 (3:50) Gila Monster
pg 28 – website – Desert Food Web info plus (3:14) video
Ecosystems LB 577 RIC
pg 4 (2:23) What is an ecosystem?
pg 22 (4:03) Biodiversity
pg 28 (4:40) Food Chains
Flight LB 591.4 MCD
pg 4 (2:15) How can birds migrate?
pg 18 (1:51) Flying with migratory birds
Fresh Waters 577.63 ASP
pg 4 (3:55) Fresh water
pg 18 (1:11) Wetlands biome
pg 20 (3:58) About the Great Lakes
pg 28 – website – U.S. Wildlife
Grasslands LB 577.4 ERL
4 (4:47) (start at 1:30) Temperate grass biome
pg 18 (2:04) Kangaroo
pg 20 (:58) Elephants
Habitat LB 577 FRI
pg 4 (4:35) About habitat
pg 8 (4:57 Rocky shore habitat
pg 12 (2:05) Living underwater
Hibernation LB 591.56 MCD
pg 4 (1:40) About hibernation
pg 12 (3:46) Bears
pg 18 (3:42) Wood frog
Ice LB 551.3 WHE (K)
8 (1:30) Hailstorm
pg 10 – website – disappearing glaciers
pg 12 (2:10) about glaciers
pg 14 – website – Landforms from glaciers
Mountains LB 577.5 BAN
pg 4 (1:50) What is a mountain?
pg 18 (2:08) Protecting snow leopards
pg 20 (2:31) Tracking California condors
Oceans LB 551.46 HUD
pg 4 (3:30) Ocean Life
pg 18 (2:00) About sharks
pg 20 (2:02) About sea anenomes
Omnivores LB 599 HUD
pg 4 (3:13) Food chains
pg 6 (4:44) Sunbear eating coconut (no narration)
pg 12 (3:16) Singleback lizard
Parasites LB 578 KOP
pg 4 (3:09) Producers, Consumers, Decomposers
pg 6 (3:11) Head lice
pg 12 (2:43) Flukes
Producers LB 577 GOL
pg 4 (2:33) Food webs and energy transfer
pg 6 (6:00) Photosynthesis and respiration
pg 10 – website – Germinating 3200 year old seed
pg 12 (1:51) Venus Fly Trap eating
Rainforests LB 577.34 ASP
pg 4 (2:11) Hadley cells – Winds create rainforests
pg 6 (2:07) Rainforest ecosystem (no narratioN)
pg 20 (2:33) Poison Dart frogs
Senses LB 573 KOP
pg 4 (0:51) eagle fishing
pg 12 (0:27) Fennec fox ears
pg 18 (2:42) echolocation
pg 9 – diagram – food pyramid
pg 10 – website – shark senses info
Symbiosis LB 577.8 ZAY
pg 4 (1:43) Bees
pg 12 (2:12) birds in cactus
pg 18 (2:50) Beekeeper and bees
pg 16 – website – (2:55) sloths
Tundras LB 577.3 BAN
pg 4 (3:20) The Tundra Biome
Pg 6 – website – World Biomes: Tundra
Pg 18 – website – Polar Bear
Pg 18 (1:32) The Tundra Biome by Rachel Robnet / images
Pg 20 (1:25) Fjords of Norway: Orcas
Pg 28 -website – Canadian Wildlife Federation
Water LB 551.48 MCC
pg 4 (2:30) Availability of fresh water
pg 8 (3:52) Water treatment
pg 12 (5:00) Modern hydroponics
Water LB 551.48 WHE
pg 4 (1:07) How much freshwater?
pg 8 (2:40) cartoon -water bodies
pg 12 (2:39) cartoon -Earth’s water cycle
pg 10 – website – Water footprint calculator (EXCELLENT)
Water Cycle LB 551.48 PUR
pg 4 (6:25) water cycle
pg 4 – website – Detailed water cycle for kids
pg 8 – website – Types of clouds
pg 16 (4:20) BP Oil Spill
pg 16 – website – Graphic information on BP oil spill
pg 18 (2:15) career: forest hydrologist
Wetlands LB 577.68 WAT
pg 4 (4:34) salt marsh
pg 6 (3:33) Everglades
pg 18 (1:17) Red Spotted LIzard
pg 24 – website – Wetlands constructed to treat wastewater
Kiss the Book 