Life Science

Grade 4 Science Curriculum

Unit of Study: Life
Suggested Time: 8 Weeks

Content Standard 4.2 All organisms depend on the living and non-living features of the environment for survival.

  • When the environment changes, some organisms survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations.

Essential Question:How do matter and energy flow through ecosystems?


Focus Question #1 How do the living and non-living features of an environment affect an organism’s survival?

Focus Question #2 What are the relationships among different organisms in food webs?

Expected performances (B10)  The student will be able to:

a. identify living (e.g. plants, other animals) and non-living (e.g. air, water, sunlight, soil) features in an environment.

b. describe the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers.

c. describe the relationship between predator and prey.

d. illustrate a food chain.

e. illustrate a food web.

f. describe how animals, directly or indirectly, depend on plants to provide the food and energy they need in order to grow and survive.

 

Required Activities:

Teacher notes:  Students are introduced to the concepts of food chains and food webs through the study of specific plant and animal relationships.  Groups of four students will set up and observe terrariums.  AS AN ALTERNATIVE, one classroom terrarium may be set up for observation.  ORDER LIVING MATERIALS AT LEAST 4 WEEKS BEFORE THIS UNIT IS TO BEGIN.  Observing and studying live organisms is an important part of a life science curriculum.  Before beginning this unit, it is important to consider how the organisms will be cared for both during the study and after its conclusion.  Consult pages 11-13 in the DSM Food Chains and Webs Teacher’s Guide for advance preparation and materials management.

1. Using pictures (ecosystem posters provided), students identify the living and non-living features in an environment.  (B10a)

Teacher notes:  It is suggested that students keep science journals/notebooks.  (Refer to teacher resource Science Notebooks, Writing About Inquiry by Brian Campbell for appropriate models for written response and scientific drawings.)

2.  By testing soil samples, students prepare terrariums for study in following activities.  Activity 1 “Soil” Delta Food Chains and Webs, pgs. 15-22  (B10a  BINQ1,4)

3.  Students design an experiment to compare how plants grow in different soil mixtures.  Activity 2 “Plants and Soil” Delta Food Chains and Webs, pgs. 23-29  (B10a  BINQ1,3,4,5,6,9,10)

4. Students conduct an experiment to determine the effect of sunlight on plant growth and identify plants as producers.  Activity 3 “Plants as Producers” Delta Food Chains and Webs, pgs. 31-37  (B10b  BINQ1,3,4,5,6,9,10)

5. Students introduce crickets to their terrariums and record observations of cricket behavior.  Activity 4 “Observing Crickets” Delta Food Chains and Webs, pgs. 39-45  (B10b  BINQ1,2,6)  After observations, students may use internet sites to research crickets.  (Technology Standards 1, 5)

6. Students observe features and behaviors of green anoles and record observations.  Activity 5 “Observing Anoles”  Delta Food Chains and Webs, pgs. 47-51  (B10b  BINQ1,2,6,8)  After observations, students may use internet sites to research anoles.  (Technology Standards 1, 5)

7. Students measure, draw, label and observe earthworm features and behaviors.  Activity 6 “Observing Earthworms”  Delta Food Chains and Webs, pgs. 53-58  (B10b  BINQ1,2,4,6,9)

8. By observing animals in their terrariums, students draw conclusions about typical behaviors.  Activity 7 “Animal Behavior”  Delta Food Chains and Webs, pgs. 59-66  (B10b  BINQ1,6)

9. Students place crickets in a food chain as primary consumers.  Activity 8 “What do Crickets Eat?”  Delta Food Chains and Webs, pgs. 67-72  (B10b,d  BINQ1,3,6)

10. Students discuss the role of decomposers and place earthworms into the food chain.  Activity 9 “Earthworms and Decomposers”  Delta Food Chains and Webs, pgs. 73-78  (B10b,d  BINQ1,6)

11. Students play a game that simulates the dynamics of a food chain.  Activity 11 “Food Chain Game”  Delta Food Chains and Webs, pgs. 89-95  (B10b,c,d)

12. Students create diagrams of food webs and compare food chains to food webs.  Activity 12 “Web of Life”  Delta Food Chains and Webs, pgs. 97-101  (B10d,e  BINQ1,2,6,7,8)

13. Examine a local habitat and illustrate its food web.  “Schoolyard Safari”, Project Learning Tree, Environmental Education Activity Guide, pgs. 151-152 (see Appendix)  (B10a-e  BINQ1,4,5,6)

 

Assessment:

Given a list of producers and consumers, students will illustrate a food web indicating the correct flow of energy through the web.  “Web of Life”, Delta Activity #12, pgs. 97-102.  (B10f)

Given information (in table form) about animals, students will make a judgment as to the organism’s role in the food chain and support their choice with evidence from the table.  Use Delta unit test parts A, B and assessment section 2 #3 – 4, section 3 #1 – 3.  (B10f)

 

Optional Activities:

Students collect and discuss pictures of different ecosystems

Students record, in journal form or illustration, the changes in a local habitat over time

Focus Question #3 How do natural phenomena and human activities affect an organism’s habitat and survival?

Expected performances (B11)  The student will be able to:

a. evaluate how habitat changes can be beneficial or harmful to the food web.

b. explain how animals react (e.g. adapt, move, die) to environmental changes.

c. describe the relationship between environmental changes and the survival of organisms (e.g. endangered/extinct species.)

d. describe how some human activities may cause changes to habitats and their inhabitants.

e. describe how natural phenomena can cause changes to habitats and their inhabitants.

 

Required Activities:

1. Students brainstorm and list natural or human activities that impact an ecosystem.  Students may use “How Do Ecosystems Change”, Delta Reader Food Chains & Food Webs, pgs. 10 – 15 or another source to evaluate how changes can be beneficial or harmful.  (B11a,b,c,d  BINQ7)

2. Students examine the effects of forest fires on habitats and their inhabitants.  “Changes in Ecosystems”, Science Horizons, pgs. 122 – 125, and 142 – 144 (succession)  (B11e  BINQ2)

Teacher notes:  Volcano, Saving the Florida Panther (Book Treks), Fire:  Friend or Foe or other books dealing with forest fire’s impact or other natural or human impacts on ecosystems may be used as a read aloud.

 

Assessment:
Given an example of an animal, students will respond in writing to identify its place in the food chain, its role in the food web, and how it reacts to changes in its environment.

The student will select a naturally occurring or man-made change in an environment (e.g. earthquake, tornado, hurricane, tsunami, forest fire, deforestation, construction…) and explain, in writing, the impact of the event on the environment and its inhabitants.  The student will describe the patterns in the environment before, during and after the event.  (see Appendix for prompt)

 

Vocabulary

• Consumer – organism that eats other organisms in a food chain

• Decomposer – organism that feeds on and breaks down dead organisms

• Ecosystem – interacting living and non-living features in one area

• Environment – everything around a living thing

• Food Chain – shows how organisms get food and energy

• Food Web – all the food chains in an ecosystem

• Habitat – the area in which an organism lives

• Organism – a living thing

• Predator – animal that kills and eats another animal

• Prey – an animal that is killed and eaten by other animals

• Producer – organism that makes its own food and serves as a source of food for other organisms

• Survival – staying alive

 

Optional Activities:

Students construct a picture board story of 4 or more frames showing the changes over time to a specific ecosystem caused by natural or human activities.  (B11a-e)  (May use as an alternative assessment)

Students will investigate the effect of pollutants in an aquatic environment.  Activity 5:  How Does Pollution Affect Life?  See Appendix “Living with Fire.”

 

Resources Needed:

Student:

  • Delta Science Readers Food Chains and Food Webs
  • Leveled readers / Harcourt:
    Amazing Ecosystems (on level ISBN #0153464119)
    Understanding Ecosystems (below level ISBN #015346318X)

Teacher:

  • Delta Science Module:  Food Chains and Food Webs Complete Kit
  • Assorted texts showing ecosystem changes over time, including:
    Volcano, Patricia Lauber, ISBN #0440840589
    Saving the Florida Panther, Steven Otfinoski, ISBN #0-673-61739-4 (Book Treks)
    Fire:  Friend or Foe, Dorothy H. Patent (ISBN #0395730813)

Internet:

Boston Museum of Science: The Living Sea: Predators and Prey, http://www.mos.org/oceans/life/game.html

Environmental Protection Agency Kids Page, http://www.epa.gov/kids

National Wildlife Federation Kidzone, http://www.nwf.org/kids

 

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Art: Students use natural clay (connection to types of soil) and describe its uses.

Health: Students research nutrients needed for humans and explain the role they play.

Language Arts: Students identify books and movies that include a cricket as a major character.
Students may write their own short story about a cricket.

Mathematics: Students collect, graph and analyze data.

Social Studies: Students may research the chirping cricket as a sign of good luck. Students investigate human uses of camouflage (by military, hunters, wildlife photographers)

 

Bold face indicates CORE expected performances to be assessed by CMT.

 

Ledyard Public Schools
Approved by Instructional Council on 4/10/2006