Organisms and environments. This strand focuses on identifying relationships, systems, and cycles within organisms and environments. Students describe the interactions of biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem. Students build on their understanding of food webs from Grade 4 by predicting how ecosystem changes affect the flow of energy. Additionally, they describe how humans impact the ecosystem. Students also learn how organisms' structures help them to survive, and they distinguish between instinctual and learned behaviors in animals. This will set the foundation for Grade 6 where students compare and contrast variations within organisms and how they impact survival.
