identify and describe the flow of energy in a food chain and predict how changes in a food chain such as removal of frogs from a pond or bees from a field affect the ecosystem;
A student expectation is directly related to the knowledge and skills statement, is more specific about how students demonstrate their learning, and always begins with a verb. Student expectations are further broken down into their component parts, often referred to as “breakouts.”
Vertical alignment shows student expectations in the same subject area at different grade levels that are related to or build upon one another.
identify and illustrate how living organisms depend on each other through food chains.
create and describe food chains identifying producers and consumers to demonstrate how animals depend on other living things; and
identify and describe the flow of energy in a food chain and predict how changes in a food chain such as removal of frogs from a pond or bees from a field affect the ecosystem;
describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers; and
Patterns are regular sequences that can be found throughout nature.
A larger population of producers is needed to sustain a smaller population of consumers (pattern). When the number of predators in an ecosystem increases, the number of prey organisms in that food chain decreases (pattern).
Cause-and-effect relationships are relationships between two or more variables or phenomena whereby one variable or event leads to a predictable response. Events have causes—sometimes simple, sometimes multi-faceted.
When an organism is removed from the ecosystem (cause), the populations of the other organisms in the food chain will be affected (effect). If the number of predators in an ecosystem increases (cause), the number of prey organisms in that food chain will decrease (effect).
A system is a whole made of parts that work together. It has components and boundaries. It can interact with or be part of other systems.
A food chain (system) contains a producer and one or more consumers (parts). The sizes of the predator and prey populations affect each other (interdependence).
Matter and energy are conserved, changing forms but maintaining quantities. Energy flows within a system or between systems through transfers and transformations. Matter is cycled within systems through physical and chemical processes.
A food chain models the flow of energy from producers to consumers.
Stability describes a system that does not change at the observed scale. In a stable system, a small disturbance will die out and the system will return to a stable state. Change in the system can come from modifying a factor or condition.
A stable ecosystem does not have large fluctuations in the population sizes of the organisms within it. If a condition in the ecosystem is significantly changed, the population sizes of some organisms will greatly increase and some will greatly decrease.
Math.3.1.A apply mathematics to problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace
Math.3.1.F analyze mathematical relationships to connect and communicate mathematical ideas
Math.3.8.A summarize a data set with multiple categories using a frequency table, dot plot, pictograph, or bar graph with scaled intervals
ELAR.3.6.C make and correct or confirm predictions using text features, characteristics of genre, and structures