As a previous science teacher, I am writing my own "curriculum" for our 5th grade home school this year (see other units here). I have divided the 16 5th grade Next Generation Science Standards into units. This is my plan for the Ecosystems Unit, consisting of the following standards:
- 5-PS3-1. Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.
- 5-LS1-1. Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.
- 5-LS2-1. Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment
Some notes:
The national standards focus on science content, but also science and engineering practices. These practices are an integral part of each standard, which means curriculum and assessment might look a little different than it did when I was a student. Assessments do not have to be a regular "test." Sometimes they will be a lab or a model a student draws of their understanding of an idea.
Also, this is curriculum I, a science teacher, wrote for my academically advanced son. Plus, I was not present for his previous years of school science, so do not know what gaps he may have. In many places, will go way more in depth than just doing the minimum to meet the standard. If you choose to use my resources, please keep that in mind. Feel free to message me about anything you feel needs clarification or more explanation.
Also, this is curriculum I, a science teacher, wrote for my academically advanced son. Plus, I was not present for his previous years of school science, so do not know what gaps he may have. In many places, will go way more in depth than just doing the minimum to meet the standard. If you choose to use my resources, please keep that in mind. Feel free to message me about anything you feel needs clarification or more explanation.
The links are to Google Doc version of the materials, allowing you to make a copy and modify them. I can also easily update and make comments on the Google versions. If you would like all materials in one document, you can find it in the document below, although formatting is not 100% and you can't see comments.
Ecosystems Materials PDF (Google Docs versions linked below)
Ecosystems Answer Keys PDF (Google Docs versions linked below)
Ecosystems Unit Slides (can be saved as ppt)
Day One
- Set up Hydroponics Kit
- You definitely don't need to do this activity for understanding.We will be using this kit and may or may not do the journal that comes with it. We will check on and maintain the plants, but will not include that in this schedule. The main thing I want him to understand is that plants do not need soil.
Day Two
- Written to go with Understanding Photosynthesis with Max Axiom, Super Scientist by Liam O'Donnell
- Answer Key
- Photosynthesis Notes Slides 2-6
- Photosynthesis Video
- Slide 7
- Watch Bill Nye Plants
- Season 3 Episode 9
- Who Needs Dirt Video
- Slide 8
- Read books about plants
- We have a lot and will probably spend a couple of days reading them. You don't need to know this much about plants to understand photosynthesis and the food web.
- The Magic and Mystery of Trees by Jen Green
- Pages 8-9 and 18-19
- Strange Trees and the Stories Behind Them by Bernadette Pourquie
- Plant Parts: Leaves by Melanie Waldron
- Probably also read Roots, Stems and Trunks, Flowers, Seeds and Fruit
- I Wonder Why Trees Have Leaves and Other Questions About Plants by Andrew Charman
- Magic School Bus Plants Seeds by Joanna Cole
- Ecosystems Reading Guide
- Written to go with Exploring Ecosystems with Max Axiom, Super Scientist by Agnieszka Jòzefina Biskup
- Answer Key
Day Ten
- Food Chain Reading Guide
- Written to go with The World of Food Chains with Max Axiom, Super Scientist by Liam O'Donnell
- Answer Key
- Food Chains Video
- Slide 9
Day Twelve
- Decomposers Video
- Slide 10
- Food Webs Video
- Slide 11
- Food Chain and Food Web Slides 12-17
- Read books about ecosystems, food chains and food webs
- You could use any books from the library. We plan to use the following:
- Why Do Elephants Need the Sun? by Robert E Wells
- Secrets of the Garden: Food Chains and the Food Web in Our Backyard by
- Who Eats What? Food Chains and Food Webs by Patricia Lauber
- Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth by Rachel Ignotofsky
- Page 8-17, but probably a lot of the rest of the book too.
- Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner
- Amazing Animal Friendships: Odd Couples in Nature by Pavla Hanackova
- This is less about food chains, but more about organism interactions
Day Sixteen
Day Seventeen
- Nutrient Cycles Webquest
- Note: this is to give students an idea of how nutrients cycle through ecosystems. In the end, they only need to understand that matter cycles, not the specific type of matter or the specific pathways.
- Answer Key
- Nutrient Cycle Notes Slides 18-20
- Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles Video
- Slide 21
- Read books about nutrient cycles
- You could use any from the library. We will use:
- Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth by Rachel Ignotofsky
- Page 95-103
- Earth's Cycles by Wendy Conklin
- How it Works: The Environment
- Matter Cycle Assessment
- I am more concerned about understanding this big idea than memorization. I will consider letting him use notes. You could even provide pictures or an outline and have your student explain the relationships
- Answer Key
Bonus Materials to use during the unit:
Ecological Pyramid coding game
Plants
Hunters and Hunted
Gets Eaten
Hops Home
Meets the Rot Squad
Gets Planted
In the Rainforest
Resources for this unit:
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