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2 Missing Media
Reviewed by: Rochelle M (Menlo Park, CA) on 10/18/2021 1:11:31 AM
The media needed to anchor this lesson is not available
This instructionally-embedded assessment (performance assessment embedded into a set of lessons lasting 3-5 days) helps students make sense of the complex interactions in that occur in an ecosystem. For decades, scientists and engineers have been investigating how to develop an enclosed system that will be able to sustain life. In this series of lessons, students watch videos to introduce them to the design challenge, developing a biosphere that would allow people to live on Mars. The lessons include guiding questions to help students develop their own solutions to the problem and describe the science involved.
5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment. Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the idea that matter that is not food (air, water, decomposed materials in soil) is changed by plants into matter that is food. Examples of systems could include organisms, ecosystems, and the Earth. Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include molecular explanations.
This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this performance expectation.
Comments about Including the Performance Expectation Students are asked to work in groups to develop a model of a sustainable biosphere and then use the model to explain movement of matter in the system. It may be helpful to observe other types of ecosystems (a fish tank, the schoolyard, a video of a tropical rainforest) and consider what components students would put into a model of that ecosystem. Students could write their observations and make model food chains or webs in their science notebooks. Note: The link in the introduction is broken. The video can be found with a search, but it focuses on human extinction, and may not be appropriate for elementary students. The link in Part A provides background information on the concept of a Mars ecosystem. (http://easyscienceforkids.com/can-humans-live-on-mars-video-for-kids/) This Newsela article could also be used for background information: https://newsela.com/read/elem-tiny-robot-helicopter-mars/id/43671/ In addition, the student instruction sheet states, “The Biosphere dome they designed...will provide the energy that the ecosystem needs.” This is inaccurate in that it would be more likely that the dome should allow sunlight to pass through, making the sun the source of energy. You may want to discuss with students other possible sources of energy (batteries, nuclear energy, fuels) and why they would be challenging to incorporate into a dome on Mars.
This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this science and engineering practice.
Comments about Including the Science and Engineering Practice The models that students develop drive their conversations about relationships in ecosystems. To more fully address this practice, students should reflect on the meaning of interaction, and how the interactions in their domes would affect the system’s function. Students could then discuss what their models will represent and how a model of a biosphere is different from other models. For example, the model should show the flow of energy.
This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea.
Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea In order for the biosphere to be sustainable, resources (air, water, and nutrients) must be reused. These concepts are brought out in the student explanations. To help students develop the necessary background knowledge, your class might investigate “Biome in a Bag” found here: https://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.stru.baggiezoom/biome-in-a-baggie/#.WuX4ipPwY1I prior to starting this assessment. Or see this related resource: http://ngss.nsta.org/Resource.aspx?ResourceID=905.
Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea x
Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea This assessment assumes some student background related to this disciplinary core idea. Students should have prior experiences exploring these relationships in natural ecosystems before attempting this assessment.
This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this crosscutting concept.
Comments about Including the Crosscutting Concept Prior to developing their models of biosphere systems, students should discuss the necessary components (air, water, nutrients, producers, consumers, decomposers, energy). Depending on the needs of your students, this could be done as a whole class, or in groups that give feedback to each other. It is important for students to consider each component of the biosphere system, and how the components interact.