Flow of Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Contributor
NSTA
Type Category
Instructional Materials
Types
Tutorial
Note
This resource, vetted by NSTA curators, is provided to teachers along with suggested modifications to make it more in line with the vision of the NGSS. While not considered to be "fully aligned," the resources and expert recommendations provide teachers with concrete examples and expert guidance using the EQuIP rubric to adapted existing resources. Read more here.

Reviews

Description

A resource specifically aimed to improve the content knowledge of an educator who plans to teach about the flow of matter and energy in ecosystems. Gives thorough explanation through text, graphics, and animations of all relevant ideas and how all of the information fits together. This resource also identifies common misconceptions that students often have with these topics and how the teacher can be sure that the student is on-track with correct information. Excellent for a teacher who is new to teaching ecology or just wants to review the ideas before planning their own lessons.

Intended Audience

Educator
Educational Level
  • Higher Education
  • General Public
  • Undergraduate (Lower Division)
Language
English
Access Restrictions

Available for purchase - The right to view, keep, and/or download material upon payment of a one-time fee.

Performance Expectations

MS-LS2-5 Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Clarification Statement: Examples of ecosystem services could include water purification, nutrient recycling, and prevention of soil erosion. Examples of design solution constraints could include scientific, economic, and social considerations.

Assessment Boundary: none

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this performance expectation, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
The user (instructor) will be gaining knowledge

MS-LS2-4 Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on recognizing patterns in data and making warranted inferences about changes in populations, and on evaluating empirical evidence supporting arguments about changes to ecosystems.

Assessment Boundary: none

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this performance expectation, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
The user (instructor) will be gaining knowledge

MS-LS2-3 Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on describing the conservation of matter and flow of energy into and out of various ecosystems, and on defining the boundaries of the system.

Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include the use of chemical reactions to describe the processes.

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this performance expectation, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
The user (instructor) will be gaining knowledge

MS-LS2-2 Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.

Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on predicting consistent patterns of interactions in different ecosystems in terms of the relationships among and between organisms and abiotic components of ecosystems. Examples of types of interactions could include competitive, predatory, and mutually beneficial.

Assessment Boundary: none

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this performance expectation, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
The user (instructor) will be gaining knowledge

MS-LS2-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.

Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on cause and effect relationships between resources and growth of individual organisms and the numbers of organisms in ecosystems during periods of abundant and scarce resources.

Assessment Boundary: none

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this performance expectation, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
The user (instructor) will be gaining knowledge

Science and Engineering Practices

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this science and engineering practice, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Science and Engineering Practice
The user (instructor) will be gaining knowledge

Disciplinary Core Ideas

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
Instructor should review the NGSS prior to using the sci-pack series. Once instructor determines the scope of core ideas and the depth that they will need to reach with their student, the instructor can use the Sci-Pack to review information and gain further understanding.

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
Instructor should review the NGSS prior to using the sci-pack series. Once instructor determines the scope of core ideas and the depth that they will need to reach with their student, the instructor can use the Sci-Pack to review information and gain further understanding.

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
Instructor should review the NGSS prior to using the sci-pack series. Once instructor determines the scope of core ideas and the depth that they will need to reach with their student, the instructor can use the Sci-Pack to review information and gain further understanding.

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
Instructor should review the NGSS prior to using the sci-pack series. Once instructor determines the scope of core ideas and the depth that they will need to reach with their student, the instructor can use the Sci-Pack to review information and gain further understanding.

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
Instructor should review the NGSS prior to using the sci-pack series. Once instructor determines the scope of core ideas and the depth that they will need to reach with their student, the instructor can use the Sci-Pack to review information and gain further understanding.

Crosscutting Concepts

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this crosscutting concept, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Crosscutting Concept
Scipack helps instructors identify several CCC within the topics addessed.

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this crosscutting concept, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Crosscutting Concept
Scipack helps instructors identify several CCC within the topics addessed.

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this crosscutting concept, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Crosscutting Concept
Scipack helps instructors identify several CCC within the topics addessed.

Resource Quality

  • Alignment to the Dimensions of the NGSS: This resource is directly aimed to the instructor in order to increase their understanding of the topic. While the actual resource would not be used directly with students, teachers will be more confident and able to address misconceptions while teaching the topic.

  • Instructional Supports: - none -

  • Monitoring Student Progress: - none -

  • Quality of Technological Interactivity: Works on multiple platforms as long as an internet connection is available