CKSci Unit 2: Organisms and Their Habitats
Focus:
In this unit, students will plan a butterfly meadow that will come back and spread year after year. They will investigate the dependence of plants on air, water, nutrients and minerals, and light for growth, and on the dependence of animals to pollinate flowers and disperse seeds. Students will also observe the diversity of life in different habitats. They will further examine the interdependence of relationships in ecosystems in Grade 3 Unit 3 Habitats and Change and in Grade 4 Unit 2 Energy and Matter in Ecosystems.
Students explore concepts that include the following:
- Plants depend on air, water, minerals, and light to grow.
- Plants depend on animals for pollination and to move fruits and seeds around.
- There are different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.
- Designs can be communicated through sketches, drawings, or physical models. These representations are useful in communicating ideas for a problem’s possible solutions to other people.
Engineers and engineering designers use knowledge of the habitats of organisms, as they use materials in design solutions, and make things that are useful to people. This series of lessons incorporates learning goals that support the principles and practices of engineering design, such as defining problems, testing materials, and evaluating possible solutions.
Number of Lessons: 4 (Each lesson is divided into three to five lesson segments.)
Instruction Time:
- Each Lesson may be divided into Lesson Segments.
- Each Lesson Segment is designed to be completed in one 30-45-minute class period.
- Some single-day activities and performance tasks might require setting aside a longer block of time.
- This Unit should be completed between 19–28 classroom days.
- A Pacing Guide Template is provided within the Teacher Guide so teachers can map out customized instructional days for this unit.
- A complete list of Materials needed to complete the unit is provided in Online Resources.
Additional Search Terms:
habitat • diversity • organism • fruit • flower • land lab • light • soil • nutrient • mineral • desert • grassland • pond • season • prairie • pollination • ecosystem • naturalist • nonfiction • informational text
