How do living things interact with each other and the environment?
Learning Targets
Learning Experiences
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163 I can categorize human activities that affect ecosystems and can predict the impact of these actions. (10) 164 I can describe an ecological cascade and explain the impacts on organisms in the ecosystem. (7,10) 165 I can design a solution to changing environmental conditions that accounts for density-dependent and independent factors. (10) 166 I can synthesize data and rea- soning to evaluate potential solutions to an environmental problem. (10) 167 I can communicate my proposed solution and support my conclusions with evidence and reasoning. (10)
This culminating experience requires students to apply much of what they’ve mastered throughout the ecology learning progression to design a solution to a real-world ecological problem. Students examine ecological cascades using one of the resources from the list. Students study examples of human activities that affect ecosystems, predict the resulting impact, and propose a potential solution to that impact. Students should assess the data, determine if enough information is provided make an informed decision, assess whether remediation is needed, and recommend what form any remediation should take. Students apply engineering design principles to develop this solution, identifying required inputs and expected outcomes and determining how the solution will be tested and refined.
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Teacher Tips Addressing this portion of the standard may require supplemental instruction on engineering practices if not included in other learning progressions. The following articles and resources may provide helpful scaffolding on engineering design in biology classrooms.
bit.ly/engineering-practices bit.ly/engineering-practices2 bit.ly/engineering-practices3 bit.ly/engineering-practices4
Teacher Resources
Part IV of Wild About Wetlands can be used to scaffold the development of real-world solutions required by the standard.
Soil Testing Alabama Science in Motion J4 Analyze samples of soil to determine composition: N, P, K, pH. bit.ly/AMSTI-ASIM
Water Quality Alabama Science in Motion J1 Conduct various chemical tests on water samples. bit.ly/AMSTI-ASIM
Compendium Sources Alabama. Department of Education. (2015). Alabama course of study. Science. Montgomery. Alabama State Dept. of Education. Understanding Evolution. 2016. University of California Museum of Paleontology. 22 May 2016. http://evolution.berkeley.edu/. Aaasorg. (2016). Aaasorg. Retrieved 5 March, 2016, from http://assessment.aaas. org/pages/about.
Bio-assessment Alabama Science in Motion J2 Use a game to determine stream quality. bit.ly/AMSTI-ASIM
How Wolves Change Rivers YouTube ® Short video that illustrates the ecological cascade caused by changes in the wolf population of Yellow- stone National Park. bit.ly/wolves-change-rivers Wild About Wetlands Part V NMSI Laying the Foundation Lesson This multi-part lesson has students use Internet resources to research the Florida Everglades ecosystem. From their research, students develop food chains and food webs, calculate energy transfer, and develop a sense of how biotic and abiotic factors interact in this specific ecosystem. Students develop a plan for maintaining biodiversity.
Keeley, Page. Uncovering Student Ideas. Retrieved March 05, 2016, from http://www.uncoveringstudentideas.org/about/overview.
Wilson, E. O. (2006). Nature revealed: Selected writings, 1949-2006. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
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A Field Guide to the Alabama Standards
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The Biology Compendium
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