LS-5-1: Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem.
We are learning to categorize organisms by how they get energy.
● We are looking for organisms that get energy from the sun and transform it into food (producers).
● We are looking for organisms that get energy from eating other organisms (consumers).
● We are looking for organisms that get energy from breaking down waste and dead organisms (decomposers).
Essential Vocabulary
organism=__a living thing such as a plant or animal
producer/photosynthesizer = plants. They produce/create their own food using energy from the sun
through a process called photosynthesis
consumer = animals that eat plants and/or other animals
decomposer = organism that break down waste and dead organisms returning nutrients to the soil
nutrients = nourishing substances to help plants grow
photosynthesis= the food making process plants (producers) go through using energy from the sun.
Document: Student Learning Targets
Unit: Ecosystems
Grade: 5
Last revised: May 5, 2016
1
Lab(s) and Activities
Supporting
Text(s)
We have concluded that…
● Organisms that get energy from the sun and make their own
food are called _________producers________. An example is
____plants______________. These organisms change the
sun’s energy into food by the process of
___photosynthesis________________.
● Organisms that get energy from eating other organisms are
called ____consumers____________________. An example
is ___hawks, foxes, rabbits, crickets____________.
● Organisms that get energy from breaking down waste and dead
organisms are called __decomposers_______. Two examples
are ___bacteria_________ and_____fungus_____________.
Document: Student Learning Targets
Unit: Ecosystems
Grade: 5
Last revised: May 5, 2016
2
LS-5-1: Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem.
We are learning to identify the roles that organisms have in an ecosystem.
● We are looking for producers to be the foundation of a food web.
● We are looking for consumers (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores) to get their energy by eating a variety of other species.
● We are looking for decomposers (e.g. bacteria, fungi) to get their energy by breaking down waste and dead organisms.
● We are looking for decomposers (e.g. bacteria, fungi) to return nutrients to the ecosystem for producers to use.
Essential Vocabulary
herbivores = _An animal that eats producers (consumer)
carnivores = An animal that east another animal (consumer)
omnivores = An animal that eats producers and other animals (consumer)
species= Organisms having the features, characteristics
Lab(s) and Activities
Document: Student Learning Targets
Supporting
Text(s)
Unit: Ecosystems
We have concluded that…
Grade: 5
Last revised: May 5, 2016
3
● Food webs can be used to identify the relationships among
____producers_________, _____consumers____________, and
_____decomposers______________.
● Animals that eat only plants are ______herbivores___________.
● Animals that eat both plants and animals are
______omnivores_________________.
● Animals that eat only animals are
______carnivores____________.
Document: Student Learning Targets
Unit: Ecosystems
Grade: 5
Last revised: May 5, 2016
4
LS-5-1: Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem.
We are learning to identify the relationships organisms have with other organisms in an ecosystem.
● We are looking for examples of predator-prey relationships, and these may change over time.
● We are looking for a symbiotic relationship where:
o both organisms benefit (mutualism).
o one organism benefits and the other is not affected (commensalism).
o one organism benefits and the other is harmed (parasitism).
Essential Vocabulary
predator = eats prey, hunter, carnivore
prey = gets eaten, hunted, often an herbivore
symbiotic relationship = relationship between two organisms that lasts a long time. Benefits at least one of
these organisms.
mutualism = Benefits both organisms
commensalism = Beneficial to one organism, no affect to other organism
parasitism = Beneficial to one organism (parasite)
, detrimental to the other organism (host)
Document: Student Learning Targets
Grade: 5
Unit: Ecosystems
Last revised: May 5, 2016
5
Lab(s) and Activities
Supporting
Text(s)
We have concluded that…
● Animals that hunt, kill and eat other animals are __predators___.
● Animals that are hunted, killed and eaten by other animals are
____prey____________.
● Label these animals as predator or prey:
PREY
PREDATOR
● A relationship between two organisms that lasts for a long time is
called ___symbiotic relationship_______________.
● There are three types of symbiotic relationships:
o ____commensalism____ is a relationship in which one
organism benefits and the other is neither is helped or hurt.
EXAMPLE: A barnacle attaches itself to a whale. The barnacle benefits b/c it is able
to travel through the water and filter feed, but the whale does not gain or lose
anything from the relationship.
o ___mutalism_________is a relationship in which both
organisms benefit. EXAMPLE: Oxpeckers feed on the ticks of rhinoceroses.
The oxpeckers benefit b/c they get food, and the rhino gets rid of its parasites.
o
__parasitism_______ is a relationship in which one
organism benefits and the other is harmed. EXAMPLE:
Copepod
attaches itself to the mouth of a shark. The copepod benefits b/c they get food from
the shark’s mouth, but the shark loses blood when it’s fed upon.
Document: Student Learning Targets
Unit: Ecosystems
Grade: 5
Last revised: May 5, 2016
6
LS-5-1: Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem.
We are learning to describe the impact of species loss or introduction on an ecosystem.
● We are looking for ways the loss of a species affects the energy flow in an ecosystem.
● We are looking for ways the introduction of a new species affects the energy flow in an ecosystem.
● We are looking for effects of remediation programs to help threatened and/or endangered species.
Essential Vocabulary
remediation program = humans trying to fix what we messed up in the environment
species loss = organisms of a particular type not living in an environment anymore
species introduction = placing a species into an ecosystem to try to fix a problem
endangered species = A population of organisms whose existence is in jeopardy (trouble). If something is
not done, it may become extinct.
native species = naturally living in an area from the beginning
invasive species = not native to an area - came into an area either intentionally or by accident
Document: Student Learning Targets
Unit: Ecosystems
Grade: 5
Last revised: May 5, 2016
7
Lab(s) and Activities
Supporting
Text(s)
We have concluded that…
● There is an important balance between the relationship of
predators and their ___prey________.
● The population of ___prey_________ in an ecosystem must
always be larger than the population of their __predator_______.
● ___Remediation_________________ programs are used to help
protect endangered or threatened species.
● In addition, the introduction or loss of a population within an
ecosystem will affect other __populations______________. An
example of this would be:
o If a new plant was introduced to the ecosystem, the
population of the herbivores would __increase________.
o If a disease ____decreased_______ the population of
lions, the population of zebras would increase.
● ___Invasive_________ species can have beneficial,
detrimental, or neutral effects on an ecosystem.
Document: Student Learning Targets
Unit: Ecosystems
Grade: 5
Last revised: May 5, 2016
8
LS5-2: All of the processes that take place within organisms require energy.
We are learning to trace the flow of energy in a food chain.
● We are looking for the flow of energy from producers to consumers.
Essential Vocabulary
food chain = ____The path of energy in a food from one organisms to another
food web = Overlapping food chains in an ecosystem
trace = to flow
flow of energy = transfer, direction of energy in a food chain (arrows)
ecosystem = all living and nonliving things in an environment, including their interactions with each other
Previously defined essential vocabulary that applies to this learning target:
photosynthesis
producers/photosynthesizers
consumers
Document: Student Learning Targets
Unit: Ecosystems
Grade: 5
Last revised: May 5, 2016
9
Lab(s) and Activities
Supporting
Text(s)
We have concluded that…
● ___Food _____ ____Chains_____ show the relationship
from ___producer____________ to consumer.
● ____Arrows_______________ in a food chain represent the
flow of energy. Food chains must always begin with a
___Producer (plant)__________. The arrow always points in
the direction of the ___flow of energy________ (to the eater).
● Draw arrows between the organisms to show the flow of
energy:
● ___Arrows_________ are used to show the flow of energy
in an ecosystem. Food webs are overlapping ___food_____
____chains____. Like in food chains, __arrows_____
represent the ___flow__ _of_ __energy_. Food webs show
that animals usually have more than one food source and that
animals usually have more than one ___choice____.
Document: Student Learning Targets
Unit: Ecosystems
Grade: 5
Last revised: May 5, 2016
10
LS-5-2: All of the processes that take place within organisms require energy.
We are learning that energy from the sun is transformed and transferred in an ecosystem through the interaction of organisms.
● We are looking for sunlight as the major source of energy in most ecosystems.
● We are looking for photosynthesis as the process by which producers transform energy from the sun into food.
● We are looking for the cycle that energy follows in an ecosystem (producers to consumers to decomposers, which returns nutrients to the
soil to keep the cycle going.)
Essential Vocabulary
source of energy = origin (where energy begins)
transform = change
transfer = move
cycle = continuous, no beginning middle or end
Previously defined essential vocabulary that applies to this learning target:
photosynthesis
producers
consumers
decomposers
nutrients
Document: Student Learning Targets
Unit: Ecosystems
Grade: 5
Last revised: May 5, 2016
11
Lab(s) and Activities
Supporting
Text(s)
We have concluded that…
● The ____sun________ is the major source of energy in most
ecosystems.
● During the process of photosynthesis, plants use
__light_______ ___energy________ from the sun to make
their own food. This energy is passed from organism to
organism through ___food_____
____chains______.
● Producers ____change/transform__________ energy from
the sun into food.
● Energy flows through an ecosystem in a ___cycle______
which is continually going from producer to consumer to
decomposer. Decomposers return ____nutrients________ to
the soil for the producers which keeps the cycle going.
Document: Student Learning Targets
Unit: Ecosystems
Grade: 5
Last revised: May 5, 2016
12
LS-5-2: All of the processes that take place within organisms require energy.
We are learning to explain ways that humans can improve the health of ecosystems.
● We are looking for ways to recycle waste products, establish rain gardens, and plant native species.
Essential Vocabulary
natural resources = anything that comes from the Earth.
renewable resources = natural resources that can be restored in a human lifetime
non-renewable resources = can not be replaced (takes millions of years and special conditions to make)
compost = when people help return nutrients back into the soil (decomposer needed)
recycle = a purification process used from materials such as aluminum cans to produce a product fit for
human use
Previously defined essential vocabulary that applies to this learning target:
Native Species
Invasive species
Document: Student Learning Targets
Unit: Ecosystems
Grade: 5
Last revised: May 5, 2016
13
Lab(s) and Activities
Supporting
Text(s)
We have concluded that…
● Humans can help enrich the soil by creating
____compost__________ ____piles_______.
● ____Decomposition______________ is when organic
materials are broken down and their stored
____nutrients_________ are released back into the soil.
The organisms responsible for breaking down compost are
______decomposers_________. Only organic materials are
compostable. Other materials should be
_____recycled____________ or reused.
● Complete the chart with examples of each:
Compostable
Document: Student Learning Targets
Unit: Ecosystems
Recyclable
Reusable
Apples
Plastic
Clothes
Coffee grounds
Aluminum
Lunch Boxes
Leaves
Glass
Silverware
Paper
Paper
Dinnerware
Grade: 5
Last revised: May 5, 2016
14
Document: Student Learning Targets
Unit: Ecosystems
Grade: 5
Last revised: May 5, 2016
15