APS Science 2011
APS Science Curriculum Unit Planner
Grade Level/ Subject Grade 7 Life Science
Energy
Stage 1: Desired Results
Enduring Understanding
Almost all life on earth is ultimately maintained by transformation of energy from the sun and the
existence of water. Each part of a system is only fully understandable in relation to the rest of the
system.
Correlations
Unifying Understanding
VA SOL
LS.5 – the student will investigate and understand the basic physical
and chemical processes of photosynthesis and its importance to plant
and animal life. Key concepts include
a) energy transfer between sunlight and chlorophyll;
b) transformation of water and carbon dioxide into sugar and
oxygen; and
c) photosynthesis as the foundation of virtually all food webs
LS. 6 – The student will investigate and understand that organisms
within an ecosystem are dependent on one another rand on nonliving
components of the environment. Key concepts include
a) the carbon, water, and nitrogen cycles;
b) interactions resulting in a flow of energy and matter
throughout the system;
c) compare relationships within terrestrial, freshwater, and
marine ecosystems; and
d) energy flow in food webs and energy pyramids.
NSES (grade level)
AAAS Atlas
The Living Environment: Flow of Matter and Energy
The Physical Setting: Structure of Matter
Essential Questions
 How are most living organisms dependent on the sun?
 How is water important in living systems?
 How is photosynthesis a basic process that supports life on Earth?
 How does energy flow through a system?
Knowledge and Skills
Students should know:
 Photosynthesis is a profoundly important process for most ecosystems.
 Plants and algae form the basis of most terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
 Only certain parts of the visible spectrum are used in the photosynthetic process.
 Solar heat trapped by earth’s atmosphere allows for the existence of aquatic environments essential
to life (“greenhouse effect”).
 The earth’s atmosphere is responsible for the “greenhouse effect,” and its composition has been
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changed over time by living organisms.
 Organic matter is transformed into inorganic matter through biogeochemical cycles.
 Combustion, respiration and decomposition have significant effects on the earth’s atmosphere.
 Biogeochemical cycles involve biotic factors (living things) as well as abiotic factors.
 Cycles that influence organisms (water, carbon-oxygen, nitrogen)
 Because it is a polar molecule, water can dissolve many substances.
 Water molecules demonstrate cohesiveness through hydrogen bonding.
Students should be able to:
 Design a simple controlled experiment to demonstrate the effect of light on the photosynthesis
process.
 Explain how plants collect energy from the sun and convert the energy into a food source for living
organisms.
 Trace the path of energy flow through a food web and ecosystem.
 Explain the concept of trophic levels in an ecosystem.
 Accurately record data from a controlled experiment.
 Demonstrate energy flow through an ecosystem
 Explain why water can be considered to be an adhesive substance
Stage 2: Assessment Evidence
Prior Knowledge and Skills
 The sun provides earth with energy in the form of light and heat.
 Liquid water is essential to living things and only occurs within a certain temperature range.
 Energy is passed from one organism to another in the form of food.
 Familiarity with the water cycle
 Understanding of the basic physical & chemical properties of water
 Familiarity with the phenomenon of magnetism (positive and negative poles) and its relationship to
electrostatic interactions (positive and negative charges)
Formative Assessment
Summative Assessment
 Lab activities;
 Objective Test: terminology, interpretive
graphics (e.g. food webs, energy pyramids),
 Quizzes;
short essay response (e.g., role of
 Group project(s)
decomposers in energy transfer; effect of
ocean depth on type of aquatic ecosystem,
effect of photosynthesis on living
organisms.)
Stage 3: Learning Plan
References to Adopted Materials
 PH Science Explorer: Life Science: Sources of Energy (p. 87); ENERGY FLOW IN
ECOSYSTEMS (pp. 740-745)
 PH Chapter 22
 PH Science Explorer: Life Science - The Water Cycle (pp.746-747); BIOMES AND AQUATIC
ECOSYSTEMS (p. 758)
Suggested Investigations
 The adopted text contains the following Lab Zone activities: Discover Activity (p.86); Try This
Activity (p. 742); Discover Activity (p.740) but also require students to show how animal-derived
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foods can ultimately be traced back to plants.
 (The lab manual accompanying the adopted text was not available at this writing.)
 PH Science explorer: Life Science: (pg. 80-90)
Outdoor Education Applications
 Identification of shade-tolerant flora in a forest setting (e.g., ferns but not dandelions)
 It might be fairly simple to set up an evaporation experiment outdoors, in sun and shade. In addition
to direct sunlight exposure (or not), other variables might include different surface areas of the
containers used (with equivalent volume of water), or different volumes of water in identical
containers. A discussion of organism tolerances could follow. (The drawback is the limited time in a
class period for both the evaporation to occur and the initial and final measurements. A window sill,
or the use of lamps, might allow for a longer exposure time.)
 Collect different color leaves in the fall to exam the pigments for photosynthesis.
Resources
Web Sites
 http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/ecosystems/teacherguide1.html (Search Entry: “Sunlight and
Ecosystems”)
 http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/9j.html (Search Entry: “Sunlight and Ecosystems”)
 http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/kling/ecosystem/ecosystem.html
(Search Entry: “Sunlight and Ecosystems”)
 http://mcr.lternet.edu/education/Lessons/Connected%20Ecosystem.ppt (basic PowerPoint but good)
(Search Entry: “Sunlight and Ecosystems”)
 http://www.ec.gc.ca/WATER/en/nature/prop/e_prop.htm (Search Entry: “Properties of Water”)
 NSTA short course: Earth, Sun, and Moon (www.nsta.org) (does cost money but is worth the cost).
Videos
 None identified
Online clips
 Food Chains and Food Webs (6-8) (2:28) (Discovery Streaming)
 The Flow of Energy in a Coral Reef: Underwater Food Chains (6-8) (2:58) (Discovery Streaming)
 Abiotic Factors and Cycles in Living Systems (6-8)(12:08) (Discovery Streaming)
 Water As Solvent, Participant, Medium (6-8)(1:11) (Discovery Streaming)
 Biology: The Science of Life: Ecology: Organisms in their Environment (6-8) (14:58) (Discovery
Streaming)
 Planet Water (6-8)(20:44) (Discovery Streaming)
Field Trips
 Direct observation of temperate forest biome in warm seasons (e.g., Outdoor Lab)
Other
 Effect of lens-focused sunlight energy on grass (w/ proper eye and burn safety precautions) (or is
this just asking for trouble?)