Teacher Pages
Wheat Field System Scenario
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Directions to the teacher for administering the items are above the question text. The text in
the script font is identical to the text in the student scenario and questions. This text may
be read aloud to the student or the student may read the questions to her/himself.
Teacher Notes for Wheat Field:
The Wheat Field scenario is inclusive of four items that address the following science EALRs:
EALR 1: Systems, EALR 3: Application, and EALR 4: Life Science, LS2 and LS3. Teachers may
select one or all of the items in the Wheat Field scenario for the student to respond to.
Task
Question
SYS
INQ
APP
LS1
LS2
LS3
Traits in the Environment
Wheat Field
LS3
APP
Growing Plants
Decrease in Wheat
Population
SYS
LS2
New Food Web
SYS
LS2
Notes on the Wheat Field Items:
Item 4: New Food Web addresses heredity. We will allow students to assume that the ‘larger’
trait (roots, leaves, wheat grains) are all dominate. IF students have enough background
understanding to ask a question about dominance, tell them to assume that the ‘larger’ allele is
dominate.
Items 6 and 7 both fit the EALRs for SYS and LS2. Teachers should carefully select the item that
best fits student interest and ability.
Science vocabulary that may require pre-teaching:
Arrow in food web
Decrease
Diagram not to scale
Food Web
Earthworm
Energy
Grass
Grasshopper
Hawk
Increase
2
Inputs
Matter
Mice
Outputs
Parent in a plant scenario
Population
Soil
Songbird
Trait
Wheat
Science LDA: Wheat Field Teacher Pages
Ariana and Matt visited a wheat field. They drew the Wheat Field Food
Web.
Read the labels in the Wheat Field Food Web as students point to each part of the diagram.
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Science LDA: Wheat Field Teacher Pages
Ariana and Matt also made a diagram of a Wheat Plant.
Read the labels in the Wheat Plant diagram as students point to each part of the diagram.
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Science LDA: Wheat Field Teacher Pages
Wheat Field Item 1: Traits in the Environment
The Types of Wheat Plants diagram shows wheat plants with different traits.
Types of Wheat Plants
Describe how each trait shown in diagram above could allow wheat plants to grow well
in an area with dry, windy weather.
Larger wheat grains
Larger roots
Larger leaves
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Science LDA: Wheat Field Teacher Pages
Wheat Field Item 2: Growing Plants
Describe how growing plants like wheat helps meet the needs of people.
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Science LDA: Wheat Field Teacher Pages
Wheat Field Item 3: Decrease in Wheat Field Population
Describe two ways a decrease in wheat plant population might affect the Wheat
Field Food Web.
In your description, be sure to:

Describe how the change might affect the grasshopper population.

Describe how the change might affect the songbird population.
Effect on grasshopper population:
Effect on the songbird population:
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Science LDA: Wheat Field Teacher Pages
Wheat Field Item 4: New Food Web
In a corn field, Arianna and Matt saw songbirds, grasshoppers, earthworms,
corn, rabbits, and owls. Identify where corn and owls would fit into the Corn
Field Food Web.
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Science LDA: Wheat Field Teacher Pages
Scoring Guide for Wheat Field Items
Wheat Field Item 1: Traits in Environment Rubric
Performance Description
Student responses may provide evidence of understanding of:

Mechanisms of evolution (EALR 4: Life Science, LS3)
The response describes how each trait shown in the diagram could allow wheat plants to grow well in an
area with dry, windy weather.
Examples:
Larger grains
Larger roots
Larger leaves









Resist wind without breaking off
More seeds to disperse in wind
Larger seeds/grains won’t dry out as fast
Hold the plant better in the soil
Hold more water for storage
Reach deeper water sources
Absorb more sunlight to make food for the plant
Resist wind without breaking off
Shade the ground so the ground won’t dry out
Wheat Field Item 2: Growing Plants Helps People Rubric
Performance Description
Student responses may provide evidence of understanding of:

Applying science concepts to solve problems. (EALR 3: Application)
The response describes how growing plants like wheat helps meet the needs of people.
Examples:
 Plants provide food to eat
 Plants hold soil in place
 Plants provide materials for building like wood
 Plants provide materials for clothing like cotton
 Growing plants makes jobs for farmers
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Science LDA: Wheat Field Teacher Pages
Wheat Field Item 3: Decrease in Wheat Population Rubric
Performance Description
Student responses may provide evidence of understanding of:
 Maintenance and Stability of Populations (EALR 4: Life Science, LS2) AND
 Predicting possible consequences to a change in a system (EALR 1: System)
The response describes two ways a decrease in wheat population will affect the Wheat Field Food Web.
Examples:
Effect on grasshopper
population

Less grasshoppers because of less food for them to eat
Effect on songbird
population

Less songbirds because there are less grasshopper for birds to eat
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Science LDA: Wheat Field Teacher Pages
Wheat Field: New Food Web
Performance Description
Student responses may provide evidence of understanding of:


Maintenance and Stability of Populations (EALR 4: Life Science, LS2) AND
Predicting possible consequences to a change in a system (EALR 1: System)
The response identifies where owl and corn belong in the Corn Field Food Web.
Example:
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Science LDA: Wheat Field Teacher Pages