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Prior Conceptions Continued

Student Learning

Similarly, researchers found that most students believe that the decline of one species population will not impact the entire ecosystem.

“Many pupils thought that a change in the population of one species would affect only those species related to it directly…while others thought that a change in the size of prey population would have no effect on its predator population”

(Driver et al, 1994, p. 63).

Learning Performance #1

Ecosystem Interconnectedness

Science Storytelling: Species Relationships

Students' Prior Conceptions

Research shows that students of all ages struggle to explain a holistic view of species within an ecosystem, and regularly explained them as linear, single direction interactions.

Students will create a composition (narrative story, a news article, or creative presentation) that explains key relationships amongst species within an ecosystem. Their story must include description of the following key terms:

competition, predation, symbiosis, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism.

“…although nearly half of children at all ages between 5 and 16 could select pictures of organisms to construct a balanced community which contained a producer and primary and secondary consumers, few at any age used the idea of interdependence to explain their selection” (Driver et al, 1994, p. 62).

Prior Conceptions

Continued

Learning Performance #2

Research has demonstrated that most students have an introductory, linear understanding of ecosystems.

Without a firm understanding of ecosystem dynamics, students will not be equipped to understand the complexity of climate change, and other contemporary ecological issues.

Town Hall Debate: How Changes to an Ecosystem Impact Multiple Organism Populations

It is essential for students to engage in activities that demonstrate the complexities of an ecosystem, and show the relationships between all of its components.

Students will participate in a Town Hall debate on whether a town should use a new fertilizer that will inadvertently kill off grasshoppers. Students will take on the role of citizens, scientists, and government representatives in order to create a real-world simulation. From this performance activity, students will be able to use evidence to explain how physical or biological changes to an ecosystem affect populations of organisms.

6th Grade Science

Alison Howell

Topic & Goals

This unit explores the relationships found in ecosystems, as well as how physical and biological changes to one population affects the entire ecosystem.

While studying this topic, students will explore how ecosystems change over time, and will analyze both human and nonhuman impacts on ecosystems.

Diagram

Model

Importance of this Topic

Learning goals: understand how energy moves through an ecosystem from light energy in sunlight, to producers, and consumers, and the important role of decomposers.

Key Affordances:

  • shows the many routes of energy transfer, rather than just one
  • labels each of the different trophic levels in the boxes along the bottom, and lists examples of organisms that fall into those levels

Teacher's rationale:

  • provides students with a deeper understanding of the complexities of ecosystems
  • studies how ecosystems change over time, which emphasizes the crosscutting concepts of patterns, as well as stability and change

Student's motivation:

  • students will become more science-minded, and able to understand the science behind news stories on climate change - a hot topic

in the media today

Learning goals: analyze how changes to one organism affects the entire ecosystem, and explain how energy flows through an ecosystem.

Critique of the Diagram:

  • does not explicitly demonstrate that the sun provides energy for the plants to produce food
  • does not show that the producers and consumers eventually die, creating organic matter for the decomposers

Key Affordances:

  • allows for some species to have a narrow niche (one food source) or a broad niche (multiple food sources)
  • demonstrates the interdependence and competition that exists within all trophic levels of an ecosystem

Background

Information

Critiques of the Model:

  • does not include decomposers within the food web
  • assumes that students will know how producers create their own food

Representations

Data

Audience

Learning goals: explain competition within an ecosystem, the difference between a broad and narrow niche.

6th grade general science classroom in an

urban school

Key Affordances:

  • has clearly labeled axises and table columns, which ensures students are able to clearly read the data
  • limited variables, more accessible for students; focuses on the impacts that one species has on two other species within an ecosystem

Critique of the Data Representation:

  • it does not discuss how other organisms in the ecosystem are affected
  • no explanation is offered for how the grey squirrels were introduced to the ecosystem

Student Investigation

Meeting Learning Goals

Students will demonstrate their understanding of ecosystem relationships through their participation in group and class discussions, as well as through their individual assignment.

Students' Role

Guiding Question for the Activity:

“What are the components of an ecosystem and how do they interact with one another?”

Formative assessment: the teacher will monitor the students’ small group discussions, and informally assess their understanding as they work; allows the teacher to target certain misconceptions that may arise.

Students participate in a simulation of an ecosystem, each representing a species at a different trophic level

Student roles:

  • Sun - disperses green 'producer' cards
  • Primary consumers (insects) - 'eat' producers, collect cards
  • Secondary consumers (sparrows) - 'eat' insects and take their cards
  • Tertiary consumers (hawks) - 'eat' sparrows and take their cards

Summative assessment: students' writing and diagram accurately depicts species interconnectedness through the use of one or more examples.

Teacher's Role

Scenario that arises in second round: any green card with an X on it was a plant that was treated with pesticide. All insects with pesticide cards die; sparrows with half or more pesticide cards die; hawks with pesticide cards can not reproduce -- pesticide thins the egg shells, killing the offspring.

During the investigation, the main role of the teacher is to act as a facilitator; he/she will regulate when each “species” enters the ecosystem, and maintain order and focus amongst the students.

Whole class tracks data throughout activity, small group discussions follow the investigation - see worksheet.

The teacher provides support for the students, without providing answers or explanations during the investigation.

During the small group discussion, the teacher would encourage students to think deeper by asking them to explain their thinking, or consider an alternate perspective.

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