Teacher Edition | Level 4 Module 3 | PhD Science Texas 2024

Plants in the Environment

Level 4 Module 3: Plants in the Environment

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Printed in the USA A-Print 1

ISBN 979-8-88588-529-4

End Matter

Plants in the Environment Overview

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous?

Introduction

This plant, commonly called Venus’ fly-trap, from the rapidity and force of its movements, is one of the most wonderful in the world.

—Charles Darwin, 1897

In this module, students observe carnivorous plants in the classroom and study carnivorous plants in Big Thicket National Preserve to develop an answer to the Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous? As students progress through each concept, they refine a model that explains the different interactions between the carnivorous plants and their environment. By the end of the module, students use their knowledge to explain the anchor phenomenon and extend this knowledge to new contexts. Students develop an enduring understanding of the dependence of organisms on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment.

Lessons 1 through 7 address the Concept 1 Focus Question: How do the structures of different plants compare? In Lessons 1 and 2, students observe plants in Big Thicket National Preserve and plants in a terrarium to find out more about how plants get what they need from their environment. In Lesson 1, students observe carnivorous plants and consider how these plants are similar to and different from other plants. After looking at plants in Big Thicket, students create an initial model to explain how plants meet their needs in this environment. In Lesson 2, students compare the carnivorous plants with other plants in Big Thicket and identify characteristics of the different plants. Students use their initial model

and information about plants in Big Thicket to develop an anchor model to show carnivorous plants in the Big Thicket environment. Finally, students develop a driving question board that will help guide their learning throughout the module. In Lessons 3 and 4, students observe and compare organisms to identify different physical traits that are inherited or acquired. In Lesson 3, students analyze the traits of apple tree fruit to determine that offspring receive inherited traits from their parents. In Lesson 4, students use a Chalk Talk routine to compare photographs of organisms to determine that traits can also be acquired during an organism’s lifetime. Students use patterns to differentiate between inherited and acquired traits. In Lessons 5 through 7, students explore how plant structures help plants survive in their environment. In Lesson 5, students create a model plant to review plant structures and their functions. Then they observe plants that are found in Big Thicket and compare those plants with the plant model. Students explore different environments in Big Thicket and decide they need more information to understand how plant structures help plants survive in their environment. In Lesson 6, students model plant structures and how those structures help plants survive in their environment. In Lesson 7, students apply this knowledge to the carnivorous plants in Big Thicket and update the anchor model. Finally, students complete a Conceptual Checkpoint to demonstrate their understanding of how different plant structures help plants survive in different environments.

In Lessons 8 and 9, students design and begin to carry out an investigation to explore how available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives. In Lesson 8, students develop questions about how the water, light, and air conditions in the environment might differ. They brainstorm ways to investigate how differences in these factors might affect a plant’s ability to make food and grow. In Lesson 9, students finish planning and begin to conduct their investigations. Students will continue to observe their plants and collect and record data in Lessons 14 and 20 to describe how the availability of water, light, and air in an environment affects plant growth.

Lessons 10 through 14 address the Concept 2 Focus Question: How does the environment help plants get what they need to survive? In Lessons 10

and 11, students collect and analyze weather data as they investigate what the weather is like where pale pitcher plants live. In Lesson 10, students analyze historical weather data to notice seasonal patterns in Big Thicket. After using patterns in weather conditions to define climate, students differentiate statements that describe weather and statements that describe climate. In Lesson 11, students analyze the weather and climate of Baldwin County, Alabama, another location where pale pitcher plants live. They compare the climates of Big Thicket and Baldwin County, Alabama, to understand more about what the climate is like where pale pitcher plants live. Students then update the anchor chart with their new knowledge about weather and climate. In Lessons 12 through 14, students explore the movement of water through Big Thicket. In Lesson 12, students observe a model to identify the processes of the water cycle. They identify limitations of the water movement model to better understand that a natural environment is influenced by outside factors not included in the model because of differences in scale between the model and the natural environment. In Lesson 13, students develop their own model of how water moves through Big Thicket to explain the water cycle in a natural environment. In Lesson 14, students update the anchor model to show how the environment where carnivorous plants live gets its water. Finally, students complete a Conceptual Checkpoint by applying their learning about the water cycle to a different context.

Lessons 15 through 19 address the Concept 3 Focus Question: How do organisms get what they need from their environment? In Lessons 15 and 16, students build on their understanding of the plants and environment of Big Thicket as they consider how organisms interact to meet their needs. In Lesson 15, students read Trout Are Made of Trees by April Pulley Sayre and Kate Endle (2008) to identify and then model the interactions between organisms in an environment and their interdependence in the function of the system. Students determine that food web models show how organisms from different food chains interact. In Lesson 16, students investigate how energy flows through a food web to determine that producers capture energy from the Sun and that energy then flows to other organisms. In Lessons 17 through 19, students determine the role of decomposers in an environment. In Lesson 17,

students observe different types of fungi and read about decomposers, such as mushrooms and other fungi, to determine that some fungi break down dead organisms. In Lesson 18, students model the interactions between organisms in an environment with and without soil to show the cycling of matter. Finally, in Lesson 19, students distill their learning and complete a Conceptual Checkpoint to demonstrate their understanding of the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers in the cycling of matter and flow of energy through a food web. Throughout this lesson set, students examine and model the parts of a system and the parts’ interdependence in the function of the system as they uncover the role of decomposers in an environment.

In Lessons 20 and 21, students complete their investigation to determine how available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives. In Lesson 20, students collect and analyze data to draw conclusions about how the lack of a resource in a plant’s environment affects the plant’s ability to make food, grow, and survive. In Lesson 21,

students combine learning from the Science Challenge with what they learned about the cycling of matter in Lessons 17 and 18 to support a claim with evidence that access to water, sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrients affects the way a plant makes food, grows, and survives.

In Lessons 22 through 24, students synthesize their learning from throughout the module. In Lesson 22, students participate in a Socratic Seminar on why some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve are carnivorous, and they capture their thoughts in writing. In Lesson 23, students complete the End-of-Module Assessment. During the assessment, students apply their knowledge of how traits and plant structures; environmental conditions, such as precipitation caused by the water cycle; and matter cycling and energy flow in food webs help plants survive in their environment. In Lesson 24, the class debriefs the End-of-Module Assessment, giving the teacher and students an opportunity to revisit concepts that need further explanation and to clarify misconceptions.

Module Map

Anchor Phenomenon: Carnivorous Plants in Big Thicket National Preserve

Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous? Organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment.

Concept 1: Plant Structures and Their Functions

Focus Question: How do the structures of different plants compare? Plants inherit traits that can help them survive in their environment.

Phenomenon Student Learning

Plants in Big Thicket

Phenomenon Question: What type of environment do carnivorous plants live in?

Different types of plants can get what they need to survive from the same environment.

▪ Lesson 1: Observe carnivorous plants.

▪ Lesson 2: Develop a model of carnivorous plants in Big Thicket.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science English Language Proficiency Standards

Traits

Phenomenon Question: Why do organisms look different from one another?

Inherited traits and acquired traits can make organisms appear different from other organisms of the same type.

▪ Lesson 3: Observe similarities in the characteristics of parents and their offspring, and identify those characteristics as inherited traits.

▪ Lesson 4: Find and use patterns to identify inherited and acquired traits.

PhenomenonStudent Learning

Plant Structures and Survival

Phenomenon Question: How do the structures of a plant help it survive in its environment?

Plants have specialized structures that can help them survive in their environment.

▪ Lesson 5: Compare plants and plant structures in different environments.

▪ Lesson 6: Model how the structures of plants help plants survive in their environment.

▪ Lesson 7: Apply knowledge of how specialized structures help plants survive in their environment.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science English Language Proficiency Standards

Application of Concepts

Task Student Learning

Science Challenge Part 1

Phenomenon Question: How do the available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives?

Plants can make their own food and grow when they get water, sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrients from their environment.

▪ Lesson 8: Plan a fair test to determine how limiting access to water, light, and air affects a plant’s ability to make food and grow.

▪ Lesson 9: Set up and conduct an investigation to determine how different resource conditions affect a plant’s ability to make food and grow.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science English Language Proficiency Standards

Concept 2: Environmental Conditions for Plants

Focus Question: How does the environment help plants get what they need to survive? The climate of their environment, which includes the water cycle, helps plants meet their needs.

Phenomenon Student Learning

Climate in Big Thicket

Phenomenon Question: What is the weather like where pale pitcher plants live?

Climate remains relatively stable over time.

▪ Lesson 10: Analyze historical weather data to determine that climate remains relatively stable over time.

▪ Lesson 11: Compare climates to determine that the pale pitcher plant lives in different locations with similar climates.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science English Language Proficiency Standards

Movement of Water in an Environment

Phenomenon Question: How does water move through Big Thicket?

Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation continuously move water in a cycle between Earth’s surface and air.

▪ Lesson 12: Use a model to illustrate the processes of the water cycle.

▪ Lesson 13: Gather evidence to explain the water cycle in Big Thicket.

▪ Lesson 14: Apply knowledge of the water cycle to a new phenomenon.

Concept 3: Interactions in the Environment

Focus Question: How do organisms get what they need from their environment? A food web model shows the interactions between organisms and how matter cycles and energy flows in an environment.

Phenomenon Student Learning

Organism Interactions

Phenomenon Question: How do organisms interact in an environment?

Food web models show ways that organisms interact in an environment.

▪ Lesson 15: Determine that organisms from different food chains interact in a food web.

▪ Lesson 16: Investigate the flow of energy through a food web.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science English Language Proficiency Standards

Organism Roles

Phenomenon Question: What is the role of mushrooms in an environment?

Decomposers return nutrients from dead organisms to the soil.

▪ Lesson 17: Gather evidence that fungi are decomposers, which break down dead organisms.

▪ Lesson 18: Investigate the cycling of matter through a food web.

▪ Lesson 19: Apply knowledge of organism interactions in a food web to a new phenomenon.

Application of Concepts

Science Challenge Part 2

Phenomenon Question: How do the available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives?

Plants can make their own food and grow when they get water, sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrients from their environment.

▪ Lesson 20: Analyze data to draw conclusions about how available resources in an environment affect the way a plant makes food and grows.

▪ Lesson 21: Support a claim with evidence that available resources in an environment affect the way a plant makes food and grows.

End-of-Module Socratic Seminar, Assessment, and Debrief

Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous?

Organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment.

▪ Lesson 22: Explain how organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment. (Socratic Seminar)

▪ Lesson 23: Explain how organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment. (End-of-Module Assessment)

▪ Lesson 24: Explain how organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment. (End-of-Module Assessment Debrief)

Focus Standards*

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science

4.1 Scientific and engineering practices. The student asks questions, identifies problems, and plans and safely conducts classroom, laboratory, and field investigations to answer questions, explain phenomena, or design solutions using appropriate tools and models. The student is expected to

4.1A ask questions and define problems based on observations or information from text, phenomena, models, or investigations;

4.1B use scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems;

4.1C demonstrate safe practices and the use of safety equipment during classroom and field investigations as outlined in Texas Education Agency–approved safety standards;

4.1D use tools, including hand lenses; metric rulers; Celsius thermometers; calculators; laser pointers; mirrors; digital scales; balances; graduated cylinders; beakers; hot plates; meter sticks; magnets; notebooks; timing devices; sieves; materials for building circuits; materials to support observation of habitats of organisms such as terrariums, aquariums, and collecting nets; and materials to support digital data collection such as computers, tablets, and cameras, to observe, measure, test, and analyze information;

4.1E collect observations and measurements as evidence;

4.1F construct appropriate graphic organizers used to collect data, including tables, bar graphs, line graphs, tree maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, flow charts or sequence maps, and input-output tables that show cause and effect; and

4.1G develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

4.2 Scientific and engineering practices. The student analyzes and interprets data to derive meaning, identify features and patterns, and discover relationships or correlations to develop evidence-based arguments or evaluate designs. The student is expected to

4.2A identify advantages and limitations of models such as their size, scale, properties, and materials;

4.2B analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns, or sources of error; and

4.2C use mathematical calculations to compare patterns and relationships.

4.3 Scientific and engineering practices. The student develops evidence-based explanations and communicates findings, conclusions, and proposed solutions. The student is expected to

4.3A develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models,

4.3B communicate explanations and solutions individually and collaboratively in a variety of settings and formats, and

4.3C listen actively to others’ explanations to identify relevant evidence and engage respectfully in scientific discussion.

4.5 Recurring themes and concepts. The student understands that recurring themes and concepts provide a framework for making connections across disciplines. The student is expected to

4.5A identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions;

* The bold text identifies standards that students should master in this module. The italicized text identifies standards that students will develop knowledge of throughout the year or will master in later modules. Italicized standards may appear as part of the assessments in this module.

4.5B identify and investigate cause-and-effect relationships to explain scientific phenomena or analyze problems;

4.5C use scale, proportion, and quantity to describe, compare, or model different systems;

4.5D examine and model the parts of a system and their interdependence in the function of the system;

4.5E investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved;

4.5F explain the relationship between the structure and function of objects, organisms, and systems; and

4.5G explain how factors or conditions impact stability and change in objects, organisms, and systems.

4.10 Earth and space. The student knows that there are processes on Earth that create patterns of change. The student is expected to

4.10A describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in this process; and

4.10C differentiate between weather and climate.

English Language Proficiency Standards

1A Use prior knowledge and experiences to understand meanings in English.

1D Speak using learning strategies such as requesting assistance, employing non-verbal cues, and using synonyms and circumlocution (conveying ideas by defining or describing when exact English words are not known).

1E Internalize new basic and academic language by using and reusing it in meaningful ways in speaking and writing activities that build concept and language attainment

4.12 Organisms and environments. The student describes patterns, cycles, systems, and relationships within environments. The student is expected to

4.12A investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter; and

4.12B describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers.

4.13 Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms undergo similar life processes and have structures that function to help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to

4.13A explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment; and

4.13B differentiate between inherited and acquired physical traits of organisms.

2C Learn new language structures, expressions, and basic and academic vocabulary heard during classroom instruction and interactions.

2I Demonstrate listening comprehension of increasingly complex spoken English by following directions, retelling or summarizing spoken messages, responding to questions and requests, collaborating with peers, and taking notes commensurate with content and grade-level needs.

3D Speak using grade-level content area vocabulary in context to internalize new English words and build academic language proficiency.

3E Share information in cooperative learning interactions

3F Ask and give information ranging from using a very limited bank of high-frequency, high-need, concrete vocabulary, including key words and expressions needed for basic communication in academic and social contexts, to using abstract and content-based vocabulary during extended speaking assignments.

3G Express opinions, ideas, and feelings ranging from communicating single words and short phrases to participating in extended discussions on a variety of social and grade-appropriate academic topics.

4D Use prereading supports such as graphic organizers, illustrations, and pretaught topic-related vocabulary and other prereading activities to enhance comprehension of written text

Building Content Knowledge

Students begin their study of plants in their environment by observing carnivorous plants in a terrarium and in Big Thicket National Preserve and then comparing different types of plants, including carnivorous plants, in Big Thicket. Students ask questions about why some plants in Big Thicket are carnivorous and create a driving question board to guide their learning throughout the module. Students develop an anchor model of the carnivorous plants in Big Thicket. They update the anchor model with new learning throughout the module.

In Concept 1, students build on their Level 3 learning about how the external structures of plants and animals help them meet their basic needs for survival. In this module, students differentiate between the inherited and acquired traits that make organisms look different from one another (4.13B) before exploring how the structures of plants, such as deep roots, have functions that enable plants to survive in their

4F Use visual and contextual support and support from peers and teachers to read grade-appropriate content area text, enhance and confirm understanding, and develop vocabulary, grasp of language structures, and background knowledge needed to comprehend increasingly challenging language

4G Demonstrate comprehension of increasingly complex English by participating in shared reading, retelling or summarizing material, responding to questions, and taking notes commensurate with content area and grade level needs

5B Write using newly acquired basic vocabulary and content-based grade-level vocabulary.

environment (4.13A). In Level 5, students will build on their understanding to identify different ways that organisms in the same environment survive using instinctual and learned behavioral traits.

Before moving to Concept 2, students begin a Science Challenge to build on their study of the dependence of plants on air, sunlight, and water, which began in Kindergarten. In this module, students use scientific practices to plan and conduct a descriptive investigation to investigate how plants can make their own food by using energy from the Sun, water, and carbon dioxide (4.12A).

In Concept 2, students build on their study of weather in Level 3 to understand climate and how water cycles between Earth’s air and land. In this module, students differentiate between weather and climate (4.10C) and then describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water

above and on Earth’s surface, as well as explain the role of the Sun as a source of energy in this process (4.10A). In Level 5, students will build their understanding of the water cycle, including the role of the ocean and its effect on weather.

In Concept 3, students build on their Level 3 study of food chains as the foundation for learning about the interactions between organisms in an environment. In this module, students determine that organisms in different food chains interact in food webs and describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs (4.12B). Students build on their prior understanding of the roles of producers and consumers to

discover that the Sun is the ultimate source of the energy flowing through a food web and that matter cycles because of the action of decomposers in the environment. In Level 5, students build on their understanding to describe biotic and abiotic factors, predict how changes in an ecosystem affect the cycling of matter through a food web, and describe how ecosystems can be affected by human activities.

In the End-of-Module Assessment, students reflect on their learning about why some plants in Big Thicket are carnivorous as they apply their understanding of plants in their environment to a new context.

Key Terms

In this module, students learn the following terms through investigations, models, explanations, class discussions, and other experiences.

▪ Acquired trait

▪ Carbon dioxide

▪ Carnivorous plant

▪ Climate

▪ Condensation

▪ Decomposer

▪ Food

▪ Food web

▪ Inherit

▪ Inherited trait

▪ Trait

▪ Water cycle

Advance Materials Preparation

Several activities in this module require advance preparation. See the lesson resources for more details on material preparation and instructions.

Description

1–2 2 weeks Terrarium Order carnivorous plants and set up the terrarium when plants are delivered.

8–9 7 days Science Challenge Plant radish seeds to prepare plants for Part 1 of the Science Challenge.

8–9 1 day Science Challenge Prepare radish plants for Part 1 of the Science Challenge.

17–19 7 days Fungi observation stations Prepare samples of moldy bread.

Safety Considerations

The safety and well-being of students are of utmost importance in all classrooms, and educators must act responsibly, prudently, and proactively to safeguard students. Science investigations frequently include activities, demonstrations, and experiments that require extra attention to safety measures. Educators must do their best to ensure a safe classroom environment.

The hands-on, minds-on activities of this module require students to test how different resource conditions influence a plant’s ability to grow and survive. Some of the more important safety measures to implement in this module follow.

1. Teachers must explain all safety considerations to students and review all safety expectations with them before each activity.

2. Students must carefully listen to and follow all teacher instructions. Instructions may be oral, on classroom postings, or written in the Science Logbook or other handouts.

3. Students must demonstrate appropriate classroom behavior (e.g., no running, jumping, or pushing) during science investigations. Students must handle all supplies and equipment carefully and respectfully. Additionally, students should do their best to avoid touching their face during investigations.

4. Students and teachers must put away all food and drinks during science investigations. Investigation materials can easily contaminate food and drinks. Also, spilled food or drinks can disrupt investigations.

5. Students must never place materials in their mouth during a science investigation.

6. Students and teachers must wear personal protective equipment (e.g., safety goggles) during investigations that require this equipment. Students and teachers must wear safety goggles whenever they work with objects with sharp points (e.g., wires, toothpicks), materials made up of tiny pieces (e.g., sand), glass, projectiles (objects that move through the air), and liquids other than pure water.

7. Students must immediately inform teachers of any spills, breakages, or materials falling to the floor. Students must then follow all teacher instructions for cleaning up, including allowing teachers to clean up spills, breakages, and other materials that may be dangerous. During investigations, items can fall to the floor even when everyone is careful. Immediate removal of debris from the floor is essential to help prevent injury.

8. Students must follow teacher instructions regarding cleanup at the end of each investigation. Teachers may ask students to return materials to specific storage locations in the classroom or to clean the surfaces of their desks with provided materials (e.g., water and paper towels). After completion of the investigation and cleanup, students must thoroughly wash their hands.

9. Teachers must monitor student activity on the internet. If students must access the internet for science research purposes, teachers must monitor students’ activity to ensure conformation with school and district policies.

More information on safety in the elementary science classroom appears in the Implementation Guide. Teachers should always follow the health and safety guidelines of their school or district. For additional information on safety in the science classroom, consult the Texas Education Agency–approved safety standards (4.1C).

Additional Reading for Teachers

Big Thicket Plant Ecology: An Introduction by Geraldine Ellis Watson

Nature Lover’s Guide to the Big Thicket by Howard Peacock

The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants by Peter D’Amato

Lessons 1–2 Plants in Big Thicket Prepare

In Lessons 1 and 2, students observe plants in Big Thicket National Preserve and plants in a terrarium to find out more about how plants get what they need to survive from their environment. This module’s anchor phenomenon, carnivorous plants in Big Thicket, illustrates how organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment. Students apply knowledge gained throughout the module to explain why certain plants in Big Thicket National Preserve are carnivorous and other plants are not.

In Lesson 1, students observe carnivorous plants and consider how these plants are similar to and different from other plants. After looking at carnivorous plants in Big Thicket, students create an initial model to explain how the plants meet their needs in this environment. In Lesson 2, students compare the carnivorous plants with other plants in Big Thicket and identify characteristics of the different plants. Students use their initial model and information about plants in Big Thicket to develop an anchor model to show carnivorous plants in the Big Thicket environment. Finally, students develop a driving question board that will help guide their learning throughout the module.

Student Learning

Knowledge Statement

Different types of plants can get what they need to survive from the same environment.

Concept 1: Plant Structures and Their Functions

Focus Question

How do the structures of different plants compare?

Phenomenon Question

What type of environment do carnivorous plants live in?

Objectives

▪ Lesson 1: Observe carnivorous plants.

▪ Lesson 2: Develop a model of carnivorous plants in Big Thicket.

Standards Addressed

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

4.13A Explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment. (Introduced)

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Standard Student Expectation

4.1A Ask questions and define problems based on observations or information from text, phenomena, models, or investigations.

4.1D

Use tools, including hand lenses; metric rulers; Celsius thermometers; calculators; laser pointers; mirrors; digital scales; balances; graduated cylinders; beakers; hot plates; meter sticks; magnets; notebooks; timing devices; sieves; materials for building circuits; materials to support observation of habitats of organisms such as terrariums, aquariums, and collecting nets; and materials to support digital data collection such as computers, tablets, and cameras, to observe, measure, test, and analyze information.

4.1G Develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

4.2A Identify advantages and limitations of models such as their size, scale, properties, and materials.

Recurring Themes and Concepts

English Language Proficiency Standards

Teacher Materials

Chart paper (1 sheet), marker (1)

Terrarium: 1 gal clear plastic terrarium with cover (1), live carnivorous plants (at least 3, including pitcher plant, Venus flytrap, and sundew), live 1 sphagnum moss (enough to cover soil in terrarium), low-nutrient soil (2 cups), freeze-dried bloodworms ( oz), heat lamp with reflector (1), grow light 4 bulb (1), gravel (2 cups), scissors (1), small cup (1), thermometer (1, optional), disposable pipettes (2), safety goggles (1), tweezers (1) or toothpicks (6), access to distilled water

Lesson(s)

Teacher Preparation Lesson(s)

Cue plant video 1 (sundew) (http://phdsci.link/2412), plant video 2 (pitcher plant) (http://phdsci.link/2413), and plant video 3 (Venus flytrap) (http://phdsci.link/2414).

2 Weeks Before: Order carnivorous plants. Set up the terrarium when the plants are delivered. (See Lesson 1 Resource A.)

Lesson 1

Objective: Observe carnivorous plants.

Agenda

Launch (10 minutes)

Learn (30 minutes)

▪ Observe a Terrarium (15 minutes)

▪ Explore Big Thicket Environments (15 minutes)

Land (5 minutes)

Launch 10 minutes

Tell students they will watch videos of three different plants. Without identifying the type of plant in each video, play plant video 1 (sundew) (http://phdsci.link/2412), plant video 2 (pitcher plant) (http://phdsci.link/2413), and plant video 3 (Venus flytrap) (http://phdsci.link/2414).

Tell students they will watch the videos again. Instruct students to record what they notice and wonder about the three plants in their Science Logbook (Lesson 1 Activity Guide A). Then replay the videos. Invite students to share their observations and questions.

Sample student responses:

I Notice

▪ A fly falls into one of the plants.

▪ A bug sticks to the hairs on one plant.

▪ One plant catches a fly between two leaves.

▪ One plant looks like a tube.

I Wonder

▪ Why do these plants catch insects?

▪ What happens to the insects in the plants?

▪ Does the plant feel sticky?

▪ Why do the leaves look different from other plants’ leaves?

Tell students that the plants they observed are carnivorous plants, which are plants with special structures that capture and digest animals.

Teacher Note

Students may be familiar with some carnivorous plants. Give students time to discuss their prior knowledge without correcting any information. Tell students that they will learn more about carnivorous plants in this module (1A).

English Language Development

Introduce the term carnivorous plants explicitly by using strategies such as these:

▪ Pronounce the words carnivorous plants, and have students repeat them.

▪ Say the words in syllables (i.e., car-niv-o-rous plants), and then repeat the full words.

▪ Provide the Spanish cognate plantas carnívoras.

After introducing carnivorous plants, as well as other important terms, provide scaffolds for English learners as they use the words when speaking, writing, and investigating. For more information, see the English Language Development section of the Implementation Guide.

Tell students that they will learn more about carnivorous plants as they explore the Phenomenon Question What type of environment do carnivorous plants live in? Have students record this question in the Module Question Log in their Science Logbook.

Learn 30 minutes

Observe a Terrarium 15 minutes

Teacher Note

The species of sundew and pitcher plant in the terrarium may be different from the species found in Big Thicket. Although the classroom plants may have different water and light needs than the species in Big Thicket, they should have similar characteristics, and all carnivorous plants need to capture and digest animals to obtain nutrients. The Venus flytrap is not found in Big Thicket. It is native to similar environments in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Introduce students to the terrarium (see Lesson 1 Resource A), and tell them that they will use the terrarium to learn more about carnivorous plants. Explain that a terrarium is a land environment in a container and that people keep plants and sometimes animals in a terrarium.

English Language Development

Students will encounter the term terrarium throughout the module. Providing the Spanish cognate terrario may be helpful. Consider asking students whether they have a terrarium or whether they have seen one (2I).

Teacher Note

In the Level 1 Survival Module, students learn the term aquarium as they observe crayfish in a tank. Consider explaining that an aquarium is a water environment in a container and asking students to describe how the crayfish gets what it needs to survive in a water environment (3G).

► What do we need to do to help these plants survive in the classroom?

▪ We need to water them.

▪ We can put them near the window so they can get sunlight.

▪ We need to make sure they have space to grow.

Remind students that different plants need different amounts of light and water to survive. Tell students that they will observe the terrarium to determine the type of environment that carnivorous plants need to survive.

Divide the class into groups, and have groups take turns observing the terrarium up close. As groups observe the terrarium, point to each plant, and identify its common name. (See Lesson 1 Resource A.)

Safety Note

This activity poses potential hazards. To minimize the risk, review these safety measures and look for evidence that students are following them (4.1C):

▪ Do not reach inside the terrarium or touch the soil or plants.

▪ Do not move the terrarium.

After groups observe the terrarium, instruct students to draw each plant and describe its characteristics in their Science Logbook (Lesson 1 Activity Guide B). Display a photograph of the terrarium for students to refer to as they record their observations.

Next, have groups discuss their observations of the terrarium environment and record their observations in their Science Logbook. Lead a class discussion to summarize students’ observations of the plants and the terrarium environment.

► How are the plants similar?

▪ They are all small and have leaves.

▪ They all live in very wet soil.

▪ They all have green parts.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

Previously, students learned that plants depend on air, sunlight, water, and nutrients in the soil (K.12A, 1A). Students also learned that plants have different structures to meet their needs for survival (2.13A, 1A).

Teacher Note

If a Venus flytrap is ready to be fed, consider feeding it while students are observing the terrarium. (See Lesson 1 Resource A.)

Teacher Note

Lesson 1 Activity Guide B includes additional pages for students to record observations of the terrarium during the module. As time allows, consider having groups record observations of the terrarium and discuss changes in the plants and the terrarium environment over time.

Teacher Note

If it is not possible to take a photograph of the terrarium, display the completed terrarium setup photograph. (See Lesson 1 Resource A.)

Differentiation

Students will encounter the term characteristics throughout the module. Explain that a characteristic is an observable part of an organism. Providing the Spanish cognate característica may be helpful. Consider creating a list of possible characteristics such as leaf shape, leaf color, stem width, and stem color to support students as they describe plant characteristics.

► How are the plants different?

▪ The Venus flytrap and the sundew have leaves with little hairs on them, but the pitcher plant doesn’t.

▪ The pitcher plant has structures that look like tubes with holes on top.

▪ All the plants have different-shaped leaves.

► What do you notice about the terrarium environment?

▪ The soil is very wet.

▪ The plants are spread out.

▪ The terrarium gets a lot of light from the lamp.

Discuss students’ observations, and point out that plants that live in the same environment can have different characteristics.

► What type of environment do you think these plants might live in?

▪ I think the plants live somewhere wet.

▪ The plants need to live in a place with insects.

▪ I think the plants might live in a place with lots of other plants.

Tell students that by observing the terrarium they can explore the type of environment where carnivorous plants live and determine what carnivorous plants need to survive.

► How might the terrarium environment be different from the natural environment the plants live in?

▪ The plants in the terrarium might not get all the bugs they need.

▪ The terrarium is small, and if the plants live outside, they probably have more space to grow.

▪ The plants might not get the right amount of water or sun in our classroom.

Inform students that they will have the opportunity to observe the plants in the terrarium throughout the module.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

Throughout the module, students use the terrarium as a model to observe carnivorous plants in an environment (4.1D).

Explore Big Thicket Environments 15 minutes

Display the map of Texas (Lesson 1 Resource B). Explain that Big Thicket National Preserve is in southeast Texas and that the preserve contains different environments. Teacher Note

A national preserve is similar to a national park, but activities such as hunting, fishing, and mining are permitted.

In the Level 2 Living Things and Their Environments Lessons, students learn about two environments in Big Thicket National Preserve, the cypress slough and the longleaf pine forest.

Point to the location of Big Thicket on the map. Inform students that four types of carnivorous plants live in Big Thicket, including sundews and pitcher plants.

Next, display the pitcher plant and sundew photographs (Lesson 1 Resource C). Point to each type of plant in the photographs, and tell students the photographs show the plants growing in Big Thicket.

Teacher Note

Consider pointing out the location of the school on the map.

Have students record their observations of the plants and the plants’ environment in their Science Logbook (Lesson 1 Activity Guide C). Then invite students to share their observations. As students share, record student responses on chart paper to create a class chart.

Sample class chart:

Big Thicket Environment Observations

▪ There are lots of pitcher plants.

▪ The pitcher plants look tall.

▪ There are other plants behind the pitcher plants.

▪ The sundews are close together.

▪ It looks like daytime in the pictures.

▪ The ground around the sundews looks wet.

Direct students to use their observations to draw and label a model in their Science Logbook (Lesson 1 Activity Guide C) that shows how carnivorous plants get what they need to survive in Big Thicket.

Sample student response:

Teacher Note

Lesson 1 Activity Guide C includes a comparison table. In Lesson 2, students will compare their model with a partner’s and note similarities and differences between the models.

Differentiation

Some students may need support to develop an initial model. If necessary, help students brainstorm the model components (e.g., sundew, water, soil, air).

Check for Understanding

Students create a model to show how plants get what they need to survive in Big Thicket.

TEKS Assessed

4.1G Develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

4.13A Explore and explain how structures and function of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment.

Evidence

Students develop models (4.1G) to show how the plants in Big Thicket get the water, light, and air they need to survive (4.13A).

Next Steps

If students need support to identify plant needs for survival, prompt students to review the observation chart and the photographs of the sundews and pitcher plants in their environment.

Land

5 minutes

Invite students to Think–Pair–Share to respond to the following questions.

► How is the Big Thicket environment similar to the terrarium environment?

▪ The plants can survive in both environments.

▪ The plants can get water and light in both places.

► How is the Big Thicket environment different from the terrarium environment?

▪ In Big Thicket, plants get what they need from nature. In the terrarium, we give the plants what they need.

▪ The terrarium environment is smaller than Big Thicket.

▪ The terrarium only has three plants. There are many plants and animals in Big Thicket.

Acknowledge the differences between the environments, and then have students reflect on the use of the classroom terrarium.

► Why might it be helpful to have the terrarium in the classroom?

▪ We can observe the carnivorous plants up close.

▪ We can watch the plants grow.

► What are some limitations of the terrarium? Differentiation

▪ It’s not exactly like the plants’ natural environment because there’s no rain or other plants and animals.

▪ We have to take care of the terrarium, and if we forget, the plants might die.

▪ In nature, these types of plants might not grow in the same place.

Confirm that the terrarium has limitations, and remind students that the terrarium represents the environment where carnivorous plants live.

Optional Homework

Students observe a plant in an environment and create a model to explain how the plant gets what it needs to survive from its environment.

Students will encounter the term limitations throughout the module. Providing the Spanish cognate limitaciones may be helpful. As students discuss limitations of the terrarium and other models, English learners may benefit from additional scaffolding in the form of sentence frames, such as the following (2I, 3G):

▪ One limitation of the terrarium is because it is different from in the real world.

▪ The materials we used are limitations because .

Lesson 2

Objective: Develop a model of carnivorous plants in Big Thicket.

Launch

5 minutes

Display the photographs of pitcher plants and sundews in Big Thicket (Lesson 1 Resource C), and review the physical characteristics of each type of plant.

Agenda

Launch (5 minutes)

Learn (35 minutes)

▪ Explore Plants in Big Thicket (15 minutes)

▪ Develop Anchor Model (10 minutes)

▪ Develop Driving Question Board (10 minutes)

Land (5 minutes)

Then

display the photographs of a butterwort and a bladderwort in Big Thicket (Lesson 2 Resource A).

Tell students that the photographs show the other two types of carnivorous plants that live in Big Thicket. Ask students to look for similarities and differences among all the carnivorous plants.

Sample student responses:

▪ I see flowers on some of the carnivorous plants.

▪ The leaves look different on each type of plant.

▪ One plant looks like it lives in water.

▪ Sundews are close to the ground.

► What else might you observe in Big Thicket?

▪ I might see different types of plants.

▪ Maybe I could observe animals in Big Thicket.

▪ I might see rivers or lakes.

Explain that students need to investigate the other organisms that live in Big Thicket to answer the Phenomenon Question What type of environment do carnivorous plants live in?

Learn 35 minutes

Explore Plants in Big Thicket 15 minutes

Display a set of Big Thicket plant cards (Lesson 2 Resource B). Tell students that the cards show some of the many types of plants that live in Big Thicket National Preserve. Place students in pairs, and distribute one set of cards to each pair. Have students sort the cards according to similarities and differences. Encourage students to create names for the categories they use.

► What categories did you sort your cards into?

▪ We used plants with flowers and plants with no flowers.

▪ We made three categories: trees, leafy plants, and small plants.

▪ We sorted them into carnivorous plants and plants that are not carnivorous.

Highlight categories that identify the plants’ physical characteristics. Remind students that different types of plants can survive in Big Thicket. Tell students that throughout the module they will continue to explore how plants with similar and different characteristics can survive in the same environment.

► Think about the different environments where plants live. What are some characteristics of plants that survive in those environments?

▪ Some plants can survive underwater.

▪ Desert plants store water in their stems and leaves.

▪ Some plants have flowers that make nectar for pollinators.

Develop Anchor Model 10 minutes

Display the photograph of the carnivorous plant environment (Lesson 2 Resource C). Tell students that carnivorous plants are found in this type of environment in Big Thicket.

Differentiation

If student pairs complete the card sort quickly, challenge them to sort the plant cards in a different way by using different categories.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

In prior levels, students learn that physical characteristics of environments support plants (2.12A, 1A). In this module, students learn how the structure and function of different plant parts help plants survive in an environment (4.13A).

Teacher Note

When students share experiences or prior knowledge related to their learning in the module, record and post the information in the Related Phenomena section at the bottom of the driving question board. The driving question board will be developed later in this lesson.

► What do we know about the environment in Big Thicket where carnivorous plants live?

▪ Other plants live there too.

▪ There are probably animals in the environment.

▪ Four types of carnivorous plants live in this environment.

Tell students to review their model of how carnivorous plants get what they need to survive from their environment in their Science Logbook (Lesson 1 Activity Guide C). Then have students update their model with new information about Big Thicket. After students finish their updates, ask them to compare their model with a partner’s model and then record similarities and differences in the chart in their Science Logbook (Lesson 1 Activity Guide C).

Work together as a class to develop an anchor model to show the type of environment in Big Thicket where carnivorous plants live. Invite students to share important components they think the anchor model should include. As students share, have the rest of the class use nonverbal signals to indicate whether they agree that the new component is found in this environment. Tell students that they will continue to update the anchor model throughout the module.

Teacher Note

Students may suggest adding nutrients to the anchor model (3G). Tell students that they will explore the specific survival needs of carnivorous plants, and add those needs to the anchor model in future lessons.

Sample anchor model:

Carnivorous Plants in Big Thicket

Sunlight

Longleaf pine trees

Air all around

Pitcher plants

Butterwort Bladderwort

Sundew

Soil

Many plants live in Big Thicket. Some of those plants are carnivorous.

Develop Driving Question Board 10 minutes

Water from rain

Ask students to think of questions about carnivorous plants in Big Thicket. Refer students to the anchor model or their Science Logbook (Lesson 1 Activity Guides B and C) to help them generate questions. Ask students to choose one question they are most curious about and to record it on a sticky note.

Invite students to share their question. After one student reads a question and places it on the driving question board, ask students who think they have a related question to read theirs and place it next to that question. Throughout the discussion, ask follow-up questions or make suggestions to help students group their questions. Continue until each student question is on the driving question board.

Check for Understanding

This task is a pre-assessment. Evaluate students’ questions to gauge their prior and developing knowledge of the structure and function of different plant parts and how those parts help plants survive in their environment.

TEKS Assessed

4.1A Ask questions and define problems based on observations or information from text, phenomena, models, or investigations.

4.5F Explain the relationship between the structure and function of objects, organisms, and systems.

4.13A Explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment.

Evidence

Listen for student questions (4.1A) that target concepts such as the relationship of carnivorous plants to their environment (4.13A, 4.5F) and the structures and functions of specialized plant parts that allow carnivorous plants to survive in their environment (4.13A).

Next Steps

Take note of any misconceptions, knowledge gaps, or ideas that students already grasp to guide the learning throughout the module. If students need support developing questions, remind them to use the anchor model and activities from their Science Logbook (Lesson 1 Activity Guides B and C) to generate questions.

Work together as a class to develop the Concept 1 Focus Question and one or more temporary headings for other questions. Tell students that the class will add other Focus Questions as they generate more questions.

Concept 1 Focus Question: How do the structures of different plants compare?

Related student questions may include the following:

▪ What parts of the plants catch the insects?

▪ Do all carnivorous plants have roots, stems, and leaves like other plants?

▪ Do other plants in Big Thicket have unusual characteristics?

▪ How do the butterwort and bladderwort catch insects?

Teacher Note

This lesson discusses only the Concept 1 Focus Question: How do the structures of different plants compare? Wait until later lessons to introduce the Focus Questions for Concepts 2 and 3. For now, include a temporary heading on the driving question board for environment-related questions.

Some student questions may not fit in either of the two categories. If necessary, create a third category called Other Questions. As students revisit the driving question board in future lessons, ask them to determine whether these questions can be answered or should be moved to a different category because of new knowledge.

Temporary heading: Environment

Related student questions may include the following:

▪ Do any animals eat carnivorous plants?

▪ Why do the carnivorous plants eat insects?

▪ What type of environment is Big Thicket?

▪ How much does it rain in Big Thicket?

▪ What animals live in Big Thicket?

Explain that these questions will help students answer the Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous? Write the Essential Question at the top of the driving question board, and ask students to record it in the Module Question Log of their Science Logbook. Add student-generated phenomena from Lessons 1 and 2 to the bottom of the driving question board.

Post the driving question board in a place where it is easy to update and revisit throughout the module. Allow space to post sample student work along the way.

Sample driving question board:

Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous?

How do the structures of different plants compare?

What parts of the plants catch the insects?

Environment

Do all carnivorous plants have roots, stems, and leaves like other plants?

Do other plants in Big Thicket have unusual characteristics?

Do any animals eat carnivorous plants?

Why do the carnivorous plants eat insects?

What type of environment is Big Thicket?

How do the butterwort and bladderwort catch insects?

How much does it rain in Big Thicket? What animals live in Big Thicket?

Related Phenomena: Some plants can survive underwater.

Desert plants store water in their stems and leaves.

Some plants have flowers that make nectar for pollinators.

Teacher Note

Consider visiting the Texas Parks and Wildlife website (http://phdsci.link/2415) to arrange a classroom program to coincide with students’ learning of environmental interactions in Concept 3.

Land 5 minutes

Display a set of Big Thicket plant cards (Lesson 2 Resource B). As a class, sort the cards into two categories: carnivorous plants and plants that are not carnivorous. Ask students to share what they need to know about the two categories of plants to answer the Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous?

Sample student responses:

▪ We need to find out more about how all the plants survive.

▪ We need to learn about how plants survive in different environments.

▪ We could find out more about how different plant parts help plants survive.

Highlight student responses that mention plant parts. Inform students that in the next lesson they will explore the Concept 1 Focus Question: How do the structures of different plants compare?

Lessons 3–4 Traits Prepare

In Lessons 3 and 4, students observe and compare organisms to identify physical traits that are inherited or acquired. In Lesson 3, students analyze the traits of apple tree fruit to determine that offspring receive inherited traits from their parents. In Lesson 4, students use a Chalk Talk routine to compare photographs of organisms to determine that traits can also be acquired during an individual organism’s lifetime. Students use patterns to differentiate between inherited and acquired traits.

Student Learning

Knowledge Statement

Inherited traits and acquired traits can make organisms appear different from other organisms of the same type.

Objectives

▪ Lesson 3: Observe similarities in the characteristics of parents and their offspring, and identify those characteristics as inherited traits.

▪ Lesson 4: Find and use patterns to identify inherited and acquired traits.

Concept 1: Plant Structures and Their Functions

Focus Question

How do the structures of different plants compare?

Phenomenon Question

Why do organisms look different from one another?

Standards Addressed

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

Differentiate between inherited and acquired physical traits of organisms. (Introduced)

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Ask questions and define problems based on observations or information from text, phenomena, models, or investigations.

safe practices and the use of safety equipment during classroom and field investigations as outlined in Texas

Construct appropriate graphic organizers used to collect data, including tables, bar graphs, line graphs, tree maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, flow charts or sequence maps, and input-output tables that show cause and effect.

Recurring Themes and Concepts

Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

English Language Proficiency Standards

Speak using grade-level content area vocabulary in context to internalize new English words and build academic language proficiency.

Lesson 3

Objective: Observe similarities in the characteristics of parents and their offspring, and identify those characteristics as inherited traits.

Agenda

Launch (10 minutes)

Learn (30 minutes)

▪ Observe Apple Characteristics (5 minutes)

▪ Analyze Plant Traits (15 minutes)

▪ Analyze Animal Traits (10 minutes)

Land (5 minutes)

Launch

10 minutes

Safety Note

This activity poses potential safety hazards. Students will go outside to draw plants. Be aware of students with insect allergies, and take precautions to avoid stinging insects. To minimize the risk, review these safety measures and look for evidence that students are following them (4.1C):

▪ Wear gloves throughout the activity.

▪ Do not handle plants known to irritate, such as poison ivy or poison oak.

▪ Do not touch animals, including insects.

▪ Wash your hands immediately after the activity.

Tell students they will go outside to observe plants in the schoolyard. Distribute a pair of gloves to each student, and tell students to bring their Science Logbook and a writing implement with them. Take students outside, and instruct them to draw two plants and label three characteristics on each plant in their Science Logbook (Lesson 3 Activity Guide A). Encourage students to use characteristics such as color, shape, size, and height when labeling their drawings.

Return to the classroom, and invite students to share observations about the plants in the schoolyard.

► Which characteristics did you label on your drawings?

▪ I labeled green leaves on both plants.

▪ I labeled the big tree roots above the soil.

▪ I labeled a thin stem on one of my plant drawings.

► Which characteristics can you use to tell the plants apart?

▪ One plant is shorter than the other one.

▪ The leaves on one plant are thin and long like needles, but the leaves on the other plant are oval and flat.

▪ One plant has red leaves, and the other plant has green leaves.

Build on students’ responses to introduce the Phenomenon Question Why do organisms look different from one another?

Learn

30 minutes

Observe Apple Characteristics

5 minutes

Display the apple tree photograph (Lesson 3 Resource A). Tell students that apple trees are organisms that produce fruit called apples.

► How are the characteristics of the apple tree similar to the plants in your drawings? How are they different?

▪ The apple tree has branches and leaves like both of the plants I drew.

▪ Apples are on the tree in the photograph, but the tree I drew doesn’t have fruit.

▪ I drew a smaller plant, but my plant has leaves like the apple tree does.

Display the apple photographs (Lesson 3 Resource B).

Explain that there are many types of apple trees and that each type of apple tree produces a specific type of apple. Ask students to compare the different types of apples, and invite students to share their observations.

Sample student responses:

▪ The apples are different colors.

▪ The apples all grow clumped together.

▪ The apples have similar shapes.

Highlight student responses that mention characteristics of the apples. Then ask students to share other characteristics that people can use to describe apples. Build on student responses to create an apple characteristics class chart.

Teacher Note

Characteristics of apple trees include the production of the apple fruit; size and shape of the tree; color and texture of the bark; and shape and color of leaves, flowers, and fruit. The apples have additional distinctive characteristics such as smell, size, taste, skin and flesh colors, texture, and crispness. Most apple varieties in grocery stores have white or yellow flesh, but some students may have experience with pink- or red-fleshed apples.

Extension

Consider providing different types of apples from a grocery store for students to observe directly. Students can research and compare the characteristics of the different apple types.

Sample class chart:

Apple Characteristics

▪ Smell

▪ Size

▪ Shape

▪ Taste

▪ Skin color

▪ Flesh color

▪ Crispness

Summarize that different types of apple trees make fruits that have different characteristics. Tell students that the characteristics of an organism are called traits. Explain that people observe traits to identify the type of organism. Tell students that some of the apple types available in a cafeteria or grocery store have names based on their traits, such as Honeycrisp apples, which are sweet and crunchy.

English Language Development

Introduce the term trait explicitly. Consider having students describe their own traits (3D).

Analyze Plant Traits 15 minutes

Display the offspring and possible parent plant photographs (Lesson 3 Resource C). Point to the offspring plant and the three possible parent plants.

Teacher Note

Students may be more familiar with animal traits. Consider asking students which traits people can use to identify different dog breeds.

Teacher Note

In the Level 3 Survival and Change Module, students observe animal life cycles and determine that adults produce offspring. Students may benefit from reviewing that offspring are the babies of a plant or animal. Explain that when the young plant or animal grows into an adult, it is still the offspring of its parents.

Offspring Possible Parent A Possible Parent B Possible Parent C

Instruct students to Think–Pair–Share as they consider which parent plant most likely produced the seed that grew into the offspring plant. Invite a few students to explain their choice of parent plant.

Sample student responses:

▪ Offspring look like their parents, so I chose Possible Parent B because the offspring plant has more than one trunk just like Parent B.

▪ Possible Parent B has large flat leaves that look like the offspring’s leaves, so I chose that parent plant.

Confirm that Parent B produced the seed that grew into the offspring plant. Build on student responses to highlight that plants, like other living things, have parents and that parents produce offspring with similar traits. Tell students that they will analyze the fruits of an apple tree family to investigate how the traits of parents connect to the traits of offspring.

Divide the class into groups, and provide each group with a prepared apple tree family poster. (See Lesson 3 Resource D.) Distribute an apple tree family data table (Lesson 3 Resource E) and markers to each group. Explain that the poster shows apples from two parent apple trees and an apple from their offspring apple tree. Tell students to observe the apples and to use the information in the data table to record the traits in the boxes on the poster.

After students record fruit traits for both parents and their offspring, instruct them to draw lines that connect each trait of the offspring to a trait that is similar for Parent A, Parent B, or both.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

In this lesson, students build on their knowledge that young plants resemble the parent plant (K.13D) to determine that inherited traits cause organisms to resemble their parents (4.13B).

Teacher Note

In Lessons 3 and 4, students observe apples on apple trees and apples that are no longer attached to apple trees. If students refer to the apples as parents or offspring, remind students that apples are not organisms. The apple tree is an organism that makes fruit as part of its life cycle. Clarify that the traits of the apples are the traits of the tree that they came from.

Differentiation

As necessary, support students in drawing lines to connect the traits of the offspring to similar traits of the parents. Consider working with students in small groups and calling attention to the offspring’s traits. Then ask questions such as these: Do you notice a similar trait for Parent A? Does Parent B have a trait that is different from the offspring’s traits?

Sample student response:

Traits of Parent A Apple Tree Family

• Green/yellow

• Sweet

• Turns brown

• Stays fresh for 3 months or longer

Traits of Parent B

• Orange/red

• Tart

• Does not turn brown

• Stays fresh for 1 to 2 months

Traits of Offspring

• Yellow/orange

• Sweet/tart

• Does not turn brown

• Stays fresh for 3 months or longer

► What similarities and differences do you notice between the traits of the offspring’s fruit and the traits of each parent’s fruit?

▪ The offspring’s fruit has skin colors like the fruit of both parents.

▪ The offspring’s fruit stays fresh for the same time as Parent A’s fruit.

▪ The offspring’s fruit doesn’t turn brown, just like Parent B’s fruit.

Acknowledge student responses, and emphasize the pattern that offspring have traits that are similar to their parents’ traits. Tell students that offspring inherit traits, which means they receive traits from their parents. Explain that offspring inherit traits from both parents and that each of an offspring’s traits can appear similar to one parent’s trait, similar to both parents’ traits, or as a mixture of the parents’ traits. Summarize that a trait that offspring receive from their parents is called an inherited trait

English Language Development

Introduce the terms inherit and inherited trait explicitly. Consider providing examples of inherited traits in humans, such as eye color, hair color, and height.

Analyze Animal Traits 10 minutes

Display the offspring and Possible Parent B photographs. (See Lesson 3 Resource C.) Ask students to identify the traits that the offspring plant might have inherited from the parent plant.

Offspring Possible Parent B

Sample student responses:

▪ Maybe the offspring inherited having more than one trunk from its parent.

▪ The offspring might have inherited its leaf shape from the parent plant.

Next, display the rabbit family photographs (Lesson 3 Resource F). Instruct students to Think–Pair–Share to identify traits of the rabbit parents.

Rabbit Parents Set A

Rabbit Parents Set B

Sample student responses:

▪ Some parents have pointy ears, and some parents have floppy ears.

▪ The parents in Set B have color around their mouth and nose.

▪ Some parents are brown and white, and some parents are black and white.

Display the rabbit offspring photograph (Lesson 3 Resource F). Then direct students’ attention to the two claims in their Science Logbook (Lesson 3 Activity Guide B). Instruct students to circle the claim they agree with.

Sample student response:

▪ Claim 1: The rabbits in Set A are most likely the parents of the rabbit offspring.

▪ Claim 2: The rabbits in Set B are most likely the parents of the rabbit offspring.

Next, instruct students to record reasoning and evidence to support their chosen claim.

Sample student responses:

▪ I agree with Claim 2 because both parents have pointy ears like the offspring. One parent also has the same black and white fur as the offspring.

▪ I think the rabbits in Set B are the parents. The offspring doesn’t have spots, and its fur has a similar pattern to the rabbits in Set B.

Check for Understanding

Students use patterns in observable traits to support a claim about rabbit offspring and parents.

TEKS Assessed

4.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence.

4.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

4.13B Differentiate between inherited and acquired physical traits of an organism.

Evidence

Students use patterns (4.5A) to choose a claim about the inherited traits of the offspring shown (4.13B).

Students use observations (4.1E) to identify patterns (4.5A) displayed in the rabbit offspring and chosen parents set traits (4.13B).

Next Steps

If students need support to choose a claim, prompt them with a question such as the following: Which rabbit parent does this offspring look most like?

Elicit specific patterns based on observations, as necessary, by asking a question such as the following: Which traits of the rabbit offspring are similar to traits of the parents in Sets A and B?

5 minutes

Explain that the class will begin an anchor chart to capture students’ new knowledge throughout the module. Revisit the Phenomenon Question Why do organisms look different from one another? Ask students to answer this question by using what they have learned so far about traits.

▪ Individuals can have different traits that make them unique.

▪ Offspring receive different inherited traits from different parents.

Summarize student responses, and add the key learning to the anchor chart.

Sample anchor chart:

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• Organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

Optional Homework

Students, under the supervision of an adult, look for local examples of interesting plant or animal traits. Students draw or photograph their observations.

Lesson 4

Objective: Find and use patterns to identify inherited and acquired traits.

Agenda

Launch (5 minutes)

Learn (35 minutes)

▪ Analyze Traits That Change (25 minutes)

▪ Identify Trait Types (10 minutes)

Land (5 minutes)

Launch

5 minutes

Display the apple tree and fruit photographs (Lesson 4 Resource A), and explain that the photographs show individual apple trees or apple fruit. Have students choose one of the photographs and complete the observations organizer in their Science Logbook (Lesson 4 Activity Guide A).

Teacher Note

Consider providing color copies of the photographs in Lesson 4 Resource A for students to refer to as they record their observations.

Sample student response:

▪ I observe that the trunk is broken. There are apples and branches touching the ground. The tree has green leaves, green and red apples, and gray bark. Where the trunk broke is an area that looks light brown.

▪ It reminds me of a damaged tree I saw after a thunderstorm.

▪ I think this because the tree I saw had a broken trunk and the leaves and branches were on the ground.

▪ I am curious about what happened to this apple tree. Was it damaged in a storm? Why is the trunk broken? Will it survive?

▪ I wonder what would happen if someone tried to fix it.

Invite volunteers to share their responses. Highlight responses that mention that the characteristics of the tree or fruit changed or can change in the future. Explain to students that they will explore ways that traits change during an organism’s lifetime.

Learn

35 minutes

Analyze Traits That Change

25 minutes

Display the before photographs (Lesson 4 Resource B). Then introduce the traits charts and point out that each chart includes a picture of one of the organisms.

Tell students that they will participate in a Chalk Talk routine in which they move silently around the classroom, observe a chart for each of the organisms, and record their observations. (See Lesson 4 Resource C.) Explain that students will use the Before side of the chart to record their observations about the traits of the organism or to ask or answer questions about the traits of the organism. Emphasize that students should focus on observable traits, and clarify that students may write or draw their observations.

Divide the class into groups, and distribute a marker to each student. Assign groups to their first chart. Allow groups to spend about 2 minutes at each chart, and then have them rotate to the next chart.

Teacher Note

Circulate to ensure that students analyze the before photograph of the lettuce leaf and caterpillar and identify observable traits of both organisms. When students observe the after photograph, they will likely focus their attention on the trait changes of the lettuce leaf. Help students make the connection between the caterpillar and the holes in the lettuce leaf.

Continue until all groups have visited an antelope, a poodle, and a lettuce leaf and caterpillar chart. After students record observations for all three organisms, have them stop at their third chart.

Sample student response:

Differentiation

Students may need support to describe the traits of the organisms in sufficient detail. Consider working with students to create a list of possible traits, such as horn shape and length, body coloring or pattern, number of legs, or fur length (3D).

Is the fur longer on the chest and shorter around the tail?

Distribute to each group a glue stick and an after card that matches the organism on the group’s current chart. (See Lesson 4 Resource C.) Direct students to glue the card to the upper right corner on the After side of their chart. Tell students to observe how the organism in the after photograph is different from the organism in the before photograph. Encourage them to think about what may have caused the changes. Then instruct students to use the After side of the chart to write or draw the traits or to ask or answer questions about the traits. Guide groups to rotate from one chart to the next until each group has visited an antelope, a poodle, and a lettuce leaf and caterpillar chart.

Sample student response:

BeforeAfter

2earsand2eyes

Long fluffy tail

Less fur on face

Fur missing from rear, some of legs and tail

Maybe someone shaved the fur off?

Fur

Fluffywhitefur

Is the fur longer on the chest and shorter around the tail?

Small black nose

Less fur Was this on purpose?

Is that bare skin? Fur has been removed.

I think so. I’ve seen dogs that look like this!

After students complete the Chalk Talk routine, ask each group to share observations from the last chart they visited.

Sample student responses:

▪ The dog’s fur has been cut from its back end, legs, and tail.

▪ One of the antelope’s horns is broken in the after photograph.

▪ There are lots of holes in the lettuce leaf. We think the caterpillar ate pieces of the leaf.

Remind students of the pattern that offspring resemble their parents because they receive inherited traits from their parents. Ask students to compare the traits that changed for each organism with inherited traits.

► How are the new traits of these organisms different from inherited traits?

▪ The organisms did not receive the new traits from their parents.

▪ Something caused these traits. Maybe the antelope’s horn broke during a fight.

▪ These traits are new, so I don’t think the organism’s parents had them.

Highlight student responses that mention that something happened to cause the new traits. Explain to students that traits caused by events that occur during an organism’s lifetime are called acquired traits. Tell students that offspring do not receive acquired traits from their parents. Explain that acquired traits can make organisms of the same type look different from one another.

English Language Development

Introduce the term acquired trait explicitly. Consider providing a student-friendly example such as a scar that forms after an injury.

Display the photograph of the damaged apple tree. (See Lesson 4 Resource A.) Point out the broken trunk in the photograph.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

In this lesson, students identify acquired physical traits of an organism (4.13B). In Level 5, students will learn about instinctual and learned behavioral traits (5.13B).

Ask students whether they think having a broken trunk is an inherited or an acquired trait, and invite them to share their reasoning.

Sample student responses:

▪ I think it’s an acquired trait. The tree didn’t grow like that, so something happened to the tree.

▪ It’s an acquired trait. The tree probably didn’t inherit a broken trunk from its parents.

Confirm that the broken trunk is an acquired trait. Next, display the photograph of the young apple tree. (See Lesson 4 Resource A.)

Tell students that some traits, such as an organism’s size or shape, can change as an organism grows from a young organism to an adult, but explain that these changes are normal growth and development. Point to the young apple tree, and tell students that the tree will grow and produce apples during its lifetime. Explain that inherited traits determine the way organisms grow and develop throughout their lifetime.

Identify Trait Types

10 minutes

Display the trait photographs (Lesson 4 Resource D), and tell students that the photographs show three different dogs of the same type.

Teacher Note

Students may consider traits that change as an organism grows and develops to be acquired traits. Help students look for patterns among related individuals or members of the same species. Inherited traits include changes that occur in the same way in members of a species. Provide examples such as age-related changes in hair color and the appearance of flowers at a certain time of year. Acquired traits are unlikely to show patterns among related individuals or members of the same species.

Direct

students to their Science Logbook (Lesson 4 Activity Guide B). Tell students to read the three traits in the table and to circle the trait type for each trait.

Sample student response:

Trait Trait Type

Pink ears Inherited Acquired

White fur Inherited Acquired

Black nose Inherited Acquired

Then instruct students to choose one trait and to use their observations of the photographs to explain why they think the trait is an inherited trait or an acquired trait.

Sample student responses:

▪ Pink ears are an acquired trait. The other dogs have white ears, so I think someone dyed the dog’s ears pink. Traits that an organism gets during its lifetime are acquired traits.

▪ I think a black nose is an inherited trait because all the dogs have black noses. I think the dogs got black noses from their parents.

Build on students’ responses to summarize that the combination of inherited traits that organisms receive from their parents and acquired traits that organisms get during their lifetime makes each individual unique.

Have students Think–Pair–Share to respond to the following question.

► How can we use patterns to identify inherited and acquired traits?

▪ I think inherited traits are more similar among the same type of organisms.

▪ We can use patterns to identify inherited traits because offspring have traits that are similar to the traits of their parents.

▪ Acquired traits don’t have a pattern because they are caused by events during an organism’s lifetime.

Check for Understanding

Students use observable patterns to differentiate between inherited and acquired traits of an organism.

TEKS Assessed

4.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence.

4.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

4.13B Differentiate between inherited and acquired physical traits of organisms.

Evidence

Students identify having pink ears as an acquired trait and having white fur and a black nose as inherited traits (4.13B).

Next Steps

If students need support to identify traits as inherited or acquired, consider revisiting the apple tree and fruit photographs and asking questions such as these: What traits do you think this organism received from its parents? Did an event cause some of this organism’s traits?

Students use observable patterns (4.5A) as evidence (4.1E) of inherited and acquired traits (4.13B).

As necessary, support students by revisiting the trait charts. Guide students to look for patterns in inherited and acquired traits by asking questions such as these: Which traits do you think this organism would share with its parents? Which traits might you observe in other organisms of the same type?

Land5 minutes

Display the anchor chart. Revisit the Phenomenon Question Why do organisms look different from one another? Summarize students’ responses, and update the anchor chart with students’ new knowledge about acquired traits.

Sample anchor chart:

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

• organisms can get acquired traits from events that occur during their lifetime.

Remind students that traits are the characteristics of an organism, and explain that an organism’s traits include the type of body parts the organism has. Review that plants have parts that help plants survive in their environment.

► What traits do most plants have?

▪ Most plants have roots that absorb water from the soil.

▪ Most plants have leaves to capture sunlight.

▪ Most plants have stems that move water from the roots to the leaves.

► How do the traits of the carnivorous plants compare with the traits of noncarnivorous plants?

▪ The carnivorous plants have structures for catching prey, but most plants don’t have those.

▪ Noncarnivorous plants do not have parts for catching insects.

▪ The leaves of carnivorous plants seem very different from those of most plants.

Highlight student responses that mention the structures that carnivorous plants use for capturing prey.

► What questions do you have about the structures that carnivorous plants use to capture prey?

▪ Why do the plants have such different structures to capture prey?

▪ How do the different structures work?

▪ Do the Venus flytrap’s leaves make food for the plant?

Tell students they will explore these questions in the next lesson set as they consider the Phenomenon Question How do the structures of a plant help it survive in its environment?

Teacher Note

If time allows, consider having groups take turns viewing the terrarium.

Teacher Note

If it is not possible to take a photograph of the terrarium, display the completed terrarium setup photograph in Lesson 1 Resource A.

Display the photograph of the terrarium.

Lessons 5–7 Plant Structures and Survival Prepare

In this lesson set, students explore plant structures and their functions as they answer the Phenomenon Question How do the structures of a plant help it survive in its environment? In Lesson 5, students create a plant model to review plant structures and their functions. The students observe plants that are found in Big Thicket, compare those plants with the plant model, and explore different environments in Big Thicket. In Lesson 6, students model plant structures and investigate how those structures help plants survive in their environment. In Lesson 7, students apply this knowledge to the carnivorous plants in Big Thicket and update the anchor model. Students complete a Conceptual Checkpoint to demonstrate their understanding of the ways that different plant structures help plants survive in their environment.

Student Learning

Knowledge Statement

Plants have specialized structures that can help them survive in their environment.

Concept 1: Plant Structures and Their Functions

Focus Question

How do the structures of different plants compare?

Phenomenon Question

How do the structures of a plant help it survive in its environment?

Objectives

▪ Lesson 5: Compare plants and plant structures in different environments.

▪ Lesson 6: Model how the structures of plants help plants survive in their environment.

▪ Lesson 7: Apply knowledge of how specialized structures help plants survive in their environment.

Standards Addressed

Explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment. (Addressed)

Differentiate between inherited and acquired physical traits of organisms. (Addressed)

use

equipment

Construct appropriate graphic organizers used to collect data, including tables, bar graphs, line graphs, tree maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, flow charts or sequence maps, and input-output tables that show cause and effect.

Develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

Identify advantages and limitations of models such as their size, scale, properties, and materials.

Develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models.

Recurring Themes and Concepts

English Language Proficiency Standards

visual and contextual support and support from peers and teachers to read grade-appropriate content area text, enhance and confirm understanding, and develop vocabulary, grasp of language structures, and background knowledge needed to comprehend increasingly challenging language.

Teacher Materials Lesson(s) Chart paper (2 sheets), marker (1)

Big Bluestem Grass Station (2 stations per class): 9 oz cups (4), 3 oz cups (3), absorbent white paper towels (6 sheets), gravel (3 cups), blue food coloring (10–20 drops), metric ruler (1), marker (1), Big Bluestem Grass Station procedure sheet in Lesson 6 Resource B (1), digital timer (1), scissors (1 per class), plastic spoon (1 per class), paper plate (1), newspaper (1 sheet), clear tape, access to water

Prickly Pear Station (2 stations per class): nonhardening modeling clay (1 lb), pointed toothpicks (75), medium binder clip (1), Prickly Pear Station procedure sheet in Lesson 6 Resource B (1), digital timer (1)

Bladderwort Station (2 stations per class): small bowl (1), disposable pipette (1), uncooked rice (2 tbsp), Bladderwort Station procedure sheet in Lesson 6 Resource B (1), paper plate (1), scissors (1 per class), digital timer (1), newspaper (1 sheet), access to water

Lesson 5

Objective: Compare plants and plant structures in different environments.

Agenda

Launch (10 minutes)

Learn (30 minutes)

▪ Observe Plant Structures (15 minutes)

▪ Explore Big Thicket Environments (15 minutes)

Land (5 minutes)

Launch 10 minutes

Tell students to revisit their drawings of plants from the schoolyard (Lesson 3 Activity Guide A). Have students Think–Pair–Share to review the different plant parts they drew.

Sample student responses:

▪ I drew a plant with a lot of leaves.

▪ I drew a plant with a flower.

▪ I drew a tree with roots that I could see.

Begin a class plant model. Explain to students that they will construct a plant model that shows the function of different plant structures. Invite students to share a structure and its function. As students share, have the rest of the class use a nonverbal signal to indicate whether they agree with adding a suggested plant structure and its function to the model. If most students agree with adding a structure, include the structure on the class plant model. Display the model in an easily visible location for students to refer to throughout the lesson.

English Language Development

Students will encounter the terms structure and function throughout the module. Explain that a structure is a body part of a plant or animal that serves a specific purpose. Inform students that structures are inherited traits. Consider revisiting the rabbit family photographs (Lesson 3 Resource F) and asking students to identify the body parts or structures of the rabbits. Review that a function is what a body part does. Providing the Spanish cognates for structure (estructura) and function (función) may be helpful.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

Students previously learned about plant parts and how those parts help plants survive (2.13B, 4F). In this module, students build on that knowledge to identify how specialized plant structures help plants survive in different environments.

Sample class model:

Flowers make seeds.

Seeds turn into new plants.

Leaves capture sunlight. Stem moves water from roots to leaves.

Roots take up water and nutrients.

Direct students’ attention to the terrarium, and tell students that they will take turns observing the plants in the terrarium. Divide the class into groups, and invite groups, one at a time, to observe the terrarium up close. Instruct each group to observe the structures on each of the plants.

Safety Note

This activity poses potential hazards. To minimize the risk, review these safety measures and look for evidence that students are following them (4.1C):

▪ Do not reach inside the terrarium or touch the soil or plants.

▪ Do not move the terrarium.

Bring the class back together. Display the photograph of the terrarium for students to refer to as they discuss their observations.

► Which structures in our plant model are also found on the carnivorous plants?

▪ I can see stems on the sundew and flytrap.

▪ The pitcher plant has leaves.

▪ The roots of the plants are under the soil, so we can’t see them.

Teacher Note

If time allows, consider having students record their observations of the terrarium in their Science Logbook (Lesson 1 Activity Guide B) and then compare the shapes of the structures of the carnivorous plants.

Teacher Note

If it is not possible to take a photograph of the terrarium, display the completed terrarium setup photograph in Lesson 1 Resource A.

► Do the carnivorous plants have structures that are not on the plant model?

▪ The sticky tentacles on the sundew are not in our model.

▪ The tube on the pitcher plant isn’t in our model.

▪ The closing parts of the flytrap are not on most plants.

Summarize that carnivorous plants have common plant parts, such as leaves, stems, and roots, in addition to other structures that are not typically found on plants. Tell students that in this lesson set they will explore the Phenomenon Question How do the structures of a plant help it survive in its environment?

Learn 30 minutes

Observe Plant Structures 15 minutes

Display the photographs of plants in Big Thicket environments (Lesson 5 Resource A). Explain that the photographs show plants that are found in different environments in Big Thicket. Point to the two photographs of each plant, and identify each plant’s name: big bluestem grass, prickly pear cactus, and bladderwort.

Instruct students to observe the plants and their structures and to complete the Quick Write in their Science Logbook (Lesson 5 Activity Guide A). Next, have students compare their Quick Write with a partner, and encourage students to add new details.

Teacher Note

Bladderworts do not have roots. The bladders of the bladderwort plant are modified leaves that capture prey. At this point, it is acceptable for students to describe the bladders as part of the roots.

Students are not expected to know the functions of the plant structures. Students will further explore the structures and their functions throughout the module.

Sample student responses:

▪ The big bluestem grass looks like a green plant on top of very long roots. The roots look like hair. The roots are thin and twisted together.

▪ The prickly pear cactus is a short green plant with pointed spines. It looks like there are three or four spines in a group. Each part of the cactus has many spines.

▪ The bladderwort plant is floating on water. It has a yellow flower. I see little bumps on the roots that look like bubbles.

► How do these plants differ from our plant model at the beginning of the lesson?

▪ The cactus and the bladderwort have a structure that is not on the plant model.

▪ The plant model didn’t have spines, really long roots, or little bumps on the roots.

Check for Understanding

Students describe plant structures to identify specialized plant parts and compare those plants with the plant model.

TEKS Assessed

4.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence.

4.5F Explain the relationship between the structure and function of objects, organisms, and systems.

4.13A Explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment.

Evidence

Students observe (4.1E) and describe the structures of the plants in the photographs (4.13A) and compare those structures with the structures on the plant model (4.5F).

Next Steps

If students need support to identify or compare plant structures, display the images of the plants next to the plant model and have students compare the individual structures such as leaves, roots, and stems.

► What do you wonder about the plants in these photographs?

▪ How sharp are the spines on the prickly pear cactus?

▪ Why are the roots of the big bluestem grass so long?

▪ What are the bumps on the roots of the bladderwort?

▪ Do animals stay away from the cactus because of the spines?

Highlight student questions about plant structures and their functions. Tell students that to begin answering these questions they will figure out where these plants live by looking at different environments in Big Thicket.

Explore Big Thicket Environments 15 minutes

Explain to students that they will compare different environments in Big Thicket. Divide the class into groups, and distribute one set of Big Thicket environment cards to each group. (See Lesson 5 Resource B.)

Direct groups to use the photographs and information on the environment cards to identify similarities and differences between the environments. Tell students to record their observations in their Science Logbook (Lesson 5 Activity Guide B). Point out that many different plants live in each environment, and clarify that students should list only two types of plants for each environment. Circulate to support groups as they observe similarities and differences in the environments.

Sample student response:

▪ Some environments have the same types of plants. All the environments are a part of Big Thicket, and they all have trees.

Differentiation

Students may need support to summarize the information on the environment cards. To help students identify plant types that are unique to each environment, have students underline the plant types that are found in only one environment. Guide students with questions such as these: Is the soil in this environment wet or dry? Are the trees spread out or close together in this environment?

Longleaf Pine Upland Arid Sandyland

Wetland Pine Savanna Cypress Slough

Plant types American holly, big bluestem grass

Prickly pear cactus, yucca

Pale pitcher plant, pink sundew Bald cypress, Spanish moss

Distance between trees Depends on fire Spread out Spread out Close together

Longleaf Pine UplandArid Sandyland

Wetland Pine SavannaCypress Slough

Wet or dry soil Dry, sandy Dry, sandy Very wet Very wet, flooded for parts of the year

Carnivorous plants live here No No Yes No

Lead a class discussion about the differences that students observed.

► How are the environments different?

▪ Some environments have wet soil and others have dry soil.

▪ Only one environment has carnivorous plants.

▪ There are different types of plants in the environments.

Guide students to recognize that the environments have different conditions and different plants even though they are all in Big Thicket.

► Why do you think different plants live in the different environments?

▪ I think some plants grow better without a lot of trees.

▪ Some plants might grow well in wet soil.

▪ I think some environments might get more rain than others.

Remind students of the structures they observed on the big bluestem grass, prickly pear cactus, and bladderwort. Emphasize that these plants are found in different environments in Big Thicket. Have students revisit their Big Thicket environment cards.

► What do we know about the environments where the big bluestem grass, prickly pear cactus, and bladderwort grow?

▪ The big bluestem grass and the prickly pear cactus grow in environments with dry, sandy soil.

▪ The bladderwort grows in the wetland pine savanna. The trees are spread out and the soil is very wet in that environment.

► How can knowing about the environments where the plants grow help explain why these plants have certain structures?

▪ I’m not sure. I think we need more information about what each structure does.

▪ The big bluestem grass has very long roots. Maybe the long roots help the plants get water in dry soil.

Confirm with students that they need more information about the structures to understand the structures’ functions.

Land5 minutes

Review the plant model from the beginning of the lesson. Have students Think–Pair–Share to respond to the following questions.

► How did the plant model help us explain plant structures?

▪ We were able to show the common plant structures like roots, stems, and leaves.

▪ It helped us remember what those plant parts did.

▪ It gave us an idea of what a plant looks like.

► What are some limitations of the model?

▪ The model doesn’t have structures on it like long roots or spines.

▪ The model doesn’t look like the carnivorous plants.

Agree with students that, although the model is helpful, it has limitations. Tell students that the model does not show structures that appear on only one type of plant or show the way a structure found on many plants, such as roots, can look different on different plants.

Tell students that in the next lesson they will investigate the functions of plant structures as they explore the Phenomenon Question How do the structures of a plant help it survive in its environment?

Lesson 6

Objective: Model how the structures of plants help plants survive in their environment.

Agenda

Launch (3 minutes)

Learn (37 minutes)

▪ Prepare to Visit Plant Structure and Function Stations (3 minutes)

▪ Visit Plant Structure and Function Stations (24 minutes)

▪ Analyze Results (10 minutes)

Land (5 minutes)

Launch

3 minutes

Display the plants in Big Thicket environments photographs (Lesson 5 Resource A). Have students Think–Pair–Share to review the different structures on the plants.

Sample student responses:

▪ I see long roots and thin blue and green structures on the grass.

▪ I notice spines on the flat parts of the cactus.

▪ I see a flower and a stem on the bladderwort.

Tell students that they will explore different plant structures in this lesson to help them answer the Phenomenon Question How do the structures of a plant help it survive in its environment?

Learn

37 minutes

Prepare to Visit Plant Structure and Function Stations

3 minutes

Introduce the plant structure and function stations. Revisit the plants in Big Thicket environments photographs (Lesson 5 Resource A). Then hold up the components of each station one at a time, and ask students which plants and plant structures the materials at each station represent.

Sample student responses:

▪ Maybe the rolled-up paper towels under the gravel represent the roots of the grass we observed.

▪ The toothpicks in the clay look like the spines of the prickly pear cactus.

▪ The bulb of the dropper is like the structures that look like bubbles on the bladderworts.

Confirm that the rolled-up paper towels represent plant roots, the clay balls represent the prickly pear cactus, and the toothpicks represent the spines. Explain that the bulb of the dropper represents the structure that students observed on the bladderwort. Tell students that this structure is called a bladder and that bladders are attached to the bladderwort stems, which are underwater.

Tell students they will visit three stations. Remind students that the objects at each station represent plants and plant structures. Explain that students will use the materials at each station to model how the structures might help the plant survive in its environment.

Safety Note

The structure and function stations pose potential hazards. To minimize the risk, review these safety measures and look for evidence that students are following them (4.1C):

▪ Wear safety goggles at the stations.

▪ Do not place any materials in or near your mouth.

▪ Handle all materials carefully.

▪ Do not touch the tips of the toothpicks.

▪ If water spills, tell an adult right away.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

In this lesson, students explore the model structures to determine the function of the structure and how the structure helps the plant survive in its environment (4.13A).

Teacher Note

If students have difficulty connecting the dropper bulb to the bladderwort plant, remind students that bladderworts are carnivorous plants. Guide students to the understanding that the structures on the bladderwort are for capturing and digesting animals. If necessary, clarify that the rice at the Bladderwort Station represents animals.

v Visit Plant Structure and Function Stations 24 minutes

Divide the class into groups, and assign each group to its first station. Distribute safety goggles to each student. Review class expectations for group work, and instruct students to follow the directions on the procedure sheet at each station. (See Lesson 6 Resource B.)

Teacher Note

Ensure that students read the entire procedure at the station before beginning work. At the Prickly Pear and Bladderwort Stations, students conduct two trials before analyzing their results. To facilitate the activity, consider demonstrating the procedure at each station for students.

▪ Big Bluestem Grass Station: The paper towel rolls should not get wet when students add the blue water to the root model. Demonstrate how to tilt the cup and add water to the side opposite the paper towel rolls.

▪ Prickly Pear Station: Ensure that students do not start the timer before the student using the binder clip is ready to begin. If necessary, demonstrate how to set and start the timer.

▪ Bladderwort Station: Ensure that students do not start the timer before the student using the bulb is ready to begin. Demonstrate how to collect rice in the bulb without squeezing the bulb. Then demonstrate how to position the bulb away from rice, squeeze the bulb, and collect rice grains while keeping the bulb underwater. If necessary, demonstrate how to set and start the timer.

Tell students to record their observations and to answer the questions in their Science Logbook (Lesson 6 Activity Guide). Allow groups to spend about 7 minutes at each station. Provide time for students to clean up and reset their station for the next group. Then have groups rotate to the next station. As students work, circulate to support teamwork, and encourage students to accurately record their observations.

Differentiation

If students need support to connect the model to a plant structure and its function, consider asking questions such as these: What plant structure does this model represent? How is the investigation at this station like what would happen in the plant’s environment? (4F)

Differentiation

Level 4 students may need support to work collaboratively in groups. If necessary, assign roles that encourage individual responsibility while ensuring that the group can successfully complete the tasks at each station. For example, students at the Prickly Pear Station may take on roles such as these:

▪ Keeping time

▪ Using the binder clip to get clay off one of the balls

▪ Leading the discussion about observations

Teacher Note

If time allows, consider having students choose different roles and repeat each activity.

Sample student responses:

Big Bluestem Grass Station Paper

▪ Long roots help the big bluestem grass survive because they can absorb water that is deep in the ground.

Prickly Pear Station

▪ Spines make it harder for an animal to eat the prickly pear cactus and damage it.

Bladderwort Station

Teacher Note

If students have difficulty determining how the bladders help bladderwort plants, guide students to the understanding that the rice is a model for animals and that bladders can capture prey by using suction.

▪ Bladders help the bladderwort capture animals. Bladders suck the food in.

Check for Understanding

Students use evidence to explain how plant structures help plants survive in their environments.

TEKS Assessed

4.1G Develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

4.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models.

4.5C Use scale, proportion, and quantity to describe, compare, or model different systems.

4.5F Explain the relationship between the structure and function of objects, organisms, and systems.

4.13A Explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment.

Evidence

Students model (4.1G) different-length roots (4.5F) to determine that deep roots help the big bluestem grass survive in its environment by helping the plant access and absorb water (4.13A).

Next Steps

If students need support to connect the model to how deep roots help the big bluestem grass survive in its environment, revisit the plant model from Lesson 5 and ask students questions such as these: What is the function of roots? How do the long roots of the big bluestem grass help it survive in its environment?

Students compare the amount of clay removed from the models (4.5C) to explain (4.3A) how the spines of the prickly pear cactus help it survive in its environment (4.13A).

If students need support to connect the model to how the spines help the prickly pear cactus survive in its environment, revisit the model and ask students questions such as these: What might damage a plant in its natural environment? How do spines protect the cactus?

Students use a model (4.1G) to compare how many grains of rice the bulb collects (4.5C) to determine how the bladders of the bladderwort help it survive in its environment (4.13A).

If students need support to connect the model to how the bladders help the bladderwort survive in its environment, revisit the model, and ask students questions such as these: What do the grains of rice represent? How can the bladder of the bladderwort plant help it get what it needs to survive?

Analyze Results 10 minutes

After all groups visit the three stations, bring the class back together. Invite students to share their observations about plant structures and functions. As students share, record responses on chart paper to create a class chart. Then ask students to describe how the structure benefits the plant and helps the plant survive in its environment. Add relevant student responses to the class chart.

Sample class chart:

Plant Structure Function Survival Benefit

Big bluestem grass Long roots Absorb water from deep in soil Get water the plant needs to survive

Prickly pear cactus Spines Protect from predators Make it harder for animals to eat the plant

Bladderwort Bladders Capture animals Capture animals the plant needs to survive

► What evidence did you collect during the investigations that helped you determine the function of each plant structure?

▪ At the Big Bluestem Grass Station, we observed that the longer paper towel roll soaked up water and the shorter paper towel roll did not. This evidence shows that plants with long roots can get water that is deep in the soil.

▪ At the Prickly Pear Station, we observed that it was harder to remove clay from the ball with toothpicks than the ball without toothpicks. This evidence shows that spines on plants protect the plant from predators.

▪ At the Bladderwort Station, we saw that the dropper bulb captured more rice when we squeezed it than when we did not squeeze it. This evidence shows that bladders on the bladderwort stems use suction to capture animals.

Ask students to think about the environments where each of the modeled plants is found.

► Which plant structures would help a plant survive in many types of environments?

▪ Spines could protect plants in many different environments.

▪ Spines protect plants from being eaten. Spines could help plants no matter where they grow.

Teacher Note

At this point, it is acceptable for students to be unaware of how capturing animals aids in the survival of carnivorous plants. Look for evidence that students understand the structure and function of the bladderwort bladders. Throughout the module, students will continue to develop their understanding of how carnivorous plants get the resources they need to survive.

Teacher Note

If students observed unexpected results at the Big Bluestem Grass Station (e.g., both paper towel rolls absorbed water), discuss with students why this might have occurred. Work with students to identify possible errors in the investigation or limitations of the model.

► Which plant structures can help the plant only in a specific type of environment?

▪ The long roots on the big bluestem grass are helpful in areas where water is deep in the ground.

▪ Bladderworts live in the water, so I don’t think the bladders would help plants in environments where there is no water.

Summarize that some structures can help plants in many types of environments, whereas other structures are more beneficial to plants that live in specific types of environments.

Land

5 minutes

Remind students that in the previous lesson they compared different environments in Big Thicket. Direct students to the comparison chart in their Science Logbook (Lesson 5 Activity Guide B). Remind students that different plants live in each environment. Then revisit the plant structure and function class chart.

Ask students to respond to the Phenomenon Question How do the structures of a plant help it survive in its environment?

Sample student responses:

▪ Plants have structures that help them get what they need to survive.

▪ Some plants have deep roots to help them get water in dry environments.

▪ Spines can protect plants from being eaten by animals.

Summarize student responses, and explain that plants have structures with specific functions that help plants survive in their environments. Update the anchor chart with students’ new knowledge.

Sample anchor chart:

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• Organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

• Organisms can get acquired traits from events that occur during their lifetime.

• Plants have different structures that help them get what they need to survive in their environment.

Optional Homework

Students identify a real or imagined plant with a structure that could help the plant survive in its environment. Students draw and label their plant and write a brief explanation of how that structure helps the plant survive in its environment.

Lesson 7

Objective: Apply knowledge of how specialized structures help plants survive in their environment.

Agenda

Launch (5 minutes)

Learn (35 minutes)

▪ Update Anchor Model (15 minutes)

▪ Conceptual Checkpoint (20 minutes)

Land (5 minutes)

Launch

5 minutes

Display the image of the carnivorous plants painting, North American Carnivorous Plants (Lesson 7 Resource A).

Inform students that the artist, Marianne North, created more than 800 scientifically accurate paintings of plants. Tell students that she was one of the first artists to travel around the world to paint plants in their natural environment (Tyrrell 2022).

Extension

Students can use the library or approved internet resources to find out more about Marianne North and her artwork.

Divide the class into groups. Have students observe the painting and identify different plant structures. Have students share the structures and their functions by completing a Whip Around within their group. Bring the class back together, and invite volunteers to share one structure and its function.

Sample student responses:

▪ We noticed a white flower. Plants use flowers to produce seeds.

▪ My group noticed the Venus flytrap. It has structures that capture insects.

▪ We noticed the pitcher plant’s tube structures that trap bugs.

Point to the tube structure of the pitcher plant and the trap of the Venus flytrap in the painting. Clarify for students that these structures are leaves. Explain that these leaves are a different shape than the leaves on most plants and that the shape of these leaves helps the plants catch insects. Tell students that the tube-shaped leaf of the pitcher plant is called a pitcher.

35 minutes

Update Anchor Model 15 minutes

Display the carnivorous plants with prey photographs (Lesson 7 Resource B). Identify the type of plant shown in each photograph.

Review with students that these carnivorous plants are found in Big Thicket. Explain that the pitcher plant photograph shows a pitcher that a person cut open, and point out the remains of dead animals. Then tell students that the bladderwort photograph shows a close-up view of a bladderwort plant. Point out the dark objects in the bladders, and tell students that these objects are tiny animals that have been captured by the bladders.

► What do you notice about the structures of the carnivorous plants?

▪ The carnivorous plants all have different structures.

▪ The structures have animals stuck to them or inside of them.

► How do you think carnivorous plants use their structures to survive?

▪ The carnivorous plants use their structures to capture insects.

▪ The insects must give the plants something they need to survive.

▪ Carnivorous plants have structures for capturing animals, but I’m not sure how this helps the plants survive.

Summarize that the different structures of the carnivorous plants have the same function: to capture and digest animals.

Display the anchor model. Invite students to share ideas about what they can add to the anchor model to show different carnivorous plant structures and their functions. Then work with students to update the anchor model.

Teacher Note

Bladderwort bladders range from about 1 to 6 mm long. Bladderworts typically capture tiny crustaceans, aquatic insects, and larvae, though species with larger bladders can capture newly hatched fish and tadpoles.

Sample anchor model:

Carnivorous Plants in Big Thicket

Sunlight

Longleaf pine trees

Butterwort

Capturing animals

Air all around

Pitcher plants

Capturing animals

Sundew

Capturing animals

Soil

Bladderwort

Capturing animals

Water from rain

Many plants live in Big Thicket. Some of those plants are carnivorous. Carnivorous plants have special structures to catch and digest animals.

Conceptual Checkpoint 20 minutes

Display the photographs of Death Valley National Park (Lesson 7 Resource C), and tell students that Death Valley is part of the Mojave Desert.

Display the average yearly precipitation graph (Lesson 7 Resource D). Explain that this graph shows the average yearly precipitation for four locations. Clarify that average yearly precipitation means about how much precipitation a place can expect to receive in a year.

Teacher Note

The average annual precipitation data are a summary of data collected between 1991 and 2020 at the Death Valley station, the El Paso International Airport station, the Dallas Love Field station, and the Houston Hobby station (NOAA NCEI, n.d.).

Students may not be familiar with the term average. Explain that the average yearly precipitation indicates about how much precipitation an area receives in a year.

Ask students to share what they notice about the average yearly precipitation in the four locations.

Sample student responses:

▪ I see that two places have a little rain and two places have a lot of rain.

▪ Houston has the most amount of rain.

▪ Death Valley gets very little rain.

Tell students that Death Valley can expect to get about 2.2 inches of rain each year. Inform students that in summer, the temperature is often above 120°F.

Refocus students’ attention on the Death Valley photographs (Lesson 7 Resource C), and point to the plants in the photographs. Tell students that they will investigate two plants that live in Death Valley to determine how the structures of those plants help the plants get the resources they need to survive. Explain that although this is a different environment than Big Thicket, students can use plants from Death Valley to provide evidence of their new knowledge about the Concept 1 Focus Question: How do the structures of different plants compare?

Distribute the Conceptual Checkpoint (Lesson 7 Resource E) to each student. Instruct students to read the prompts and independently complete the items.

► Draw a check mark (✓) to identify each trait as an inherited trait or an acquired trait.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

Using a different context such as Death Valley allows students to identify the relationship between structures and their functions and how that relationship helps plants survive in their environment (4.5F, 4.13A).

Differentiation

Read questions aloud to students who need support to complete the Conceptual Checkpoint. Consider working with students individually or in small groups to support students with interpreting the models (4F).

► How does the shape of the plant’s roots help the plant survive in its environment?

▪ The roots help the prickly pear get water. The roots are near the surface of the soil, where there is water from rain.

► For each sentence, circle the word that makes the sentence true.

▪ The roots of the prickly pear cactus and the mesquite tree have a similar / different shape.

▪ The roots of the prickly pear cactus and the mesquite tree have a similar / different function.

► Use evidence from the models to support your answers.

▪ The plants’ roots are different shapes. The prickly pear roots are spread out near the surface, and the mesquite tree roots are long and reach deep underground. The roots of both plants function to absorb water in the desert.

After students complete the Conceptual Checkpoint, clarify and confirm students’ understanding about the plant structures and their functions. If necessary, explain that plants may have roots that look different but that the roots help plants get the water they need to survive in their environment.

Conceptual Checkpoint

This Conceptual Checkpoint assesses student understanding of the Concept 1 Focus Question: How do the structures of different plants compare?

TEKS Assessed

4.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence.

4.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models.

4.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

4.5F Explain the relationship between the structure and function of objects, organisms, and systems.

4.13A Explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment.

4.13B Differentiate between inherited and acquired physical traits of organisms.

Evidence

Students observe (4.1E) and identify patterns in photographs (4.5A) to determine that the bite mark is an acquired trait, and flowers and spines are inherited traits (4.13B).

Students explain (4.3A) that the short roots of the prickly pear cactus can help the plant absorb water (4.5F) near the soil surface (4.13A).

Next Steps

If students need support to differentiate between inherited and acquired traits, have students identify which traits are shared by the cactuses and which traits are observed on only one cactus.

If students need support to describe how the roots help cactuses survive in Death Valley, ask students questions such as these: What do plants need that is difficult to find in Death Valley? How do roots help plants get this resource? (continues)

Conceptual Checkpoint (continued)

EvidenceNext Steps

Students compare two models and identify that the mesquite and prickly pear roots have the same function of absorbing water (4.5F) but do not have the same shape (4.13A).

If students need support to identify similarities and differences between the roots of the plants, refer students to the models, and ask questions such as these: Do the roots look the same or different? Is the function of the roots the same or different?

Students use models to develop an explanation (4.3A) of how plants with different-shaped roots can survive in their environment (4.13A). Students identify relationships between the structure and functions of plant parts (4.5F).

If students need support to explain the relationship between root shape and root function, remind students of the function of roots. Ask students to consider whether different-shaped roots would have different functions.

5 minutes

Revisit the Concept 1 Focus Question: How do the structures of different plants compare? Point out that students have new knowledge about plant structures and functions and about how the structures and functions help plants survive in their environment.

Display the driving question board, and add the Concept 2 Focus Question: How does the environment help plants get what they need to survive? Work with students to add new questions or to move existing questions under the new heading.

Sample driving question board:

Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous?

How do the structures of different plants compare?

What parts of the plants catch the insects?

Do all carnivorous plants have roots, stems, and leaves like other plants?

How does the environment help plants get what they need to survive?

What type of environment is Big Thicket?

How much does it rain in Big Thicket?

Environment

Do any animals eat carnivorous plants?

Why do the carnivorous plants eat insects?

Do other plants in Big Thicket have unusual characteristics?

How do the butterwort and bladderwort catch insects?

What animals live in Big Thicket?

Related

Phenomena: Some plants can survive underwater.

Desert plants store water in their stems and leaves.

Some plants have flowers that make nectar for pollinators.

Tell students that in the next lesson they will begin to investigate how the available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives.

Lessons 8–9 Science Challenge Part 1 Prepare

In Lessons 8 and 9, students prepare to carry out an investigation to further explore how access to resources from the environment affects a plant’s ability to make its own food, grow, and survive. In Lesson 8, students develop questions about how the water, light, and air conditions in the environment might differ. They brainstorm ways to investigate how differences in these factors might affect a plant’s ability to make food and grow. In Lesson 9, students finish planning and begin to carry out their investigations. Students will continue to collect and record data to describe how the availability of water, light, and air in an environment affects plant growth.

Student Learning

Knowledge Statement

Plants can make their own food and grow when they get water, sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrients from their environment.

Application of Concepts

Task

Science Challenge

Phenomenon Question

How do the available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives?

Objectives

▪ Lesson 8: Plan a fair test to determine how limiting access to water, light, and air affects a plant’s ability to make food and grow.

▪ Lesson 9: Set up and conduct an investigation to determine how different resource conditions affect a plant’s ability to make food and grow.

Standards Addressed

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

Content Standards

Standard Student Expectation

4.12A Investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter. (Introduced)

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Standard Student Expectation Lesson(s)

4.1B Use scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems. 8, 9

4.1C Demonstrate safe practices and the use of safety equipment during classroom and field investigations as outlined in Texas Education Agency–approved safety standards.

4.1D

Use tools, including hand lenses; metric rulers; Celsius thermometers; calculators; laser pointers; mirrors; digital scales; balances; graduated cylinders; beakers; hot plates; meter sticks; magnets; notebooks; timing devices; sieves; materials for building circuits; materials to support observation of habitats of organisms such as terrariums, aquariums, and collecting nets; and materials to support digital data collection such as computers, tablets, and cameras, to observe, measure, test, and analyze information.

4.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence.

4.2A Identify advantages and limitations of models such as their size, scale, properties, and materials.

Recurring Themes and Concepts

Radish plants: 3ʺ plastic nursery pots (6), plastic tray large enough to fit 6 nursery pots (1), 2 qt or larger container (1), plastic spoon (1), potting soil (6 cups), radish seeds (at least 24), heat lamp with reflector (1), grow light bulb (1), disposable gloves (1 pair), safety goggles (1), access to water

Challenge: 3ʺ plastic nursery pots (2), prepared radish plant pots in potting soil (6), permanent marker (1), disposable gloves (1 pair), paper plates (2), disposable pipette (1, optional), small cup (1), sand (1 cup), local soil (1 cup), 1 qt resealable clear plastic bag (1), plastic straw (1),

access to water, access

Lesson 8

Objective: Plan a fair test to determine how limiting access to water, light, and air affects a plant’s ability to make food and grow.

Agenda

Launch (5 minutes)

Learn (35 minutes)

▪ Discuss Food and Resources (5 minutes)

▪ Discuss Fair Test Investigations (15 minutes)

▪ Plan a Fair Test Investigation (15 minutes)

Land (5 minutes)

Launch 5 minutes

Teacher Note

Review the Science Challenge rubric (Lesson 8 Resource A) before beginning Lessons 8 and 9 and Lessons 20 and 21. Use the rubric to assess students throughout the Science Challenge by looking and listening for evidence of student engagement as students participate in each activity.

Display the soybean crop photograph (Lesson 8 Resource B).

► What do you notice about the plants?

▪ Some plants are brown, and some are green.

▪ It looks like some of these plants are dying.

▪ I notice that the green plants are taller than the brown ones. Display the photograph of soybean plants (Lesson 8 Resource C).

► How are the plants in the second photograph different from the plants in the first photograph?

▪ The plants in the second photograph look healthier than the plants in the first photograph.

▪ The plants in the second photograph are bright green and look like they will grow.

▪ I don’t think the plants in the first photograph will survive.

Tell students that both photographs show soybean plants. Confirm for students that the soybean plants in the second photograph look healthy compared with the plants in the first photograph. Emphasize that healthy plants can grow and survive.

► What do you think organisms need to take in so that they can grow and survive?

▪ Organisms need water, food, and air to grow.

▪ Plants need water, sunlight, and air to grow and survive.

► Where do you think organisms get what they need to grow and survive?

▪ Organisms depend on their environment for resources.

▪ Plants don’t move, so they get what they need to grow and survive from the environment around them.

▪ Animals can move around to get water and food.

Highlight that organisms need matter like food, water, and air from their environment to survive. Tell students that they will conduct an investigation to answer the Phenomenon Question How do the available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives?

Learn

35 minutes

Discuss Food and Resources 5 minutes

Ask students to Think–Pair–Share to determine their own definition of the term food

Sample student responses:

▪ Food is something we eat to help us grow.

▪ The things from the store that we can eat and give us energy are called food.

▪ The parts from plants and animals that people cook and eat are food.

Acknowledge students’ definitions of food. Then ask students why people and other organisms need food.

Sample student responses:

▪ Food gives people the energy to run and play. Other organisms need energy too.

▪ Organisms need food to grow.

▪ Food keeps people and organisms healthy.

Confirm for students that food is any material that an organism uses to supply its matter and energy needs.

English Language Development

Food may be a familiar term with a new scientific meaning for students. Introduce the term explicitly, and discuss different examples of food (2C).

Point out that, just like people, plants get matter and energy from food. Ask students to Think–Pair–Share to generate a list of resources from the environment that plants need in order to make their own food and to grow and survive. As students share, record student responses on a class chart.

Sample class chart:

Resources That Plants Need

▪ Water

▪ Air

▪ Sunlight

▪ Nutrients from the soil

Summarize that water, air, sunlight, and nutrients from the soil are the resources that plants need in order to make their own food and to grow and survive. Explain that plants need carbon dioxide from the air. Tell students that carbon dioxide is a gas that is a part of air.

English Language Development

Introduce the term carbon dioxide explicitly. Providing the Spanish cognate dióxido de carbono may be helpful (2C).

Discuss Fair Test Investigations

15 minutes

Revisit the soybean crop photograph (Lesson 8 Resource B).

► What conditions in the environment may have caused the plants to become unhealthy and turn brown?

▪ The soil looks very wet. Maybe the plants got too much water.

▪ Maybe there was not enough sunlight for the brown plants to make food.

▪ Maybe a disease made the plants unhealthy.

Tell students they will design an investigation to identify how available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives.

Teacher Note

Students may suggest that plants need soil or nutrients from the soil. Nutrients are crucial for most plants’ survival; however, they are not directly used in the process of making food.

► How could we figure out what causes plants to not grow and not survive?

▪ We could stop watering the plants and see if they look like the brown plants in the photograph.

▪ We could put the plants in the shade and see if they survive.

▪ We could put plants in different types of soil.

Revisit the Phenomenon Question How do the available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives? Ask students to think about how they can investigate this question. Guide students to think about removing or changing resources and observing the effects on plant growth.

On chart paper, begin a fair test guidelines chart. Work with students to develop the six investigation questions shown on the sample fair guidelines chart. Record the questions on the chart.

Teacher Note

Students will revisit the fair test guidelines chart throughout the Science Challenge. The investigation questions make up the first column of the chart that the class builds during this lesson. Leave enough space to the right to add two additional columns to the chart. Leave space at the bottom of the chart to add a section with two columns. Students will revisit the chart in Lesson 9.

Sample fair test guidelines chart:

Investigation Question

How does an environment without air affect the way a plant makes food and grows?

How does an environment without water affect the way a plant makes food and grows?

How does an environment without light affect the way a plant makes food and grows?

How does an environment with sand affect the way a plant makes food and grows?

How does an environment with local soil affect the way a plant makes food and grows?

How does an environment with all resources affect the way a plant makes food and grows?

Differentiation

If students need additional support to develop investigation questions, remind them of the resource examples that the class discussed, such as the amount of water, sunlight, or air in a plant’s environment.

Explain that students will plan and conduct an investigation to answer these questions.

Ask students to imagine the following investigation setup: Students put a plant in a dark closet and do not water the plant. After 1 week, students observe the characteristics of the plant to see whether the plant can make food and grow.

► Imagine that you observe changes in the characteristics of the plant. How would you know whether the changes are from a lack of water or from a lack of sunlight?

▪ It would be hard to know if a lack of water or a lack of sunlight changed how the plant made food.

▪ We would not know whether the changes were from the plant not having water or sunlight.

Use students’ responses to explain that this investigation setup does not describe a fair test because there is no way to be sure which condition affected the plant’s ability to make food and grow.

► How should we change the investigation so we can be sure which condition affects how the plant makes food and grows?

▪ Maybe we should test only one condition at a time.

▪ I think we should give one plant no water and another plant no sunlight and observe the results.

Highlight student responses that mention testing one condition per plant. Review with students that any condition or factor that can change in an investigation is called a variable. Remind students that in a fair test only one condition or factor in the investigation is changed at a time.

Next, tell students to imagine that they change only one condition in the investigation and observe that the plant can still make food and grow.

► How would you know that what you observe is not from typical growth and development?

▪ We wouldn’t know for sure unless we know how this type of plant usually changes throughout its life.

▪ We need one plant that gets a normal amount of resources to compare it with a plant that does not get one resource.

Confirm that a fair test in the investigation should include a plant that receives all the resources it needs to grow and survive.

Teacher Note

If necessary, guide students to understand that sand and local soil may contain different resources than those found in the soil for the plants grown with all resources. Sandy soil is low in nutrients because nutrients leach out of sand. Depending on location and amount of fertilization, the local soil may be higher or lower in nutrients than the soil for the plants with all resources.

In Lessons 17 through 19, students will make the connection between nutrients and plant growth and survival, and they will deepen their understanding of why carnivorous plants need animals to grow and survive.

English Language Development

Students will encounter the term variable throughout the module. Providing the Spanish cognate variable may be helpful (2C).

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

In experimental investigations, a control group is often an essential component of the investigation design. A control group serves as a baseline by which an outcome in the experimental group can be measured. In this investigation, the Group 6 plants grown in typical resource conditions are the control group. However, students are not expected to fully understand or independently identify control groups at this level. Instead, students can describe the plants as those growing with all or typical resources (4.1B).

Tell students that they will conduct an investigation to compare a plant grown without one resource to a plant grown with all resources. Then explain that the amount and type of resources that a plant needs to grow and survive in the classroom are the typical resources for this investigation. Summarize that this investigation will show whether removing or changing resources in an environment affects the way a plant makes food and grows.

Explain that the different conditions are the variables in the investigation. Tell students that they will test the following variables: amount of water, amount of light, amount of air, and type of soil.

► What other variables could we investigate?

▪ We could grow plants in pots with different amounts of soil.

▪ We could investigate the size of the container the plants grow in. The space for a plant to grow could be a variable.

▪ The temperature of the air where the plants grow could be a variable.

▪ Maybe the type of plant we use is a variable.

Agree that the investigation has many variables, including type and amount of soil, container size, temperature of the environment, and type of plant.

► How can we be sure that changes in the appearance of the plant are not caused by these variables?

▪ We can check that all the other variables are the same for all the plants we test.

▪ All the variables except for one condition need to be the same.

▪ We should change only one condition.

Summarize that by changing only one variable and keeping the other variables the same, students should be able to determine which variable causes the changes they observe in the appearance of the plants.

Plan a Fair Test Investigation 1

5 minutes

Inform students that they will work in groups to test the investigation questions on the fair test guidelines chart. Divide the class into six groups, and assign one investigation question to each group. Tell students to record their group number and investigation question in their Science Logbook (Lesson 8 Activity Guide).

Explain that students will work with their group to design an investigation to answer their investigation question. Tell students that each group will receive a pot with young radish plants and the materials they need to carry out their investigation.

Ask groups to design a fair test to answer their investigation question. Tell students to record their initial investigation plan in their Science Logbook (Lesson 8 Activity Guide).

Provide time for students to plan and record their investigation ideas. Then pose the following questions for groups to discuss:

► Which variable will you change in your investigation?

► Which variables will you keep the same in your investigation?

Ask volunteers from each group to share their ideas with the class. As students share, add a summary of each group’s ideas to the fair test guidelines chart.

Sample fair test guidelines chart:

Investigation Question Variable That Changes Variables That Stay the Same

▪ Type of plant

How does an environment without light affect the way a plant makes food and grows? Amount of light

▪ Amount of air

▪ Amount of water

▪ Amount of soil

▪ Type of soil

▪ Type of plant

▪ Amount of air

How does an environment with sand affect the way a plant makes food and grows? Type of soil

▪ Amount of water

▪ Amount of light

▪ Amount of sand the same as the amount of soil

▪ Type of plant

How does an environment with local soil affect the way a plant makes food and grows? Type of soil

▪ Amount of air

▪ Amount of water

▪ Amount of light

▪ Amount of soil

▪ Type of plant

▪ Amount of air

How does an environment with all resources affect the way a plant makes food and grows? No change in variables

▪ Amount of water

▪ Amount of light

▪ Amount of soil

▪ Type of soil

Emphasize that students should change only one variable in their investigation and keep all other variables the same.

► How could you test one variable but make sure all other variables stay the same for your plants?

▪ We could put the plants in a clear container that is closed so light gets in but not air.

▪ We could make sure the plants get the same amount of air and light as other plants but not water them.

▪ We could keep our plants in a dark place with no light and give them water and air.

► How can you collect data about changes in your plants’ appearance?

▪ We can observe the plants and write what we notice.

▪ Maybe we can measure the height of the plants with a ruler to see if they get taller.

▪ We can draw and label pictures of the plants.

Agree that there are many ways to collect data. Explain that students must be consistent and precise when collecting and recording data so they can use the results to make evidence-based conclusions at the end of the investigation.

► How can each group collect and record data the same way so groups can compare their data?

▪ I think each group can record what they notice about the color of the stems and leaves.

▪ We need to measure the height of the plants to see if they are taller or stayed the same.

▪ We can use a data table to record what we observe so we can see how the plants changed.

As students share, create a class list to record the characteristics that students mention. Work with students to agree on the following characteristics to collect and record data about.

Sample class list:

Characteristics

▪ Stem color

▪ Stem height

▪ Leaf color

▪ Leaf size

▪ Other observations

Direct students to record these characteristics in the data tables in their Science Logbook (Lesson 8 Activity Guide).

Teacher Note

The last row of the table can be used to record additional characteristics students observe. Students may decide to record an exact measurement or a description, such as the number of leaves or the way the stems hang over the edge of the pot.

Sample student response:

Characteristic Observation

Stem color

Stem height

Leaf color

Leaf size

Other observations

Next, ask students to think about how they can be precise when they collect and record data about each plant’s characteristics. Invite students to share their ideas with the class.

Sample student responses:

▪ We can be precise about the leaf and stem color and say that the leaves are light green or dark green instead of just green.

▪ We can use a ruler to measure the stem.

Work with students to determine how they will specifically measure each characteristic.

▪ Students should record the stem and leaf color by describing the color as light or dark.

▪ Students should record the stem height measurement to the nearest half centimeter.

▪ Students should record the size of each leaf relative to a quarter-size object.

Add a section with two columns to the bottom of the fair test guidelines chart. Use the first column to summarize how each group can collect data the same way. Use the second column to list the three ways to gather data as precisely as possible.

Differentiation

Some students may benefit from a review of how to measure to the nearest half centimeter.

Teacher Note

Consider using a quarter as a relative measure of leaf size. Ensure all groups use a similar-size object so that groups can compare their observations.

Sample fair test guidelines chart (new section only):

Gather Data the Same Way

▪ Observe and measure the same characteristics: color of stem and leaf, stem height, and leaf size.

▪ Record data in a data table.

Check for Understanding

Gather Data as Precisely as Possible

▪ Describe stems and leaves by using light and dark to describe color.

▪ Use a metric ruler to measure plant height.

▪ Compare leaf size with a quarter.

Students apply fair test guidelines to their investigation ideas that are recorded in the class chart.

TEKS Assessed

4.1B Use scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems.

4.12A Investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter.

Evidence

Students plan an investigation (4.1B) to test each variable individually (e.g., amount of air, amount of water, type of soil) to determine which resources are needed for plants to grow and make their own food (4.12A).

Next Steps

If students need support to understand how the resources available in an environment connect to the plant’s ability to grow and make its own food, return to the definition of food. Discuss why food is necessary to obtain the matter and energy plants need to grow and survive.

Students demonstrate the understanding that only the variable they are investigating should be changed and all other variables should be kept the same by comparing their test plant with a plant that has all the resources it needs in its environment (4.1B).

If students need support to apply the fair test guidelines to their initial investigation plans, meet individually or in small groups to describe and identify the components of a fair test. Refer to the fair test guidelines chart as needed, and use examples from the class discussion to explain the factors that may cause a test to be unfair.

Land

5 minutes

Lead a class discussion about students’ investigation plans. Ask students how they think their plants’ characteristics might change during the investigation.

Sample student responses:

▪ The leaves might change color from green to brown.

▪ The plant might grow taller, or it might grow more leaves.

▪ The leaves might stop growing.

► How can the changes we observe help us figure out whether a plant can make its own food?

▪ If the plants turn brown or don’t grow, then they weren’t able to make food.

▪ Maybe the plants grow taller, which means they had more food.

▪ I think if the leaves are big, then the plants are making food. If the plants are small, then the plants can’t make food.

Have groups review their investigation question. Then instruct groups to predict a possible answer to their investigation question and record their response in their Science Logbook (Lesson 8 Activity Guide). Instruct students to include details, such as the characteristics they think might change over time. Encourage students to explain their reasoning for their prediction. After students have recorded their responses, invite a few volunteers to share their predictions with the class.

Sample student responses:

▪ I predict that the leaves and stem of the plant that gets no air will turn yellow or brown. I don’t think plants can survive without air.

▪ I predict that the plant that gets no water will have a short stem. I also predict that the stem and leaves will become brown. Plants need water to survive, so I think that the plant will not grow well with a lack of water.

▪ I predict that the stem and leaves will change from green to brown on the plant that gets no light. I also think the plant’s stem will not grow and the leaves will be small. I don’t think plants can make food or grow without light.

Tell students that in the next lesson they will set up their investigation and begin recording observations.

Optional Homework

Students brainstorm a fair test to conduct at home. The test should determine how other environmental conditions affect the way a plant makes its own food and grows. For example, a student may design an investigation to test how different types of plants grow in the same conditions or how temperature affects plant growth.

Lesson 9

Objective: Set up and conduct an investigation to determine how different resource conditions affect a plant’s ability to make food and grow.

Agenda

Launch (5 minutes)

Learn (36 minutes)

▪ Revisit Investigation Ideas (6 minutes)

▪ Observe and Record Initial Data (20 minutes)

▪ Set Up Investigations (10 minutes)

Land (4 minutes)

Launch

5 minutes

Teacher Note

If possible, conduct this investigation with live radish plants in the classroom. However, if circumstances prevent the class from growing and observing live plants, if the plants do not germinate, or if plants are damaged during the investigation, students can refer to the Science Challenge results photographs (Lesson 9 Resource C), which show how the plants change over time for each condition.

Direct students to their Science Logbook (Lesson 8 Activity Guide), and tell them to review their group’s investigation question. Ask students to explain the goal of their group’s investigation in their own words.

Sample student responses:

▪ We want to find out how having no air affects a plant’s growth.

▪ Our goal is to investigate if a plant can make food and grow when there is no water in the plant’s environment.

► What information and materials do you need to investigate these questions in the classroom?

▪ We need plants that we can test.

▪ We need to figure out how to get rid of air.

▪ If we want to see how a plant’s characteristics change if it gets no water, then we need to know how much water a plant usually gets.

Agree that students need more information before they can plan and carry out their investigations. Review class expectations for group work, and ask students to return to their investigation groups.

Learn 36

minutes

Revisit Investigation Ideas 6 minutes

Display the fair test guidelines chart. Ask students to think about the similarities and differences among the six investigations.

► How are the investigations similar to one another?

▪ Each group changes one variable during the investigation. We keep the other variables the same.

▪ We all test one condition for our variable. We also observe the same characteristics and record what we measure.

► How are the investigations different from one another?

▪ We all remove or change a different resource.

▪ Each group tests a different variable.

Next, explain that students still need to determine how to set up their investigations. Point out the six prepared pots under the grow lamp. Tell students that the plants in the pots are radish plants and that they will use these plants for their investigations.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

Students investigate different variables to see how the lack of a resource affects a plant’s ability to make its own food (4.12A). In Lessons 20 and 21, students will draw conclusions and share their group’s results with the class.

Teacher Note

Students use grow lamps in the Kindergarten Life Module and the Level 2 Plants Module. If necessary, remind students that a grow lamp provides a similar kind of light to the Sun.

Tell students that radish seeds were planted in the same type of soil about 1 week before the lesson. Inform students that all plants received the same amounts of water, light, and air. Describe each group’s investigation:

▪ Group 1: Explain that Group 1 will receive help with their setup because of safety concerns when removing air from a sealed container. Tell Group 1 students that they will keep their plants under the grow lamp during the investigation.

▪ Group 2: Explain that Group 2 will not water their plants. Tell Group 2 students that they will keep their plants under a grow lamp during the investigation.

▪ Group 3: Explain that Group 3 will water their plants throughout the Science Challenge. Tell Group 3 students that they will place their plants on a paper plate in a dark classroom location. Work with students to identify a place that receives no light but allows all other variables to stay the same.

▪ Group 4: Tell Group 4 students that 1 day before the lesson, their plants were moved to a pot of sand. Explain that Group 4 will water their plants throughout the Science Challenge and that they will keep their plants under the grow lamp during the investigation.

▪ Group 5: Tell Group 5 students that 1 day before the lesson, their plants were moved to a pot of local soil. Explain that Group 5 will water their plants throughout the Science Challenge and that they will keep their plants under the grow lamp during the investigation.

▪ Group 6: Explain that Group 6 will water their plants throughout the Science Challenge and that they will keep their plants under the grow lamp during the investigation.

Tell students that the grow lamp will be turned on in the morning and turned off at the end of the day. Explain that for this investigation, this schedule is a typical light condition for these plants.

Inform students that, to keep the soil moist, Groups 3, 4, 5, and 6 will add the same amount of water to their plant pots on a regular schedule throughout the Science Challenge. Explain that for this investigation, this is a typical water condition for these plants.

Instruct students to refer to the fair test guidelines chart as they update their investigation plan in their Science Logbook (Lesson 8 Activity Guide).

Teacher Note

The plants’ water needs may vary because of temperature and humidity in the classroom. Plants may need up to 25 mL of water every other day. Students should use the volume of water that was determined to work under classroom conditions. (See Lesson 9 Resource A.)

Teacher Note

Because the radish seeds in the no air condition are sealed in a bag with additional water at the bottom of the bag, Group 1 will not need to water their plants. In Lesson 14, students will reflect on this and connect what they learned about the water cycle with what is happening in this investigation.

Sample student response (Group 4):

1. Record observations of our plants in our Science Logbook.

2. Check that our pot has about the same amount of sand as the amount of soil in other groups’ pots.

3. Water our plants regularly. Use a graduated cylinder to measure the typical amount of water and to pour the water onto the sand.

4. Keep our plants under the same light as the plants with all resources.

5. Record observations of our plants two more times.

Observe and Record Initial Data

20 minutes

Tell students that they should always handle the plants gently and that the plants should remain under the grow light unless students water or observe them.

Safety Note

This investigation poses potential hazards. To minimize the risk, review these safety measures and look for evidence that students are following them (4.1C):

▪ Wear safety goggles throughout the activity.

▪ Do not put materials, including soil or any parts of the plants, in or near your eyes or mouth.

▪ Wash your hands immediately after handling the plants.

▪ If water or another material spills, tell an adult right away.

▪ Do not touch the tip of the toothpick.

Distribute the prepared radish plant pot for their specific condition. (See Lesson 9 Resource B.) Then distribute a ruler, a toothpick, a handheld magnifier, a quarter, and safety goggles to each group. Tell students to work with their group to observe the plants in their pot.

Instruct students to place the toothpick next to the tallest plant. Tell students they will measure this plant throughout the Science Challenge.

Instruct students to use the metric ruler to measure the stem of the tallest plant. Direct students to measure from the rim at the top of the pot to the top of the stem. Explain that students should use the handheld magnifier for close observations of the other plant characteristics. Tell students to identify an average-size leaf and to compare the size of that leaf with the quarter.

Direct students to their Science Logbook (Lesson 8 Activity Guide), and tell them to record the date above the first data table. Then tell students to record their initial observations of their plant’s characteristics in the first data table. Tell groups that they will observe their plants two more times during the Science Challenge.

Sample student response:

Characteristic Observation

Stem color

▪ Light green with a little red at the bottom

Stem height ▪ 4.5 cm

Leaf color ▪ Light green

Leaf size

Other observations

Set Up Investigations

▪ Smaller than a quarter

▪ Two leaves at top of each stem

10 minutes

Distribute a graduated cylinder to all groups except Group 2. Tell students to use the graduated cylinder to accurately measure and pour the determined amount of water into the pot.

Tell Groups 2, 3, 4, and 5 to place their pots under the grow lamp. Assist Group 3 in placing their pot on a paper plate in a dark location.

Bring the class back together, and direct students’ attention to the no-air setup. Show students the plastic bag and the straw.

► How can we use the plastic bag and the straw to make sure the plants get water and light but no air during the investigation?

▪ We can put the plants in the bag and put water in the bottom of the bag.

▪ Maybe we can try to suck all the air out of the container with the straw.

Build on students’ ideas to suggest a plan. Put the Group 1 pot in a clear resealable plastic bag. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the bag with approximately 1 cm of water. Seal the bag but

Teacher Note

Consider taking photographs of the groups’ plants while groups are recording observations and then using these photographs at the end of the investigation as a comparison.

Differentiation

If students need support to make relevant observations, consider asking questions such as these: Which colors best describe the stem and the leaves? Is the leaf bigger or smaller than a quarter?

leave a small opening to insert the straw. Use the straw to suck out as much air as possible from the bag. Then take out the straw and quickly and completely seal the bag. Place the sealed bag with the Group 1 pot under the grow light.

Check for Understanding

Students record initial data and set up their investigation.

TEKS Assessed

4.1B Use scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems.

4.1D Use tools, including hand lenses; metric rulers; Celsius thermometers; calculators; laser pointers; mirrors; digital scales; balances; graduated cylinders; beakers; hot plates; meter sticks; magnets; notebooks; timing devices; sieves; materials for building circuits; materials to support observation of habitats of organisms such as terrariums, aquariums, and collecting nets; and materials to support digital data collection such as computers, tablets, and cameras, to observe, measure, test, and analyze information.

4.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence.

4.5G Explain how factors or conditions impact stability and change in objects, organisms, and systems.

4.12A Investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter.

Evidence

Students record the initial characteristics of each plant by using specific descriptions (4.1E) and tools for measuring (4.1D). Initial observations will be used for comparison in later lessons to explain how access to resources affects the growth of the plant (4.5G).

Next Steps

If students need support to record observations precisely, ask questions such as these: What are the exact colors of the stem and leaf? How does the size of a leaf compare with the size of a quarter? If students need support to measure the plants precisely, ask them to practice by using a ruler to measure another classroom object. Remind students that data should be collected the same way each time they observe their plants.

Students set up their fair test (4.1B) with the appropriate resources according to their assigned investigation question (4.12A).

As needed, remind students of the fair test guidelines, and revisit the example from the previous lesson on how changing more than one variable would make their test unfair.

Remind students in Groups 3, 4, 5, and 6 that they will water their plants regularly throughout the Science Challenge. In Lesson 20, all groups will make final observations and analyze their results.

Land

4 minutes

Revisit the Phenomenon Question How do the available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives?

► What is the environment for this investigation?

▪ Our classroom is the environment.

▪ The setup we have is the environment.

► How is the investigation environment different from the plant’s natural environment?

▪ In a natural environment, plants get the sunlight, water, air, and nutrients that are available in their environment.

▪ In the investigation environment, we decide which resources to give each group’s plants.

Tell students that in the next lesson they will learn more about how the environment affects plants as they explore the Concept 2 Focus Question: How does the environment help plants get what they need to survive?

Lessons 10–11 Climate in Big Thicket Prepare

In this lesson set, students collect and analyze weather data as they investigate the Phenomenon Question What is the weather like where pale pitcher plants live? In Lesson 10, students analyze historical weather data to notice seasonal weather patterns in Big Thicket. After using patterns in weather conditions to define climate, students differentiate statements that describe weather and statements that describe climate. In Lesson 11, students analyze the weather and climate of Baldwin County, Alabama, another location where pale pitcher plants live. Then students compare the climates of Big Thicket and Baldwin County, Alabama, to determine what the climate is like in places where pale pitcher plants live. Students update the anchor chart with their new knowledge of weather and climate.

Student Learning

Knowledge Statement

Climate remains relatively stable over time.

Concept 2: Environmental Conditions for Plants

Focus Question

How does the environment help plants get what they need to survive?

Phenomenon Question

What is the weather like where pale pitcher plants live?

Objectives

▪ Lesson 10: Analyze historical weather data to determine that climate remains relatively stable over time.

▪ Lesson 11: Compare climates to determine that the pale pitcher plant lives in different locations with similar climates.

Standards Addressed

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

4.10A Describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in this process. (Introduced)

4.10C Differentiate between weather and climate. (Introduced) 10, 11

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Standard

4.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence.

4.2B Analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns, or sources of error.

4.2C Use mathematical calculations to compare patterns and relationships.

Recurring Themes and Concepts

Standard

4.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

English Language Proficiency Standards

3D Speak using grade-level content area vocabulary in context to internalize new English words and build academic language proficiency.

Lesson 10

Objective: Analyze historical weather data to determine that climate remains relatively stable over time.

Agenda

Launch (5 minutes)

Learn (37 minutes)

▪ Observe Weather in Big Thicket (5 minutes)

▪ Prepare to Analyze Historical Weather Graphs (5 minutes)

▪ Analyze Historical Weather Graphs (15 minutes)

▪ Define Climate (12 minutes)

Launch 5 minutes

Display the pitcher plant range maps (Lesson 10 Resource A). Point out the pitcher plant range on the map of North America, and explain that different types of pitcher plants live in this area of the United States and Canada. Then point to the highlighted area on the pale pitcher plant range map, and tell students that pale pitcher plants live in this area of the United States.

Land (3 minutes)

Help students see the connection between the two range maps by pointing to the area on the North America map where pale pitcher plants live (i.e., Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama). Then point to the location of Big Thicket. Ask students to Think–Pair–Share to compare the locations of pitcher plants on the maps.

Big Thicket National Preserve

Sample student responses:

▪ Pale pitcher plants live in a few states.

▪ Different types of pitcher plants live in different locations in North America.

▪ Pitcher plants are in many places in the United States, but pale pitcher plants live in a smaller area of the United States.

Agree that pale pitcher plants live in specific areas of the United States.

► Why might pale pitcher plants live only in these areas?

▪ Maybe those places have the right soil for the plants.

▪ Maybe those areas have the types of animals the plants need.

▪ Maybe the weather is good for the pale pitcher plants.

Highlight student responses that mention the weather, and tell students that in this lesson they will explore the Phenomenon Question What is the weather like where pale pitcher plants live?

Teacher Note

Other types of pitcher plants live in the same region as the pale pitcher plant. However, the pale pitcher plant lives only in the limited range shown on the pale pitcher plant range map.

37 minutes

Observe Weather in Big Thicket

5 minutes

Display the current weather data table for Big Thicket. (See Lesson 10 Resource B.)

► How can we describe the current weather in Big Thicket?

▪ It is windy and cloudy in Big Thicket.

▪ The temperature is between 64 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remind students of the four main categories of weather conditions: temperature, precipitation, wind, and cloud cover.

Teacher Note

This activity uses weather data from the Weather Underground website (http://phdsci.link/2419). The data are from the Jack Brooks Regional Airport weather station in Beaumont, Texas, which is close to Big Thicket National Preserve. If current weather conditions are not available, display the weather for Beaumont, Texas, on April 25, 2022. (See Lesson 10 Resource B.)

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

In the Level 3 Survival and Change Module, students describe weather conditions (3.10A). In this lesson, students build on prior learning to differentiate between day-to-day weather and climate (4.10C).

► What do you think the weather in Big Thicket will be like in an hour? How about at this time tomorrow? Why do you think that?

▪ I think the weather will still be warm and windy in an hour. The weather usually doesn’t change a lot in a short time.

▪ The weather will be different tomorrow because the weather here is not the same every day.

▪ I think it will be sunny tomorrow because it has been sunny all week.

► Do you think the weather in Big Thicket on this date next year will be similar to or different from the weather today? Why do you think that?

▪ We don’t know exactly what the weather will be because a year is a long time away.

▪ I think the weather will be similar to the weather today because it will be spring again.

▪ The temperature might be about the same because it is the same time of year.

Agree that students cannot be certain about the weather in the future.

► How can we find out more about the weather in Big Thicket?

▪ We can look up information about weather in the past.

▪ We can find out what the weather is like in Big Thicket in different months.

▪ We can look at the hottest and coldest temperatures for last year.

Confirm that students can learn more about the weather in Big Thicket by finding information about the past weather in Big Thicket.

Prepare to Analyze Historical Weather Graphs 5 minutes

Display the Big Thicket historical weather graphs (Lesson 10 Resource C). Tell students they will analyze Big Thicket temperature and precipitation data for the following years: 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020 (NOAA NCEI 2022). Review that precipitation is water that falls from the sky and that precipitation can be rain, snow, sleet, hail, or ice.

Teacher Note

Big Thicket National Preserve spans across parts of Polk, Tyler, and Hardin Counties. To support student comprehension, the historical weather graphs show data only from Hardin County, Texas, which contains the southern portion of the preserve.

Ask students to observe the graphs. Explain that the bars on each graph show weather data for four years. Call attention to the key on one of the graphs, and connect each category in the key with the corresponding years on the graph.

Explain that each bar on the average monthly temperature graph and on the average monthly precipitation graph represents 1 month of data for a particular year. Tell students that each bar on the total precipitation graph shows the total precipitation for the entire year. Explain that the scale for this total graph is different from the scale for the monthly graph, and help students determine that the total graph scale uses an interval of five. As necessary, remind students that total yearly precipitation is calculated by adding all the monthly values for that year, and emphasize the relationship between the two precipitation graphs.

Content Area Connection: Mathematics

Before students analyze the graphs, remind them that mathematicians think about numbers in many ways to make sense of quantities and the relationships of quantities to real-world situations. When students describe data, make sure they use a unit when providing the quantity. For example, when describing precipitation, students should give a unit with the number (e.g., 45 inches).

To support students in describing data, consider asking questions such as these: What do the numbers in the graph represent? How are the numbers in the graph related to weather?

Support students in reading the graphs by narrowing students’ focus to one bar on the average monthly temperature graph and by modeling how to read a single data point. Be sure to identify the value of the data point as well as the corresponding month and year (e.g., 60°F was the average temperature for February 2000). Give students a few minutes to practice how to determine the value, month, and year of other data points on the graph. As necessary, have students read data points until they are comfortable with the process.

Analyze Historical Weather Graphs 1

5 minutes

Explain that students will work with a partner to summarize weather conditions in each season.

Tell students that they should record the following data:

▪ The lowest average monthly temperature and the highest average monthly temperature for each season

▪ Seasonal patterns in temperature (e.g., whether the average temperature changed throughout the season or stayed mostly stable)

▪ The lowest yearly total precipitation and the highest yearly total precipitation

▪ Seasonal patterns in precipitation

Teacher Note

In this lesson, students determine the lowest and highest average temperature of the 12 data points within each season. If students need support, consider modeling the way to determine the lowest and highest average temperature during winter for the years graphed. For example, the lowest temperature for winter is 45°F and the highest is 60°F.

Place students in pairs, and distribute a set of Big Thicket historical weather graphs (Lesson 10 Resource C) to each pair. Explain that students should work with their partner to analyze the graphs and record their analysis in their Science Logbook (Lesson 10 Activity Guide A). As students work, circulate to provide support as necessary.

Differentiation

If students need support to analyze the graphs, consider providing students with index cards and having them isolate each bar or set of bars on the graph. This process allows students to narrow their focus on a single value or set of values.

Students also can use an index card to help them focus on a single data point. Instruct students to use the edge of the index card to line up the top of a bar with its y-axis value. Then students can estimate the value of the bar between two temperature values.

Teacher Note

Students may find anomalous months during certain years when the average temperature was much hotter or much colder than in other years. When students are identifying seasonal patterns, help them focus on typical data for the same month in most years.

Differentiation

Some students may benefit from additional support in combining and summarizing data so they notice patterns. Consider working one-on-one or in small groups and first modeling the way to read and describe data for 1 month or 1 year. Build off these descriptions to summarize the weather conditions during each season across several years.

Sample

There

Define Climate 12 minutes

Tell students to use the Big Thicket historical weather graphs (Lesson 10 Resource C) and the tables in their Science Logbook (Lesson 10 Activity Guide A) as they answer the following question.

► Does the weather follow the same pattern every year?

▪ We only looked at four years, but the weather seems to follow the same pattern every year.

▪ We noticed the pattern that the weather is similar for the same season in different years.

▪ For every year we looked at, the temperature and precipitation are not the same but are similar.

Use students’ responses to agree that although average temperature and total precipitation are not the same each year, weather conditions during each season follow general patterns.

Explain that these general patterns can be described as an area’s climate, or the pattern of typical weather conditions in a location over time. Explain that weather conditions refer to the temperature, precipitation, wind, and cloud cover in a location at a particular time, whereas climate refers to the average weather conditions in a location over a long period of time.

English Language Development

Introduce the term climate explicitly. Providing the Spanish cognate clima may be helpful. Consider asking students about the climates of well-known locations such as tropical regions or deserts (3D).

Revisit the Big Thicket historical weather graphs (Lesson 10 Resource C). Have students Think–Pair–Share to describe the climate of Big Thicket.

Sample student responses:

▪ Winter is the coldest season and summer is the hottest season.

▪ The temperature increases in spring and decreases in the fall.

▪ Big Thicket gets precipitation all year long.

Bring the class back together. Distribute a glue stick and a set of weather and climate cards to each student. (See Lesson 10 Resource D.) Tell students to read each statement and determine whether it describes weather or climate. Instruct students to place but not glue the statement in the corresponding column in their Science Logbook (Lesson 10 Activity Guide B). Provide time for students to discuss their choices with a partner, and then instruct students to glue the cards in their Science Logbook.

Sample student response: Weather Climate

▪ It is raining and 63°F outside.

▪ Winter is usually the coldest season of the year.

▪ The sky is cloudy, and it looks like it might rain. ▪ Our location gets about the same amount of precipitation each year.

▪ It was very cold and windy outside this morning. ▪ August is usually the hottest month of the year.

Check for Understanding

Students categorize statements as weather or climate descriptions.

TEKS Assessed

4.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

4.10C Differentiate between weather and climate.

Evidence

Students identify whether the statement describes weather or climate (4.10C) by recognizing whether the statement describes a pattern in weather conditions (4.5A).

Next Steps

If students need support to identify the pattern, ask students a question such as the following: Does this statement describe something that happens year after year?

Land3 minutes

Remind students that earlier in the lesson they made predictions about what the weather in Big Thicket would be like next year. Ask students to use their new knowledge about weather and climate to share how their thinking has changed.

► Do you think the weather in Big Thicket on this date next year will be similar to or different from the weather today? Why do you think that?

▪ I think the weather will probably be similar next year on today’s date because weather patterns repeat every year.

▪ I think it will be similar because climate conditions are similar from year to year.

▪ The weather will be similar to the weather today because of the seasonal patterns in weather conditions.

Agree that the weather data show that seasonal weather patterns repeat from year to year and that the climate of a location remains stable over time. Tell students that in the next lesson they will explore more about the climate where pale pitcher plants live.

Lesson 11

Objective: Compare climates to determine that the pale pitcher plant lives in different locations with similar climates.

Agenda

Launch (5 minutes)

Learn (35 minutes)

▪ Compare Climates (20 minutes)

▪ Describe Climates (10 minutes)

▪ Update Anchor Chart (5 minutes)

Land (5 minutes)

Launch

5 minutes

Display the photograph of pitcher plants in Big Thicket (Lesson 1 Resource C) and the photograph of pitcher plants in Alabama (Lesson 11 Resource A).

Tell students that these two fields of pitcher plants are in different locations. Ask students what they observe.

Teacher Note

Students may wonder about the purple color of the pitcher plants. Some varieties of pale pitcher plants can have purple coloring.

Sample student responses:

▪ Both places have lots of pitcher plants.

▪ Some pitcher plants in Alabama look purple.

▪ I see a lot of grass around the pitcher plants in Alabama.

Display the pale pitcher plant range map (Lesson 11 Resource B). Point out the location of Big Thicket. Tell students that pale pitcher plants also live in Baldwin County, Alabama.

► How could we compare the climates of these two locations?

▪ We could look at temperature data for both locations.

▪ We need to look at precipitation data for different years in both places.

▪ We need different years of weather data to find patterns in weather conditions.

Highlight student responses that mention comparing multiple years of weather data for both locations. Explain that in this lesson students will analyze historical weather data for Big Thicket and Baldwin County and then compare the climates of the two locations where pale pitcher plants live.

Big Thicket National Preserve

Baldwin County, Alabama

Learn

35 minutes

Compare Climates

20 minutes

Place students in pairs, and then distribute a set of Baldwin County, Alabama, historical weather graphs (NOAA NCEI 2022) (Lesson 11 Resource C) to each pair. Tell students to work with their partner to analyze the graphs and record their analysis in their Science Logbook (Lesson 11 Activity Guide A). Remind students that they should record the following data:

▪ The lowest average monthly temperature and the highest average monthly temperature for each season

▪ Seasonal patterns in temperature (e.g., whether the average temperature changed throughout the season or stayed mostly stable)

▪ The lowest yearly total precipitation and the highest yearly total precipitation

▪ Seasonal patterns of precipitation

As students work, circulate to provide support as needed.

Sample student response:

Lowest Total Yearly Precipitation

Highest Total Yearly Precipitation Seasonal Pattern

39 inches

63 inches

There is more precipitation in the summer. All seasons have some precipitation.

Next, instruct students to compare their recorded temperature data from Baldwin County, Alabama, with the Big Thicket weather data they recorded in their Science Logbook (Lesson 10 Activity Guide A). Direct students to the first question in their Science Logbook (Lesson 11 Activity Guide A), and have them work with their partner to answer the question.

Sample student responses:

▪ The temperature patterns are similar. In both locations, the highest temperature is in summer, and the lowest temperature is in winter.

▪ In both locations, the highest temperatures and the lowest temperatures are similar for every season.

Then have students work with their partner to compare seasonal precipitation patterns and answer the next question.

Sample student responses:

▪ It rains during every season in both locations.

▪ The amount of precipitation changes in each season. There is no pattern. Display the total precipitation graphs for both locations. (See Lesson 10 Resource C and Lesson 11 Resource C.)

Differentiation

Students may need support to combine and summarize data and identify patterns. Consider asking questions such as these: How are the temperatures similar in winter? How are the temperatures similar in summer? How is the seasonal pattern of precipitation similar or different? (3D)

Instruct students to use calculations to compare the total precipitation in Big Thicket with Baldwin County, Alabama. Model calculations for students by comparing the total precipitation for the year 2020.

► In 2020, which location had more precipitation?

▪ Baldwin County had more precipitation.

► How much more precipitation did Baldwin County have than Big Thicket?

▪ Baldwin County had 8 more inches of precipitation.

Tell students to work with their partner to choose one of the other years on the graphs and to compare the total precipitation in both locations for that year. Then tell students to complete the chart in their Science Logbook (Lesson 11 Activity Guide A).

Sample student response: Year

Which location had more precipitation?

How much more precipitation did the location have?

2000 Big Thicket 6 inches

Invite volunteers to share which location had more precipitation in each year. Work with students to agree that Baldwin County, Alabama, received more precipitation than Big Thicket in all four years shown on the graphs.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

By using weather graphs, students use different calculations to compare average temperatures and precipitation amounts (4.2C) to identify patterns that help them determine climate information (4.10C).

Describe Climates 10 minutes

Remind students that climate is the pattern of typical weather conditions in a location over time. Ask students to write a statement that describes Big Thicket’s climate in their Science Logbook (Lesson 11 Activity Guide B). Encourage students to refer to the data they collected in their Science Logbook (Lesson 10 Activity Guide A) and to use the Big Thicket historical weather graphs (Lesson 10 Resource C) to support their thinking.

Sample student response:

▪ In Big Thicket, the average temperature can change from 45°F to 80°F. Summer is the hottest season, and winter is the coldest season. The temperature goes down in the fall and goes up in the spring. Each season gets about the same amount of precipitation, but spring and fall get a little more than summer and winter. Big Thicket gets from 38 to 56 inches of precipitation each year.

Check for Understanding

Students use patterns in data to compile climate summaries.

TEKS Assessed

4.2B Analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns, or sources of error.

4.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

4.10C Differentiate between weather and climate.

Evidence

Students use patterns (4.5A) in weather data, such as temperature and precipitation (4.2B), to describe climate (4.10C).

Next Steps

If students need support to identify patterns and summarize climate, direct them to their data tables, and ask questions such as these: What is the temperature like from one year to the next? What is the precipitation like from one year to the next?

Differentiation

Some students may benefit from support to describe climate. Consider asking questions such as these: What is the overall temperature range? What are the hottest and coldest seasons? (3D)

Update Anchor Chart 5 minutes

► What information can we learn about an area by looking at weather conditions and climate?

▪ The weather can tell us if it is warm or cold outside right now. Climate can tell us about the temperature patterns for an area throughout the year.

▪ Weather can tell us about the conditions on only one day because weather can change from day to day.

▪ Climate can tell us about the weather patterns for each season because climate is similar in each season from year to year.

Update the anchor chart with students’ new knowledge about weather and climate.

Sample anchor chart:

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• Organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

• Organisms can get acquired traits from events that occur during their lifetime.

• Plants have different structures that help them get what they need to survive in their environment.

Environmental Conditions for Plants

• Weather is the conditions at a particular day and time.

• Climate is the pattern of weather conditions over time.

► How does knowing the climate of an area help us understand where the pale pitcher plant can live?

▪ Knowing the climate tells us what the temperature is like during each season in an area. If the area is too hot or too cold, pale pitcher plants might not be able to survive in that area.

▪ The climate tells us the pattern of precipitation in an area so we know if the pale pitcher plant will have the right amount of precipitation to grow and survive.

Revisit the Phenomenon Question What is the weather like where pale pitcher plants live? Remind students that they used weather data to determine the climate of two locations where pale pitcher plants live.

► Imagine that you want to know whether pale pitcher plants can live in a specific location. Do you think it is more helpful to know the weather or the climate?

▪ I think it’s better to know the climate because that will help you see what the weather is usually like. The weather will only tell you if the conditions at one time are good for the pale pitcher plant.

▪ Weather changes every day, but the climate is more stable and shows if pale pitcher plants can get enough precipitation to survive in that location.

Display the Texas precipitation map (Lesson 11 Resource D). Point to the location of Big Thicket. Tell students that the map shows the amount of precipitation that occurred in different parts of Texas during 1 year. Guide students to recognize what the key represents and to connect the categories in the key to what is shown on the map.

Teacher Note

The map shows total precipitation by county in Texas from the beginning of February 2020 to the end of January 2021 (NOAA NCEI 2022).

Ask students what they notice and wonder about the precipitation map.

Sample student responses:

▪ I notice that Big Thicket is in the part of Texas that gets the most precipitation.

▪ I wonder why some parts of Texas get so much precipitation and other parts don’t get as much.

▪ I wonder if pale pitcher plants would get enough water in other parts of Texas.

Acknowledge student responses, and confirm that their analysis of historical weather data showed that Big Thicket usually gets a lot of precipitation. Ask students to think about why Big Thicket gets so much rain. Invite students to share their thinking.

Sample student responses:

▪ The clouds bring the rain.

▪ I think that areas near the coast get more rain.

▪ Water evaporates and forms clouds that move to Big Thicket.

Tell students that in the next lesson they will observe a water movement model as they investigate the Phenomenon Question How does water move through Big Thicket?

Optional Homework

Students research local weather conditions and develop a climate description for their local area to compare with their climate statement about Big Thicket.

Lessons 12–14 Movement of Water in an Environment Prepare

In this lesson set, students explore the movement of water through Big Thicket. In Lesson 12, students observe a model to identify the processes of the water cycle. Students identify limitations of the water movement model to better understand that a natural environment is influenced by outside factors not included in the model because of differences in scale between the model and the natural environment. In Lesson 13, students develop their own model of how water moves through Big Thicket to explain the water cycle in a natural environment. In Lesson 14, students update the anchor model to show how the environment where carnivorous plants live gets its water. Finally, students complete a Conceptual Checkpoint by applying their learning about the water cycle to a different context.

Student Learning

Knowledge Statement

Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation continuously move water in a cycle between Earth’s surface and air.

Concept 2: Environmental Conditions for Plants

Focus Question

How does the environment help plants get what they need to survive?

Phenomenon Question

How does water move through Big Thicket?

Objectives

▪ Lesson 12: Use a model to illustrate the processes of the water cycle.

▪ Lesson 13: Gather evidence to explain the water cycle in Big Thicket.

▪ Lesson 14: Apply knowledge of the water cycle to a new phenomenon.

Standards Addressed

tools, including hand lenses; metric rulers; Celsius thermometers; calculators; laser pointers; mirrors; digital scales; balances; graduated cylinders; beakers; hot plates; meter sticks; magnets; notebooks; timing devices; sieves; materials for building circuits; materials to support observation of habitats of organisms such as terrariums, aquariums, and collecting nets; and materials to support digital data collection such as computers, tablets, and cameras, to

Scientific and Engineering Practices (continued)

4.1F Construct appropriate graphic organizers used to collect data, including tables, bar graphs, line graphs, tree maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, flow charts or sequence maps, and input-output tables that show cause and effect. 14

4.1G Develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

4.2A Identify advantages and limitations of models such as their size, scale, properties, and materials.

4.2B Analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns, or sources of error.

4.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models.

Recurring Themes and Concepts

4.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

4.5C Use scale, proportion, and quantity to describe, compare, or model different systems.

4.5E Investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved.

English Language Proficiency Standards

Expectation

1E Internalize new basic and academic language by using and reusing it in meaningful ways in speaking and writing activities that build concept and language attainment.

3E Share information in cooperative learning interactions.

1 L measuring cup (1), ice cubes (12), small resealable clear plastic bags (2), hot water from

heat light bulbs (2), digital timer (1), safety

Lesson 12

Objective: Use a model to illustrate the processes of the water cycle.

Launch

3 minutes

Display the photograph of Big Thicket after rain (Lesson 12 Resource A). Remind students that in previous lessons they looked at historical weather data showing that Big Thicket receives a lot of rain.

Agenda

Launch (3 minutes)

Learn (37 minutes)

▪ Develop Water Movement Model (10 minutes)

▪ Observe Water Model (20 minutes)

▪ Explain Water Movement (7 minutes)

Land (5 minutes)

Teacher Note

Consider displaying the Big Thicket historical precipitation graphs. (See Lesson 10 Resource C.)

► What do you think happens to the water after it rains?

▪ I think the water evaporates like puddles do on the sidewalk.

▪ Some of the water probably soaks into the ground for the plants.

▪ Some animals might drink the water.

Build on students’ responses to develop the Phenomenon Question How does water move through Big Thicket? Explain that in this lesson set students will track the movement of water to explore what makes Big Thicket a suitable environment for carnivorous plants.

Learn 37 minutes

Develop Water Movement Model 10 minutes

Safety Note

This investigation poses potential hazards. Measure the temperature of the tap water before the investigation, and ensure that the water is cooler than 105°F. The heat lamp can get very hot during use. Do not allow students to operate the heat lamp. Turn off the heat lamp immediately after the investigation. To minimize the risks, review these safety measures and look for evidence that students are following them (4.1C):

▪ Wear safety goggles throughout the activity.

▪ Do not touch the hot water.

▪ If water spills, tell an adult right away.

▪ Do not touch the heat lamp.

Display a prepared water movement model. (See Lesson 12 Resource B.) Tell students that the purpose of the model is to show how water moves around on Earth and in the air. Explain that the model will help them understand how water moves through Big Thicket. Tell students that soil and plants were not included in the model so they could observe the water more easily. Describe the materials in the model to develop common language students can use to describe the model components.

► Which part of the model represents the Sun? Which part represents the sky?

▪ I think the lamp represents the Sun.

▪ The plastic wrap might represent the sky.

► What do you think the water in the container represents?

▪ I think the water represents water on the ground in Big Thicket.

▪ It could be water in a river or stream.

▪ Maybe it’s a pond.

Confirm that the lamp represents the Sun, the plastic wrap represents the sky, and the water represents surface water. Explain that hot water will be added to the container and that a bag of ice will be placed on top of the plastic wrap. Point out where the bag of ice will be placed.

► What do you think the bag of ice represents?

▪ Maybe the ice represents ice in the sky, like hail.

▪ I think it is cold high in the sky.

Tell students that the ice represents cold air temperature, and explain that air temperature is typically very cold in the part of the sky where clouds form.

Draw students’ attention to the illustrated model in their Science Logbook (Lesson 12 Activity Guide). Instruct students to label each component in the model and to write the part of the natural environment that each component represents.

English Language Development

Students will encounter the term surface water throughout the module. Explain that surface water is water that is above the ground or on Earth’s surface. Consider providing familiar examples of surface water, such as ponds, rivers, and lakes.

Teacher Note

The term sky generally represents what we view from Earth when we look up. The sky includes Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. Clouds form in the upper troposphere where temperatures are between –112°F and –58°F.

Sample student response:

Ice in a bag (temperature in sky)

Light (Sun)

Plastic wrap (sky)

Observe Water Model 20 minutes

Water (surface water)

Divide the class into groups and distribute safety goggles to each student. Direct students to the chart in their Science Logbook (Lesson 12 Activity Guide). Point out the row of the chart labeled Initial. Inform students that the illustration in this row shows the water movement model at the beginning of the investigation. Explain that students will record their observations of the model before the investigation and at 5-minute intervals during the investigation.

Follow the procedure instructions to complete the water movement model setup and to guide groups as they make their observations. (See Lesson 12 Resource B.) Tell students to draw and write their observations in their Science Logbook (Lesson 12 Activity Guide), and encourage students to discuss their ideas and observations throughout the investigation.

Differentiation

When forming groups, consider each student’s needs so groups comprise students with a variety of abilities. This investigation requires observational and recording skills. It may be helpful to group students with varied English language ability to support students as they develop interpersonal and academic language (3E).

Teacher Note

Consider staggering the times of observation such that each group makes observations at 5-minute intervals and there are no more than six students observing a model at a time (3E).

Sample student response:

Initial

After 5 minutes

Hot water covers the bottom of the container.

Steam rises from the water and sticks to the sides of the container.

After 10 minutes

Drops of water form on the bottom of the plastic wrap under the bag of ice cubes.

After 15 minutes

Drops of water fall from the plastic wrap into the bottom of the container.

Teacher Note

As students work, circulate to support accurate representations and observations of the model. After students record their observations, turn off the lamps and bring the class back together to debrief the investigation.

Students may think that the steam they observe is water vapor. As necessary, explain that water vapor is invisible and that steam contains a mixture of water vapor and water drops.

Check for Understanding

Students record observations of the model and identify how the water is moving in the model.

TEKS Assessed

4.1G Develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

4.10A Describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in this process.

Evidence

Students label the components of the model and what the components of the model represent (4.1G).

Students record detailed observations of the model (4.1G) to illustrate the movement of water (4.10A).

Explain Water Movement 7 minutes

Next Steps

If students need assistance to label the model, consider providing a word bank with terms such as Sun, sky, surface water, and temperature in sky

If students need support to record detailed observations of the model, ask questions such as these: What do you observe on the plastic wrap? How is this different from your observations 5 minutes ago?

Teacher Note

Students may think that water from melting ice leaked through the bag and plastic wrap. Listen for student answers, and correct any misconceptions during the discussion that follows (1E).

Have students Think–Pair–Share to respond to the following question.

► Where did the water on the plastic wrap come from?

▪ I think the water came from evaporation.

▪ Maybe water from the ice leaked through the bag and the plastic wrap.

Facilitate a discussion about the movement of liquid water from Earth’s surface to the air. Review that evaporation is the process by which liquid at its surface turns into a gas, and explain that water vapor is water in the form of a gas. Clarify that water does not need to be hot for evaporation to occur but that evaporation happens more quickly when water is hot.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

In the Level 3 Changes in Matter Lessons, students observed changes in the states of matter caused by heating and cooling (3.6C).

English Language Development

Students will encounter the term water vapor throughout the module. Providing the Spanish cognate for vapor (vapor) may be helpful. Students were introduced to this term in Level 3. Consider asking whether they recall the definition (1E).

► How does water vapor in the air form precipitation?

▪ Water vapor changes back to a liquid.

▪ Cool temperatures cause liquid water to form.

▪ I’m not sure, but I think water vapor makes clouds.

Highlight students’ responses about water vapor cooling and changing into its liquid state. Tell students that the process by which a gas, such as water vapor, becomes a liquid is called condensation.

English Language Development

Introduce the term condensation explicitly. Providing the Spanish cognate condensación may be helpful.

► Which part of the model cooled the water vapor and caused condensation to occur?

▪ The ice in the bag on top of the plastic wrap cooled the water vapor.

▪ The water vapor could not get out of the container and started to cool on the cold plastic wrap.

Agree that the ice caused the water vapor to cool, and explain that water vapor forms clouds through the process of condensation.

► If we took away the heat lamp, how would the model be different?

▪ Less water would evaporate.

▪ The water wouldn’t be as warm.

▪ We wouldn’t see as many drops of water on the plastic wrap.

Confirm that energy from the heat lamp causes heating of the water, which helps speed up the process of evaporation in the model. Explain that with more evaporation, more water vapor is in the air. With more water vapor in the air, more condensation can occur, and more drops can form on the plastic wrap.

► How is the lamp like the Sun?

▪ Energy from the Sun causes heating of water like energy from the heat lamp did.

▪ The energy from the lamp and the Sun help water evaporate quicker.

▪ The energy from the Sun makes the water evaporate like the energy from the lamp did.

Extension

Consider allowing students to design simple evaporation investigations that can be performed indoors or outdoors, such as placing and observing containers of water in areas with sunlight or areas with shade.

Direct students to update their model in their Science Logbook (Lesson 12 Activity Guide) by drawing and describing how the water moved in the model. Then tell students to respond to the prompts in their Science Logbook.

Sample student response:

Ice in a bag (temperature in sky)

Energy from lamp

Light (Sun)

Plastic wrap (sky)

Water vapor rising Evaporation of water

Water drops collecting

Water drops falling

Water (surface water)

▪ Evaporation of water from the bottom of the container occurs when liquid water changes into water vapor. Water vapor rises. The ice cools the water vapor on the plastic wrap, and condensation occurs when the cooled water vapor forms water drops on the plastic wrap. The water drips back into the container.

▪ Energy from the lamp causes heating of the water, which makes more water evaporate from the bottom of the container. The Sun causes heating and evaporation of water on Earth.

Check for Understanding

Students use observations of the water movement model to illustrate and explain the movement of water and explain the source of energy for this process.

TEKS Assessed

4.1G Develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

4.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models.

4.5E Investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved.

4.10A Describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in this process.

Evidence

Students draw the movement of water (4.10A) in the model (4.1G).

Next Steps

If students need support to draw the movement of water, revisit their observations from the modeling activity. Ask questions such as these to prompt students to identify the movement of water: What happened after 5 minutes? 10 minutes? 15 minutes?

Students describe the movement of water (4.10A) from the bottom of the container to the plastic wrap and back to the bottom of the container (4.3A).

Students correctly explain (4.3A) the role of the Sun (4.10A) in the movement of water in the model (4.5E).

If students need support to explain the path of water in the model, consider revisiting the model and working with students to track the movement of water step by step.

If students need support to explain the role of the Sun in water movement, ask questions such as these: What causes evaporation to occur? Would water vapor collect on the plastic wrap if the lamp were turned off?

Land5 minutes

Remind students that models are useful tools to observe and study scientific phenomena. Explain that all models have strengths and limitations that affect how accurately they represent natural systems. Ask students to compare the water movement model with the natural Big Thicket environment.

► In what ways does the water movement model work well to represent the natural Big Thicket environment?

▪ The model shows precipitation forming from water vapor.

▪ The model shows energy from the Sun causing evaporation.

▪ The model demonstrates condensation of water vapor.

► What are some limitations of the water movement model?

▪ Big Thicket doesn’t have plastic sides, and the sky isn’t plastic wrap.

▪ The model is much smaller than Big Thicket.

▪ The distance between the sky and the ground is much bigger than the distance between the plastic wrap and the water in the model.

Highlight students’ responses that mention the materials used in the model and differences in scale between the model and the Big Thicket environment. Explain that knowing the limitations of a model can improve the model and help students ask new questions about phenomena. Ask students to keep these limitations in mind as they consider how this model helps them understand the movement of water through the Big Thicket environment.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

Throughout this module, students have opportunities to reflect on the strengths and limitations of different models (4.2A). Highlighting the limitation of scale helps explain why the processes of the water cycle in the model look different from the processes in the natural world (4.5C).

Lesson 13

Objective: Gather evidence to explain the water cycle in Big Thicket.

Launch

3 minutes

Ask students to review the climate statement they recorded in their Science Logbook (Lesson 11 Activity Guide B).

► What is the climate in Big Thicket?

▪ Big Thicket is usually warm and gets a lot of rain.

▪ The average temperature in Big Thicket is between 45 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

▪ Big Thicket gets about 38 to 56 inches of precipitation in a year.

Highlight students’ responses that mention precipitation in Big Thicket. Then display the photograph of the water movement model. (See Lesson 12 Resource B.)

Agenda

Launch (3 minutes)

Learn (32 minutes)

▪ Develop Model of Water Movement in Big Thicket (10 minutes)

▪ Explore Water Movement (12 minutes)

▪ Explain Water Movement (10 minutes)

Land (10 minutes)

How does the water that moves through Big Thicket compare with the water in the model?

▪ Rain can happen in many parts of Big Thicket, but the water in the model stays in the model because of the plastic wrap.

▪ Big Thicket usually gets a lot of rain, but I saw only a few drops of water fall in the model.

Tell students they will build on what they learned from the water movement model as they continue to explore the Phenomenon Question How does water move through Big Thicket?

Learn 32 minutes

Develop Model of Water Movement in Big Thicket

10 minutes

Continue to display the photograph of the water movement model (Lesson 12 Resource B), and have students Think–Pair–Share to respond to the following questions.

► Where in the model does evaporation happen?

▪ Evaporation happens from the surface of the water in the container when water changes into water vapor.

▪ Evaporation happens when some of the water in the container turns into a gas.

► When did you observe condensation and precipitation in the model?

▪ I saw condensation under the bag of ice cubes when the water drops formed.

▪ Some of the water drops fell to the bottom of the container like precipitation.

Review that evaporation occurs when surface water turns into water vapor, and condensation occurs when the water vapor becomes a liquid, which then falls back to the surface as precipitation. Remind students that they cannot observe evaporation because water vapor is not visible, and review how condensation and precipitation are apparent in the model. Highlight that the water stays in the model.

► What is the purpose of the lamp in the model?

▪ Energy from the lamp causes evaporation to occur more quickly.

▪ The lamp is like the Sun.

Ask students to think about ways that water moves through Big Thicket. Then invite students to share their thinking.

Sample student responses:

▪ Condensation makes clouds in Big Thicket.

▪ Rain happens when drops of water fall from clouds.

▪ We saw trees growing in water in one of the Big Thicket environments. Energy from the Sun can cause evaporation of some of that water.

Explain to students that they will draw a model to show how they think water moves through Big Thicket.

► What components should you include in your model?

▪ We need to include the Sun because that’s where the energy comes from.

▪ We should add clouds and rain to show the water moving.

▪ We should draw surface water and show water evaporating.

Direct students to draw and label a model that shows how water moves through Big Thicket in their Science Logbook (Lesson 13 Activity Guide). Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

Students apply what they learned in the water movement model to illustrate the continuous movement of water through the water cycle in Big Thicket (4.10A).

Differentiation

Consider providing a word bank for students to use as they draw their models. Include terms such as evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and water vapor (1E).

Precipitation

Cloud

Sample student response: Soil

Pitcher plants

Cloud Condensation

Sun

Raindrops

Water vapor

Evaporation

Energy from the Sun

Surface water

Ask students to compare their model with a partner’s model.

► What similarities and differences do you notice between the models?

▪ We both drew clouds and raindrops.

▪ My model has a pond, but my partner’s doesn’t.

▪ We both drew arrows to show evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Highlight some of the similarities and differences in students’ models. Tell students they will continue to explore how water moves through Big Thicket.

Explore Water Movement 12 minutes

Display the stream in Big Thicket photograph (Lesson 13 Resource).

Teacher Note

Consider taking students outside after it rains to observe water or to take pictures of the schoolyard after a rainstorm. Encourage students to discuss what they think will happen to the water (1E).

► How do you think Big Thicket gets water?

▪ Clouds bring rain.

▪ Some water is in rivers and streams in Big Thicket.

▪ Big Thicket gets a lot of precipitation, so that is where the water comes from.

Acknowledge students’ responses, and highlight responses that mention the role of clouds. Then play the clouds in sky video (http://phdsci.link/2432).

► Where do you see water in the video?

▪ I see rain coming down from the clouds.

▪ The clouds are made of water.

Connect for students that condensation of water vapor makes water drops that form clouds and that precipitation happens when water falls from clouds.

► What do you notice about the clouds in the video?

▪ The clouds are dark.

▪ The clouds are moving.

Highlight responses that mention that the clouds are moving, and tell students that wind can move clouds from one location to another. Explain that when clouds move, water moves from one environment to another.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

In the Level 5 Earth Processes Module, students build on their knowledge of the water cycle (4.10A) to explain how the Sun and the ocean interact in the water cycle and affect weather (5.10A).

Revisit the photograph of the stream in Big Thicket (Lesson 13 Resource).

► What might happen to water if it rains in this location?

▪ Some of the water will fall from the sky into the stream.

▪ Some of the water will go into the ground.

▪ If it rains hard, some water will flow from the ground into the stream.

▪ Maybe the rain will cause puddles to form.

Build on students’ responses, and explain that when precipitation falls to Earth, the water can collect in one place and form puddles or join with water bodies such as ponds, lakes, and other surface water.

► What might happen to the water that becomes part of surface water such as puddles, ponds, lakes, or rivers?

▪ Evaporation can happen again. Some of the surface water can become water vapor.

▪ Rivers lead to the ocean, so some water might flow to the ocean.

▪ Some water might get used by animals for drinking.

Highlight responses that mention different ways that water can move between Earth’s surface and the air. Explain that water that starts on Earth’s surface can move into the air as water vapor and return to Earth’s surface as rain, but that rain can occur in a different location because wind can move clouds away from the place where they form.

► How is the movement of water in Big Thicket different from the movement of water in the water model?

▪ The water stays in the model because the plastic wrap keeps the water vapor from escaping.

▪ Surface water in Big Thicket can evaporate and form clouds. The wind can move clouds to another place.

▪ The model contains only water. Big Thicket has land and water bodies. Rainwater can flow into streams and rivers and then some of the water can evaporate into the sky.

Have students Think–Pair–Share to consider what they need to add to their Big Thicket water movement model to explain how water moves through Big Thicket.

Sample student responses:

▪ We could show clouds bringing water from the ocean or from far away.

▪ We need to add some water going into a water body.

Tell students to update their Big Thicket water movement model in their Science Logbook (Lesson 13 Activity Guide).

Sample student response:

Teacher Note

Consider having students revise their models of water movement through Big Thicket by using colored pencils to highlight their new understanding and to distinguish between the model’s components.

Pitcher

Check for Understanding

Students illustrate the water cycle in Big Thicket.

TEKS Assessed

4.1G Develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

4.5E Investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved.

4.10A Describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in this process.

Evidence

Students correctly illustrate the processes of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and the movement of water (4.10A) as they revise their models (4.1G) to represent the cycling of water through Big Thicket (4.5E).

Next Steps

If students need support to revise their models, prompt them with questions such as these: What happens to the water after it falls as precipitation? How does Big Thicket get water?

Have students discuss with a partner the components and details they added to their model.

► What did you add to your model to show how water moves through Big Thicket?

▪ I drew an arrow to show that the clouds were coming from far away.

▪ I added some water flowing into the surface water.

Explain Water Movement 10 minutes

Divide the class into groups. Facilitate an Act It Out routine in which groups work together to act out what happens to water in Big Thicket. As students perform the Act It Out routine, help them notice the continuous movement of water through Big Thicket.

Tell students that they acted out the water cycle. Explain that the water cycle is the series of processes by which water moves between Earth’s water, air, and land. Clarify that a cycle is a process in which

Teacher Note

The Act It Out routine provides students with a kinesthetic outlet to connect movement with an unfamiliar term or concept to remember its meaning. For more information, see the Instructional Routines section of the Implementation Guide (3E).

things happen over and over in a predictable pattern. Emphasize that the water on Earth goes through the water cycle continuously as water evaporates, forms clouds through condensation, and falls back to Earth as precipitation.

English Language Development

Introduce the term water cycle explicitly. Consider having students describe the water cycle to a partner in their own words to clarify new knowledge (1E).

Direct students to the first prompt in their Science Logbook (Lesson 13 Activity Guide). Tell students to explain how water moves in the water cycle through Big Thicket.

Sample student response:

▪ Evaporation causes water from surface water to turn into water vapor. Water vapor rises in the air. When water vapor in the sky cools, condensation occurs and clouds form. Wind blows clouds over Big Thicket. Water from clouds falls in Big Thicket as precipitation. The water becomes part of the surface water in Big Thicket. Some surface water flows into water bodies. The cycle happens over and over.

Then have students respond to the next prompt to describe the role of the Sun in the water cycle.

Sample student response:

▪ Energy from the Sun causes evaporation of surface water in Big Thicket. Water vapor forms clouds that bring rain to Big Thicket, sometimes from places that are far away.

Check for Understanding

Students explain the water cycle in Big Thicket.

TEKS Assessed

4.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models.

4.5E Investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved.

4.10A Describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in this process.

Evidence

Students explain (4.3A) how the processes of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation move water (4.10A) in the water cycle in Big Thicket (4.5E).

Students explain (4.3A) the role of the Sun (4.10A) as a source of energy in the water cycle in Big Thicket (4.5E).

Next Steps

If students need support to explain the water cycle in Big Thicket, work with students to use their Big Thicket water movement model to track the movement of water step by step.

If students need assistance to explain the role of the Sun, ask students the following question: What causes evaporation to occur?

Invite students to share their explanations of the water cycle. Summarize students’ responses, and update the anchor chart with students’ new knowledge about the water cycle.

Sample anchor chart:

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• Organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

• Organisms can get acquired traits from events that occur during their lifetime.

• Plants have different structures that help them get what they need to survive in their environment.

Environmental Conditions for Plants

• Weather is the conditions at a particular day and time.

• Climate is the pattern of weather conditions over time.

• Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation are processes that move Earth’s water in the water cycle.

• Energy from the Sun causes liquid water to change into water vapor through the process of evaporation.

Land

10 minutes

Divide the class into groups, and have groups take turns observing the carnivorous plants in the terrarium.

Safety Note

This investigation poses potential hazards. To minimize the risk, review these safety measures and look for evidence that students are following them (4.1C):

▪ Do not reach inside the terrarium or touch the soil or plants.

▪ Do not move the terrarium.

After groups observe the terrarium, instruct students to draw each plant and describe its characteristics in their Science Logbook (Lesson 1 Activity Guide B).

Teacher Note

Consider taking a current photograph of the terrarium to display while students draw and write observations.

► How did the carnivorous plants change from the last time you observed them?

▪ One of the pitcher plant’s leaves changed from green to red.

▪ The sundew has more leaves growing from the center of the plant.

▪ One of the Venus flytrap’s traps has turned brown.

► Do you think the water cycle happens in the terrarium? Why do you think that?

▪ I think some parts of the water cycle happen, but it doesn’t rain in the terrarium.

▪ I think evaporation occurs.

▪ Sometimes I can see water on the plastic. I think that’s condensation.

Confirm that the water cycle happens in the terrarium. Explain that the moisture on the walls of the terrarium is called fog and that it forms by condensation.

► How does the water cycle in the terrarium compare with the water cycle in Big Thicket?

▪ There’s much less water in the terrarium.

▪ We have to add water to the terrarium, but in Big Thicket the plants get water from rain.

▪ Condensation makes fog in the terrarium. I don’t know if fog forms in Big Thicket.

Highlight differences between how water moves in Big Thicket and how it moves in the terrarium. Explain that because the terrarium is open at the top, some water vapor leaves the terrarium, so water is added to replace this water vapor.

Optional Homework

Students list other examples of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. For example, students might include evaporation of perspiration from their bodies, condensation that collects on the outside of a cold drinking glass, or precipitation in the form of snow.

Lesson 14

Objective: Apply knowledge of the water cycle to a new phenomenon.

Agenda

Launch (10 minutes)

Learn (30 minutes)

▪ Update Anchor Model (10 minutes)

▪ Conceptual Checkpoint (20 minutes)

Land (5 minutes)

Launch 10 minutes

Direct students’ attention to their radish plants. Explain that they will work with a group to make observations of their plant’s progress. Review class expectations for group work, and ask students to return to their Science Challenge investigation groups. Distribute safety goggles, a ruler, a handheld magnifier, and a quarter-size object to each group. Tell students to make their observations of their plants and to record the date and their data in their Science Logbook (Lesson 8 Activity Guide).

Safety Note

This investigation poses potential hazards. To minimize the risk, review these safety measures and look for evidence that students are following them (4.1C):

▪ Wear safety goggles throughout the activity.

▪ Do not put soil or any parts of the plants in or near your eyes or mouth.

▪ Wash your hands immediately after handling the plants.

Invite one student from each group to briefly summarize their observations. Highlight the observations from Group 1 and, while holding their bag, circulate so all students can view the plants inside the bag.

Differentiation

Some students may benefit from additional support to summarize their observations. Consider providing sentence frames such as the following:

▪ Two observations we recorded about our plants are and

▪ Compared with our earlier observations, our plants now look

Teacher Note

While showing the Group 1 plants, hold the edges of the bag and keep the plants level to minimize disturbing the plants and any condensation.

► Look closely at this bag. What do you observe that shows that the water cycle is happening in the bag?

▪ I see water on the sides of the bag.

▪ I can’t see evaporation, but I think it is happening because there is fog in the bag. Fog forms from condensation of water vapor.

▪ I see the water at the top of the bag that is from condensation.

Point out that students have investigated and explored the water cycle by using several examples, including a model, Big Thicket, the terrarium, and their radish plants.

Learn 30 minutes

Update Anchor Model 10 minutes

Display the Big Thicket environment photographs (Lesson 14 Resource A).

Point out that the photographs show two environments in Big Thicket, the wetland pine savanna and arid sandyland.

► What do you notice when you compare the wetland pine savanna and arid sandyland environments?

▪ The soil looks wetter in the wetland pine savanna than in the arid sandyland.

▪ The arid sandyland has more trees and fewer small plants.

▪ The environments don’t have surface water like ponds or streams.

Confirm that the soil of the wetland pine savanna is wet like the terrarium soil and that the soil of the arid sandyland is much drier. Explain that in the wetland pine savanna environment, water pools because it does not soak into the soil. Point out that the terrarium environment should be similar to the wetland pine savanna environment, so it is important to keep the soil in the terrarium environment very wet.

Revisit the Phenomenon Question How does water move through Big Thicket? Work with students to update the anchor model with their new knowledge about the movement of water through Big Thicket. Build on students’ ideas to agree that the anchor model should be updated to include the processes of the water cycle and to indicate the role of energy from the Sun.

Sample anchor model:

Carnivorous Plants in Big Thicket

Sunlight

Longleaf pine trees

Butterwort

Capturing animals

Air all around

Energy

Condensation

Water vapor

Precipitation

Pitcher plants

Capturing animals

Sundew

Capturing animals

Soil

Bladderwort

Capturing animals

Evaporation

Water from rain

Many plants live in Big Thicket. Some of those plants are carnivorous. Carnivorous plants have special structures to catch and digest animals. Water moves between Earth’s water, air, and land in a cycle called the water cycle. Energy from the Sun helps make the water cycle happen. Carnivorous plants live in an environment with wet soil.

Conceptual Checkpoint 20 minutes

Display the photographs of Death Valley without precipitation (Lesson 14 Resource B).

Tell students that Ashford Mill and Badwater Basin are two places in Death Valley. Invite students to share what they notice and wonder about the photographs.

Sample student responses:

▪ I see what looks like a desert environment.

▪ Is that a lake without any water?

▪ I don’t see many plants.

Tell students that these photographs show the way the environment of Death Valley looks in most years. Next, display photographs of Death Valley after precipitation (Lesson 14 Resource C).

Reveal that these photographs show the same locations in Death Valley at a different time. Ask students to share new observations and questions.

Sample student responses:

▪ There is water in Badwater Basin.

▪ I see yellow flowers in this Ashford Mill photograph. The first photograph had no flowers.

▪ Why is there water in Badwater Basin in one photograph but not the other?

Explain that the flowers at Ashford Mill and the water in Badwater Basin are the result of an unusually large amount of precipitation during fall and winter in Death Valley. Tell students that this precipitation causes an event called a super bloom to occur in spring. Indicate that during a super bloom event, many flowers bloom throughout the desert. Further explain that the precipitation causes water to pool in places that are typically dry.

Tell students they will explore more about Death Valley to help answer the Concept 2 Focus Question: How does the environment help plants get what they need to survive?

Distribute the Conceptual Checkpoint (Lesson 14 Resource D) to each student. Instruct students to read the prompts and independently complete the items that follow.

Teacher Note

Students may recall that plants grow from seeds and may wonder where the seeds came from. Tell students that the seeds stay in the soil for many years until the moisture conditions are just right for plants to grow from the seeds.

Teacher Note

The informal term super bloom event is used to describe the rare prolific growth of wildflowers supported by specific precipitation, temperature, and wind conditions. No specific growth parameters define a super bloom event. Precipitation patterns play an important part in a super bloom event, but there are other factors. Moderate temperatures and the lack of drying spring winds are also necessary.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

Students use climate and weather data (4.10C) from Death Valley to understand the impact of rain events on the movement of water in Death Valley (4.10A).

Differentiation

Read questions aloud to students who need support to complete the Conceptual Checkpoint. If students need support with the models, consider working with individual students or with small groups to explain the models.

► Circle the graph that shows when a super bloom event happened in the spring.

30 Year Average

Teacher Note

The seasonal weather data displayed in the graphs were obtained from the National Weather Service (NOAA NWS, n.d.).

Seasonal Precipitation

Seasonal Precipitation

► Is the precipitation that causes a super bloom event weather or climate? Circle your choice.

▪ Weather

▪ Climate

► Write a number beside each statement to match the part of the model to its description.

3 Water flows on the surface of Earth and pools in Badwater Basin.

4 Energy from the Sun causes heating of surface water.

2 Precipitation falls to the ground.

1 Clouds form by condensation of water.

5 Water on Earth’s surface evaporates.

► Circle the statement that best describes the role of the Sun in the water cycle.

▪ Energy from the Sun causes precipitation.

▪ Energy from the Sun causes condensation of water vapor.

▪ Energy from the Sun causes evaporation of surface water.

▪ Energy from the Sun causes water to flow across Earth’s surface.

Conceptual Checkpoint

This Conceptual Checkpoint assesses student understanding of the Concept 2 Focus Question: How does the environment help plants get what they need to survive?

TEKS Assessed

4.1G Develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

4.2B Analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns, or sources of error.

4.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

4.5E Investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved.

4.10A Describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in this process.

4.10C Differentiate between weather and climate. (continues)

Conceptual Checkpoint (continued)

Evidence

Students analyze patterns (4.5A) in Death Valley precipitation data over multiple years (4.2B) to determine that infrequent weather events led to a super bloom event in 2004–2005 (4.10C).

Students use the graphs (4.2B) to determine that infrequent weather events, and not climate, lead to a super bloom event (4.10C).

Next Steps

If students need support to analyze patterns in the weather data, instruct them to use an index card to help them focus on a single value or set of values.

If students need support to analyze the graphs, have them compare the 30-year average seasonal rainfall graph with the 2004–2005 seasonal precipitation graph. Ask guiding questions such as these: Which graph shows the typical pattern of precipitation in Death Valley? Which graph shows precipitation during a year in Death Valley?

Students use a model (4.1G) to describe how water cycles (4.5E) on and above the surface of Death Valley National Park (4.10A).

If students need support to understand the water cycle model, direct them to their Big Thicket water movement model (Lesson 13 Activity Guide). Have students identify similarities and differences between the model of water movement in Death Valley and their model.

Students use a model (4.1G) to describe how energy from the Sun causes heating and evaporation of surface water on Earth (4.10A).

If students need help to describe the role of the Sun, direct them to their water movement model (Lesson 12 Activity Guide). Pose a question such as this: How is the role of the lamp in this model similar to the role of the Sun?

Debrief the Conceptual Checkpoint. Clarify and confirm students’ understanding of the water cycle, and ensure that students can differentiate between weather and climate. Emphasize that the large rain events that occur before a super bloom event are weather conditions and not part of the typical climate of Death Valley. Explain that when Death Valley receives large amounts of precipitation, water flows across the surface and pools in places such as Badwater Basin.

Confirm that energy from the Sun causes heating and evaporation of water on Earth’s surface, and point out that condensation of water vapor forms clouds as the water cycle continues.

► How does the environment of Death Valley help the flowers get what they need to survive?

▪ Death Valley is usually dry, but sometimes there is enough water from precipitation so that large numbers of flowers grow.

▪ When there is a lot of precipitation in fall and winter, the flowers get the water they need to survive.

Land

5 minutes

Revisit the Concept 2 Focus Question: How does the environment help plants get what they need to survive? Ask students to consider what they have learned about weather, climate, the water cycle, and how water moves above and on Earth’s surface.

Display the driving question board, and add the Concept 3 Focus Question: How do organisms get what they need from their environment? Work with students to add new questions or to move existing questions under the new heading.

Sample driving question board:

Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous?

How do the structures of different plants compare?

What parts of the plants catch the insects?

Do other plants in Big Thicket have unusual characteristics?

Do all carnivorous plants have roots, stems, and leaves like other plants?

How do the butterwort and bladderwort catch insects?

How does the environment help plants get what they need to survive?

What type of environment is Big Thicket?

How much does it rain in Big Thicket?

How do organisms get what they need from their environment? Do any animals eat carnivorous plants?

Why do the carnivorous plants eat insects?

What animals live in Big Thicket?

Related Phenomena: Some plants can survive underwater.

Desert plants store water in their stems and leaves.

Some plants have flowers that make nectar for pollinators.

Tell students that in the next lesson they will learn about other organisms in Big Thicket and how the organisms interact.

Lessons 15–16

Organism Interactions

Prepare

In this lesson set, students build on their understanding of the plants and environments of Big Thicket as they consider how organisms interact to meet their needs. In Lesson 15, students read Trout Are Made of Trees by April Pulley Sayre and Kate Endle (2008) to identify and then model the interactions between organisms in an environment and their interdependence in the function of the system. Students determine that food webs show how organisms from different food chains interact. In Lesson 16, students investigate how energy flows through a food web to determine that producers capture energy from the Sun and that the energy then flows to other organisms.

Student Learning

Knowledge Statement

Food web models show ways that organisms interact in an environment.

Objectives

▪ Lesson 15: Determine that organisms from different food chains interact in a food web.

▪ Lesson 16: Investigate the flow of energy through a food web.

Concept 3: Interactions in the Environment

Focus Question

How do organisms get what they need from their environment?

Phenomenon Question

How do organisms interact in an environment?

Standards Addressed

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Recurring Themes and Concepts

English Language Proficiency Standards

4D Use prereading supports such as graphic organizers, illustrations, and pretaught topic-related vocabulary and other prereading activities to enhance comprehension of written text.

Lesson 15

Objective: Determine that organisms from different food chains interact in a food web.

Agenda

Launch (5 minutes)

Learn (35 minutes)

▪ Read About and Discuss Organism Interactions (10 minutes)

▪ Develop Big Thicket Food Chains (25 minutes)

Land (5 minutes)

Launch

5 minutes

Display the Big Thicket organism photographs (Lesson 15 Resource A).

How can these organisms get the food they need to survive in Big Thicket?

▪ The trees are plants and can make their own food.

▪ The frog can catch insects to eat.

▪ The bird can fly around to find food.

Build on students’ responses to review the relationship between producers and consumers in an environment. Explain that students will explore the interactions between organisms to answer the Phenomenon Question How do organisms interact in an environment?

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

Students may recall that food chains show some of the ways living organisms depend on one another (1.12C) and that consumers such as animals depend on other living things such as producers and other consumers (2.12B). In this lesson, students build on that understanding as they use a food web model to investigate how producers and consumers in different food chains interact in an environment (4.12B).

Learn

35 minutes

Read About and Discuss Organism Interactions

10 minutes

Introduce Trout Are Made of Trees (Sayre and Endle 2008). Display the front and back covers and read aloud the title. Have students Think–Pair–Share to respond to the following questions.

► How do you think trout could be made of trees?

▪ I think trout and trees are both made of similar types of matter.

▪ Maybe trout eat tree pieces that fall into the water.

▪ I’m not sure. Trout and trees look very different.

► What are some ways that plants and animals depend on each other?

▪ Many animals depend on plants for food.

▪ Some plants need animals to pollinate their flowers.

▪ Some animals eat other animals as food.

Inform students they will listen to the book Trout Are Made of Trees. Tell students to listen for mentions of organisms and the actions of organisms and to record what they notice in the chart in their Science Logbook (Lesson 15 Activity Guide A).

Display and read aloud pages 1 through 18, pausing occasionally to review an organism that is mentioned and to emphasize what it is doing. Provide time during the pauses to allow students to record their observations. After reading aloud an important, unfamiliar word that students cannot define through context or morphological clues, pause to provide a familiar synonym, or define the word and use it in an example sentence. Then reread the sentence that contains the word and continue reading the text aloud. Important unfamiliar words in this reading may include bacteria and algae

Teacher Note

Observing front and back covers of a book helps students formulate ideas about the book’s content. Provide additional prereading supports and activities as needed to enhance student comprehension of the text (4D).

Teacher Note

As necessary, clarify that trout do not eat trees. Trout are opportunistic consumers. These carnivores eat mainly insects but will eat any nearby organism that they can capture.

Teacher Note

Trout Are Made of Trees does not contain page numbers. For this lesson, page 1 shows an illustration of a jumping trout with a tent in the background. For easier reading, consider writing small page numbers in the text.

Sample student response:

Organism

Crane flies Eat leaves

Caddisflies Eat leaves

Action

Predators Eat stoneflies and caddisflies

Trout Eat minnows and dragonflies

Invite students to share how the organisms mentioned in the book interact, and work with students to develop a possible food chain based on the organisms’ interactions. Review with students that the arrows represent the flow of energy through a food chain, and point out the direction that energy flows—from a producer through a chain of consumers.

Sample food chain:

Trees ➔ Crane flies ➔ Minnows ➔ Trout

Develop Big Thicket Food Chains

25 minutes

Revisit the Big Thicket organism photographs (Lesson 15 Resource A).

► What questions do you have about food chains in Big Thicket?

▪ How do carnivorous plants fit into the food chain?

▪ What other animals live in Big Thicket?

▪ Do any animals eat the frogs?

Acknowledge students’ responses, and explain that students will explore food chains in Big Thicket. Divide the class into groups of three, and distribute the Big Thicket organism cards (Lesson 15 Resource B) and three strips of paper to each group. Ensure that each student in a group receives a different set of organism cards.

English Language Development

Students will encounter the terms interact and interaction throughout the module. Providing the Spanish cognate for interact (interactuar) may be helpful. Explain that interact means to act together. Provide a familiar example of an interaction, such as a discussion between a teacher and a student. Consider asking students to share examples of how they interact with their classmates.

Teacher Note

In the Level 3 Survival and Change Module, students determine that organisms get energy from eating food and describe how energy flows through food chains. In this lesson, students explore feeding interactions and energy flow in food webs.

In the next lesson set, students will build on their Big Thicket food web learning to explore the cycling of matter in food webs.

Teacher Note

Although many fish species are found in Big Thicket National Preserve, there are no trout. In this lesson, students learn about other organisms that live in Big Thicket (NPS 2015).

Teacher Note

Lesson 15 Resource B includes three sets of organism cards (A, B, and C). Each student in a group begins with a different set of cards. Individual students first create one food chain. Later in the lesson, students will combine the three food chains into a larger, more complex food web. For class sizes that do not divide evenly into groups of three, consider forming a group of two or four students and providing the group with two sets of organism cards. Students can work individually or in pairs to create a food chain for each card set. Then support students with creating a food chain for the third set of organism cards.

Direct students to cut out their organism cards and read the information on each card. Then have students arrange the cards horizontally into a food chain and attach the cards to the strip of paper. Circulate to provide support as students work. If necessary, guide students to start their food chain with a producer. Tell students to draw arrows between the cards to show the direction that energy flows from one organism to another. Provide time for students to read their cards and organize them into food chains.

Sample student response:

Differentiation

If students need support to develop individual food chains, consider temporarily pairing students from different groups who are working with the same set of organism cards.

Longleaf Pine Tree Southern Pine Beetle Spring Peeper Red-bellied Woodpecker Cooper’s Hawk

Have students compare their food chains within their group.

► What do you notice about your group’s Big Thicket food chains?

▪ I notice a couple of organisms that are part of more than one food chain.

▪ All the food chains begin with a plant, but then there are different consumers.

▪ Most of the organisms in the three food chains are different.

Confirm that the same organism can be part of more than one food chain.

► Which interactions are possible between your group’s food chains?

▪ The hawk in my food chain can eat the woodpecker that is part of another food chain.

▪ The opossum and the coyote in one food chain can eat the American beautyberry in a different food chain.

▪ The coachwhip snake can eat the pine vole in one food chain and the spring peeper in another food chain.

Distribute a sheet of chart paper to each group. Direct students to arrange the food chains in three horizonal rows on the chart paper. Explain that the plants in all three food chains should be lined up at the left side of the chart paper. Tell students to glue the food chains to the chart paper and then to draw additional arrows to show energy flow between organisms in all three food chains.

Teacher Note

Students will revisit their original food chains as they compare food chains with food webs later in the lesson.

Teacher Note

In Lesson 16, students will add one additional card to their food web. Ensure that students leave space to the left of the food chains to update their posters.

Sample student response:

Direct groups to post their work in preparation for a Gallery Walk. Invite groups to perform a Gallery Walk to observe other groups’ posters. As students examine other groups’ work, tell them to look for similarities and differences between the posters.

Teacher Note

Students will update their food web posters in Lesson 16.

Longleaf Pine Tree Southern Pine Beetle Spring Peeper Red-bellied Woodpecker Cooper’s Hawk

Fern Western Rat Snake Opossum Coyote

American Beauty Berry Northern Bobwhite Quail Cooper’s Hawk Coyote

Pine Vole

Coachwhip

► What similarities do you notice between the food chain posters?

▪ All the posters have organisms with more than two arrows touching them.

▪ All the food chains begin with plants.

▪ Each poster shows consumers eating more than one organism. Highlight responses that describe the many interactions between organisms in different food chains. Tell students that an environment can have numerous food chains. Explain that the food chains are connected to one another because organisms can be in more than one food chain. Tell students that a model that shows the feeding interactions of many organisms in an environment is called a food web Summarize that a food web shows numerous connected food chains.

English Language Development

Introduce the term food web explicitly. For additional support, consider showing images or using the term in varying contexts, such as those described in this lesson. Students may benefit from thinking about other ways the term web can be used, such as in World Wide Web or spiderweb.

The shape of a spiderweb may help students visualize the many connections between organisms in a food web. Show students two different food chains that can connect to create a food web. An insect could be eaten by a fish, which could be eaten by a human. An insect could also be eaten by a frog, which could be eaten by a snake. Highlight the overlap between these two food chains to support students’ understanding of food webs.

Ask students to consider their Big Thicket food chains. Clarify that food chains and food webs are models of organism interactions in an environment. Explain that a food web might show that a coyote eats a snake or a woodpecker, but the coyote does not eat only that animal. Inform students that food chains and food webs display only a few of the possible feeding interactions in an environment.

► What does a food web show that a food chain does not show?

▪ A food web shows more organisms than a food chain.

▪ The arrows in a food chain show that energy moves in a line from a producer to each consumer. A food web shows that energy flows from one organism to different consumers.

▪ A food web can show that consumers eat many different animals or plants. In a food chain, each consumer eats one animal or plant.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

Scientists use models of various scales to investigate different questions. When students use food chain and food web models to examine the interdependence of organisms in an environment, they are engaging in a scientific practice (4.2A).

► What are some limitations of a food web model?

▪ A food web model can’t show how every living thing in Big Thicket is part of the food web.

▪ It can be hard to trace all the paths in a food web because producers and consumers have many interactions.

▪ A food web model might not show all the things that animals can eat.

► How can we describe the roles of producers and consumers in the flow of energy through a food web?

▪ Producers make food that multiple consumers can use for energy, so I think plants are the source of energy that flows through a food web.

▪ Consumers get energy from eating other organisms. A food web shows the possible pathways for the energy flow.

▪ Consumers eat producers, and consumers can eat one another. The energy in a food web transfers from producers to consumers through many different paths.

Tell students to observe their Big Thicket food web posters and complete the Quick Write in their Science Logbook (Lesson 15 Activity Guide B). Invite students to share their responses.

Sample student response:

▪ A food web model uses arrows to show many interactions between organisms in an environment. Plants make their own food. Consumers then eat plants and other consumers. The arrows of the food web show how organisms depend on one another for food and energy. The arrows point from an organism to the organism that eats and gains energy from it. Some animals interact with many different organisms in the food web. These animals eat more than one type of organism or are eaten by different organisms.

Check for Understanding

Students use the food web model and describe how the model shows the interactions of organisms, including the roles of producers and consumers.

TEKS Assessed

4.1G Develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

4.5D Examine and model the parts of a system and their interdependence in the function of the system.

4.12B Describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Evidence

Students use their food web model (4.1G) to describe the interdependence of organisms (4.5D), including the roles of producers and consumers (4.12B).

Next Steps

If students need support to describe the interdependence of organisms in a food web, revisit the food web posters with small groups and ask questions such as these: Which organisms use this organism for food? How do these two organisms interact?

5 minutes

Point out the many interactions between organisms displayed on the food web posters. Remind students that food webs show only some of the possible feeding interactions for organisms in an environment.

► Which organisms are involved in many interactions?

▪ The coyote eats many different organisms.

▪ The coachwhip snake eats the pine vole and the bobwhite quail. The coyote and the opossum eat the snake.

▪ Most of the organisms interact with more than one other organism.

► In what ways do consumers depend on producers?

▪ Producers make their own food. Consumers that eat plants can use that food too.

▪ Consumers can’t make their own food, so they depend on the food that producers make.

▪ Producers make food that all consumers depend on for energy.

Draw on students’ responses to highlight that consumers depend on producers, even if a consumer does not eat producers.

Explain that in the next lesson students will continue to explore interactions among organisms within a food web, including the role of producers.

Lesson 16

Objective: Investigate the flow of energy through a food web.

Launch

Agenda

Launch (5 minutes)

Learn (33 minutes)

▪ Trace Energy Through a Food Web (10 minutes)

▪ Analyze Energy in a Food Web (23 minutes)

Land (7 minutes)

5 minutes

Lead a class discussion to help students make the connection between food and energy.

► What does food do for our bodies?

▪ Food gives us energy to do things, like run.

▪ I think food helps us grow.

► In what ways do our bodies use energy?

▪ We use energy when we move.

▪ Sound is a form of energy, so we need energy to talk.

▪ Thermal energy is a form of energy. I think we need energy to stay warm.

Remind students of their Big Thicket food web posters from Lesson 15. Ask students to reflect on what a food web shows.

Sample student responses:

▪ A food web shows how consumers eat producers. Our poster shows that the quail eats the American beautyberry.

▪ Our food web shows lots of different feeding interactions in Big Thicket.

▪ We can see how the energy flows in a food web.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

Students may recall that energy is transferred by objects in motion, waves in water, and sound (4.8A) and that heat is the flow of thermal energy (4.8B).

Tell students that in this lesson they will continue to investigate the flow of energy through a food web.

Learn

33 minutes

Trace Energy Through a Food Web 10 minutes

Have students return to their groups from Lesson 15. Direct students’ attention to their Big Thicket food web posters. Remind students that the arrows in food chains and food webs represent the direction that energy moves.

Distribute a set of different-colored highlighters to each group. Have each student in a group choose a different producer. Direct students to use a highlighter to color one path of arrows from their chosen producer through different consumers in the food web. Tell students to include at least two of the food chains when they highlight the path.

Teacher Note

Redistribute the Big Thicket food web posters to groups, or have each group work on their poster in its displayed location in the classroom. If redistributing the posters to groups, have groups display their posters again before the Gallery Walk.

Extension

Students can follow a path through the food web that touches as many food chains as possible. Have students list the organisms they identify.

Have students compare the three paths highlighted on their poster. Direct groups to participate in a Gallery Walk to observe other groups’ posters. As groups make observations, encourage them to discuss similarities and differences between the highlighted paths. Tell students to record their observations using the 3–2–1 Response prompt in their Science Logbook (Lesson 16 Activity Guide A).

Sample student response:

Longleaf Pine Tree Southern Pine Beetle Spring Peeper Red-bellied Woodpecker Cooper’s Hawk

Fern Western Rat Snake Opossum Coyote

American Beauty Berry Northern Bobwhite Quail Cooper’s Hawk Coyote Pine Vole

Coachwhip

Sample student response:

► Three ways the paths are similar

▪ 1. They all begin with a producer.

▪ 2. All paths go from a producer to a consumer and then to other consumers in an order.

▪ 3. Energy moves from a producer to a consumer and from consumers to other consumers.

► Two ways the paths are different

▪ 1. Some paths go through more consumers than other paths.

▪ 2. The paths go through different consumers.

► One question

▪ 1. Where does the energy in the food web come from?

Bring the class back together. Confirm that paths begin with producers, and explain that some consumers eat producers and other consumers eat those consumers. Agree that energy moves from producers to consumers and from consumer to consumer. Highlight questions about energy, and wonder aloud where the energy in food comes from.

Analyze Energy in a Food Web

23 minutes

Tell students they will investigate the source of the energy that flows from organism to organism in a food web. Draw students’ attention to the highlighted food web posters, and point out the opossum.

► In what ways do you think the opossum uses energy?

▪ I think the opossum uses energy to catch and eat its food.

▪ Maybe it uses energy to run away from the coyote.

▪ I think the opossum might use energy to stay warm in the winter.

Agree that the opossum uses energy for many things, such as catching and eating prey and avoiding predators.

► What are some sources of energy that the opossum can use?

▪ It can get energy from the different organisms that it eats.

▪ The opossum eats snakes, small mammals, fruits, and nuts.

▪ It can eat insects like the southern pine beetle.

Confirm that opossums can eat many different organisms and that opossums get their energy from the organisms they eat.

Have students Think–Pair–Share to respond to the following question.

► Think about the organisms that opossums eat. How did energy become part of those organisms?

▪ The organisms get their energy from the things they eat.

▪ I’m not sure. I think it might depend on what the organisms eat.

▪ We could trace the food web arrows backward to find possible energy sources.

Have students rejoin their groups. Tell students to point to a final consumer, such as a coyote or a Cooper’s hawk, on their Big Thicket food web poster. Direct students to use a finger to trace the energy backward from the final consumer through the food web to determine an original energy source for that consumer.

Invite students to share the original energy sources they identified. As students share, write the name of each organism on a whiteboard or sheet of chart paper. Then ask the following questions.

► How are the original energy sources similar?

▪ They are all plants.

▪ They are all producers.

▪ I think they all make their own food.

► How do producers such as plants get the energy they need to survive?

▪ Plants make their own food using sunlight, water, and air.

▪ Plants need sunlight, so I think that sunlight might be the energy source.

▪ Plants make their own food. Do plants make their own energy too?

Build on students’ responses to highlight the difference between matter and energy. Clarify that matter is the water and air that plants need. Explain that light from the Sun is a form of energy.

Distribute a Sun card to each group. (See Lesson 16 Resource A.) Ask students to think about where they can add the Sun to their food web model. Direct students to glue the Sun card to their food web poster and to draw arrows to show how the Sun connects to their food web model.

Sample student response:

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

In this lesson, students focus on describing the flow of energy through food webs (4.12B).

► What role do you think the Sun has in a food web?

▪ Producers use energy from the Sun to make food.

▪ Without the Sun, plants wouldn’t be able to make food.

▪ I think the Sun might be the base of the food web.

Teacher Note

If students describe the Sun as the base of the food web, explain that the Sun is not a part of the food web, because organisms do not eat the Sun.

Longleaf Pine Tree Southern Pine Beetle Spring Peeper Red-bellied Woodpecker Cooper’s Hawk

Fern Western Rat Snake Opossum Coyote

American Beauty Berry Sun Northern Bobwhite Quail Cooper’s Hawk Coyote

Pine Vole

Coachwhip

Distribute a copy of the energy in the food web article to each student (Lesson 16 Resource B). Tell students to look for information about the source of energy in a food web as they read the adapted text from “Life in the Food Chain” (Braaf 2008). Have students Think–Pair–Share to respond to the following question.

► What is the source of the energy that flows from producers through a food web?

▪ The Sun is the source of the energy.

▪ Plants trap energy from the Sun to make food. They store extra food in their plant parts.

▪ Plants use energy from sunlight to make their own food. Then we eat the plants.

Confirm that the Sun is the source of energy that producers use to make their own food. Summarize that energy can flow through many possible paths from producers to consumers and from consumers to consumers in a food web.

Direct students to the prompt in their Science Logbook (Lesson 16 Activity Guide B), and have students write a description of the role of the Sun, producers, and consumers in a food web. Encourage students to think about the feeding interactions they observed in Trout Are Made of Trees and the feeding interactions and energy flow they modeled in their Big Thicket food web posters.

Sample student response:

▪ The Sun is the source of the energy that flows through the Big Thicket food web. Producers, like the American beautyberry, use sunlight to make food. Then consumers, like the opossum and red-bellied woodpecker, eat the berries on the plant. Without the Sun, the opossum and woodpecker wouldn’t have the food they need for energy. If the opossum and woodpecker can’t get food, then the organisms that eat them would also not get food. The energy that flows between organisms in a food web is from the Sun. The organisms of the food web depend on the Sun for their energy.

Differentiation

Consider previewing the text with students to point out important, unfamiliar terms such as kilometers, photosynthesis, and transfers (4D).

Teacher Note

Students will refer to their posters throughout the remaining lessons. Consider displaying the posters around the classroom or storing them where students can access them as needed.

Check for Understanding

Students use evidence from Big Thicket food web models to explain the role of the Sun in the flow of energy through producers and consumers.

TEKS Assessed

4.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models.

4.5E Investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved.

4.12B Describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Evidence

Students use evidence from food web models as they explain (4.3A) how energy flows (4.5E) from the Sun through the producers and consumers in a food web (4.12B).

Next Steps

If students need support to use evidence to explain how energy flows from the Sun through food webs, prompt students with questions such as these: What would happen to this producer if there were no Sun? What would happen to the consumers?

Land7 minutes

Remind students of the Phenomenon Question How do organisms interact in an environment?

Direct students’ attention to the anchor chart. Work as a class to summarize key ideas about feeding interactions, food webs, and energy, and record this new learning on the anchor chart.

Sample anchor chart:

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• Organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

• Organisms can get acquired traits from events that occur during their lifetime.

• Plants have different structures that help them get what they need to survive in their environment.

Environmental Conditions for Plants

• Weather is the conditions at a particular day and time.

• Climate is the pattern of weather conditions over time.

• Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation are processes that move Earth’s water in the water cycle.

• Energy from the Sun causes liquid water to change into water vapor through the process of evaporation.

Interactions in the Environment

• A food web model shows feeding interactions between organisms in different food chains in an environment.

• The energy that flows through a food web comes from the Sun.

Display the photograph of a fallen log in Big Thicket (Lesson 16 Resource C).

► What do you notice and wonder about the fallen log in the photograph?

▪ Why did the branches break off the tree?

▪ I notice leaves and twigs on the ground next to the log.

▪ Are those mushrooms growing out of the log?

Highlight responses that mention the mushrooms. Explain that in the next lesson set students will explore the Phenomenon Question What is the role of mushrooms in an environment?

Optional Homework

Students research organisms in a different environment and develop a food web to show the source of energy and how energy flows through their food web.

Lessons 17–19 Organism Roles Prepare

In this lesson set, students determine the role of decomposers in an environment. In Lesson 17, students observe different types of fungi and read about decomposers, such as mushrooms and other fungi, to determine that some fungi break down dead organisms. In Lesson 18, students model the interactions between organisms in an environment with and without soil to show the cycling of matter. In Lesson 19, students distill their learning and complete a Conceptual Checkpoint to demonstrate their understanding of the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers in the cycling of matter and flow of energy through a food web. Throughout this lesson set, students examine and model the parts of a system and the parts’ interdependence in the function of the system as they uncover the role of decomposers in an environment.

Student Learning

Knowledge Statement

Decomposers return nutrients from dead organisms to the soil.

Concept 3: Interactions in the Environment

Focus Question

How do organisms get what they need from their environment?

Phenomenon Question

What is the role of mushrooms in an environment?

Objectives

▪ Lesson 17: Gather evidence that fungi are decomposers, which break down dead organisms.

▪ Lesson 18: Investigate the cycling of matter through a food web.

▪ Lesson 19: Apply knowledge of organism interactions in a food web to a new phenomenon.

Standards Addressed

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

Content Standards

4.10A

Describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in this process. (Addressed)

4.12A Investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter. (Addressed) 17,

4.12B Describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers. (Addressed)

Scientific and Engineering Practices

4.1A Ask questions and define problems based on observations or information from text, phenomena, models, or investigations.

4.1C

Demonstrate safe practices and the use of safety equipment during classroom and field investigations as outlined in Texas Education Agency–approved safety standards.

4.1D

Use tools, including hand lenses; metric rulers; Celsius thermometers; calculators; laser pointers; mirrors; digital scales; balances; graduated cylinders; beakers; hot plates; meter sticks; magnets; notebooks; timing devices; sieves; materials for building circuits; materials to support observation of habitats of organisms such as terrariums, aquariums, and collecting nets; and materials to support digital data collection such as computers, tablets, and cameras, to observe, measure, test, and analyze information.

Scientific and Engineering Practices (continued)

4.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence.

4.1F Construct appropriate graphic organizers used to collect data, including tables, bar graphs, line graphs, tree maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, flow charts or sequence maps, and input-output tables that show cause and effect.

4.1G Develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

4.2A Identify advantages and limitations of models such as their size, scale, properties, and materials.

4.2B Analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns, or sources of error.

4.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models.

Recurring Themes and Concepts

4.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

4.5C Use scale, proportion, and quantity to describe, compare, or model different systems.

4.5D Examine and model the parts of a system and their interdependence in the function of the system.

4.5E Investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved.

English Language Proficiency Standards

1D Speak using learning strategies such as requesting assistance, employing non-verbal cues, and using synonyms and circumlocution (conveying ideas by defining or describing when exact English words are not known).

4G Demonstrate comprehension of increasingly complex English by participating in shared reading, retelling or summarizing material, responding to questions, and taking notes commensurate with content area and grade level needs. 17,

5B Write using newly acquired basic vocabulary and content-based grade-level vocabulary. 17,

7 Days Before: Prepare four sealed bags of moldy bread. (See Lesson 17 Resource B.)

Set up fungi observation stations. (See Lesson 17 Resource B.)

two corners of the classroom for a Question Corners routine. Prepare a copy of the statements in Lesson 17 Resource C. During the lesson, post one statement in each corner.

to distribute one copy of Lesson 17 Resource D to each student.

Lesson 17

Objective: Gather evidence that fungi are decomposers, which break down dead organisms.

Agenda

Launch (5 minutes)

Learn (35 minutes)

▪ Observe Fungi (20 minutes)

▪ Read and Ask Questions About Fungi (15 minutes)

Land (5 minutes)

Launch

5 minutes

Display the Big Thicket mushroom photographs (Lesson 17 Resource A). Inform students that the organisms in the photographs are called mushrooms.

Have students Think–Pair–Share to respond to what they notice and wonder about the mushrooms.

Sample student responses:

▪ Some mushrooms grow on the ground, and some grow on trees.

▪ Some of those mushrooms are colorful.

▪ Do most mushrooms grow in clumps?

▪ What are the things on top of the red mushroom?

► What role do you think mushrooms have in the Big Thicket food web?

▪ I think they are producers like plants. Mushrooms are with the vegetables in the grocery store.

▪ Maybe they are a different type of producer.

Draw on students’ responses to highlight uncertainty about the role of mushrooms in a food web. Introduce the Phenomenon Question What is the role of mushrooms in an environment?

Learn

35 minutes

Observe Fungi

20 minutes

Tell students that mushrooms are a type of organism called a fungus. Inform students that fungi is the plural form of the word fungus

Introduce the fungi observation stations. (See Lesson 17 Resource B.) Tell students that they will visit three stations to observe different types of fungi and record their observations in their Science Logbook (Lesson 17 Activity Guide A).

Explain the procedure at each station:

▪ Moldy Bread Station: Tell students that the type of fungus on the bread is called mold, and explain that the mold has been growing on the bread for about a week. Tell students to use the handheld magnifier to observe the characteristics of the mold.

▪ Mushroom Observation Station: Explain that students should use the tweezers or the toothpicks to break apart the mushrooms for more detailed observations. Tell students to use the handheld magnifier to observe the characteristics of the mushrooms.

▪ Types of Fungi Station: Tell students to observe the characteristics of the different types of fungi in the photographs.

Teacher Note

Scientists estimate that there are more than 1.5 million different species of fungi. Some common examples of fungi include yeast, mold, mildew, mushrooms, and truffles.

English Language Development

Students will encounter the term fungus (plural fungi) throughout the lesson. Providing the Spanish cognate hongo (plural hongos) may be helpful.

Safety Note

The fungi observation stations pose potential hazards. To minimize the risk, review these safety measures and look for evidence that students are following them (4.1C):

▪ Wear safety goggles throughout the activity.

▪ Do not place any materials in or near your mouth.

▪ Handle all materials carefully.

▪ Wear gloves at the Mushroom Observation Station.

▪ Do not touch the tips of the toothpicks.

▪ Do not open the bag that contains the moldy bread.

Divide the class into groups, and assign groups to their first station. Allow groups to spend 4 to 5 minutes at each station. Provide time for students to clean up and reset the Mushroom Observation Station for the next group. Then have groups rotate to the next station. As students visit the stations, circulate and ask questions such as these about students’ observations:

► How do you think fungus can grow on bread?

► What does the mushroom look like on the outside and inside?

► Where are the different types of fungi growing?

► How do the fungi in the photographs look different from one another?

Provide time for each group to visit the three fungi observation stations. Next, read aloud the Question Corners statements, and then post the statements in different corners of the classroom. (See Lesson 17 Resource C.) Use a Question Corners routine to debrief students. Direct students to listen to the following question and then to move to the classroom corner with the statement that best represents their opinion.

► Do you think that fungi are producers?

Provide a few minutes for students in each corner to discuss their viewpoints and their questions about fungi. Then ask for a few volunteers from each corner to share their thinking and questions.

Differentiation

If students need support with the writing demands of this activity, have them use a different modality for recording observations. For example, allow students to dictate their responses (5B).

Teacher Note

Consider using two corners of the classroom for each response to divide the class into smaller groups for discussion.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

In this activity, students ask questions based on observations and information from investigations. Later in this lesson, students will build on their learning to ask further questions based on information from text (4.1A).

Sample student responses:

▪ I think fungi are producers, because they can’t move around and get food like consumers.

▪ I don’t think fungi are producers, because they don’t have leaves and other parts like plants do to make their own food.

Acknowledge the uncertainty in students’ responses. Tell students they will continue to learn more about fungi to determine the role of fungi in an environment.

Read and Ask Questions About Fungi 15 minutes

Bring the class back together, and then provide each student with a copy of the adapted article about fungi (Jarrow 2018) (Lesson 17 Resource D). Explain that students should listen carefully and follow along as the text is read aloud. Then read aloud the article.

Direct students to the 3–2–1 Response routine in their Science Logbook (Lesson 17 Activity Guide B). Tell students to record three things they learned about the role of fungi in the environment. Next, tell students to write two questions they still have about the role of fungi in the environment. Finally, tell students to record one connection between what they read and their previous knowledge.

Sample student response:

► Three things learned

▪ 1. Fungi break down food, like wood and dead things.

▪ 2. Fungi feed on dead plants and animals.

▪ 3. Fungi make chemicals that can break down food outside their bodies.

► Two questions

▪ 1. How do fungi break down food outside their bodies?

▪ 2. Are fungi part of the food chain if they eat dead things?

► One connection to previous knowledge

▪ 1. Fungi aren’t producers because they can’t make their own food.

Teacher Note

Consider distributing highlighters to students and having them indicate new learning, connections to previous knowledge, and information they have questions about as the text is read aloud.

Teacher Note

Important, unfamiliar words in the fungi article may include microscope and reproduce. As needed, provide students with synonyms, definitions, or example sentences (4G).

Teacher Note

The connection between decomposition and soil enrichment mentioned in the fungi article will be revisited and explicitly addressed in Lesson 18.

Content Area Connection: English

Point out the author’s use of the verb slurps up. Ask a question such as the following to help students reflect on the use of figurative language: Why might an author choose that verb over other verbs, such as absorbs or takes in?

Check for Understanding

Students ask questions based on information from a text to find out about the role of decomposers, such as fungi.

TEKS Assessed

4.1A Ask questions and define problems based on observations or information from text, phenomena, models, or investigations.

4.5D Examine and model the parts of a system and their interdependence in the function of the system.

4.12B Describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Evidence

Students ask questions based on information from a text (4.1A) to find out about the role of decomposers (4.12B) in an environment (4.5D).

Next Steps

If students need support to ask questions based on the text, consider having them focus on their statements about the role of fungi and ask questions such as these: Do you have any questions about this statement? Do you understand why this statement is true?

Invite a few volunteers to share their answers to the 3–2–1 Response routine. Use students’ responses to highlight the role of fungi in breaking down dead organisms. Tell students that fungi, including mushrooms, are decomposers. Explain that a decomposer is an organism that breaks down dead organisms.

English Language Development

Introduce the term decomposer explicitly. Providing the Spanish cognate descomponedor may be helpful.

Recall with students that in previous lessons they learned that producers use energy from the Sun to make their own food and consumers get energy by eating plants or animals. Explain that decomposers get energy by breaking down dead organisms.

Ask students to think about the fungi article and their observations from the fungi observation stations. Then tell students to complete the Quick Write in their Science Logbook (Lesson 17 Activity Guide C) to answer the question about the role of decomposers in an environment. Invite a few volunteers to share their responses.

Sample student responses:

▪ Decomposers break down dead organisms. If decomposers like mushrooms disappeared, the dead organisms might pile up and other creatures would have no room to move around.

▪ Mushrooms and other fungi aren’t producers because they can’t make their own food, but they eat dead organisms. Other organisms can get energy when they eat fungi.

Check for Understanding

Students use the interdependence of organisms to describe the role of decomposers in an environment.

TEKS Assessed

4.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models.

4.5D Examine and model the parts of a system and their interdependence in the function of the system.

4.12B Describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Evidence

Students explain (4.3A) the role of decomposers in the environment (4.12B) and how other living things depend on decomposers (4.5D).

Next Steps

If students need support to explain the role of decomposers in an environment, ask questions such as these: What do decomposers do that might help other organisms? How might breaking down dead organisms help living organisms?

Land

5 minutes

Direct students to Think–Pair–Share to respond to the following question.

► Compare fungi, such as mushrooms, with plants and animals. How are they similar?

▪ Fungi are similar to animals because they eat other organisms.

▪ Mushrooms reproduce by spores. Maybe spores are similar to the seeds of a plant.

▪ Fungi are similar to plants because they don’t move around.

Build on students’ responses, and summarize that fungi have characteristics that are similar to both plants and animals, but emphasize that fungi are neither plants nor animals.

Revisit the Phenomenon Question What is the role of mushrooms in an environment? Invite students to reflect on what they have learned so far about decomposers as they consider the following question.

► How do you think decomposers, such as mushrooms, are part of a food web?

▪ I think fungi are a type of consumer because they can’t make their own food.

▪ Fungi are not producers, but I’m not sure how they fit into a food web.

▪ How can organisms that eat dead things be part of a food web?

Tell students that in the next lesson they will continue to explore the role of fungi in an environment by modeling a Big Thicket food web.

Teacher Note

Flowering plants produce seeds and spores as part of their life cycle, whereas fungi produce only spores. At this level, students are not expected to know the difference between spores and seeds. It is acceptable for students to describe fungal spores as being similar to flowering plant seeds in that both structures disperse and can grow into new organisms.

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

In the next lesson, students build on their new understanding of decomposers to explore the cycling of matter in an environment (4.12B).

Lesson 18

Objective: Investigate the cycling of matter through a food web.

Launch

Agenda

Launch (5 minutes)

Learn (32 minutes)

▪ Revisit Fungi Article (7 minutes)

▪ Model Matter Movement (25 minutes)

Land (8 minutes)

5 minutes

Tell students they will watch a time-lapse video, and explain that a time-lapse video is a video that is filmed over a long time and then sped up to show a process or action more quickly. Play the leaf litter decomposition video (http://phdsci.link/2475).

Direct students to Think–Pair–Share to describe what happens to the leaves in the video. Invite students to share their observations.

Teacher Note

Consider playing the video more than once, stopping at a few specific time points for students to share observations. Sample student responses:

▪ The leaves change color. The leaf on top turns dark brown.

▪ The leaves break down into little pieces.

▪ Lots of little holes form in the leaves.

Highlight responses that mention how the leaves change and appear to break down into smaller pieces. Tell students that in this lesson they will investigate what happens in an environment when decomposers feed on dead organisms.

Learn

32 minutes

Revisit Fungi Article

7 minutes

Display the fungi article (Lesson 17 Resource D). Tell students that they will focus on one particular paragraph. Direct students to listen for ways that decomposers might help plants. Read aloud the sixth paragraph, which begins with “Fungi can’t make their own food ….” Then have students Think–Pair–Share to respond to the following question.

► How might decomposers help plants?

▪ Decomposers make rich forest soil, which might help plants grow.

▪ Decomposers break down food outside their bodies. Maybe they leave some nutrients in the soil that plants can use.

▪ I’m not sure, but I think decomposers might make soil good for plants.

Build on students’ responses to begin a discussion about nutrients. Remind students that plants need nutrients to grow and that plants get nutrients from the soil. Guide students to understand that fungi enrich soil with nutrients that were once contained in living organisms. Review that fungi use the nutrients they need, and explain that the remaining nutrients are available for other organisms to use.

Model Matter Movement 25 minutes

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

Students may recall that soils such as sand and clay are formed by weathering of rock and by decomposition of plant and animal remains (3.10B). In this lesson, students build on their understanding to discover that decomposition returns nutrients from dead plants and animals to the soil, where these nutrients become available for plants as part of the matter cycling through an environment (4.12B).

English Language Development

Remind students of their food web posters from Lesson 16.

Lead a discussion about food webs in Big Thicket to review students’ learning.

► What do the posters show about food webs in Big Thicket?

▪ The energy from the Sun flows through a food web.

▪ Some organisms are producers and make their own food, and some are consumers.

▪ The food web shows what different animals eat in Big Thicket.

Students will encounter the term nutrient throughout the module. Providing the Spanish cognate nutriente may be helpful. To support understanding, prompt students to consider why some people take daily vitamins. Build on students’ responses to explain that some people take vitamins to get the nutrients they need to stay healthy.

Teacher Note

Consider having students observe their food web posters or review their responses in their Science Logbook (Lesson 16 Activity Guide B).

► How do you think decomposers fit into a food web?

▪ Decomposers could feed on a dead organism.

▪ I think decomposers can use any of the organisms as a food source.

Explain that students will model another Big Thicket food web that includes decomposers.

Divide the class into two groups, and distribute a set of food web cards to each group (see Lesson 18 Resource). At this point, do not distribute the Soil card. Use the following procedure to guide students to create a model of a Big Thicket food web.

1. Direct groups to distribute one food web card to each student in the group and then to sit in a circle. Explain that each student represents the organism shown on their food web card.

2. Distribute a ball of yarn to a producer in each group. Tell students to work together to identify a consumer that eats the producer. Then tell the producer to hold the end of the yarn and roll the ball of yarn to that consumer.

3. Direct the consumer to read aloud their organism’s name. Ask students to work together to identify an organism that can use this consumer as a food source. Then tell the consumer to hold the yarn and roll the ball to that consumer.

Explain that groups should continue the activity of holding the yarn and rolling the ball until they reach an organism that no other organism can use as a food source.

When both groups are finished creating their model, ask students to reflect on what happened in the activity.

Sample student responses:

▪ We had to stop because there was not a consumer that eats the coyote.

▪ It looks like we made a food chain instead of a food web.

► How did the mushroom fit into your food web?

▪ We didn’t use the Mushroom card because decomposers break down dead organisms. We aren’t sure if any organisms died.

▪ We said that the vole died and connected the decomposer to the vole.

Teacher Note

For larger class sizes, consider preparing additional organism cards or having pairs share an organism card.

Teacher Note

Students might suggest that the mushroom is a food source for producers. To guide students to recall that producers do not eat other organisms, ask a question such as the following: How does a producer get food?

In the second part of the modeling activity, students will make the connection between decomposers, nutrients in soil, and producers.

Wonder aloud how a decomposer could connect to a producer. Then replace one consumer card in each group with a Soil card.

Direct students to create another food web model, and tell them to include the Soil card. Provide time for the second modeling activity. Circulate to provide support. Then reflect on the activity with students.

► How did using the Soil card change the activity?

▪ The ball of yarn could keep going through the food web.

▪ We connected all the organisms in the food web because the mushroom could put nutrients in the soil that the plants could use.

▪ We could show how the plants get nutrients from the dead organisms.

► Using the same organisms, how could you make a different food web?

▪ We could choose different animals to be dead and connect them to the decomposer.

▪ We could connect different producers to the soil.

▪ We could connect consumers to different producers and consumers.

Highlight that adding the Soil card allowed students to model different food web interactions because decomposers put nutrients in the soil and producers get nutrients from the soil.

► What does the yarn represent?

▪ The yarn represents what the animals eat, and it shows that plants get nutrients from the soil.

▪ The yarn is the matter and nutrients that move through the food web.

▪ We could keep passing the yarn around. Maybe the yarn shows that the food web is a cycle.

Build on students’ responses to explain that the yarn represents food and nutrients, which are matter. Explain that consumers get nutrients from the food they eat, and clarify that producers make their own food and get nutrients from soil.

► How can we describe the way that matter moves between producers, consumers, and decomposers in a food web?

▪ Matter moves through the food web as food and nutrients.

▪ Producers get matter from soil, and consumers get matter when they eat other organisms. The decomposers break down matter into nutrients for the producers.

Differentiation

If students need support to include the Soil card in the food web, ask targeted questions such as these: What happens to an organism before you can connect it to a mushroom in a food web? What organisms interact with soil?

Teacher Note

Students may say that the yarn represents energy. Clarify that the yarn represents matter because the sections of yarn that go from the decomposers to the soil and from the soil to producers represent nutrients only. Explain that because organisms in an environment use energy for their daily activities—to grow and survive—the food web depends on continuous energy input from the Sun.

Extension

Consider providing photographs of nutrient labels from a multivitamin and a plant fertilizer for students to compare. Students can investigate ways that different organisms rely on nutrients for health, growth, and survival.

► How can we describe the way that energy flows between the producers, consumers, and decomposers in a food web?

▪ Energy flows through the food web when organisms get energy from the food they make or eat.

▪ Producers get energy from the Sun, and then producers make their own food to use for energy. Consumers get energy from eating other organisms. The decomposers get energy from breaking down dead organisms.

► How does the movement of matter in an environment compare with the flow of energy? Spotlight

▪ Matter cycles and is reused. Energy isn’t reused.

▪ Matter is used over and over. Energy flows from the Sun through the organisms but doesn’t ever cycle back to the Sun.

Build on students’ responses to explain that energy from the Sun flows through the organisms in the food web, but emphasize that the Sun’s energy does not cycle. Point out that matter cycles over and over as nutrients are returned to the soil by the action of decomposers and that the nutrients are then available for plants.

► What is the role of decomposers in the flow of energy in a food web?

▪ Decomposers get energy from breaking down dead organisms.

▪ Decomposers put nutrients in the soil that producers can use to make their own food with energy from the Sun.

► How do producers depend on the cycling of matter through a food web?

▪ Producers can’t move to find the resources they need. They depend on decomposers to add nutrients back to the soil.

▪ If decomposers don’t cycle nutrients back into the soil, producers might not get the nutrients they need to survive.

Bring the class back together, and have students complete the chart in their Science Logbook (Lesson 18 Activity Guide).

on Knowledge and Skills

In this module, students are introduced to the flow of energy and cycling of matter in a food web (4.12B). In the Level 5 Ecosystems Module, students develop their understanding of energy flow and matter cycling and predict how changes affect an ecosystem.

Teacher Note

Students may say that decomposers cycle energy back to plants. Explain that decomposers break down dead organisms and add nutrients to soil. Plants can use these nutrients along with energy from the Sun, water, and carbon dioxide to make food.

Teacher Note

Consider providing students with the energy in the food web article (Lesson 16 Resource B) and the fungi article (Lesson 17 Resource D) to support their explanations.

Differentiation

Some students may benefit from support to construct their explanations. Consider providing sentence frames such as these (4G, 5B):

▪ The use as a source of energy.

▪ The use as a source of matter.

▪ get energy by

Sample student responses:

Component Role in Energy Flow Role in Matter Cycling Food Web Example

The Sun

The Sun’s light provides energy for producers. Producers use energy from the Sun to make food from matter in the environment.

The Sun is not part of the food web because organisms do not eat sunlight. Producer

Producers use energy from the Sun to make their own food. They use this food as an energy source to live.

Producers take matter from the environment to make their own food.

The fern makes its own food using energy from the Sun, water, and carbon dioxide.

Consumer

Decomposer

Consumers eat producers and other consumers as their food. They use this food as their energy source to live.

Decomposers break down dead producers and consumers to get the energy they need to live.

Consumers eat producers and other consumers to get the matter they need to grow and survive.

When producers and consumers die, the decomposers break down their matter and use it to grow. Decomposers also leave some matter in the soil as nutrients. Producers can use these nutrients to grow.

The snake eats the quail to get the food it needs. This food is the matter and energy for the snake to grow and survive.

The mushroom breaks down the dead frog to use as its food. This food gives the mushroom the matter and energy it needs to live. Decomposers put nutrients back into the soil for producers to use.

Check for Understanding

Students use evidence from the model to explain the interdependence of the parts of an environment in the cycling of matter and flow of energy.

TEKS Assessed

4.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models.

4.5D Examine and model the parts of a system and their interdependence in the function of the system.

4.12B Describe the cycling of matter and the flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Evidence

Students use evidence from the model to explain (4.3A) the cycling of matter and flow of energy (4.12B) from the Sun through organisms in a food web (4.5D).

Next Steps

If students need support to explain the role of each component in a food web, consider asking questions such as these: What would happen to the cycling of nutrients if there were no decomposers? How do consumers depend on producers? How do decomposers depend on producers and consumers? What would happen to the flow of energy if there were no sunlight?

8 minutes

Tell students that they will listen again to the first part of Trout Are Made of Trees (Sayre and Endle 2008) and then listen to a new section of the book. Display and read aloud pages 1 through 26 of Trout Are Made of Trees

Teacher Note

Important, unfamiliar words in this reading include spawning and fertilize As needed, provide students with synonyms, definitions, or example sentences (4G).

Teacher Note

The trout life cycle, described on pages 19 through 23 of Trout Are Made of Trees, is not a focus of this lesson set.

► Do you think this book describes matter cycling or energy flow in an environment? Why do you think that?

▪ The book describes the matter cycle because it is talking about how the food, or matter, is moving through the organisms.

▪ It doesn’t really talk about the Sun or the energy from the Sun, so I think it’s talking about matter cycling.

► How can bears and people be made of trees?

▪ If trout are made of trees, then anything that eats trout will also be made of trees.

▪ The plants and animals are made of matter. When consumers eat other plants or animals, that matter becomes a part of them.

Have students reflect on their knowledge of food webs in Big Thicket. Ask students to complete the following statement by using different organisms from the food web cards.

► Fill in the blanks. are made of .

▪ Coyotes are made of longleaf pines.

▪ Hawks are made of ferns.

Explain that in the next lesson students will apply what they have learned to the Big Thicket environment as they complete a Conceptual Checkpoint.

Optional Homework

Students research organisms in a local environment and create a food web by using those organisms to show how matter cycles through that environment.

Extension

Students can create a text similar to Trout Are Made of Trees that explains a food chain or food web in Big Thicket (4G).

Lesson 19

Objective: Apply knowledge of organism interactions in a food web to a new phenomenon.

Agenda

Launch (3 minutes)

Learn (37 minutes)

▪ Compare Models (8 minutes)

▪ Update Anchor Model (7 minutes)

▪ Update Anchor Chart (7 minutes)

▪ Conceptual Checkpoint (15 minutes)

Land (5 minutes)

Launch

3 minutes

Recall with students the different models they have used for investigating the Big Thicket environment, including the terrarium, food chains, food webs, and the water cycle model.

► How have we used models to help us understand more about carnivorous plants and the environment in Big Thicket?

▪ We used the terrarium to observe carnivorous plants.

▪ The food web model with the yarn helped us understand how matter cycles in a food web in Big Thicket.

▪ The water cycle model helped us think about water and rain in Big Thicket.

► How do the different models of the Big Thicket environment compare?

▪ The terrarium has living organisms, but the other models used paper and classroom materials.

▪ Some food web models had pictures and arrows on paper, but one was made with yarn and our bodies.

▪ Food chains show the feeding interactions of a few organisms, but food webs can show a lot more interactions.

Agree that students used different models to help them understand more about the Big Thicket environment. Remind students that scientists also use models to help them understand more about the natural world. Tell students that they will compare some of the models they used in this module.

Learn

37 minutes

Compare Models 8 minutes

Explain that students will identify an advantage and a limitation for three models from past lessons. Tell students to think about each model’s size and the materials used in the models. Encourage students to consider how well the models represent the Big Thicket environment. Then ask students to fill in the chart in their Science Logbook (Lesson 19 Activity Guide).

Sample student response:

Model Advantage Limitation

Carnivorous plant terrarium

It’s easy to observe how the carnivorous plants grow and feed because of the terrarium’s small size.

The terrarium only has a few organisms. Big Thicket has many more organisms that wouldn’t fit in the terrarium.

Teacher Note

To help students recall the models used in the module, consider displaying the related material such as student-created food webs. Consider referring students to relevant activities in their Science Logbook or providing time for groups to observe the classroom terrarium.

Differentiation

If students need support to identify advantages and limitations of the models, consider providing sentence frames such as these (1D):

▪ is an advantage of the model because

Water movement model

We can focus on what happens to the water in the water cycle because the model doesn’t have soil or plants.

There is no soil, so the model doesn’t show how rain falls on the ground and flows into streams.

▪ is a limitation of the model because

Food web model

We can observe how matter cycles between producers, consumers, and decomposers.

The model does not show all the interactions between organisms in an environment.

Check for Understanding

Students use size, scale, and materials to identify advantages and limitations of models used to investigate the Big Thicket environment.

TEKS Assessed

4.2A Identify advantages and limitations of models such as their size, scale, properties, and materials.

4.5C Use scale, proportion, and quantity to describe, compare, or model different systems.

4.10A Describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in this process.

4.12B Describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Evidence

Students use size, scale, and materials (4.5C) to identify the advantages and limitations (4.2A) of models of the Big Thicket environment (4.10A, 4.12B).

Next Steps

If students need support to identify advantages and limitations of the models, ask questions such as these: How does this model help us understand what happens in Big Thicket? How is this model different from the Big Thicket environment? What is not shown in this model?

Ask for a few volunteers to share their responses. Build on those responses to highlight the advantages and limitations of each model and how scientists use different models to answer different questions.

Update Anchor Model 7 minutes

Direct students’ attention to the anchor model.

► How does matter cycle through Big Thicket?

▪ The decomposers put nutrients in the soil that the plants can use.

▪ Matter cycles through the food web through the producers, consumers, decomposers, and back to the producers through the soil.

▪ Water is matter that cycles in the water cycle.

► How does energy flow in the Big Thicket food web?

▪ The producers get energy from the Sun.

▪ The consumers can get energy by eating other producers or consumers.

► What role do decomposers play in the flow of energy in Big Thicket?

▪ Decomposers can get energy by breaking down dead animals or plants.

▪ The decomposers put nutrients in the soil. The nutrients help the plants make their own food with energy from the Sun.

Review with students that carnivorous plants live in the wetland pine savanna environment in Big Thicket. Explain that in this environment, decomposers break down dead organisms slowly, so the soil has few nutrients available for plants. Wonder aloud about how carnivorous plants get the nutrients they need from soil that has few nutrients.

Invite students to share what they have learned that can help them answer the Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous?

Sample student responses:

▪ Some plants in Big Thicket cannot get all the nutrients they need from the soil, so they must get nutrients from something else.

▪ Some plants in Big Thicket are carnivorous because they can get the nutrients that they need from the animals they capture.

▪ Some plants are carnivorous because the soil in their environment doesn’t have enough nutrients.

Summarize students’ responses to update the anchor model with information about the cycling of matter and the role of decomposers in the Big Thicket environment.

Teacher Note

Rates of decomposition are low in waterlogged soils in part because of low oxygen availability for decomposers. Students may wonder how the longleaf pine trees get their nutrients. Explain that evergreens, such as longleaf pine trees, do not lose their leaves in winter, so they can photosynthesize year-round, and they conserve energy by not having to grow new leaves every year.

Sample anchor model:

Carnivorous Plants in Big Thicket

Sunlight

Longleaf pine trees

Producer

Red-belliedConsumerwoodpecker

Air all around

Organisms die.

Energy

Nutrients from insects

Pitcher plants

Butterwort

Capturing animals

Water vapor

Decomposers

Matter from dead organisms

Nutrients in soil

Capturing animals

Sundew

Capturing animals

Condensation Evaporation

Bladderwort

Capturing animals

Precipitation

Spring peeper

Consumer

Soil

Water from rain

Many plants live in Big Thicket. Some of those plants are carnivorous. Carnivorous plants have special structures to catch and digest animals. Water moves between Earth’s water, air, and land in a cycle called the water cycle. Energy from the Sun helps make the water cycle happen. Carnivorous plants live in an environment with wet soil. Carnivorous plants are part of the food web in Big Thicket. Matter cycles in the wetland pine savanna, but the soil has few nutrients from decomposers. Carnivorous plants, such as the sundew and pitcher plant, are producers that make their own food using energy from the Sun, and they get nutrients from the insects they capture.

Update Anchor Chart 7 minutes

Direct students’ attention to the anchor chart, and tell students to consider the Phenomenon Question What is the role of mushrooms in an environment? Ask students to suggest updates that reflect their new knowledge about the role of decomposers in the movement of matter, such as nutrients, within an environment, and update the anchor chart with the key learning.

Sample anchor chart:

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• Organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

• Organisms can get acquired traits from events that occur during their lifetime.

• Plants have different structures that help them get what they need to survive in their environment.

Environmental Conditions for Plants

• Weather is the conditions at a particular day and time.

• Climate is the pattern of weather conditions over time.

• Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation are processes that move Earth’s water in the water cycle.

• Energy from the Sun causes liquid water to change into water vapor through the process of evaporation.

Interactions in the Environment

• A food web model shows feeding interactions between organisms in different food chains in an environment.

• The energy that flows through a food web comes from the Sun.

• Decomposers break down dead organisms and return nutrients to the soil.

• A food web model shows how matter cycles in an environment.

Conceptual Checkpoint 15 minutes

Tell students that they will complete a Conceptual Checkpoint to demonstrate their new knowledge about the ways that organisms in an environment interact in a food web.

Display the photograph of Devils Hole (Lesson 19 Resource A). Tell students that this photograph shows Devils Hole in Nevada, which is part of Death Valley National Park. Ask students what they notice and wonder about Devils Hole.

Sample student responses:

▪ I notice water in an opening in big rocks.

▪ I see instruments hanging near the water.

▪ I wonder where the water came from.

▪ What does the instrument on the chain do?

Explain that Devils Hole is an underground lake. Point to the instruments in the water, and inform students that these instruments help scientists monitor the conditions for a particular fish, the Devils Hole pupfish. Display the photograph of a Devils Hole pupfish (Lesson 19 Resource B).

Tell students that Devils Hole pupfish are found only in Devils Hole and that this type of fish has lived in this same small area for more than 10,000 years. Explain that a small number of pupfish live in Devils Hole and people worry that the pupfish will become extinct.

► How do you think that Devils Hole pupfish have survived in such a small area for so long?

▪ There must be food in the water for them.

▪ The water must have the resources the pupfish need to survive.

▪ Maybe no organisms that eat pupfish live in Devils Hole.

Tell students that Devils Hole pupfish are only one type of organism that lives in Devils Hole. Inform students that they will explore how some of these organisms interact to help answer the Concept 3 Focus Question: How do organisms get what they need from their environment?

Distribute a copy of the organism table (Lesson 19 Resource C) to each student. Support students with reading the information in the table. Then distribute a copy of the Conceptual Checkpoint (Lesson 19 Resource D) to each student, and tell students they will use the organism table to respond to the items on the Conceptual Checkpoint. Review each item with students and clarify student questions before they begin the Conceptual Checkpoint.

► For each sentence, circle the choice that makes the sentence true.

▪ Green algae get matter / energy from the Sun.

▪ Scuds get matter from green algae / diving beetles.

▪ Diving beetles get energy from the Sun / pupfish

Spotlight on Knowledge and Skills

Students apply their knowledge of the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs (4.12B) to a different environment.

Teacher Note

Green algae and diatoms are both types of algae. Algae are producers that make their own food through the process of photosynthesis. Algae form the base of many aquatic food chains. If necessary, clarify that algae are not plants, but emphasize that these organisms are producers. At this level, it is not necessary for students to understand the difference between plants and algae.

Differentiation

Read questions aloud to students who need support (4G).

► Complete the food web model to show how matter moves between the organisms.

Green algae Scuds

Diving beetles Diatoms

Devils Hole pupfish

► Match a role to a part of an environment. Write a number next to each role.

2 Makes its own food

4 Breaks down matter

3 Eats other living things

1 Source of energy for food web

► Circle the choice that describes the Sun’s role in the flow of energy and matter cycling in a food web.

▪ Consumers use energy from the Sun to make their own food from water and carbon dioxide. Producers can eat consumers to gain matter and energy.

▪ Producers use energy from the Sun to make their own food from water and carbon dioxide. Consumers can eat producers to gain matter and energy.

▪ Decomposers use energy from the Sun to make their own food from water and carbon dioxide. Producers can eat decomposers to gain matter and energy.

Conceptual Checkpoint

This Conceptual Checkpoint assesses students’ understanding of the Concept 3 Focus Question: How do organisms get what they need from their environment?

TEKS Assessed

4.1F Construct appropriate graphic organizers used to collect data, including tables, bar graphs, line graphs, tree maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, flow charts or sequence maps, and input-output tables that show cause and effect.

4.1G Develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

4.2B Analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns, or sources of error.

4.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

4.5E Investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved.

4.12B Describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Evidence

Students analyze data in a table (4.2B) to determine that green algae and diatoms get energy from the Sun and consumers get matter and energy (4.5E) from things they eat (4.12B).

Students construct a graphic organizer (4.1F) to develop a model (4.1G) that identifies the roles of organisms in a food web (4.12B).

Students use their observations of the data table and use patterns (4.5A) to correctly identify the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers in a food web (4.12B).

Next Steps

If students need support to analyze the data in the table, review each organism in the table and ask students where each organism gets matter and energy.

If students need support to construct the food web model, display the class food web from Lesson 15, and reread the “Life in the Food Chain” article from Lesson 16.

If students need support to identify the different roles of organisms in food webs, have them revisit their Big Thicket food web posters and review the role that each organism plays. Then ask students to compare those organisms with the organisms found in Devils Hole. Guide students to create a food chain model and add additional arrows to model the food web. (continues)

Conceptual Checkpoint (continued)

Evidence

Students circle the statement that describes how the Sun provides energy to producers and how that energy helps consumers get energy and matter (4.5E, 4.12B).

Next Steps

If students need support to identify the role of the Sun in the energy flow and matter cycling in a food web, revisit the Lesson 18 Activity Guide.

After students complete the Conceptual Checkpoint, clarify and confirm their understanding of the roles of organisms and the Sun in a food web. Review the organisms in the table in the Conceptual Checkpoint (Lesson 19 Resource D), and ask students where each organism gets its energy and matter.

► How does the Devils Hole pupfish get what it needs from its environment?

▪ The pupfish eat other organisms that live in Devils Hole.

▪ The pupfish get energy and matter from the things they eat.

▪ Producers use energy from the Sun and nutrients and carbon dioxide to make food and grow. The pupfish eat the producers to get matter and energy.

5 minutes

Revisit the driving question board. Invite students to add, answer, or regroup their questions. Tell students that in the next lesson they will complete the Science Challenge.

Lessons 20–21 Science Challenge Part 2 Prepare

In Lessons 20 and 21, students conclude their Science Challenge investigations and analyze their results. In Lesson 20, students collect and analyze data to draw conclusions about how the lack of each resource in a plant’s environment affects the plant’s ability to make food, grow, and survive. In Lesson 21, students combine learning from the Science Challenge with what they learned about the cycling of matter in Lessons 17 and 18 to support a claim with evidence that access to water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide in an environment affects the way a plant makes food, grows, and survives.

Student Learning

Knowledge Statement

Plants can make their own food and grow when they get water, sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrients from their environment.

Objectives

▪ Lesson 20: Analyze data to draw conclusions about how available resources in an environment affect the way a plant makes food and grows.

▪ Lesson 21: Support a claim with evidence that available resources in an environment affect the way a plant makes food and grows.

Application of Concepts

Task

Science Challenge

Phenomenon Question

How do the available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives?

Standards Addressed

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

Content Standards

4.12A

Investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter. (Addressed)

Scientific and Engineering Practices

4.1B

Use scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems.

4.1C Demonstrate safe practices and the use of safety equipment during classroom and field investigations as outlined in Texas Education Agency–approved safety standards. 20, 21

4.1D

Use tools, including hand lenses; metric rulers; Celsius thermometers; calculators; laser pointers; mirrors; digital scales; balances; graduated cylinders; beakers; hot plates; meter sticks; magnets; notebooks; timing devices; sieves; materials for building circuits; materials to support observation of habitats of organisms such as terrariums, aquariums, and collecting nets; and materials to support digital data collection such as computers, tablets, and cameras, to observe, measure, test, and analyze information.

4.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence. 20

4.1F Construct appropriate graphic organizers used to collect data, including tables, bar graphs, line graphs, tree maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, flow charts or sequence maps, and input-output tables that show cause and effect. 20, 21

4.2B Analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns, or sources of error. 20, 21

Recurring Themes and Concepts

4.5B Identify and investigate cause-and-effect relationships to explain scientific phenomena or analyze problems.

4.5E Investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved.

4.5G Explain how factors or conditions impact stability and change in objects, organisms, and systems.

English Language Proficiency Standards

Use visual and contextual support and support from peers and teachers to read grade-appropriate content area text, enhance and confirm understanding, and develop vocabulary, grasp of language structures, and background knowledge needed to comprehend increasingly challenging language.

Lesson 20

Objective: Analyze data to draw conclusions about how available resources in an environment affect the way a plant makes food and grows.

Agenda

Launch (10 minutes)

Learn (31 minutes)

▪ Analyze Investigation Data (13 minutes)

▪ Compare Investigation Results (10 minutes)

▪ Debrief Investigation Results (8 minutes)

Land (4 minutes)

Launch 10 minutes

Explain that in this lesson students will conclude their Science Challenge investigations by making final observations of their radish plants. Tell students they do not need to water their plants after they complete their observations.

Review class expectations for group work, and ask students to return to their Science Challenge investigation groups. Distribute a ruler, a handheld magnifier, and a quarter-size object to each group. Tell students to make their final observations of their plants and to record the date and their data in their Science Logbook (Lesson 8 Activity Guide).

Safety Note

This investigation poses potential hazards. To minimize the risk, review these safety measures and look for evidence that students are following them (4.1C):

▪ Wear safety goggles throughout the activity.

▪ Do not put materials, including soil or any parts of the plants, in or near your eyes or mouth.

▪ Wash your hands immediately after handling the plants.

▪ Do not touch the tip of the toothpick.

Learn

31 minutes

Analyze Investigation Data

13 minutes

Bring the class back together, and revisit the Phenomenon Question How do the available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives?

Ask students to consider their group’s investigation question.

► How can you use the data you collected to answer your group’s investigation question?

▪ I think we can use our data to show how no water affects how a plant makes food and grows.

▪ We can look at our data and use what we notice to explain how a plant changed with no light compared to the plant grown with all resources.

Explain that students will analyze the data that their group collected throughout their investigation to describe how available resources in an environment affect how a plant grows and survives.

Tell students that they will begin by analyzing their group’s data from the investigation. Direct students to the data tables in their Science Logbook (Lesson 8 Activity Guide). Explain that students will use the data in these tables to create a model that shows how their plant changed throughout the investigation. Direct students to the chart in their Science Logbook (Lesson 20 Activity Guide). Tell them to draw and label their plant to show their plant’s characteristics from their first, second, and third observations. Encourage students to include labels that indicate their plant’s stem color, stem height, leaf color, leaf size, and other characteristics they observed. Clarify that students should work with their group but that all students should draw pictures of their group’s plant in their Science Logbook.

Teacher Note

If students did not observe live plants during the Science Challenge or if any plants did not grow successfully, have students analyze the photographs of radish plants in Lesson 9 Resource C. Ask students to use the photographs to complete the drawing task in this lesson. Explain that students can make observations about the plants’ stem color, leaf color, relative leaf size, and other differences they notice. They will not be able to make observations about changes in the plants’ height based on the photographs (4F).

Teacher Note

Students may want to color in their drawings. Consider distributing colored pencils to each group.

Sample student response (Group 2, no water):

Observation Model

Leaves are about the size of a quarter.

1

Stems are dark green and pink.

Leaves are smaller than a quarter.

The tallest stem is 4.5 cm. Leaves are dark green.

stems are brown and light pink.

2

Leaves are smaller than a quarter, dry, and curled.

Leaves are curled, light green, and brown.

Stems are brown and dry.

3

Leaves are light green and brown.

Have students compare their models within their group and modify their drawings as necessary. Then tell students to review their models.

► How did your plant change during the investigation?

▪ Our plant turned brown, and the leaves changed from dark green to light green and they are dry.

▪ Our plant’s stems aren’t standing straight up anymore, and the leaves are red, yellow, and brown.

▪ Our plant grew, and many leaves are big and dark green. A few leaves turned red and yellow.

Highlight responses related to changes in the height and color of the stems and the color and size of leaves on the radish plants.

► Which changes do you think indicate a healthy plant?

▪ I think plants with dark green stems and leaves are healthy.

▪ Plants that grow taller are healthy.

▪ When a plant is healthy, its leaves grow bigger.

► Which changes do you think indicate an unhealthy plant?

▪ A brown stem and brown leaves mean that a plant isn’t healthy.

▪ A plant that doesn’t grow tall is not healthy.

▪ I think that if a plant has small leaves, it isn’t healthy.

Instruct students to work with their group to identify the characteristics on their model in their Science Logbook (Lesson 20 Activity Guide) that indicate a healthy plant and the characteristics that indicate an unhealthy plant. Tell students to draw a check mark next to characteristics that indicate that their plant is healthy and an X next to characteristics that indicate that their plant is unhealthy.

Direct groups to summarize how their plant changed from the first observation through the last observation in their Science Logbook (Lesson 20 Activity Guide).

Compare Investigation Results

10 minutes

Invite at least one student from each group to share with the class how their plant changed from the first to the third observation. Record students’ responses in a class table.

Sample class table: Group and Condition

Group 1: No air

How did the plant change?

The stem stayed green and did not get taller. The plant has more leaves, but some are light green and yellow. Some leaves are smaller than a quarter. The plant is slimy.

Is the plant healthy?

Group 2: No water

The plant’s stem is thinner and did not grow taller. The stem turned yellow and brown. Some leaves are yellow, and some turned light brown. The leaves are small and dry and hanging over the edge of the pot.

Group 3: No light

The stem height increased at first, but now the stem is not standing up. The stem is yellowish white. The leaves got smaller and turned from green to yellow and brown.

Group 4: Sand

The stem grew taller in the first week, but now it is not standing up. The leaves got smaller. The stem and leaves turned red, brown, and yellow.

Group 5: Local soil

The stem grew 2 centimeters. Some leaves are dark green, and others are pink, yellow, and brown. The stem is red and pink.

Group 6: All resources

The plant grew 2 centimeters. There are more leaves. Most leaves are dark green, but some are yellow and red.

Teacher Note

Display the pots so that all students can see each group’s plant. Tell groups to observe the plants and use the class observations table to identify the similarities and differences between their plant and other groups’ plants. Ask a volunteer from each group to share how their plant compares with the plants of other groups.

Throughout these lessons, when groups are not observing their plants, keep the pots displayed so that all students can see each group’s plants. If time allows, invite students to move around the classroom to observe the plants of other groups (4F).

Sample student responses:

▪ Our plant with no air grew and had a lot of leaves, but the leaves are lighter green than some of the other plants.

▪ We noticed our plant with no light is short and has dry stems and leaves like the plant with no water.

▪ The radish plant in sand didn’t grow very tall compared with the other plants, and some of its leaves are red and yellow, not green.

Next, tell groups to think about how their plants compare with the plant grown with all resources. Ask groups to discuss whether their radish plant is healthy. Then invite a student from each group to share their response, and update the class observations table.

Sample class table: Group and Condition How did the plant change?

Group 1: No air

The stem stayed green and did not get taller. The plant has more leaves, but some are light green and yellow. Some leaves are smaller than a quarter. The plant is slimy.

Teacher Note

Tell Group 6 to compare their plant with the plant of another group.

Is the plant healthy?

Group 2: No water

The plant’s stem is thinner and did not grow taller. The stem turned yellow and brown. Some leaves are yellow, and some turned light brown. The leaves are small and dry and hanging over the edge of the pot.

Group 3: No light

The stem height increased at first, but now the stem is not standing up. The stem is yellowish white. The leaves got smaller and turned from green to yellow and brown.

Group 4: Sand

The stem grew taller in the first week, but now it is not standing up. The leaves got smaller. The stem and leaves turned red, brown, and yellow.

Group and ConditionHow did the plant change? Is the plant healthy?

Group 5: Local soil

The plant grew 2 centimeters. Some leaves are dark green, and others are pink, yellow, and brown. The stem is red and pink.

Group 6: All resources

The plant grew 2 centimeters. There are more leaves. Most leaves are dark green, but some are yellow and red.

Teacher Note

Explain that sand has fewer nutrients than the soil with all resources. Ask students to Think–Pair–Share to summarize how the plants that lack a resource or have fewer nutrients compare with the plant with all resources.

▪ The plants that do not have one of the resources do not look as healthy as the plant with all resources.

▪ The plant with all resources grew taller and is greener than the plants that did not get all resources.

▪ The plant in sand had less nutrients and it is not as healthy as the plant with all resources.

Debrief Investigation Results 8 minutes

Display the photograph taken before the lesson of the plant grown with all resources. Explain that Groups 1 through 5 will compare their plants with the plant that received all resources. Ask students to work with their group to identify one or more characteristics that appear different from characteristics of the plant grown with all resources. Tell students to circle these characteristics on their model in their Science Logbook (Lesson 20 Activity Guide). Explain that Group 6 will compare their results with the results from a group with a plant that lacked a resource.

Ask students to review their group’s investigation question (Lesson 8 Activity Guide). Tell students to use the data they gathered throughout the investigation as evidence, and instruct them to write a response to their group’s investigation question in their Science Logbook (Lesson 20 Activity Guide).

The results for plants grown in local soil will vary depending on the nutrient content of the soil. Guide students to use the results of the investigation to determine if local soil has more, fewer, or a similar number of nutrients as the potting soil used in the investigation. Students do not need to consider the types of nutrients in soil.

Teacher Note

If live plants are not available to display or photograph, use the Science Challenge results photographs (Lesson 9 Resource C).

Teacher Note

Choose a specific group with which Group 6 can compare plants. Tell Group 6 to compare their data with the assigned group’s data for the Science Challenge data analysis. Provide time for Group 6 to view the plant of their assigned group.

Differentiation

If students need support to include both comparisons in their answers, remind them to use the following steps to fully answer their investigation question. First, students should compare the changes in their group’s plant from the first day to the last day of the investigation. Then students should compare their group’s data with the data from the group that grew their plant with all resources.

Sample student responses:

▪ When there is no air in a plant’s environment, the plant grows a little but is not as healthy as a plant with all resources in its environment.

▪ A plant with no water in its environment is shorter and has smaller leaves compared with a plant with all resources in its environment. A plant with no water in its environment does not grow and is unhealthy.

▪ A plant with local soil in its environment is healthy, and it can make food and grow. It grew 2 cm and has dark green leaves like the plant with all resources in its environment.

Check for Understanding

Students analyze data to answer their group’s investigation question.

TEKS Assessed

4.1F Construct appropriate graphic organizers used to collect data, including tables, bar graphs, line graphs, tree maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, flow charts or sequence maps, and input-output tables that show cause and effect.

4.2B Analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns, or sources of error.

4.5G Explain how factors or conditions impact stability and change in objects, organisms, and systems.

4.12A Investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter.

Evidence

Students analyze and compare their data from three observations and then compare their group’s final data with the control group’s final data (4.2B).

Next Steps

If students need support to analyze their data, have them review their drawings of plants from this lesson and describe changes in their plants from their first to last observation. Then direct students to the class observations table and ask questions such as these: What is the color of the leaves and stem of your group’s plant? What is the color of the leaves and stem of the plant with all resources? Which plant grew more, your group’s plant or the plant with all resources?

(continues)

Check for Understanding (continued)

EvidenceNext Steps

Students use the table (4.1F) to cite specific data from the investigation to explain how a plant lacking resources or receiving different amounts of resources from the environment changes over time (4.5G) compared with a plant grown with typical resources (4.12A).

If students need support to cite specific data, have them return to their observations or their models of how their plants changed and ask them to compare one characteristic at a time until they identify at least one characteristic that is different. Encourage them to include the descriptions from their data table in their response as evidence to support their answer.

4 minutes

Ask groups to review their models (Lesson 20 Activity Guide). Instruct students to work together to develop a claim about how the condition they tested affects plant characteristics and affects how a plant makes food and grows. Tell students to complete the sentence frame in their Science Logbook (Lesson 20 Activity Guide) to record their claim.

Sample student responses:

▪ Radish plants need air to make food, grow, and stay healthy.

▪ Radish plants need water to make food, grow dark green leaves, grow taller, and stay healthy.

▪ Radish plants need light to make food and grow.

▪ Radish plants need soil to make food, make big green leaves, and grow.

Tell students that in the next lesson they will collect evidence to determine whether their claim is true.

Differentiation

If students need support to write their claim, consider providing a more complete sentence frame, such as the following (4F):

▪ Radish plants need to make food, grow, and stay healthy.

Lesson 21

Objective: Support a claim with evidence that available resources in an environment affect the way a plant makes food and grows.

Agenda

Launch (2 minutes)

Learn (40 minutes)

▪ Gather Evidence to Support or Refute a Claim (10 minutes)

▪ Evaluate a Claim (5 minutes)

▪ Prepare to Share (10 minutes)

▪ Share Evidence and Reasoning (15 minutes)

Land (3 minutes)

Launch

2 minutes

Teacher Note

Consider teaching this lesson over 2 days to provide students additional time to share evidence and reasoning to support their claims about how available resources in an environment affect the way a plant makes food and grows.

Ask students to think about their claim from the previous lesson (Lesson 20 Activity Guide).

► What can you do to gather evidence to support your claim?

▪ We can use our data to show that the plant with all resources in its environment grew taller and was healthier than our plant that grew without light.

▪ I can use an online source to find out more about how plants make food.

▪ Maybe we can find a book by a person who studies plants like we did. The book could give us more information to support our claim.

Use students’ responses to confirm that using the data they collected along with another source will allow them to have more evidence to evaluate their claim.

Learn

40 minutes

Gather Evidence to Support or Refute a Claim

10 minutes

Have students return to their Science Challenge investigation groups. Distribute a copy of the adapted article about energy in the food web (Braaf 2008) (Lesson 16 Resource B) to each student in Groups 1, 2, 3, and 6. Distribute a copy of the adapted article about fungi (Jarrow 2018) (Lesson 17 Resource D) to students in Groups 4 and 5. Instruct students to read their assigned article and to identify evidence from the reading that supports or does not support their claim. Direct students to the evidence and reasoning chart in their Science Logbook (Lesson 20 Activity Guide). Tell students to use the first column of the chart to record the evidence that supports their claim.

Provide time for students to discuss their evidence with their group and to modify their evidence as needed. Circulate and listen for students to identify evidence that supports their group’s claim.

Next, instruct students to work with their group to review the data they collected from their investigation. Ask them to add evidence that supports their claim in the first column of the evidence and reasoning chart in their Science Logbook (Lesson 20 Activity Guide).

Sample student response (Group 2, no water):

▪ Claim: Radish plants need water to make food, grow dark green leaves, grow taller, and stay healthy.

Evidence

List the evidence that supports your claim.

Plants use energy from the Sun, water, and carbon dioxide to make food.

Plants store extra food in their structures. When you eat a plant, you use food the plant made to get energy.

Reasoning

Explain how this evidence supports your claim.

Differentiation

If students need support to read the text and to identify key details, consider reading the text to the class before students engage with it individually. Also consider modeling for students how to identify key details by using one or two sentences to show reading strategies, such as underlining or annotating (4F).

(continues)

Our plant’s leaves were dark green and the size of a quarter and then they became light green and small.

Our plant’s stems were green and then became brown.

The plant that grew in an environment with all resources has dark green leaves and grew taller than our plant that had no water.

Evaluate a Claim 5 minutes

Tell groups to discuss whether their evidence supports or does not support their claim. Invite volunteers from different groups to share their ideas.

Sample student responses:

▪ I think the evidence supports our claim because our plant’s environment caused its characteristics to change. Without light a plant cannot make food and grow, so its characteristics change and it is less healthy.

▪ Our plant was in sand. It did not have soil with nutrients. The evidence supports our claim because the plant with all resources was in soil with nutrients and grew taller than our plant.

▪ The evidence supports our claim because our plant had all resources, and it grew taller and had bigger green leaves than the plants grown under different conditions.

Tell students to evaluate their claim by completing the Reasoning column of their evidence and reasoning chart (Lesson 20 Activity Guide). Inform students that reasoning explains why evidence supports a claim.

Sample student response (Group 2, no water):

▪ Claim: Radish plants need water to make food, grow dark green leaves, grow taller, and stay healthy.

Evidence List the evidence that supports your claim.

Plants use energy from the Sun, water, and carbon dioxide to make food.

Reasoning

Explain how this evidence supports your claim.

Plants use the resources like water in their environment to make food and grow.

Plants store extra food in their structures. Plants need water to make food. Extra food is stored in the plant’s structures.

When you eat a plant, you use food the plant made to get energy.

Our plant’s leaves were dark green and the size of a quarter and then they became light green and small.

Our plant’s stems were green and then became brown.

The plant that grew in an environment with all resources has dark green leaves and grew taller than our plant that had no water.

Prepare to Share 10 minutes

When plants make enough food, they grow taller and make healthy structures that we can eat.

When a plant does not get water, it does not grow or have healthy characteristics.

When a plant has no water, its leaves do not stay green because the plant does not make food to grow and stay healthy.

This shows that plants need water to make food, grow, and survive.

Explain that scientists present their work in different ways, including speeches, visual presentations, videos, websites, and published articles. Work with students to determine which methods of presentation will be appropriate given the available time and classroom resources.

Introduce students to the presentation checklist in their Science Logbook (Lesson 21 Activity Guide A). Review the checklist with students, and answer their questions about the requirements for the presentation.

Tell students to use their model and their evidence and reasoning chart (Lesson 20 Activity Guide) to help them prepare their presentations. Inform students that they should decide how each group member will contribute to the presentation.

Give groups time to plan their presentations and to record notes in their Science Logbook (Lesson 21 Activity Guide A).

Share Evidence and Reasoning 15 minutes

Gather the class to listen to the presentations, and encourage students to ask questions at the end of each presentation. Direct students to the list of questions in their Science Logbook (Lesson 21 Activity Guide B), and tell them to choose one of the questions or to write their own question.

After each group’s presentation, instruct students to write one piece of feedback on a sticky note or a half sheet of paper. Clarify that the feedback can identify one strength or one idea for improvement for the group’s presentation.

Collect the feedback before the next presentation. Review the feedback. Then, after all groups complete their presentations, distribute the appropriate feedback to each group for their review.

Have students reflect on their knowledge and participation in their Science Logbook (Lesson 21 Activity Guide C). Tell students to put a check mark next to each statement that reflects their knowledge or their participation.

Differentiation

Some students may benefit from additional time and support in preparing for their oral presentation. Provide students with time to rehearse each part of the presentation before they speak in front of the class. Consider allowing students to write notes on index cards and to refer to the cards during their presentation (4F).

Differentiation

If students need support to write feedback, consider providing sentence starters such as the following (4F):

▪ I like how you explained

▪ I wanted to hear more about .

Check for Understanding

Students complete the evidence and reasoning chart to support their claim.

TEKS Assessed

4.1F Construct appropriate graphic organizers used to collect data, including tables, bar graphs, line graphs, tree maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, flow charts or sequence maps, and input-output tables that show cause and effect.

4.5B Identify and investigate cause-and-effect relationships to explain scientific phenomena or analyze problems.

4.5G Explain how factors or conditions impact stability and change in objects, organisms, and systems.

4.12A Investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter.

Evidence

Students’ evidence and reasoning charts (4.1F) show a cause-and-effect relationship (4.5B) between the resources available to plants and a plant’s ability to make its own food and grow (4.12A). Students explain how conditions impact stability and change in the radish plants (4.5G).

Next Steps

If students struggle to make this relationship clear, consider working with small groups to create a flowchart. On the chart, show the relationship between the resources that plants take in from their environment to make their food and how that food is used as the matter and energy that allow the plants to have healthy characteristics. Then ask students to create their own visual chart or flowchart that shows how the amount of food, the plants’ characteristics, and the ability to grow are affected by the lack of each resource.

Land

3 minutes

Display the plant diagram (Lesson 21 Resource).

Sunlight (energy)

Carbon dioxide (matter)

Water (matter)

Food (matter and source of energy)

Invite students to make notes on the diagram to describe how matter and energy move through a plant.

► What resources do plants need to grow and survive?

▪ Plants need sunlight, carbon dioxide from air, and water to make food.

▪ Plants need energy from the Sun and matter from the air and soil to make food.

► What can we add to this diagram to show how matter cycles in the plant’s environment?

▪ We can add evaporation, condensation, and precipitation to show how water cycles in an environment.

▪ We can add decomposers and nutrients in the soil. Nutrients are matter from dead organisms, and plants need nutrients to grow and survive.

▪ We can add animals because matter moves from producers to consumers.

Have students Jot–Pair–Share in their Science Logbook (Lesson 21 Activity Guide D) to describe how producers make their own food through the cycling of matter.

▪ Plants get water, carbon dioxide, and nutrients from their environment. Plants use energy from the Sun and matter from the environment to make their food. The plants become food and matter for other organisms.

Check for Understanding

Students use the plant diagram to describe how plants use resources to make food through the cycling of matter.

TEKS Assessed

4.5E Investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved.

4.12A Investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter.

Evidence

Students describe and identify that plants need an input of resources (i.e., water, carbon dioxide, sunlight) to create the output of food. They also use the diagram to show the cycling of matter by adding the processes of the water cycle, consumers, decomposers, and nutrients (4.5E, 4.12A).

Next Steps

If students need support to connect how matter moves through a plant with the matter cycle, show them the radish plants grown in different conditions and ask questions such as these: When a plant does not have water, sunlight, or air, how well does it grow compared with a plant that has all resources? When a plant is not able to make its own food, how will that affect its characteristics? Where does the water that plants need come from? Where do the nutrients that plants need come from?

Display the anchor chart. Revisit the Phenomenon Question How do the available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives? Use students’ responses to summarize new knowledge and update the anchor chart.

Teacher Note

Students may have a misconception that plants are able to create new matter. Clarify that plants do not create new matter; they rearrange the matter they take in from their environment (i.e., water and carbon dioxide) into food.

Teacher Note

In the Level 5 Ecosystems Module, students build on this knowledge as they learn how the process of respiration helps plants survive in their environment.

Sample anchor chart:

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• Organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

• Organisms can get acquired traits from events that occur during their lifetime.

• Plants have different structures that help them get what they need to survive in their environment.

• Plants use their structures to trap energy and get carbon dioxide, water, and nutrients to make food and grow.

Environmental Conditions for Plants

• Weather is the conditions at a particular day and time.

• Climate is the pattern of weather conditions over time.

• Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation are processes that move Earth’s water in the water cycle.

• Energy from the Sun causes liquid water to change into water vapor through the process of evaporation.

Interactions in the Environment

• A food web model shows feeding interactions between organisms in different food chains in an environment.

• The energy that flows through a food web comes from the Sun.

• Decomposers break down dead organisms and return nutrients to the soil.

• A food web model shows how matter cycles in an environment.

• Plants can make their own food by using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter.

Optional Homework

Students research scientists who study plants around the world. Students select a scientist and write a summary of that scientist’s discoveries or investigations.

Lessons 22–24 Carnivorous Plants in Big Thicket National Preserve Prepare

In Lessons 22 through 24, students synthesize their learning from throughout the module and articulate their understanding of how organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment in a Socratic Seminar and End-of-Module Assessment. In Lesson 22, students discuss the Essential Question in a Socratic Seminar and capture their thoughts in writing. In Lesson 23, students individually complete the End-of-Module Assessment. During the End-of-Module Assessment, students apply their knowledge of how traits and plant structures; environmental conditions, such as precipitation caused by the water cycle; and matter cycling and energy flow in food webs help plants survive in their environment. In Lesson 24, this module’s culminating lesson, students debrief the assessment.

Application of Concepts

Tasks

Socratic Seminar

End-of-Module Assessment

Phenomenon Question

Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous? (Essential Question)

Student Learning

Knowledge Statement

Organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment.

Objectives

▪ Lesson 22: Explain how organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment. (Socratic Seminar)

▪ Lesson 23: Explain how organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment. (End-of-Module Assessment)

▪ Lesson 24: Explain how organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment. (End-of-Module Assessment Debrief)

Standards Addressed*

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

Content Standards

4.10A Describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in the process. (Mastered)

4.10C Differentiate between weather and climate. (Mastered)

4.12A Investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter. (Mastered)

4.12B Describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers. (Mastered)

24

24

24

* Students may apply these standards in instructional activities or in the End-of-Module Assessment. See the End-of-Module Assessment rubric for specific standards the assessment addresses.

Content Standards (continued)

4.13A Explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment. (Mastered)

4.13B Differentiate between inherited and acquired physical traits of organisms. (Mastered)

Scientific and Engineering Practices

4.1E

4.1F Construct appropriate graphic organizers used to collect data, including tables, bar graphs, line graphs, tree maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, flow charts or sequence maps, and input-output tables that show cause and effect.

4.1G Develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

4.2A Identify advantages and limitations of models such as their size, scale, properties, and materials.

4.2B Analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns, or sources of error.

4.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models.

4.3B Communicate explanations and solutions individually and collaboratively in a variety of settings and formats.

4.3C Listen actively to others’ explanations to identify relevant evidence and engage respectfully in scientific discussion.

Recurring Themes and Concepts

4.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

4.5C Use scale, proportion, and quantity to describe, compare, or model different systems.

4.5D Examine and model the parts of a system and their interdependence in the function of the system.

4.5E Investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved.

4.5F Explain the relationship between the structure and function of objects, organisms, and systems.

English Language Proficiency Standards

Lesson 22

Objective: Explain how organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment. (Socratic Seminar)

Agenda

Launch (7 minutes)

Learn (33 minutes)

▪ Prepare for Socratic Seminar (8 minutes)

▪ Engage in Socratic Seminar (25 minutes)

Land (5 minutes)

Launch 7 minutes

Students make a relationship map to show connections among key terms learned throughout the module. To start the map, they cut out the key terms in their Science Logbook (Lesson 22 Activity Guide A). Individually, students arrange the terms in their Science Logbook to show relationships between the terms. They can draw arrows or other symbols and write words between the terms to express the relationships. After students organize the map, they can glue the terms in place.

Learn 33 minutes

Prepare for Socratic Seminar 8 minutes

Tell students they will share their understanding of the Essential Question with one another through a Socratic Seminar discussion. First, students write an initial response to the Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous? in their Science Logbook (Lesson 22 Activity Guide B) as a Quick Write. When students finish, ask them to draw a line below their response. At the end of the seminar, students will revisit this response to see how their thoughts have changed.

Content Area Connection: Mathematics

This Socratic Seminar allows students to use their speaking and listening skills to express and deepen their science content knowledge. In a Socratic Seminar, students prepare for and participate in a collaborative, evidence-based academic conversation. See the Socratic Seminar resource in the Implementation Guide for more background.

In this discussion, students should work toward grade-level expectations for speaking and listening (3F).

Engage in Socratic Seminar 25 minutes

As needed, review the routines and expectations for participating effectively in a Socratic Seminar, including classroom guidelines and resources for speaking and listening. Have students review the collaborative conversation strategies in their Science Logbook (Lesson 22 Activity Guide C). Explain that this resource reminds students of different ways they can participate in a collaborative conversation and provides sentence frames to support student participation. Instruct students to choose one or two conversation strategies to use as a visual reminder of effective ways to contribute to the discussion and to cut out or circle those strategies as a visual reminder.

Remind students that during the seminar they should incorporate science terminology learned during the module. Students can refer to their relationship map from this lesson’s Launch, the anchor chart, the anchor model, and other classroom resources to support their discussion.

Display and read aloud the Essential Question to prompt the discussion: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous? Students discuss the question. In the Socratic Seminar, students respond to one another directly, with minimal teacher facilitation. Students can remind one another of conversation norms, ask for evidence, and pose questions to extend the conversation.

As needed, step in briefly to reinforce norms for collaborative conversations. Consider posing one or two questions, such as the following, midway through the seminar to spur additional conversation:

► How do different structures help plants survive in their environment?

► What is the difference between inherited traits and acquired traits?

► What is the role of the Sun in an environment?

► How does water play a role in a plant’s environment?

► How do weather and climate help plants meet their needs for survival?

► How does a food web model help show how plants interact with other organisms in their environment?

► How does a plant make its own food?

► What roles do producers, consumers, and decomposers play in a food web?

► Why is the role of a producer important in an environment?

English

Language Development

English learners may benefit from having a word bank available to use as they participate in the Socratic Seminar discussion. Include words and phrases such as carnivorous plant, trait, inherit, inherited trait, acquired trait, condensation, water cycle, food web, and decomposer (3F).

Check for Understanding

As students engage in the Socratic Seminar, take notes on their participation, content knowledge, and use of scientific language. To monitor student participation and the flow of the conversation, consider writing each student’s name around the edge of a piece of paper before the lesson and drawing lines between speakers during the conversation.

TEKS Assessed

4.3C Listen actively to others’ explanations to identify relevant evidence and engage respectfully in scientific discussion.

4.10A Describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in the process.

4.10C Differentiate between weather and climate.

4.12A Investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter.

4.12B Describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers.

4.13A Explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment.

4.13B Differentiate between inherited and acquired physical traits of organisms.

Evidence

As students engage in scientific discussion (4.3C), listen for evidence that all students

▪ differentiate between weather and climate (4.10C) and how water cycles in the environment (4.10A);

▪ understand that producers use matter and energy to make their own food (4.12A) and that matter cycles and energy flows in a food web (4.12B);

▪ differentiate between acquired and inherited traits (4.13B) and identify structures that help plants survive in the environment (4.13A); and

▪ use precise language such as inherited traits, water cycle, and food web.

Next Steps

If students express misconceptions about plants in their environment, meet with them individually or in a small group before the End-of-Module Assessment. Provide additional hands-on investigations of phenomena related to their misunderstanding, and help students use precise language to construct explanations of those phenomena.

Land5 minutes

Students reread their Quick Write from the beginning of the lesson. Below the line, they summarize how the Socratic Seminar reinforced or changed their thinking. Encourage students to share examples of how their thinking evolved during the discussion.

Return to the driving question board, and ask students to share reflections on how their understanding has grown since applying what they learned about plants in the environment. Ask students to share new questions that might lead to future investigations.

Explain that in the next lesson students will apply their understanding of plants in their environment in an End-of-Module Assessment.

Teacher Note

Display the driving question board with the anchor chart and anchor model to help students make connections.

Extension

Students can research or investigate these questions independently at workstations or as Optional Homework.

Lesson 23

Objective: Explain how organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment. (End-of-Module Assessment)

Agenda

Launch (8 minutes)

Learn (35 minutes)

▪ Complete the End-of-Module Assessment (35 minutes)

Land (2 minutes)

Launch 8 minutes

Teacher Note

In this lesson, students take an End-of-Module Assessment that assesses standards addressed throughout the Plants in the Environment module. All Level 4 standards are summatively assessed throughout the grade level in Conceptual Checkpoints, Engineering and Science Challenges, and End-of-Module and End-of-Spotlight Assessments. For additional evidence of student understanding of the Content Standards, Scientific and Engineering Practices, and Recurring Themes and Concepts, assign Benchmark 2 found in the Assessment Pack and in the digital platform. This cumulative assessment includes items related to standards addressed throughout Level 4.

Tell students that in this lesson they will apply their understanding of plants in their environment in an End-of-Module Assessment.

Display

Teacher Note

Consider practicing the name of the welwitschia (pronounced vel-vi-chee-uh) by playing an online pronunciation recording for students.

Tell students that the typical life span for the welwitschia is 400 to 600 years. Explain that the welwitschia plant has only two leaves and that these leaves grow throughout the life of the plant. Tell students that over time, wind can cause the two leaves to split into multiple segments. Inform students that the plant lives in the Namib Desert, which typically receives less than 2 inches of rain each year. Display the Big Thicket total precipitation graph in Lesson 10 Resource C. Remind students that this graph shows total precipitation in Big Thicket for four different years.

► How does the amount of rain in Big Thicket compare with the amount of rain in the Namib Desert?

▪ Big Thicket usually gets a lot more rain than the Namib Desert.

▪ Big Thicket can get more than 35 inches of rain in 1 year. The Namib Desert gets less than 2 inches of rain in a year.

Agree that Big Thicket gets much more rain than the Namib Desert. Tell students they will continue to explore how the welwitschia plant can survive for so many years with little rainfall.

Teacher Note

The welwitschia plant produces only two true leaves that grow throughout the plant’s life. Over time, wind can cause the leaves to split into segments. Emphasize that what looks like a mass of leaves in the photograph is actually two leaves that have split into segments.

Teacher Note

The Namib Desert extends along the coast of Namibia and joins with the Kaokoveld Desert in Angola and the Karoo Desert in South Africa. Consider pointing out the location of the Namib Desert on a map. In the Nama language, namib means “vast” (WWF 2020).

the photograph of the welwitschia plant (Lesson 23 Resource).

Learn

35 minutes

Complete the End-of-Module Assessment

35 minutes

Prepare students for the End-of-Module Assessment by explaining that the assessment is a way for them to show all the knowledge they have developed through their study of plants in their environment. Remind students to provide detailed explanations and to use the resources posted in the room if necessary.

Distribute the End-of-Module Assessment. Read aloud the assessment items. Students complete the End-of-Module Assessment individually. If necessary, provide additional time for students to finish.

Teacher Note

To prepare for the next lesson, review End-of-Module Assessment responses to provide rubric scores and actionable feedback to students on a separate page from the assessment. (See the rubric and sample responses in the End-of-Module Assessment section of this book.) In the next lesson, students review their own assessment responses and then the teacher feedback. Also, select an exemplar student response for each question to share with students, or plan to share the sample student responses provided in the Teacher Edition. If selecting student responses, remember to remove identifying information and to select diverse student responses.

When providing feedback, be sure to guide students to focus on specific areas of improvement to deepen their understanding of module concepts. For students who need remediation, offer opportunities to revisit portions of the module.

Differentiation

Provide an audio recording of the assessment items for students who need additional reading support.

2 minutes

Tell students that in the next lesson they will share their thinking about the End-of-Module Assessment questions.

Lesson 24

Objective: Explain how organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment. (End-of-Module Assessment Debrief)

Agenda

Launch (8 minutes)

Learn (27 minutes)

▪ Debrief the End-of-Module Assessment (17 minutes)

▪ Revise End-of-Module Assessment Responses (10 minutes)

Land (10 minutes)

Launch 8 minutes

Explain that in this lesson students will review the End-of-Module Assessment, discuss responses, and then have an opportunity to revise their answers. First, they will review the assessment rubric and assess their own responses to begin reflecting on their learning.

Share the End-of-Module Assessment rubric with students, and distribute their individual responses (without teacher feedback, if possible). Students reflect on their own responses, recording their self-assessment feedback on their copy of the rubric.

Next, distribute written teacher feedback on students’ End-of-Module Assessments. Students review the teacher feedback of their own responses independently and write on sticky notes any questions they want to discuss with the class. Students post their questions, either anonymously or with their names. Quickly review questions as students post them, and plan which questions to discuss first.

Learn

27 minutes

Debrief the End-of-Module Assessment 17 minutes

Distribute copies of sample responses that meet expectations, one response per assessment item. Students compare the sample responses to the rubric criteria and annotate those responses with the evidence of each rubric criterion they demonstrate.

Discuss each assessment item, posing students’ relevant questions from Launch. Provide sentence frames such as the following to encourage all students to participate in the discussion.

▪ In the sample response, I notice

▪ That makes me wonder .

▪ That makes me realize .

▪ I thought . How does that relate to ?

▪ I would add because .

Discuss students’ remaining questions. As needed, encourage students to review their Science Logbook, the anchor model, the anchor chart, and other resources for evidence during the discussion.

Revise End-of-Module Assessment Responses

10 minutes

Students revise their End-of-Module Assessment responses by using a different-colored pen or pencil, applying new ideas from the debrief conversation to deepen their responses.

Teacher Note

Depending on school and classroom guidelines and routines, decide whether to score and provide feedback on these revised responses.

Land

10 minutes

Display the module concept statements (Lesson 24 Resource A) one at a time. Explain that each sentence states a key idea that students learned and summarizes one section of the anchor chart. Display the anchor chart for student reference. Display and read aloud one concept statement, and ask students to identify the section of the anchor chart to which the statement is most related. Students can indicate their responses by pointing to the relevant section of the anchor chart or writing that section’s heading on individual whiteboards.

Sample student responses:

▪ Plant Structures and Their Functions: Plants inherit traits that can help them survive in their environment.

▪ Environmental Conditions for Plants: The climate of their environment, which includes the water cycle, helps plants meet their needs.

▪ Interactions in the Environment: A food web model shows the interactions between organisms and how matter cycles and energy flows in an environment.

As needed, students should discuss each statement to understand its meaning.

Display all the module concept statements on a visual, alongside the module’s Recurring Themes and Concepts (Lesson 24 Resource B). (See sample visual.) Introduce these Recurring Themes and Concepts as understandings that provide a link between scientific ideas. Referencing the visual, ask students to relate each of the displayed Recurring Themes and Concepts to relevant statements. As students discuss the following questions, indicate these connections visually, either through layering connections onto students’ prior terminology concept maps or by creating a visual of the module’s enduring knowledge.

► How do some of these statements relate to patterns?

▪ One statement is about traits, and inherited traits have a pattern.

▪ Climate is the pattern of weather conditions over time.

Teacher Note

Point out the connection between these statements and the key details of a text. Display the following sentence as an example of the module’s main idea, which the key details support: Organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment.

As an alternative to reading the concept statements from Lesson 24 Resource A, students can practice summarizing by writing their own sentence to summarize each section of the anchor chart.

Teacher Note

This lesson highlights several Recurring Themes and Concepts because these concepts help explain the content that students study in this module. Connections to other Recurring Themes and Concepts can be highlighted in the discussion as they naturally appear.

► How do some of these statements relate to systems?

▪ Some of the statements are about how different things on Earth affect each other. They’re parts of a system. The water cycle affects where different plants can grow in an area.

▪ Organisms interact in a food web and move matter and energy through the system.

► How do some of these statements relate to energy and matter?

▪ Energy from the Sun causes evaporation of water and makes the water cycle happen.

▪ Matter cycles in a food web and gets passed from one organism to another.

▪ Producers use energy from the Sun to make their own food.

► How do some of these statements relate to structure and function?

▪ Plants have different structures that help them survive in different environments.

▪ Plants have structures that help them get energy from the Sun, water, and carbon dioxide that they use to make food and grow.

Sample visual:

Plants inherit traits that can help them survive in their environment.

The climate of their environment, which includes the water cycle, helps plants meet their needs.

A food web shows the interactions between organisms and how matter cycles and energy flows in an environment.

Teacher Note

This visual can be created for each individual module, or subsequent module concept statements and Recurring Themes and Concepts can be layered onto this visual to create a yearlong visual that captures the enduring knowledge from all modules. The style of this visual will vary greatly from classroom to classroom according to teacher preferences and the fact that the visual is student generated.

Structure and Function Energy and Matter Systems

After discussing connections, students should continue to reflect on their learning and consider how it has grown over the module. Ask questions such as the following, and have student volunteers share with the class their answer to each question:

► What do you notice about the connections?

► Why do the connections between the Recurring Themes and Concepts and our module concept statements matter?

► What do you hope to learn next to deepen your understanding?

Optional Homework

Students observe a local environment and create a food web model that shows how matter cycles and energy flows in that environment.

Student End-of-Module Assessment, Sample Responses, and Rubric

Date: LEVEL 4 MODULE 3: PLANTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT

Name:

End-of-Module Assessment

1. Observe the three welwitschia plants. Read the descriptions.

This plant lives in an environment with sand and no wind.

This plant lives in an environment with sand and no wind.

This plant lives in an environment where wind blows sand and rips the leaves.

Circle the type of trait that each sentence describes.

Two leaves on a plant is an inherited / acquired trait. Ripped leaves is an inherited / acquired trait.

2. This food web shows organisms from the Namib Desert and how matter moves thr ough the food web.

Lizard Decomposers

a. The welwitschia plant is a producer. Circle two statements that describe producers.

▪ Producers are a source of energy and matter for consumers in an environment.

▪ Producers eat other organisms to get energy.

▪ Producers break down dead organisms and put nutrients in soil.

▪ Producers use energy from the Sun, water, and carbon dioxide to make food.

▪ Producers get energy from decomposers.

b. Circle two statements that describe the role of decomposers in this food web model.

Decomposers get food from the Sun.

▪

Decomposers break down other organisms to get food and energy.

▪

▪ Decomposers use energy from the Sun, water, and carbon dioxide to make food.

Decomposers break down dead organisms and put nutrients in soil.

▪

▪ Decomposers are a source of matter and energy for plants.

Welwitschia

Beetle Ant

c. Circle two statements that describe limitations of a food web model.

▪ Food web models show the flow of matter in an environment.

▪ Food web models show some, but not all, interactions between organisms in an environment.

▪ Food web models show the flow of energy in an environment.

▪ Food web models show how producers, consumers, and decomposers interact in an environment.

▪ Food web models do not show all the organisms that live in an environment.

3. The table shows statements about the Namib Desert. Draw a check mark ( ✓ ) to show whether each statement describes climate or weather.

Weather

Climate

Statement

The average temperature is 63°F in winter and 70°F in summer. It was 68°F and partly cloudy a few days in a row. The average rainfall is less than 2 inches per year.

4. The photograph shows fog in the Namib Desert. Fog is a cloud that forms close to the ground.

Observe the model of fog in the Namib Desert.

a. Use words from the word bank to fill in the blanks in the model. Not all words will be used. evaporation

precipitation

Water vapor rises into the air by the process of

Water collects on the surfaces of plants.

Water vapor forms fog by the process of

Fog b. Draw three arrows on the model to show the movement of water.

Water drops flow down leaves towards the ground.

Water drops from fog collect on leaves.

Root

Name: Sample

Date: LEVEL 4 MODULE 3: PLANTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT

Assessment

End-of-Module

1. Observe the three welwitschia plants. Read the descriptions.

This plant lives in an environment with sand and no wind.

This plant lives in an environment with sand and no wind.

This plant lives in an environment where wind blows sand and rips the leaves.

Circle the type of trait that each sentence describes. Two leaves on a plant is an inherited / acquired trait.

Ripped leaves is an inherited / acquired trait.

2. This food web shows organisms from the Namib Desert and how matter moves through the food web.

Lizard Decomposers

Beetle Ant

Welwitschia

a. The welwitschia plant is a producer. Circle two statements that describe producers.

▪ Producers are a source of energy and matter for consumers in an environment.

▪ Producers eat other organisms to get energy.

▪ Producers break down dead organisms and put nutrients in soil.

▪ Producers use energy from the Sun, water, and carbon dioxide to make food.

▪ Producers get energy from decomposers.

b. Circle two statements that describe the role of decomposers in this food web model.

Decomposers get food from the Sun.

▪

▪ Decomposers break down other organisms to get food and energy.

▪ Decomposers use energy from the Sun, water, and carbon dioxide to make food.

▪ Decomposers break down dead organisms and put nutrients in soil.

▪ Decomposers are a source of matter and energy for plants.

c. Circle two statements that describe limitations of a food web model.

▪ Food web models show the flow of matter in an environment.

▪ Food web models show some, but not all, interactions between organisms in an envir onment.

▪ Food web models show the flow of energy in an environment.

▪ Food web models show how producers, consumers, and decomposers interact in an environment.

▪ Food web models do not show all the organisms that live in an environment.

3. The table shows statements about the Namib Desert. Draw a check mark ( ✓ ) to show whether each statement describes climate or weather.

Weather

✓

Climate

Statement

The average temperature is 63°F in winter and 70°F in summer.

✓ It was 68°F and partly cloudy a few days in a row.

✓

The average rainfall is less than 2 inches per year.

4. The photograph shows fog in the Namib Desert. Fog is a cloud that forms close to the ground.

Observe the model of fog in the Namib Desert.

a. Use words from the word bank to fill in the blanks in the model. Not all words will be used.

condensation

evaporation

precipitation

Water vapor rises into the air by the process of

condensation

evaporation

Water vapor forms fog by the process of

Water collects on the surfaces of plants.

Fog b. Draw three arrows on the model to show the movement of water.

5. Observe the photograph and the model of a welwitschia plant.

Fog in the air

Water drops from fog collect on leaves.

Water drops flow down leaves towards the ground.

Ground Root

Explain how the shape of the leaves helps the plant survive in its environment. Water droplets from the fog collect on the leaves. The water rolls down the leaves onto the ground. The roots absorb the water.

LEVEL 4 MODULE 3: PLANTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT

End-of-Module Assessment Rubric

Score each student’s End-of-Module Assessment. The rubric describes evidence of student work that meets expectations. Use the blank spaces as needed to record evidence of student work that exceeds or falls below expectations.

Name:

Incorrect

3 Meets Expectations

Correct or reasonable response with sufficient detail or evidence

Date:

4 Exceeds Expectations

Correct or reasonable response with more than sufficient detail or evidence

The student analyzes photographs (4.2B) to look for patterns (4.5A) and determine that two leaves is an inherited trait and that ripped leaves is an acquired trait of welwitschia plants (4.13B).

The student uses patterns to identify the role of producers in a food web (4.5A). The student describes that producers use energy from the Sun, water, and carbon dioxide to make food (4.12A) and that producers serve as a source of energy and matter for consumers (4.12B).

Incorrect

Incorrect

Correct or reasonable response with sufficient detail or evidence

Correct or reasonable response with more than sufficient detail or evidence

The student identifies that decomposers break down dead matter to get food and energy (4.12B) and facilitate the cycling of matter in an environment (4.5E). 2c

The student identifies limitations (4.2A) in the scale (4.5C) of food web models (4.12B).

The student analyzes weather and climate data (4.2B) and looks for patterns (4.5A) to determine whether the statement describes the climate or weather of the Namib Desert (4.10C).

The student analyzes the photograph (4.2B) to identify the different ways that water moves through the environment (4.5E) by labeling evaporation and condensation on the model of the Namib Desert (4.10A).

The student identifies the different ways that water moves through the environment (4.5E) on the model (4.1G) by illustrating the movement of water from the plants’ surfaces to the air of the Namib Desert (4.10A).

The student explains (4.3A) how the structure of the welwitschia plant’s leaves helps the plant get water from fog (4.5F, 4.13A).

End-of-Module Assessment Alignment Map

For teacher reference, this alignment map lists the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills assessed by each item in the End-of-Module Assessment.

1 ▪ 4.13B Differentiate between inherited and acquired physical traits of organisms.

2a ▪ 4.12A Investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter.

▪ 4.12B Describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers.

▪ 4.2B Analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns, or sources of error.

N/A

2b

▪ 4.12B Describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers.

2c ▪ 4.12B Describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers.

3

4a

4b

5

▪ 4.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

▪ 4.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

N/A

▪ 4.2A Identify advantages and limitations of models such as their size, scale, properties, and materials.

▪ 4.10C Differentiate between weather and climate. ▪ 4.2B Analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns, or sources of error.

▪ 4.10A Describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in the process.

▪ 4.10A Describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in the process.

▪ 4.13A Explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment.

▪ 4.2B Analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns, or sources of error.

▪ 4.5E Investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved.

▪ 4.5C Use scale, proportion, and quantity to describe, compare, or model different systems.

▪ 4.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

▪ 4.5E Investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved.

▪ 4.1G Develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

▪ 4.5E Investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved.

▪ 4.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models.

▪ 4.5F Explain the relationship between the structure and function of objects, organisms, and systems.

Plants in the Environment Resources

Contents

Lesson 1 Resource A: Classroom Terrarium Setup and Care Instructions

Lesson 1 Resource B: Texas Map

Lesson 1 Resource C: Pitcher Plant and Sundew Photographs

Lesson 2 Resource A: Butterwort and Bladderwort Photographs

Lesson 2 Resource B: Big Thicket Plant Cards

Lesson 2 Resource C: Carnivorous Plant Environment Photograph

Lesson 3 Resource A: Apple Tree Photograph

Lesson 3 Resource B: Apple Photographs

Lesson 3 Resource C: Offspring and Possible Parent Plant Photographs

Lesson 3 Resource D: Apple Tree Family Poster Setup Instructions

Lesson 3 Resource E: Apple Tree Family Trait Data Table

Lesson 3 Resource F: Rabbit Photographs

Lesson 4 Resource A: Apple Tree and Fruit Photographs

Lesson 4 Resource B: Before Photographs

Lesson 4 Resource C: Traits Chart Setup Instructions

Lesson 4 Resource D: Trait Photographs

Lesson 5 Resource A: Plants in Big Thicket Environments Photographs

Lesson 5 Resource B: Big Thicket Environment Cards

Lesson 6 Resource A: Plant Structure and Function Stations Setup Instructions

Lesson 6 Resource B: Plant Structure and Function Stations Procedure Sheets

Lesson 7 Resource A: Carnivorous Plants Painting

Lesson 7 Resource B: Carnivorous Plants with Prey Photographs

Lesson 7 Resource C: Death Valley National Park Photographs

Lesson 7 Resource D: Average Yearly Precipitation Graph

Lesson 7 Resource E: Conceptual Checkpoint

Lesson 8 Resource A: Science Challenge Rubric

Lesson 8 Resource B: Soybean Crop Photograph

Lesson 8 Resource C: Soybean Plants Photograph

Lesson 9 Resource A: Radish Plant Setup Instructions

Lesson 9 Resource B: Science Challenge Setup Instructions

Lesson 9 Resource C: Science Challenge Results Photographs

Lesson 10 Resource A: Pitcher Plant Range Maps

Lesson 10 Resource B: Big Thicket Current Weather Data Table Setup Instructions

Lesson 10 Resource C: Big Thicket Historical Weather Graphs

Lesson 10 Resource D: Weather and Climate Cards

Lesson 11 Resource A: Pitcher Plants in Alabama Photograph

Lesson 11 Resource B: Pale Pitcher Plant Range Map

Lesson 11 Resource C: Baldwin County, Alabama, Historical Weather Graphs

Lesson 11 Resource D: Texas Precipitation Map

Lesson 12 Resource A: Big Thicket After Rain Photograph

Lesson 12 Resource B: Water Movement Model Setup Instructions and Procedure

Lesson 13 Resource: Stream in Big Thicket Photograph

Lesson 14 Resource A: Big Thicket Environment Photographs

Lesson 14 Resource B: Death Valley Without Precipitation Photographs

Lesson 14 Resource C: Death Valley After Precipitation Photographs

Lesson 14 Resource D: Conceptual Checkpoint

Lesson 15 Resource A: Big Thicket Organism Photographs

Lesson 15 Resource B: Big Thicket Organism Cards

Lesson 16 Resource A: Sun Cards

Lesson 16 Resource B: Energy in the Food Web Article

Lesson 16 Resource C: Fallen Log in Big Thicket Photograph

Lesson 17 Resource A: Big Thicket Mushroom Photographs

Lesson 17 Resource B: Fungi Observation Stations Setup Instructions

Lesson 17 Resource C: Question Corners Statements

Lesson 17 Resource D: Fungi Article

Lesson 18 Resource: Food Web Cards

Lesson 19 Resource A: Devils Hole Photograph

Lesson 19 Resource B: Devils Hole Pupfish Photograph

Lesson 19 Resource C: Organism Table

Lesson 19 Resource D: Conceptual Checkpoint

Lesson 21 Resource: Plant Diagram

Lesson 23 Resource: Welwitschia Photograph

Lesson 24 Resource A: Module Concept Statements

Lesson 24 Resource B: Recurring Themes and Concepts

Terrarium Setup and Care Instructions

Lessons in this module are based on the use of one classroom terrarium. Refer to the following information for terrarium materials, setup instructions, and maintenance instructions. For additional information about caring for carnivorous plants , visit the International Carnivorous Plant Society website ( http://phdsci.link/2569 ).

Advance Timing Note: Use the voucher in the Module 3 kit to order carnivorous plants 2 weeks before starting Lesson 1. Otherwise, visit the C arolina Biological Supply Company website ( http://phdsci.link/2450 ) to order the terr arium and plants. If sourcing materials from a different supplier, order at least one pitcher plant, one sundew, one Venus flytrap, and enough sphagnum moss to cover the soil. Note that companies may ship live materials only on certain dates to avoid delivery on weekends.

Materials: 1 gal clear plastic terrarium with cover (1), live carnivorous plants (at least 3 , including pitcher plant, V enus flytrap, and sundew), live sphagnum moss (enough to cover soil in terrarium), low-nutrient soil 1 4 (2 cups), freeze-dried bloodworms ( oz), heat lamp with reflector (1), grow light bulb (1), gravel (2 cups), scissors (1), small cup (1), thermometer (1, optional), disposable pipettes (2), safety goggles (1), tweezers (1) or toothpicks (6), access to distilled water

Materials Notes: The carniv or ous plants require low-nutrient soil. If not using the Module 3 kit, create low-nutrient soil by mixing three parts peat moss to one part clean, coarse sand. Use distilled water to set up and maintain the terrarium. Avoid using tap water, as it may contain chemicals that will harm or kill the plants. A grow light bulb is used in the heat lamp to grow plants in the terrarium. For the water movement model in Lesson 12, a heat ligh t bulb is used in the heat lamp . If not using the Module 3 kit, ensure that the heat lamp with reflector is compatible with the wattage of the heat light bulb used in Lesson 12.

Terrarium Setup

Terrarium Preparation

1. Cover the bottom of the terrarium evenly with 1 to 2 inches of gravel.

2. Add 2 to 3 inches of low-nutrient soil.

3. Create a 1-inch-deep hole for each plant. Space the holes evenly.

4. Gently remove the plants from the container. Remove loose soil from the roots by using a light stream of distilled water from a disposable pipette. Avoid excessive handling of the plants.

5. Place one plant in each hole. Make sure the roots do not extend into the gravel layer; after the water is added in step 9, standing w ater will occur in the gravel layer, and the roots should not touch the water. Next, surround the roots with soil. Avoid spreading soil directly on the leaves.

6. Cover the soil with a layer of sphagnum moss to assist with moisture retention. Cluster the live green moss near the plants but do no t cover the stems. Some sundews may be close to the ground; do not cover these sundews with moss or force moss under the leaves.

7. With tweezers, gently remove any bits of sphagnum moss on the plants.

8. Flush soil off the leaves with a light stream of distilled water from a disposable pipette.

9. Add approximately 1 qt of water to the terrarium by slowly distributing the water across the entire surfac e of the soil to make the soil very damp. Wait a few minutes for the water to settle to the gravel layer. Standing water should occur in the gravel layer and should just touch the soil.

10. Test the dampness by gently pressing the moss and soil in one corner of the terrarium. To prevent damage to the plan ts or plan t roots, do not push on the moss or soil in the vicinity of the plants. Water should come out of the moss as it is pressed.

11. Open the vents in the lid, and place the lid on the terrarium. If the lid does not have vents, align the lid to create an unco vered area for ventilation.

Terrarium Placement

The terrarium must be placed in an area of the classroom where the temperature is stable. Do not place the terrarium near a vent or window. Direct sunlight from a window may cause significant temperature changes within the terrarium that could burn or kill the plants. Try to maintain an internal temperature of the terrarium between 64°F and 75°F. If using a thermometer, check the temperature of the terrarium in the morning and afternoon. If necessary, move the terrarium to a different location to maintain the desired internal temperature.

Terrarium Maintenance Terrarium Lighting

1. Place the grow light approximately 1 ft above the terrarium.

2. Turn on the grow light in the morning, and turn it off when leaving for the day. The light should be on f or 8 to 10 c onsecutive hours every weekday.

Terrarium Watering

These plants require a high humidity level. Ensure that condensation is visible on the sides of the terrarium, and keep the soil damp.

1. To test the dampness, gently press down on the soil. The soil should feel wet.

2. Once every 2 weeks or when the soil starts to become less damp, add a small amount of water evenly over the entire surface. Ensure that the standing water level is at, or just above, where the gravel and soil touch.

Carnivorous Plant Pruning

1. If a leaf turns black or brown, remove it by using scissors to cut it off as close to the base of the plant as possible.

2. Be careful not to damage other healthy leaves.

Carnivorous Plant Feeding

General Feeding

3 to 4 days after planting, and then feed all the plants every 7 to 10 days or when the Venus flytrap is ready to be fed. The same toothpick can be used to feed all the plants and reused for multiple feedings.

Use rehydrated bloodworms to feed the carnivorous plants. Carry out the first feeding

1. Rehydrate the number of bloodworms needed for a feeding by placing the worms in a small cup and adding a small amount o f water to the cup.

2. Allow the worms to sit in the water for 5 minutes before feeding them to the plants.

Venus Flytrap Feeding

Important Note: Feed one trap at a time. Each trap will open and close about three times before it is no longer functional. Avoid tripping the trap unnecessarily. Extraneous activation can cause the plant to die prematurely.

1. Choose a rehydrated bloodworm that is about one-third the size of the trap to be fed.

2. Using a toothpick or tweezers, gently place the worm on or near the trigger hairs and brush the inside trigger hairs with the toothpick or tweezers until the trap begins to close on its own.

3. Once the trap closes, gently remove the toothpick or tweezers.

4. With thumb and index finger, gently press the trap together for 30 seconds to seal the trap. If pressed too hard, the tr ap will be damaged. If the trap is not properly sealed, digestion will not occur.

5. In about 7 to 10 days, the digestion process will be complete, and the trap will reopen. Continue feeding the same tr ap until it is no longer able to feed. When the trigger hairs will no longer cause the trap to close, select a new trap to feed.

Pitcher Plant Feeding

Important Note: Keep each pitcher plant half full of water so there is enough fluid for the digestion process. If the pitcher dries out, the plant will die. If the pitcher is overfilled with water, the digestive enzymes will be too diluted to effectively digest the worm.

1. Using a toothpick or tweezers, gently place one rehydrated bloodworm into each pitcher. Place bigger worms in bigger tubes.

2. Using a disposable pipette, add enough water so that each pitcher plant is approximately half full. Do not overfill.

3. Feed each mature pitcher every 7 to 10 days. As new pitchers grow, wait to feed them until they are mature so they can properly digest the worms. Mature pitchers are open, and immature pitchers are smaller and closed.

Sundew Feeding

Important Note: Make sure the worm is in full contact with the sticky hairs by gently pushing it into the hairs. This stimulation will help trigger the leaf to fold and to fully digest the worm.

1. Choose a rehydrated bloodworm that is about one-third the size of the leaf to be fed.

2. Using a toothpick or tweezers, gently place the worm in the center of the leaf. Ensure that the worm has full con tact with the sticky hairs.

3. After 1 to 2 hours, the leaf should fold over the worm.

4. Feed two leaves every 7 to 10 days.

Print and cut out enough copies of the cards so each group receives a full set of nine cards. Print and cut out an additional set of cards to display during the lesson. Consider using card stock and laminating for multiple uses.

Poster Setup

Family

Instructions

Follow the instructions to set up one apple tree family poster for each group.

Materials: 11 ″ × 17 ″ or larger paper (1 sheet per group), color copy of each apple photograph in this resource (1 set per group), dark-colored marker (1), ruler (1), scissors (1), glue stick (1)

Preparation

1. Use landscape orientation for each poster. Use a dark colored marker to draw an apple tree family diagram on the shee t paper.

2. Centered at the top of the poster, write the heading Apple Tree Family.

3. Under the heading, draw a box for each of the two parents. Draw a box for one offspring centered below the parent boxes. Make each box approximately 7 ″ × 4 ″ . Connect the boxes with lines as shown in the sample apple tree family poster.

4. Add a label inside each box at the top. Label the upper left and right boxes Traits of Parent A and Tr aits of Parent B, respectively. Label the lower box Traits of Offspring.

5. Print and cut out a color copy of the apple photographs on the last page of this resource.

6. Glue down the Parent A photograph in the upper left box, the Parent B photograph in the upper right bo x, and the Offspring photograph in the lower box. Glue down each photograph in the lower right corner of the appropriate box. Align the photographs precisely so students have enough room to record traits during the lesson.

7. Repeat the steps to prepare one poster for each group.

Apple Tree Family

Traits of Parent B

Traits of Off spring

Sample poster

Traits of Parent A

Offspring

F Rabbit Photographs

Rabbit Parents Set A

Rabbit Parents Set B

Follow the instructions to prepare two charts for each organism before the lesson.

Materials: 11 ″ × 17 ″ or larger paper (6 sheets), color copies of the before and after cards in this resource (2 sets), dark-colored marker (1), scissors (1), glue stick (1)

Preparation

1. Use landscape orientation for the charts. Use a dark-colored marker to draw a vertical line down the cen ter of each sheet of paper.

2. Title the left half of the chart Before and the right half of the chart After. Leave room to glue a card to the right o f each heading.

3. Print and cut out two color copies of each card in this resource.

4. Glue one before card to the right of the heading in the Before section to prepare two charts for each organism.

5. Plac e each chart on a flat work space, such as a desk or table.

6. Save the after cards to distribute to groups once students record observations, questions, or answers on the Bef ore side of each chart.

Sample chart

LESSON 5 RESOURCE B

Cards

Big Thicket Environment

Print and cut out enough color copies of the cards so each group receives a full set of four cards. Consider using card stock and laminating for multiple uses. Distribute the cards during the explore Big Thicket environments activity.

Plant types: American holly, big bluestem grass, loblolly pine, longleaf pine, Texas trailing phlox

Distance between trees: Frequent fire can keep trees spread out. Without fire, trees grow close together. The distance between trees depends on fire.

Wet or dry soil: Dry, sandy soil

Carnivorous plants live here: No

Longleaf Pine Upland

Plant types: loblolly pine, longleaf pine, prickly pear cactus, Texas trailing phlox, yucca

Distance between trees: The few trees in this environment are spread out.

Wet or dry soil: Dry, sandy soil

Carnivorous plants live here: No

Plant types: gallberry holly, longleaf pine, pale pitcher plant, pink

sundew, sphagnum moss, swollen bladderwort

Distance between trees: The few trees in this environment are spread out.

Wet or dry soil: Very wet

Carnivorous plants live here: Yes

Plant types: bald cypress, black gum, buttonbush, cardinal flower, Spanish moss

Distance between trees: The many trees in this environment are close together.

Wet or dry soil: Very wet, flooded for parts of the year

Carnivorous plants live here: No

Follow the instructions to set up the plant structure and function stations before the lesson.

Big Bluestem Grass Station Materials (2 stations per class): 9 oz cups (4), 3 oz cups (3), absorbent white paper towels (6 sheets), gravel (3 cups), blue food coloring (10–20 drops), metric ruler (1), marker (6), Big Bluestem Grass Station procedure sheet in Lesson 6 Resource B (1), digital timer (1), scissors (1 per class), plastic spoon (1 per class), paper plate (1), newspaper (1 sheet), safety goggles (1), clear tape, access to water

Materials Note: This station preparation uses 9 oz cups that are approximately 4 inches tall. If using cups with different dimensions, adjust the length of the rolled paper towels and the volume of water added to the cups. Before setting up the root models, determine the volume of water needed to ensure that the long paper towel is submerged in water and the short paper towel does not touch the water.

Preparation

1. Roll six paper towel sheets tightly along their width (horizontally), and then tape them to prevent them from unrolling.

2. Cut each rolled paper towel to a length o f 20 cm.

3. Choose one end of each rolled paper towel to be the bottom of the roll. With a marker, draw a line 10 cm from the bottom of each roll.

4. Near the top of the rolled paper towels, write the number 1 on three of the rolls and the number 2 on the other three rolls.

5. Cut 5 cm of paper towel from the three rolls labeled 1.

6. To make the root model, place the bottoms of one long roll and one short roll inside a 9 oz cup. Hold both rolls against the side of the cup so the line marks are even and at rim height. The long roll should be touching or nearly touching the bottom of the cup, and the short roll should be about 5 cm above the bottom of the cup . Hold the rolls in place, and pour 1 cup of gravel into the cup. Ensure that some gravel separates the two rolls.

7. Pour 3 oz of water into a 9 oz cup. Add about 10 to 20 drops of blue food coloring to the water, and stir with a plastic spoon to mix. Then pour about 1 oz of the blue water into each of three 3 oz cups. There should be enough water in each cup so that, when students pour the water into the prepared root model, the long roll will be submerged, and the short roll will not reach the water.

8. Lay out a sheet of newspaper to catch spills at the station. Place a prepared root model, a cup of blue water , a ruler, a timer, a paper plate, a marker, and a Big Bluestem Grass Station procedure sheet on the newspaper.

Rotation Note: After each group visits the station, replace the used root model and the empty cup with an unused prepar ed model and a cup of blue water.

Expected Results

Prickly Pear Station

Resource B (1), digital timer (1)

Materials (2 stations per class): nonhardening modeling clay (1 lb), pointed toothpicks (75), medium binder clip (1), Prickly Pear Station procedure sheet in Lesson 6

Preparation

1. Use modeling clay to form four 2-inch-diameter balls.

2. Place three of the balls of modeling clay on a flat surface. Insert and evenly space 25 toothpicks into each ball. Set t wo of the prepared balls aside.

3. Place one ball of clay with toothpicks, one ball of clay without toothpicks, a binder clip, a digital timer, and a prepared Prickly Pear Station procedure sheet at the station.

Rotation Note: Before students rotate to the next station, ensure that students return the removed clay to the ball without too thpicks and reform the ball. Collect the used ball with toothpicks and the associated removed clay. Place a new ball with toothpicks at the station. Bladderwort Station Materials (2 stations per class): small bowl (1), disposable pipette (1), uncooked rice (2 tbsp), Bladderwort Station procedure sheet in Lesson 6 Resource B (1), paper plate (1), scissors (1 per class), digital timer (1), newspaper (1 sheet), access to water

Preparation

1. Cut the pipette tip so only 1 cm of the stem remains attached to the bulb.

2. Fill the bowl halfway with water.

3. Place 1 tbsp of rice into the bowl of water.

4. Check that the modified pipette can suck up rice. Then empty the rice from the pipette.

5. Lay out a sheet of newspaper to catch spills at the station. Place the bowl of water with rice, the modified pipe tte, a paper plate, a digital timer, and a prepared Bladderwort Station procedure sheet on the newspaper.

Rotation Note: Before students rotate to the next station, ensure that students have emptied the rice grains from the pipe tte bulb. Check the rice between rotations. If the rice swells or becomes sticky, replace with fresh rice.

Structure and Function Stations

Plant

Procedure Sheets

Print and cut out two copies of each procedure sheet. Consider using card stock and laminating for multiple uses. Place each procedure sheet at the corresponding station. Big Bluestem Grass Station

Trial: Model Roots

1. Use a marker to draw a line on each paper towel at the surface of the gravel.

2. Tilt the cup, and slowly pour the blue water into the cup, away from the paper towel r olls. Do not pour water onto the paper towel rolls.

3. Set the timer for 1 minute.

4. When the timer goes off, gently take the paper towel rolls out of the cup and place them on the paper plate.

5. Use the ruler to measure in centimeters the length of each model root. Measur e from the bottom of the paper towel roll to the line you drew. Record the length in your Science Logbook.

6. Observe whether each paper towel roll absorbed water. Record your observations in your Science Logbook.

Anal yze Results

1. Compare the model roots. Answer the question in your Science Logbook.

2. Place the paper towel rolls in the trash.

Pear Station

Prickly

Trial 1: Ball Without Toothpicks

1. Set the timer for 20 seconds. Start the timer.

2. Use the binder clip to remove clay from the ball without toothpicks.

3. Squeeze the binder clip open and try to close it down around the ball to remove clay. Place the r emoved clay in a pile. Stop when the timer goes off. Trial 2: Ball with Toothpicks

1. Set the timer for 20 seconds. Start the timer.

2. Use the binder clip to remove clay from the ball with toothpicks.

3. Squeeze the binder clip open and try to close it down around the ball to remove clay. Do not r emove any toothpicks. Place the removed clay in a separate pile. Stop when the timer goes off.

Analyze Results

1. Compare the sizes of the removed clay piles. Observe the damage that the binder clip did to each ball.

2. Record your observations in your Science Logbook.

3. Answer the question in your Science Logbook.

4. Place the removed clay from the ball without toothpicks back onto the ball, and refor m the ball.

Trial 1: Without Squeezing

1. Set the timer for 15 seconds. Start the timer.

2. Without squeezing the bulb, use the bulb to collect rice grains. T ry to scoop up as many rice grains as possible from the bowl. Stop when the timer goes off.

3. Empty the rice grains onto a paper plate.

4. Count the number of rice grains that were inside the bulb. Do not count rice grains that ar e stuck to the outside of the bulb.

5. Record the number in your Science Logbook.

6. Place the bulb under the water, and move it around to remove the rice grains fr om inside it.

T rial 2: With Squeezing

1. Set a timer for 15 seconds. Start the timer.

2. Squeeze the bulb under the water, away from the rice grains.

3. Place the bulb opening near some rice grains. Release the bulb to suck in the rice grains.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 as many times as possible until the timer goes of f. Keep the bulb under the water. Do not empty the bulb before squeezing the bulb each time.

5. Empty the rice grains onto a paper plate. Count the number of rice grains that were inside the bulb. Do not count rice grains that ar e stuck to the outside of the bulb.

6. Recor d the number in your Science Logbook. Analyz e R esults

1. Compare the numbers you r ecor ded for each test.

2. Answer the question in your Science Logbook.

3. Return rice grains to the bowl.

4. Place the bulb under the water, and move it around to remove the rice grains fr om inside it.

Checkpoint

Conceptual

Name: 1. Observe the traits of three prickly pear cactuses. Flower

Draw a check mark ( ✓ ) to identify each trait as an inherited trait or an acquired trait.

Observe the model.

Prickly Pear Cactus It rains in Death Valley.

Shallow roots absorb rain near the surface.

Groundwater

How does the shape of the plant’s roots help the plant survive in its environment?

3. Observe the models.

Mesquite Tree

Water travels to other parts of the tree.

underground.

Prickly Pear Cactus

It rains in Death Valley.

Shallow roots absorb Groundwater rain near the surface.

a. For each sentence, circle the word that makes the sentence true.

The roots of the prickly pear cactus and the mesquite tree have a similar / dif fer ent shape.

The roots of the prickly pear cactus and the mesquite tree have a similar / differ ent function.

© Great Minds PBC This page may be reproduced for classroom use only. 347

Score each student’s engagement in the Science Challenge. The rubric describes evidence of student engagement that meets expectations for each lesson of the Science Challenge. Use the blank spaces as needed in the rubric to record evidence of student work that exceeds or falls below expectations.

Score

4 Exceeds Expectations More than sufficient evidence of engagement

Date: Lesson

Name:

3 Meets Expectations Sufficient evidence of engagement

2 Approaches Expectations Some evidence of engagement

1 Does Not Yet Meet Expecta tions No evidence of engagement

TEKS Assessed

The student demonstrates safe pr actices throughout the classroom investigation (4.1C).

The student plans a descriptive in vestigation in which each variable is tested individually (4.1B) to explore how plants make their own food by using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide (4.12A).

The student sets up their in vestigation (4.1B) with the appropriate resources for their assigned investigation question (4.12A). The student uses tools (4.1D) to collect measurements of initial plant observations (4.1E) for evidence of the effect of resource availability on a plant’s ability to make food and grow (4.5G).

The student uses inf ormation from the table (4.1F) to analyze data by comparing their plant with the plant that received all resources (4.2B) to identify how their plant’s characteristics changed (4.5G) in order to answer their investigation question by explaining how their variable affects the plants growth and ability to make food (4.12A).

The student constructs a table and diagr ams (4.1F) to show a cause and effect relationship (4.5B) between available resources in the environment and a plant’s ability to make its own food through the cycling of matter (4.12A). The student explains how changes in environmental conditions cause changes in the radish plant (4.5G).

Science Challenge Alignment Map

Assessed in each lesson during the Science Challenge.

For teacher reference, this alignment map lists the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

R ecurring Themes and Concepts

N/A

Scientific and Engineering Practices

4.1B Use scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptiv e investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems.

▪

Content Standards

4.12A Investigate and explain how most pr oducers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter.

▪

Lesson

4.5G Explain how factors or conditions impact stabilit y and change in objects, organisms , and systems.

▪

4.1C Demonstrate safe practices and the use of saf ety equipment during classroom and field investigations as outlined in Texas Education Agency–approved safety standards.

▪

4.1B Use scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptiv e investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems.

▪

4.1C Demonstrate safe practices and the use of saf ety equipment during classroom and field investigations as outlined in Texas Education Agency–approved safety standards.

▪

4.12A Investigate and explain how most pr oducers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter.

▪

Lesson 8

Lesson 9

4.1D Use tools, including hand lenses; metric rulers; C elsius thermometers; calculators; laser pointers; mirrors; digital scales; balances; graduated cylinders; beakers; hot plates; meter sticks; magnets; notebooks ; timing devices; sieves; materials for building circuits; materials to support observation of habitats of organisms such as terrariums, aquariums, and materials to support digital data collection such as computers, tablets, and cameras, to observe, measure, test , and analyze information.

▪

4.1E Collect observations and measurements as e vidence.

▪

Recurring Themes and Concepts

4.5G Explain how factors or c onditions impact stability and change in objects, organisms , and systems.

▪

Scientific and Engineering Practic es

4.1C Demonstrate safe practices and the use of safety equipment during classroom and field investigations as outlined in Texas Education Agency–approved safety standards.

▪

▪

4.12A Investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter.

▪

4.1F Construct appropriate graphic or ganizers used to collect data, including tables, bar graphs, line graphs, tree maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, flow charts or sequence maps, and input-output tables that show cause and effect.

4.5B Identify and investigate cause-and-e ffect relationships to explain scientific phenomena or analyze problems.

▪

4.2B Analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns , or sources of error.

▪

▪

4.5G Explain how factors or conditions impact stabilit y and change in objects, organisms , and systems.

▪

4.1C Demonstrate safe practices and the use of safety equipment during classroom and field investigations as outlined in Texas Education Agency–approved safety standards.

4.1F Construct appropriate graphic or ganizers used to collect data, including tables , bar graphs, line graphs, tree maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, flow charts or sequence maps, and input-output tables that show cause and effect.

▪

4. 12A Investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter.

▪

Lesson 20

Lesson 21

Instructions

Radish Plant Setup

Follow the instructions to prepare the radish plants for the Science Challenge. Students will observe and record initial data during Lesson 9 and final data during Lesson 20.

Advance Timing Note: Plant the radish seeds 1 week before setting up the Science Challenge.

Materials: 3 ʺ plastic nursery pots (6), plastic tray large enough to fit 6 nursery pots (1), 2 qt or larger container (1), plastic spoon (1), potting soil (6 cups), radish seeds (at least 24), heat lamp with reflector (1), grow light bulb (1), disposable gloves (1 pair), safety goggles (1), access to water

Materials Note: The heat lamp uses a gro w light bulb to grow the radish plants. For the water movement model in Lesson 12, the heat lamp uses a heat light bulb. If not using the Module 3 kit, ensure that the heat lamp with reflector is compatible with the wattage of the heat light bulb used in Lesson 12.

Check the radish seed package for the optimal temperature range for plant growth. Preparation

1. Put on disposable gloves. Fill one nursery pot with potting soil, and then pour that soil into the large container. Repeat this step un til the large container holds six pots’ worth of soil.

2. Add enough water to thoroughly moisten the soil. Mix the soil by hand or use a spoon to blend the water and the soil.

3. Place the six nursery pots onto the plastic tray.

4. Fill approximately three-fourths of each pot with moistened potting soil.

5. Evenly space four radish seeds across the top of the soil in each pot.

6. Add enough moistened potting soil to each pot to cover the seeds with approximately 1 4 inch of soil.

7. To saturate the soil, carefully pour a small amount of water into each pot until excess water drains from the bottom of the pot. Empty the plastic tray if necessary.

8. Place the lamp in a location that is not regularly accessed and where it will not be easily disturbed by classroom activities.

9. Plac e the tray with the pots under the lamp.

10. Adjust the height of the lamp so the grow light bulb is about 4 inches above the pots.

11. Turn on the lamp. For the duration of the Science Challenge, turn on the lamp in the morning and turn off the lamp at the end of each school day.

12. As the plants grow, adjust the height of the lamp so that the tops of the plants remain about 4 inches from the bulb

13. Keep the soil moist. Add water every 1 to 2 days or whenever the soil appears dry. Empty the plastic tray if necessary. Monitor the timing of watering and the volume of water to inform the watering schedule and water volume that students will use throughout the Science Challenge.

14. Allow the seedlings to germinate and grow for 6 to 7 days. After about 7 days, the seedlings should be appro ximately 2 to 3 inches tall.

Instructions

Science Challenge Setup

Follow the instructions to set up the Science Challenge before Lesson 9.

Advance Timing Note: One day before Lesson 9, obtain a local soil sample from the schoolyard or a nearby area, and se t up the materials for each group.

Materials: 3 ʺ plastic nursery pots (2), prepared radish plants in potting soil (6), permanent marker (1), disposable gloves (1 pair), paper plates (2), disposable pipette (1, optional), small cup (1), sand (1 cup), local soil (1 cup), 1 qt resealable clear plastic bag (1), plastic straw (1), safety goggles (1), masking tape, paper towels, access to water, access to grow lamp

Preparation

1. Refer to the following table for the group number and the corresponding condition when creating a label for each prepared radish plant pot.

2. Use masking tape and the marker to label the prepared radish plant pots with the group number and corr esponding condition for Groups 1, 2, 3, and 6.

3. If necessary, water the plants for Groups 1, 2, 3, and 6. Then place these pots under the grow lamp until the y are needed for the Science Challenge.

4. Use masking tape and the marker to label the two empty nursery pots, one for Group 5 and one for Group 6.

5. Fill half of the Group 4 pot with sand.

6. Gently remove each radish plant from one of the two remaining unlabeled pots.

7. Hold the plants over a paper plate and gently shake them to remove potting soil from the roots. Be car eful not to damage the roots or stems. If necessary, use a pipette to rinse remaining soil from the roots. It is not necessary to remove all the soil if doing so could possibly damage the roots or stems.

8. Hold the radish plants upright so the tips of the roots are touching the sand. Carefully add enough sand to cover the roots. Approximately three-fourths of the pot should be full of sand.

9. Use the small cup to add water to the pot until the sand is moist and excess water drains from the bottom o f the pot.

10. Place the Group 4 pot under the grow lamp until the plants are needed for the Science Challenge.

11. Fill half of the Group 5 pot with local soil.

12. Gently remove each radish plant from the remaining unlabeled pot.

13. Hold the plants over a paper plate and gently shake them to remove potting soil from the roots. Be car eful not to damage the roots or stems. If necessary, use a pipette to rinse remaining soil from the roots. It is not necessary to remove all the soil if doing so could possibly damage the roots or stems.

14. Hold the radish plants upright so the tips of the roots touch the local soil. Carefully add enough local soil to co ver the roots. Approximately three-fourths of the pot should be full of local soil.

15. Use the small cup to add water to the pot until the local soil is moist and excess water drains from the bottom o f the pot.

16. Place the Group 5 pot under the grow lamp until the plants are needed for the Science Challenge.

Procedure

1. Keep the radish plant pots for Groups 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 on a plastic tray under the grow lamp when students ar e not working with them. Keep the radish plant pot for Group 3 on a paper plate in a dark location when the students are not working with it.

2. Groups 3, 4, 5, and 6 should water their plants on the same schedule and with the same amount of water. The schedule and water volume should be determined during the radish plant setup before the Science Challenge.

3. Group 1 should not open the plastic bag during the investigation.

4. Students should observe their plants one time between their initial observations in Lesson 9 and their final observ ation in Lesson 20.

Photographs

These photographs show the changes in the plants over time for each condition. The Observation 1 photographs show the plants on the first day of the testing conditions.

Group 1: No Air

Follow the instructions to prepare a Big Thicket current weather data table on the day of Lesson 10.

1. Use the Weather Underground website ( http://phdsci.link/2419 ) to find weather conditions for Beaumont, T exas.

2. Select the Today tab.

3. Use the weather condition information to fill in the Big Thicket weather data table in this resource.

4. Fill in the current date above the weather data table for Big Thicket.

5. If current weather data are unavailable, use the April 25, 2022, weather data for Big Thicket in this resour ce.

Weather Data

Weather Data for Big Thicket on April 25, 2022

Weather Category

Low: 64°F

High: 86°F

No precipitation

Mostly cloudy

Temperature

Precipitation

Wind (windy/calm)

Source: Data from NOAA NCEI (2022)

Big Thicket National Preserve

Source: Data from NOAA NCEI (2022)

Source: Data from NOAA NCEI (2022)

Cards

Weather and Climate

Our location gets about the same amount of precipitation each year.

August is usually the hottest month of the year.

It was very cold and windy outside this morning.

It is raining and 63°F outside.

W inter is usually the coldest season of the year.

The sky is cloudy, and it looks like it might rain.

Baldwin County, Alabama

Source: Data from NOAA NCEI (2022)

Source: Data from NOAA NCEI (2022)

Source: Data from NOAA NCEI (2022)

Model Setup Instructions and Procedure

Water Movement

Follow the instructions to set up two water movement models. Place the water movement models in different locations so each group can see at least one model. Steps 2 and 3 of the preparation should be completed on the day of the investigation.

Materials: 6 qt clear plastic containers (2), 1 L measuring cup (1), ice cubes (12), small resealable clear plastic bags (2), hot water from faucet (100°F–105°F) (2 L), heat lamps with reflectors (2), heat light bulbs (2), digital timer (1), safety goggles (1), insulated cooler bag (1) or access to a freezer, plastic wrap, masking tape

Materials Note: Use the heat lamps with reflectors from the classroom terrarium and from the radish plant inv estigation for the water movement models. Return the heat lamps to the terrarium and radish plant investigation after the water movement model observations. If not using the Module 3 kit, ensure that the heat lamps with reflectors are compatible with the wattage of the heat light bulbs used in the water movement models.

Teacher Safety Note: When exchanging the heat and grow light bulbs, ensure that the lamps have been turned off for a sufficient time to allow bulbs to cool. The temperature of the hot water in this activity should be between 100°F and 105°F. Water above 105°F could cause burns.

Preparation

1. Cover the top of each clear plastic container with plastic wrap. Use masking tape to secure one side of the plastic wrap to the container.

2. On the day of the investigation, place a heat lamp next to each container, and position the light to shine directly on the plastic wrap where the bag of ice will sit during the investigation. Consider securing the heat lamp to a table, desk, or stack of books.

3. On the day of the investigation, place six ice cubes in each resealable plastic bag. Store the bags in an insulated cooler bag or freezer.

Procedure

Follow the instructions to carry out the procedure during the lesson.

1. Lift the plastic wrap, and use the measuring cup to add 1 L of hot water to each container. Reseal the con tainers, and use masking tape to secure the plastic wrap to the three unsecured sides of each container.

2. Set a bag of ice in the center of the plastic wrap of each container.

3. Turn on the heat lamps.

4. Invite groups to make their initial observations.

5. Set a timer for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, invite groups to make their next observations. Repeat this step tw o more times.

Name: 1. Super bloom flowering events happen when there is more precipitation than normal in the fall and winter .

Observe the graphs.

a. Circle the graph that shows when a super bloom event happened in the spring.

b. Is the precipitation that causes a super bloom event weather or climate? Circle your choice.

2. Observe the model of water movement in Death Valley.

a. The parts of the model are labeled 1 through 5. Write a number beside each statement to match the part of the model to its description. Water flows on the surface of Earth and pools in Badwater Basin.

Energy from the Sun causes heating of surface water.

Precipitation falls to the ground. Clouds form by condensation of water.

Water on Earth’s surface evaporates.

Circle the statement that best describes the role of the Sun in the water cycle.

b.

Energy from the Sun causes precipitation.

▪

Energy from the Sun causes condensation of water vapor.

▪

Energy from the Sun causes evaporation of surface water.

▪

Energy from the Sun causes water to flow across Earth’s surface.

▪

LESSON 15 RESOURCE B

Cards

Big Thicket Organism

Print enough color copies of the cards to provide each group with the three sets of organism cards in this resource. Consider printing on card stock and laminating for multiple uses.

Hawk

Type of organism: bird

Big Thicket Organism Cards Set A

Consumer: eats small and medium-size birds, small mammals, and sometimes amphibians and reptiles

Examples of prey: woodpeckers, quail, mice, squirrels, frogs, snakes

Cooper’s

Type of organism: bird

Consumer: eats insects, acorns, fruits, seeds, and sometimes amphibians and small fish

Examples of prey: tree frogs, lizards, grasshoppers

Type of organism: plant

Producer: makes its own food

Type of organism: insect

Type of organism: amphibian

Consumer: eats the inner bark of pine trees

Consumer: eats insects and spiders

Examples of prey: beetles, ants, flies

Longleaf Pine Tree

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Spring Peeper

Southern Pine Beetle

Bobwhite Quail

Type of organism: bird

Big Thicket Organism Cards Set B

Consumer: eats insects, spiders, seeds, leaves, and berries including wax myrtle berries

American Beautyberry

Type of organism: plant

Producer: makes its own food

Coyote

Type of organism: mammal

Consumer: eats small and medium-size mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, insects, and berries

Examples of prey: opossums, snakes

Cooper’s Hawk

Type of organism: bird

Consumer: eats small and medium-size birds, small mammals, and sometimes amphibians and reptiles

Examples of prey: quail, woodpeckers, mice, squirrels, frogs, snakes

Opossum

Type of organism: mammal

Consumer: eats insects, small mammals, reptiles, worms, birds, slugs, fruits, vegetables, and nuts

Examples of prey: mice, snakes, beetles

Coachwhip Snake

Type of organism: reptile

Consumer: eats insects, reptiles, small mammals, birds, and bird eggs

Examples of prey: young birds, lizards, snakes, frogs

Thicket Organism Cards Set C

Big

Pine Vole

Type of organism: mammal

Consumer: eats grasses, ferns, tree bark, roots, and vegetables

Texas Rat Snake

Type of organism: reptile

Consumer: eats small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, small birds, and bird eggs

Examples of prey: mice, voles, squirrels, rats, lizards, frogs

Coyote

Type of organism: mammal

Consumer: eats small and medium-size mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, insects, and berries

Examples of prey: opossums, snakes

Fern

Type of organism: plant

Producer: makes its own food

Energy in the Food Web Article

by Ellen R. Braaf (2008)

Adapted from “Life in the Food Chain”

Like all living things, you need energy. The energy you use to live every day flows from one living thing to another , in a chain that starts with the Sun.

The energy in all your food comes from the Sun, 93 million miles (about 150 million kilometers) away. How did the Sun’s energy end up in the things you eat? You can thank gr een plants. Green plants trap energy from sunlight. Plants use the energy from sunlight, water from the soil, and carbon dioxide from the air to make their own food. This process is called photosynthesis. Most plants make more food than they need. They store the extra food in their roots, leaves, stems, flowers, fruits, and seeds. So, when you eat carr ots, spinach, celery, cauliflower, bananas, or walnuts, some of the energy stored in this food transfers to you.

Stations

Setup Instructions

Follow the instructions to set up the fungi observation stations before the lesson.

Advance Timing Note: Obtain bread and begin the moldy bread preparation for the Moldy Bread Station

1 w eek before Lesson 17.

Moldy Bread Station

Materials (2 stations per class): organic bread (2 slices), resealable clear plastic sandwich bags (2), plastic handheld magnifiers (2), access to nonchlorinated water (enough to moisten bread)

Materials Note: Use organic bread or bread without preservatives to facilitate faster mold growth.

Preparation

1. One week in advance, slightly moisten four slices of organic bread with nonchlorinated water, and allow the slices to sit in the open air to collect mold spores for 3 to 4 hours.

2. Place each slice in a separate resealable sandwich bag, and seal the bags.

3. Place the sealed bags in a warm, bright location for 1 week.

4. On the day of the lesson, place two sealed moldy bread samples and two handheld magnifiers at each station.

Mushroom Observation Station

Materials (2 stations per class): fresh whole mushrooms (2 per group), plastic handheld magnifiers (2), tweezers (2), toothpicks (4 per group), paper towels (2 sheets per group)

Preparation

Place two mushrooms, a handheld magnifier, tweezers, toothpicks, and paper towels at each station.

Rotation Note: Before students rotate to the next station, have them dispose of their mushroom sample, paper to wels, and toothpicks and move all other materials back to their original location. Place fresh paper towels, mushrooms, and toothpicks at each station.

Types of Fungi Station

Materials (2 stations per class): color copies of the fungus photographs in this resource (1 set)

Preparation

1. Print two color copies of the fungus photographs in this resource.

2. Place one set of fungus photographs at each station.

Print and cut out the following statements, and post each statement in a different corner of the classroom for a Question Corners routine. Consider using card stock and laminating for multiple uses.

Fungi are producers.

Fungi are not producers.

Fungi Article

by Gail Jarrow (2018)

Adapted from “Fungi, Fungi, Everywhere!”

You might not see them, but they are all around you—in the air, under the ground, on your body. They can feed you. They can make you sick. They can cur e you. Fungi are amazing creatures! Fungi might look like plants, but they’re not. Fungi include mushrooms, molds, mildews, and yeasts. A fungus can be so small that you can see it only with a micr oscope. On the other hand, the largest living organism ever found is the giant fungus growing among tree roots in the Malheur National Forest in Oregon. This fungus covers an area larger than 1,600 football fields!

Fungi reproduce by spores. The tiny spores float through the air until they land, sometimes traveling for thousands of miles. If they land in a good spot, they grow.

Y ou may have seen mushrooms growing in a lawn, especially after wet weather. But you might not have noticed the other fungi hidden ther e. A backyard could contain hundreds of different kinds of fungi. They live in soil, in water, on birds and insects, and on plants.

Inside your house you might find mildew in the shower or basement. Or you might have athlete’s foot, which is caused by a fungus that lives on skin. You can eat fungi, too—the yeast in br ead dough helps it to rise, and you might have mushrooms in your refrigerator to put in salads or on pizza.

Fungi can’t make their own food the way green plants do; they have to get food from other sour ces. Some fungi feed on dead plants and animals, breaking them down into rich forest soil. Fungi don’t have stomachs. Instead, they make powerful chemicals that break down

food (like wood or dead things) outside their bodies. The fungus slurps up the nutrients it needs.

Fungi also use chemicals to protect themselves. Some of these chemicals can harm people: the poisons in certain mushr ooms can make you sick or even kill you if you eat them. But fungi chemicals help people, too. An important medicine, penicillin, is used to fight bacteria and is a chemical made by a mold.

Fungi experts guess that there are 1.5 million different kinds of fungi, but they have found and studied less than a tenth of them. So, keep your eyes open. Fungi are everywher e, but they aren’t always easy to spot!

Food Web Cards

Print and cut out enough color copies of the cards so each student in a group gets an organism card and there is one Soil card for each group. Consider punching a hole in each card and threading a string through the hole so students can wear the cards. Consider using card stock and laminating for multiple uses.

Distribute the card sets during the modeling matter movement activity.

Mushroom

Type of organism: plant

Producer: makes its own food

Type of organism: fungus

Decomposer: feeds on dead plants and animals

Longleaf Pine Tree

Fern

Type of organism: plant

Producer: makes its own food

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Type of organism: bird

Consumer: eats insects, acorns, fruits, seeds, and sometimes amphibians and small fish

Examples of prey: tree frogs, lizards, grasshoppers

American Beautyberry

Type of organism: plant

Producer: makes its own food

Souther n Pine Beetle

Type of organism: insect

Consumer: eats the inner bark of pine trees

Type of organism: bird

Type of organism: amphibian

Consumer: eats small and medium-size birds, small mammals, and sometimes amphibians and reptiles

Examples of pr ey: quail, woodpeckers, mice, squirrels, frogs, snakes

Consumer: eats insects and spiders

Examples of prey: beetles, ants, flies

Coyote

Type of organism: mammal

Consumer: eats grasses, ferns, tree bark, r oots, and vegetables

Type of organism: mammal

Consumer: eats small and medium-size mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, insects, and berries

Examples of prey: opossums, snakes

Spring Peeper

Cooper’s Hawk

Pine Vole

Opossum

Type of organism: reptile

Consumer: eats small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, small birds, and bird eggs

Examples of prey: mice, voles, squirrels, rats, lizards, frogs

Type of organism: mammal

Consumer: eats insects, small mammals, reptiles, worms, birds, slugs, fruits, vegetables, and nuts

Examples of prey: mice, snakes, beetles

Soil

Not an organism: contains nutrients and water that producers need to make food and grow

Texas Rat Snake

Table

Organism

The table shows the roles and photographs of five types of organisms found in Devils Hole, Nevada.

Photograph

Role

Green algae use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make their own food.

Scuds eat green algae and diatoms.

Diving beetles eat scuds and young pupfish.

Diatoms use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make their own food.

Pupfish eat green algae, diatoms, and scuds.

Organism

Green algae

Scuds

Diving beetles

Diatoms

Devils Hole pupfish

Name: Observe the organism table.

1. How do matter and energy move through the Devils Hole environment? For each sentence, circle the choice that makes the sentence true. Green algae get matter / ener gy from the Sun. Scuds get matter from green algae / diving beetles .

Diving beetles get energy from the Sun / pupfish .

2. Complete the food web model to show how matter moves between the organisms. Write the names of the organisms in the boxes.

Devils Hole pupfsh

Think about the roles of organisms and the Sun in a food web. 3.

a. Match a role to a part of an environment. Write a number next to each role. Makes its own food

Breaks down matter

Eats other living things

Source of energy for food web

b. Circle the choice that describes the Sun’s role in the flow of energy and matter cycling in a food web.

▪ Consumers use energy from the Sun to make their own food from water and carbon dioxide. Producers can eat consumers to gain matter and energy.

▪ Producers use energy from the Sun to make their own food from water and carbon dioxide. Consumers can eat producers to gain matter and energy.

▪ Decomposers use energy from the Sun to make their own food from water and carbon dioxide. Producers can eat decomposers to gain matter and energy.

1. The Sun

2. Producer

3. Consumer

4. Decomposer

Plants inherit traits that can help them survive in their environment.

The climate of their environment, which includes the water cycle, helps plants meet their needs.

food web shows

A

the interactions between organisms and how matter cycles and energy flows in an environment.

Appendix A Plants in the Environment Storyline

Anchor Phenomenon: Carnivorous Plants in Big Thicket National Preserve Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous?

Conceptual Overview

Organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment.

1. Plants inherit traits that can help them survive in their environment.

2. The climate of their environment, which includes the water cycle, helps plants meet their needs.

3. A food web model shows the interactions between organisms and how matter cycles and energy flows in an environment.

Focus Content Standards

4.10A Describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in this process.

4.10C Differentiate between weather and climate.

4.12A Investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter.

4.12B Describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers.

4.13A Explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment.

4.13B Differentiate between inherited and acquired physical traits of organisms.

Concept 1: Plant Structures and Their Functions (Lessons 1–7)

Focus Question: How do the structures of different plants compare?

Lessons 1–2

Phenomenon Question: What type of environment do carnivorous plants live in?

Phenomenon: Plants in Big Thicket

Lesson Set Objective: Students ask questions and develop an anchor model based on observations of different plants in Big Thicket National Preserve to figure out why some plants in this environment are carnivorous.

Knowledge Statement: Different types of plants can get what they need to survive from the same environment.

Wonder: As an introduction, our teacher shows us three videos of plants and insects. We notice that a fly falls into one of the plants, a bug sticks to the hairs on another plant, and one plant catches a fly between two leaves. We wonder why these plants catch insects, what happens to the insects in the plants, and why the leaves of these plants look different from other plants’ leaves.

Our teacher tells us that the videos show carnivorous plants with special structures for catching animals to digest, and we decide to explore what type of environment carnivorous plants live in.

Organize: Our teacher introduces us to a terrarium with carnivorous plants and explains that a terrarium is a land environment in a container. Our teacher tells us that people keep plants and sometimes animals in a terrarium. We remember that plants have needs such as water, sunlight, and space to grow and that different plants have different needs for survival. We decide to use the terrarium to learn more about carnivorous plants.

We draw the plants in the terrarium as we describe and compare their characteristics in our Science Logbook. We notice similarities and differences, and we make observations of the terrarium environment. We notice that the soil is very wet, the plants are spread out, and the lamp provides a lot of light.

We wonder how the terrarium environment might be different from the natural environment where the plants live.

Reveal: We observe a map of Texas and learn that Big Thicket National Preserve, a place with an environment where carnivorous plants grow, is in southeast Texas. We observe pictures of two types of carnivorous plants growing in Big Thicket, and we record observations of the environment where they are growing.

We use our observations of the Big Thicket environment where carnivorous plants grow to develop models of how we think carnivorous plants in Big Thicket get what they need to survive. Then we compare the Big Thicket environment with the terrarium and notice ways they are similar and different. We realize that the terrarium is useful for observing carnivorous plants but that it is a model with limitations.

Organize: We observe photographs of two more types of carnivorous plants growing in Big Thicket. We wonder what else we might observe in Big Thicket and decide to investigate other organisms that live there. Our teacher gives us cards of Big Thicket plants and explains that these plants are just a few of the many types of plants in Big Thicket National Preserve. We sort the cards according to similarities and differences in the physical characteristics we observe.

We observe a photograph of the Big Thicket carnivorous plant environment and update our models of how carnivorous plants get what they need to survive from their environment. Next, we compare our model with a partner’s model and observe similarities and differences. We work as a class to develop an anchor model to show the type of environment in Big Thicket where carnivorous plants live.

Longleaf pine trees

Carnivorous Plants in Big Thicket

Sunlight

Air all around

Pitcher plants

Butterwort

Sundew

Bladderwort

Soil

Water from rain

Many plants live in Big Thicket. Some of those plants are carnivorous.

We share our questions about the carnivorous plants and environment of Big Thicket. Then we use the theme of our questions to develop the main question we want to answer: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous? (Essential Question). We use patterns in our questions to develop a driving question board for this module. We want to answer the following question (Focus Question): How do the structures of different plants compare? We organize the rest of our questions under the temporary Environment heading.

Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous?

How do the structures of different plants compare? Environment

What parts of the plants catch the insects?

Do all carnivorous plants have roots, stems, and leaves like other plants?

Do other plants in Big Thicket have unusual characteristics?

Do any animals eat carnivorous plants?

Why do the carnivorous plants eat insects?

What type of environment is Big Thicket?

How do the butterwort and bladderwort catch insects?

How much does it rain in Big Thicket?

What animals live in Big Thicket?

Related Phenomena: Some plants can survive underwater.

Desert plants store water in their stems and leaves.

Some plants have flowers that make nectar for pollinators.

Next Steps: We discuss what we need to figure out to answer the Essential Question. We agree to explore how the structures of different plants compare.

Lessons 3–4

Phenomenon Question: Why do organisms look different from one another?

Phenomenon: Plants in the Schoolyard

Lesson Set Objective: Students analyze the traits of apple tree fruit to determine that offspring inherit traits from their parents, and then students use photographs of organisms to determine that organisms can gain acquired traits during their lifetime.

Knowledge Statement: Inherited traits and acquired traits can make organisms appear different from other organisms of the same type.

Wonder: We go outside to draw plants in the schoolyard. We label and compare the characteristics we observe, and we wonder why organisms look different from one another.

Organize: We observe photographs of different apples on trees and notice similarities and differences. Our teacher tells us that the characteristics of an organism are called traits and that people observe traits to identify one type of organism from another.

We decide to learn more about the traits that make organisms look different from one another.

Reveal: We observe photographs of an offspring plant and three possible parent plants. We determine that plants, like other living things, have parents and those parents produce offspring with similar traits. Our teacher explains that offspring inherit traits, which means they receive traits from their parents.

Next, we analyze data about an apple tree family and discover that offspring can receive traits that appear similar to one parent’s trait, similar to both parents’ traits, or as a mixture of the parents’ traits. Our teacher tells us that the traits offspring receive from their parents are called inherited traits.

We practice identifying inherited traits as we observe two sets of rabbit parents. We compare the traits of the rabbit parent sets to the traits of a rabbit offspring, and then we make a claim about the rabbits that are most likely the offspring’s parents. We use the pattern that offspring traits are similar to their parents’ traits as evidence to support our claim.

Distill: We begin a class anchor chart to record our new learning.

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• Organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

Organize: Our teacher displays photographs of individual apple trees and apple fruits. We each choose one photograph and complete an observations organizer. We share our observations and wonder about the ways that traits change during an organism’s lifetime.

Reveal: In groups, we visit three charts, each for a different organism. We perform a Chalk Talk routine as we analyze the traits we observe. Next, our teacher shows us a second photograph of each organism, and we perform another Chalk Talk routine. We analyze how these traits have changed, and we describe the possible causes of the change.

Our teacher states that traits caused by events that occur during an organism’s lifetime are called acquired traits. We practice identifying inherited and acquired traits as we analyze three photographs of the same type of organism. Then we each choose one trait and use evidence to explain why we think it is an inherited trait or an acquired trait.

Distill: We apply our understanding of inherited and acquired traits to update the anchor chart.

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• Organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

• Organisms can get acquired traits from events that occur during their lifetime.

Next Steps: We consider how the traits of carnivorous plants compare with other plants, and we decide to investigate how a plant’s structures help it survive in its environment.

Lessons 5–7

Phenomenon Question: How do the structures of a plant help it survive in its environment?

Phenomenon: Schoolyard Plant Structures

Lesson Set Objective: Students model and compare plant structures and investigate how specialized plant structures help plants survive in different environments.

Knowledge Statement: Plants have specialized structures that can help them survive in their environment.

Wonder: We revisit our schoolyard plant drawings to consider the different plant parts that we drew. We work as a class to build a plant model that shows the function of different plant structures such as stems, flowers, leaves, seeds, and roots.

We revisit the class terrarium to observe the structures of the carnivorous plants up close. Then we compare the structures of our plant model with the structures of the carnivorous plants. We wonder why the carnivorous plants have structures not typically found on plants. We decide to investigate how the structures of a plant help it survive in its environment.

Organize: We observe photographs of the structures of plants that are found in different Big Thicket environments, and we compare them with our class plant model. We ask questions about the structures that are in the photographs but not in our plant model, such as spines, long roots, and bumps on roots.

We decide to learn more about the Big Thicket environments where these plants live.

Reveal: Our teacher hands out cards with information about Big Thicket environments. We consider the Big Thicket environments and the plant structures we observed, and we decide that we need more information about the structures to understand their functions.

In groups, we explore models of the Big Thicket plant structures to learn more about the function of each structure. Then we analyze the results of our investigation as a class. We determine that prickly pear spines make it harder for an animal to eat a plant, bladderwort bladders capture animals that the plant needs to survive, and the long roots of the big bluestem grass help the plant absorb water from deep in the soil.

Distill: We distill our new understanding about how the structures of a plant help it survive in its environment, and we update the class anchor chart.

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• Organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

• Organisms can get acquired traits from events that occur during their lifetime.

• Plants have different structures that help them get what they need to survive in their environment.

Our teacher presents a carnivorous plants painting by Marianne North. We apply our new understanding to identify plant structures and their functions as shown in the painting, and then we update our anchor model.

Carnivorous Plants in Big Thicket

Sunlight

Longleaf pine trees

Butterwort

Capturing animals

Air all around

Pitcher plants

Capturing animals

Sundew

Capturing animals

Soil

Bladderwort

Capturing animals

Water from rain

Many plants live in Big Thicket. Some of those plants are carnivorous. Carnivorous plants have special structures to catch and digest animals.

Know: In a Conceptual Checkpoint, we apply our new understanding to explain how the structures of two plants help them get the resources they need to survive in the Death Valley environment.

Next Steps: We revisit the driving question board and determine that we should answer this question next: How does the environment help plants get what they need to survive?

Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous?

How do the structures of different plants compare? What parts of the plants catch the insects?

Do all carnivorous plants have roots, stems, and leaves like other plants?

How does the environment help plants get what they need to survive?

What type of environment is Big Thicket? How much does it rain in Big Thicket?

Environment

Do any animals eat carnivorous plants?

Why do the carnivorous plants eat insects?

Do other plants in Big Thicket have unusual characteristics?

How do the butterwort and bladderwort catch insects?

What animals live in Big Thicket?

Some plants have flowers that make nectar for pollinators.

Desert plants store water in their stems and leaves. © Great Minds PBC 439

Application of Concepts (Lessons 8–9): Science Challenge Part 1

Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous?

Lessons 8–9

(Science Challenge Part 1)

Phenomenon Question: How do the available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives?

Phenomenon:

Unhealthy Plants

Lesson Set Objective: Students develop questions about how an environment without water, light, air, and nutrients might affect plants, and they plan and carry out an investigation to determine how changes in these variables affect the way a plant grows and survives.

Knowledge Statement: Plants can make their own food and grow when they get water, sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrients from their environment.

Wonder: Our teacher shows us a photograph of a soybean crop. We notice that the plants do not look healthy and that some may be dead. We wonder what might have caused the plants to look unhealthy. We decide to investigate how the available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives.

Organize: We discuss the importance of food, and our teacher confirms that food is any material that an organism uses to supply its matter and energy needs.

We remember that plants need water, air, sunlight, and nutrients from the soil to make their own food and to grow and survive. Our teacher tells us that plants need a gas called carbon dioxide, which is a component of air.

We design a fair test to investigate how the available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives. We decide to grow plants in six different conditions: without air, without water, without light, with sand, with local soil, and with all resources needed to grow plants in the classroom. To ensure a fair test, we plan to change one condition at a time and keep the other variables the same. We decide to measure stem color, stem height, leaf color, and leaf size and to describe other changes we observe.

Our teacher provides radish plants for our test. We record initial observations, and then we set up the fair test investigation.

Next Steps: While we wait for results of our investigation, we prepare to learn more about how the environment helps plants get what they need to survive.

Concept 2: Environmental Conditions for Plants (Lessons 10–14)

Focus Question: How does the environment help plants get what they need to survive?

Lessons 10–11

Phenomenon Question: What is the weather like where pale pitcher plants live?

Phenomenon: Pitcher Plant Range Maps

Lesson Set Objective: Students analyze weather data to determine that climate remains relatively stable over time and then compare the climates of two locations to determine that pale pitcher plants live in different locations with similar climates.

Knowledge Statement: Climate remains relatively stable over time.

Wonder: We observe pitcher plant range maps and wonder why pale pitcher plants live in so few areas of the United States. We wonder if weather is a factor, and we decide to explore what the weather is like where pale pitcher plants live.

Organize: Our teacher shows us current weather conditions for Big Thicket. We decide that we cannot predict what the weather in Big Thicket will be like in an hour, in 24 hours, or in a year because weather changes from hour to hour and day to day. We decide we need to learn more about the weather where pitcher plants live.

Reveal: We look at historical Big Thicket temperature and precipitation data, and we analyze seasonal patterns in the data. We determine that, although the average temperature and precipitation are not the same every year, weather conditions during each season follow general patterns. Our teacher states that these seasonal patterns describe an area’s climate and explains that climate is the pattern of typical weather conditions in a location over time.

Organize: We compare photographs of pale pitcher plants in two locations, one in Texas and one in Alabama. We decide to explore and compare the climates of both locations.

Reveal: We analyze weather data over multiple years to determine the climate for the Alabama location where pale pitcher plants live. Then we compare that climate with the climate of Big Thicket. We figure out that pale pitcher plants grow in a similar climate in both locations.

Distill: We update the anchor chart with our new understanding of weather and climate.

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• Organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

• Organisms can get acquired traits from events that occur during their lifetime.

• Plants have different structures that help them get what they need to survive in their environment.

Environmental Conditions for Plants

• Weather is the conditions at a particular day and time.

• Climate is the pattern of weather conditions over time.

Next Steps: Our teacher shows us a precipitation map of Texas, and we notice that Big Thicket gets a lot of precipitation. We determine that pale pitcher plants live in areas that get a lot of precipitation so they can get the water they need to survive. We wonder why Big Thicket gets so much rain, and we decide to investigate how water moves through Big Thicket.

Lessons 12–14

Phenomenon Question: How does water move through Big Thicket?

Phenomenon: Movement of Water in an Environment

Lesson Set Objective: Students observe a model to identify the processes of the water cycle as they investigate how water moves through the Big Thicket environment.

Wonder: We observe a photograph of Big Thicket after rain, and we remember from looking at historical graphs that Big Thicket receives a lot of rain. We wonder what happens to the water after it rains. We decide to learn more about how water moves through Big Thicket.

Organize: Our teacher shows us a water movement model and explains that it will help us determine how water moves through Big Thicket. We label a drawing of the model in our Science Logbook, and we prepare to make observations at 5-minute intervals.

Reveal: We record our observations of the water movement model. We review that evaporation is the process by which water on the surface of a liquid becomes a gas and moves to the air. We determine that the lamp in our model represents the Sun because the energy from the lamp causes more evaporation to occur. We also review that water in the form of a gas is called water vapor.

We notice that drops of water collect on the bottom of the plastic wrap under the bag of ice cubes in our model. Our teacher explains that when water vapor cools, it changes into a liquid state and that this process is called condensation.

Knowledge Statement: Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation continuously move water between Earth’s surface and air.

We draw and explain in our Science Logbook how the water moves in the water movement model. We explain that water evaporates from liquid water in the bottom of the container to become water vapor in the air inside the container. We describe how water vapor condenses back to liquid water under the bag of ice cubes and then drips back into the bottom of the container.

Organize: We wonder how the water movement model compares with the movement of water through the Big Thicket environment. We decide to draw individual models of how we think water moves through Big Thicket. We notice similarities and differences in our models, and we decide to gather more information about how water moves through Big Thicket.

Reveal: Our teacher displays a photograph of a stream in Big Thicket. We wonder how Big Thicket gets water and about the role that clouds play.

We watch a video of clouds in the sky and realize that clouds are made of water. Our teacher explains that clouds form from condensation of water vapor and that precipitation happens when water falls from clouds. We also notice that clouds move. Our teacher explains that wind can move clouds and that water moves from one location to another when clouds move. We determine that precipitation can add water to streams. We update our individual models of how water moves through Big Thicket.

Next, we apply our understanding of how water moves through Big Thicket in an Act It Out routine. Then we learn that the process by which water moves between Earth’s water, air, and land is called the water cycle.

Distill: We add our new learning to the anchor chart.

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• Organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

• Organisms can get acquired traits from events that occur during their lifetime.

• Plants have different structures that help them get what they need to survive in their environment.

Environmental Conditions for Plants

• Weather is the conditions at a particular day and time.

• Climate is the pattern of weather conditions over time.

• Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation are processes that move Earth’s water in the water cycle.

• Energy from the Sun causes liquid water to change into water vapor through the process of evaporation.

We reflect on where we observed the water cycle during our investigations. We determine that the water cycle occurs in the terrarium and in the sealed bag containing the radish plants that grew with no air. We saw water on the sides and fog inside of the terrarium and the bag. We update the anchor model with our new knowledge about the water cycle and carnivorous plants.

Carnivorous Plants in Big Thicket

Sunlight

Longleaf pine trees

Butterwort

Capturing animals

Air all around

Energy

Condensation

Water vapor

Precipitation

Pitcher plants

Capturing animals

Sundew

Capturing animals

Soil

Bladderwort

Capturing animals

Evaporation

Water from rain

Many plants live in Big Thicket. Some of those plants are carnivorous. Carnivorous plants have special structures to catch and digest animals. Water moves between Earth’s water, air, and land in a cycle called the water cycle. Energy from the Sun helps make the water cycle happen. Carnivorous plants live in an environment with wet soil.

Know: We revisit how the environment helps plants get what they need to survive to apply our new learning in a Conceptual Checkpoint. We explain how weather patterns and the water cycle caused a super bloom event in Death Valley.

Next steps: We revisit the driving question board and decide to answer this question next: How do organisms get what they need from their environment?

Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous?

How do the structures of different plants compare? What parts of the plants catch the insects?

Do all carnivorous plants have roots, stems, and leaves like other plants?

How does the environment help plants get what they need to survive?

What type of environment is Big Thicket?

How much does it rain in Big Thicket?

How do organisms get what they need from their environment?

Do any animals eat carnivorous plants?

Why do the carnivorous plants eat insects?

Do other plants in Big Thicket have unusual characteristics?

How do the butterwort and bladderwort catch insects?

What animals live in B ig Thicket?

Related Phenomena: Some plants can survive underwater.

Desert plants store water in their stems and leaves.

Some plants have flowers that make nectar for pollinators.

Concept 3: Interactions in the Environment (Lessons 15–19)

Focus Question: How do organisms get what they need from their environment?

Lessons 15–16

Phenomenon Question: How do organisms interact in an environment?

Phenomenon: Big Thicket Organisms

Lesson Set Objective: Students use the module text to examine and model the interactions between organisms in an environment and then apply their understanding to the organisms of Big Thicket as they explore the flow of energy and the interactions between organisms in a food web in Big Thicket.

Knowledge Statement: Food web models show ways that organisms interact in an environment.

Wonder: Our teacher shows us photographs of various Big Thicket organisms, and we wonder how they get what they need to survive in their environment. We decide to learn more about how organisms interact in an environment.

Organize: Our teacher introduces us to the book Trout Are Made of Trees (Sayre and Endle 2008), and we wonder how trout could be made of trees. We decide to listen for clues to help us find the answer as our teacher reads aloud.

Reveal: We make a list of organisms and their actions that are mentioned in the book. Then we develop a food chain based on the organisms in the book. We review that the arrows show the direction that energy flows through a food chain.

We wonder what a food chain model of organisms in Big Thicket might look like, and we decide to explore food chains in Big Thicket.

Our teacher divides the class into three groups and hands out a different card set to each group. We notice that each card set has information about Big Thicket organisms. We work individually to form a Big Thicket food chain with our set of organism cards. Then we create a poster and connect our group’s food chains by adding arrows to show energy flow between the organisms in the three food chains. We perform a Gallery Walk to compare our group’s poster with those from other groups, and we see similarities and differences, including organisms that are in many food chains.

We identify many interactions between the organisms in the three Big Thicket food chains. Our teacher explains that a model that shows the feeding interactions of many organisms in an environment is called a food web. Our teacher tells us that a food web shows numerous connected food chains.

Organize: We highlight three paths from producers to consumers in our food web model. We notice that consumers depend on producers even if they do not directly eat producers. We decide to investigate the source of energy that flows from organism to organism in a food web.

Reveal: We revisit our Big Thicket food web posters and trace the energy flow through paths in our food webs. We figure out that energy can flow through many paths in a food web and that all the paths begin with a producer.

We remember that producers use energy from the Sun to make their own food. Next, we read a text that clarifies how plants store extra energy from sunlight as food that transfers to consumers when they eat plants.

Distill: We update the anchor chart with our new understanding.

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• Organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

• Organisms can get acquired traits from events that occur during their lifetime.

• Plants have different structures that help them get what they need to survive in their environment.

Environmental Conditions for Plants

• Weather is the conditions at a particular day and time.

• Climate is the pattern of weather conditions over time.

• Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation are processes that move Earth’s water in the water cycle.

• Energy from the Sun causes liquid water to change into water vapor through the process of evaporation.

Interactions in the Environment

• A food web model shows feeding interactions between organisms in different food chains in an environment.

• The energy that flows through a food web comes from the Sun.

Next Steps: Our teacher shows us a photograph of a fallen log in Big Thicket, and we notice mushrooms growing on the log. We decide to explore the role of mushrooms in an environment.

Lessons 17–19

Phenomenon Question: What is the role of mushrooms in an environment?

Phenomenon: Big Thicket Mushrooms

Lesson Set Objective: Students observe, read about, and ask questions about fungi and then model the interactions between organisms in an environment with and without soil to determine that matter cycles.

Knowledge Statement: Decomposers return nutrients from dead organisms to the soil.

Wonder: Our teacher shows us photographs of various Big Thicket mushrooms, and we share what we notice and wonder about the mushrooms.

Organize: We share our ideas about how mushrooms might fit into the Big Thicket food web. We decide we need to learn more about mushrooms. Our teacher tells us that mushrooms are a type of organism called a fungus. Then we visit stations to observe mushrooms and other fungi.

We have additional questions about the role of fungi in an environment, so we decide to use a text to gather more information.

Reveal: Our teacher reads aloud a text about fungi, and we listen for information about the role of fungi in an environment. We learn that fungi, including mushrooms, are decomposers and break down dead organisms.

Organize: We watch a video that shows how leaves on a forest floor change and appear to break down. We wonder what happens in an environment when decomposers feed on dead organisms.

Our teacher rereads to us a paragraph from the text about fungi, and we listen for ways that decomposers might help plants. We determine that fungi enrich soil with nutrients that were once in living organisms.

Reveal: We decide to model the movement of matter in an environment with and without soil. We notice that without soil we can make a food chain, but when we add soil to our model, we can make a food web that includes all the organisms. We determine that decomposers return nutrients from dead organisms to the soil and that plants can use the nutrients to grow. We figure out that decomposers help nutrients, a form of matter, to be used over and over in a cycle.

Our teacher rereads to us the first part of Trout Are Made of Trees and then reads to us a new section of the book. We notice that the book describes the cycling of matter, and we determine that energy flows from the Sun through the organisms of the food web and matter cycles when nutrients are put in the soil by decomposers.

Distill: We distill our new understanding of how organisms obtain what they need from their environment by comparing the advantages and limitations of some of the lesson models. We notice that each model has both limitations and advantages that make it useful for investigating specific questions about how organisms get what they need from their environment.

Next, we update the class anchor model and anchor chart.

Carnivorous Plants in Big Thicket

Sunlight

Longleaf pine trees

Producer

Red-belliedConsumerwoodpecker

Condensation Energy Organisms die.

Decomposers

Air all around

Nutrients from insects

Pitcher plants

Butterwort Capturing animals

Capturing animals

Matter from dead Spring peeper Soil organisms Consumer

Nutrients in soil

Sundew

Capturing animals

Water vapor

Bladderwort

Capturing animals

Evaporation

Precipitation

Water from rain

Many plants live in Big Thicket. Some of those plants are carnivorous. Carnivorous plants have special structures to catch and digest animals. Water moves between Earth’s water, air, and land in a cycle called the water cycle. Energy from the Sun helps make the water cycle happen. Carnivorous plants live in an environment with wet soil. Carnivorous plants are part of the food web in Big Thicket. Matter cycles in the wetland pine savanna, but the soil has few nutrients from decomposers. Carnivorous plants, such as the sundew and pitcher plant, are producers that make their own food using energy from the Sun, and they get nutrients from the insects they capture.

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• Organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

• Organisms can get acquired traits from events that occur during their lifetime.

• Plants have different structures that help them get what they need to survive in their environment.

Environmental Conditions for Plants

• Weather is the conditions at a particular day and time.

• Climate is the pattern of weather conditions over time.

• Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation are processes that move Earth’s water in the water cycle.

• Energy from the Sun causes liquid water to change into water vapor through the process of evaporation.

Interactions in the Environment

• A food web model shows feeding interactions between organisms in different food chains in an environment.

• The energy that flows through a food web comes from the Sun.

• Decomposers break down dead organisms and return nutrients to the soil.

• A food web model shows how matter cycles in an environment.

Know: In a Conceptual Checkpoint, we apply our new learning about how organisms get what they need from their environment to explain how the Devils Hole pupfish gets what it needs from its environment.

Next steps: We revisit the driving question board and prepare to complete the second part of the Science Challenge.

Application of Concepts (Lessons 20–24): Science Challenge Part 2, Socratic Seminar, and End-of-Module Assessment

Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous?

Lessons 20–21 (Science Challenge Part 2)

Phenomenon Question: How do the available resources in an environment affect the way a plant grows and survives?

Phenomenon: Results from Student Investigation

Lesson Set Objective: Students analyze data from a fair test to determine how an environment without water, sunlight, or carbon dioxide or with few nutrients can affect how a plant makes its own food, grows, and survives.

Knowledge Statement: Plants can make their own food and grow when they get water, sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrients from their environment.

Reveal: We review safety expectations and record our final fair test investigation observations. With our investigation group, we discuss how our plant changed during the investigation and whether our plant is healthy. Then we create a class observation table, and we compare our group’s results with the results from the other groups. We update our class observation table by identifying which plants are healthy.

We compare results for the plants that lack a resource or have fewer nutrients with results for the plant with all resources. We use the data we have gathered as evidence to answer our group’s investigation question. We discover that plants in conditions with no air, no water, no light, or few nutrients appear less healthy, or do not grow, compared with a plant that grows with all resources.

Next, we develop claims about how available resources in the environment affect our plant’s characteristics and about how our plant makes its own food and grows. We decide that plants need air, water, light, and nutrients to make food and grow.

Distill: We use evidence from the energy in the food web and fungi articles and use our investigation results to evaluate our claims about how available resources in the environment affect our plant’s characteristics and how our plant makes its own food and grows.

Our teacher explains the different ways that scientists present their work, and as a class we decide which type of presentation we should use. Then our teacher provides us with a presentation checklist, and we work with our group to prepare our presentation. Each group takes a turn presenting to the class. We listen to each presentation, and we ask clarifying questions. After each presentation, we individually write down feedback for each group. Our teacher provides our group with peer feedback to review. We then reflect on our knowledge and our participation in the presentation in our Science Logbook.

Our teacher displays the plant and matter diagram. We discuss how matter moves through a plant. We explain that we need to add the processes of the water cycle, consumers, decomposers, and nutrients to the diagram to show how matter cycles in an environment.

We update the class anchor chart with our new learning.

Plants in the Environment

Plant Structures and Their Functions

• Organisms receive inherited traits from their parents.

• Organisms can get acquired traits from events that occur during their lifetime.

• Plants have different structures that help them get what they need to survive in their environment.

• Plants use their structures to trap energy and get carbon dioxide, water, and nutrients to make food and grow.

Environmental Conditions for Plants

• Weather is the conditions at a particular day and time.

• Climate is the pattern of weather conditions over time.

• Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation are processes that move Earth’s water in the water cycle.

• Energy from the Sun causes liquid water to change into water vapor through the process of evaporation.

Interactions in the Environment

• A food web model shows feeding interactions between organisms in different food chains in an environment.

• The energy that flows through a food web comes from the Sun.

• Decomposers break down dead organisms and return nutrients to the soil.

• A food web model shows how matter cycles in an environment.

• Plants can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter.

Next Steps: We prepare for a Socratic Seminar and the End-of-Module Assessment.

Lessons 22–24 (Socratic Seminar and End-of-Module Assessment)

Phenomenon Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous? (Essential Question)

Phenomenon: Carnivorous Plants in Big Thicket National Preserve

Lesson Set Objective: Students apply their knowledge of the interactions between organisms and their environment to construct explanations of why some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve are carnivorous.

Knowledge Statement: Organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment.

Distill: As a class, we participate in a Socratic Seminar and discuss our Essential Question: Why are some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve carnivorous? We use the driving question board, anchor chart, and anchor model to help us answer this question.

Know: We show our understanding of how organisms depend on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment in the End-of-Module Assessment, and then we reflect on the assessment and our learning throughout the module.

Next Steps: We discuss remaining questions about how organisms get what they need from their environment and about why some plants in Big Thicket National Preserve are carnivorous.

Appendix B

Plants in the Environment Glossary

Appendix C

Plants in the Environment Content-Specific Words, General Academic Words, and Spanish Cognates

Key Terms (Tier Two or Three)

Key Terms (Tier Two or Three) (continued)

Word(s) Spanish Cognate

Trait None

Water cycle None

Content-Specific Words (Tier Three)

Word(s) Spanish Cognate

Characteristic Característica

Function Función

Fungus (fungi) Hongo (hongos)

Nutrient Nutriente

Structure Estructura

Terrarium Terrario

Variable Variable

Water vapor Vapor (vapor)

General Academic Words (Tier Two)

Word(s) Spanish Cognate

Interact

End Matter

Works Cited

Plants in the Environment

Braaf, Ellen R. 2008. “Life in the Food Chain.” Ask® Magazine, September 1, 2008, 6–13.

Darwin, Charles. (1897). Insectivorous Plants. New York: D. Appleton and Company. [Quote in Module Overview epigraph is from page 464.]

English Language Proficiency Standards, 19 Tex. Admin. Code § 74.4 (2007).

Jarrow, Gail. 2018. “Fungi, Fungi, Everywhere!” Spider® Magazine, April 1, 2018.

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) NCEI (National Centers for Environmental Information). 2022. “Climate at a Glance: County Mapping, Precipitation.” Accessed November 19, 2022.

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-aglance/county/mapping/41/pcp/202101/12/value.

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) NCEI (National Centers for Environmental Information). n.d. “U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access.” Accessed October 29, 2022.

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/us-climatenormals/#dataset=normals-annualseasonal&timeframe=30.

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) NWS (National Weather Service). n.d. “Climate.” Accessed November 19, 2022. https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate.

National Park Service (NPS). 2015. “Park Species List.” Big Thicket. Last modified August 29, 2015.

https://www.nps.gov/bith/learn/nature/park-species-lists.htm

Sayre, April Pulley, and Kate Endle (illustrator). 2008. Trout Are Made of Trees. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge. [All references to Trout Are Made of Trees are from this source.]

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, 19 Tex. Admin. Code § 112 (2021).

Tyrrell, Katherine. 2022. “About Marianne North (1830–1890).” Botanical Art & Artists. Accessed October 30, 2022. https://www.botanicalartandartists.com/about-marianne-north.html

The Weather Company. 2014–2021. Weather Underground (website). Accessed October 11, 2021. https://www.wunderground.com.

World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). 2020. “Life in the Desert.” Accessed November 28, 2022.

https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/ namib_desert/

Credits

Great Minds® has made every effort to obtain permission for the reprinting of all copyrighted material. If any owner of copyrighted material is not

acknowledged herein, please contact Great Minds for proper acknowledgment in all future editions and reprints of this module.

Plants in the Environment

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Acknowledgments

Great Minds® Staff

The following writers, editors, reviewers, and support staff contributed to the development of this curriculum:

Amanda Abbood, Nashrah Ahmed, Maria Albina, Ana Alvarez, Lindsay Arensbak, Lynne Askin-Roush, Marissa Axtell, Brian Aycock, Keith Bannister, Nina Barcelli, Trevor Barnes, John Barnett, Greg Bartus, Michele Baskin, Koi Beard, Tocarra Bell, Brianna Bemel, Kerry Benson, Sanobar Bhaidani, David Blair, Ranell Blue, Jennifer Bolton, Sandy Brooks, Bridget Brown, Taylor Brown, Dan Brubaker, Carolyn Buck, Sharon Buckby, Lisa Buckley, Kristan Buckman, Becky Bundy, Sarah Bushnell, Eric Canan, Adam Cardais, Crystal Cizmar, Emily Cizmas, Rolanda Clark, Elizabeth Clarkin-Breslin, Christina Cooper, Kim Cotter, Karen Covington, Gary Crespo, Madeline Cronk, Lisa Crowe, Allison Davidson, Kristin Davis, Brandon Dawson, Megan Dean, Katherine DeLong, Julie Dent, Jill Diniz, Erin Doble, Delsena Draper, Amy Dupre, Jami Duty, Jessica Dyer, Lily Eisermann, Alison Engel, Sandy Engelman, Tamara Estrada,

Lindsay Farinella, De Edra Farley, Ubaldo Feliciano-Hernández, Molly Fife, Lisa Fiorilli, Soudea Forbes, Mark Foster, Richard Fox, Peter Fraser, Reba Frederics, Liz Gabbard, Diana Ghazzawi, Lisa Giddens-White, Patricia Gilbert, Ellen Goldstein, Laurie Gonsoulin, Pamela Goodner, Kristen Gray, Lorraine Griffith, Dennis Hamel, Debbie Hardin, Heather Harkins, Cassie Hart, Kristen Hayes, Sarah Henchey, Marcela Hernández, Abbi Hoerst, Jessica Holman, Missy Holzer, Matthew Hoover, Robert Hunter, Jennifer Hurd, Rachel Hylton, Robert Ingram Jr., Mamie Jennings, Reagan Johnson, Yuria Joo, Marsha Kaplan, Francine Katz, Ashley Kelley, Robert Kelly, Lisa King, Suzanne Klein, Betsy Kolodziej, Sarah Kopec, Jenny Kostka, Drew Krepp, Rachel Lachiusa, Brittany Langlitz, Mike Latzke, Lori Leclair, Catherine Lee, Jennifer Leonberger, Jessica Levine, Caren Limbrick, Latoya Lindsay, Sarah Lomanno, Katherine Longo, Scott Loper, Susan Lyons, Kristi Madden, David Malone, Carolyn Mammen, Katrina Mangold, Stacie McClintock, Miranda McDaniel, Megan McKinley-Hicks, Cindy Medici, Ivonne Mercado, Sandra Mercado,

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Colleagues and Contributors

We are grateful for the many educators, writers, and subject-matter experts who made this program possible.

Tricia Boese, Thomas Brasdefer, Andrew Chen, Arthur Eisenkraft, Pat Flanagan, Rachel Gritzer, Fran Hess, Kim Marcus, Fred Myers, Jim O’Malley, Neela Roy, Ed Six, and Larry Stowe

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Growing carnivorous plants in the classroom inspires the study of organisms’ dependence on energy from the Sun and the cycling of matter in their environment. Students compare the traits of carnivorous and other plants in Big Thicket National Preserve. Then they investigate how plants’ structures help plants survive in their environment. Students analyze weather data for Big Thicket and observe a model of the water cycle to determine how the climate of an environment helps plants meet their needs. Students create food web models and read articles to explore the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers. Through their food web models, students trace how matter cycles and energy flows in an environment. They design and conduct investigations to determine how available resources in an environment affect plant growth and survival. Students then apply their new knowledge to explain why some plants in Big Thicket are carnivorous.

ON THE COVER

North American Carnivorous Plants, 1870

Marianne North, British, 1830–1890

Oil on board

ISBN 979-8-88588-529-4 9 798885 885294

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TEXAS

LEVEL 4 MODULES

1 EARTH FEATURES with Spotlight Lessons on Mixtures and Solutions

2 ENERGY with Spotlight Lessons on Earth and Space

3 PLANTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT

Marianne North Gallery – Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Photo credit: The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew