Living Things and the Environment Chapter 1, section 1 Environmental Science Textbook Mrs. Venn 6th Grade Science

Bell Work 10-22-09 How could you destroy a habitat? What would the effect be if it was destroyed?

Bellwork What is your favorite animal? Where does it live? What does it eat? Do you know any cool facts about it?

Background Knowledge What is an ecosystem? What kinds of ecosystems do you know of?

Living VS. Non-living Materials- Directions- Magazines Scissors Glue 3 colored pencils 1 piece of computer paper Directions- Read “Lab Zone” on page 6.

Read page 6

Habitats- read p 7 Are all parts of the forest where organisms live the same? How do they differ? What are some habitats in a forest? Why do different organisms live in different habitats? Identify Main Idea by creating a chart like the one on page 6.

Biotic Factors A habitat has living and non-living parts. Living parts are call “BIOTIC FACTORS” What are some biotic factors in the habitat of a mouse? Read Biotic Factors, page 7.

BIOTIC What is the root word? Bio comes from the Greek bios which means “life.”

Abiotic “A” is a prefix that means “not.” What do you think “Abiotic” means?

Abiotic Factors What are some nonliving parts of a habitat? Does a squirrel need all the abiotic factors in its habitat to survive? What if a habitat did not provide one of these very important factors?

Abiotic Factors Read page 8. Living Things DVD, Disc 3 (9:43)

Levels of Organization Grass Grasshoppers Field mice Red-tailed hawks Where might you find these organisms living together?

Levels of Organization Read page 9. Watch video clip “Populations and Communities” DVD 4. (10:48)

Levels of Organization Species- each single kind of organism Some have differences, but they are similar and can mate to produce offspring Do all members of each species, such as the red-tailed hawk, live in the grassland? What do we call the members of a single species living in this grassland? What do we call all the species living together in a grassland?

Levels of Organization Would white-tailed deer living in a forest in Pennsylvania be members of the same population as white-tailed deer living in Missouri? Explain why or why not.

Levels of Organization Study the picture on page 9 and read the caption. Why is this group of garter snakes a population? What other populations might you find living in a community with these snakes?

Video Clip DVD Ecosystems and Biomes, Disk 2 10:22 minutes

Check Progress Make a chart that lists abiotic in the first column. Tell why each factor is necessary in the second column.

Levels of Organization Read page 10 and study Figure 4 on page 11. Which level has the most different kinds of individuals? How many different species are in the population? What do the organisms in the community have in common?

Create your own Ecological Organization Think of a different ecosystem. Create a diagram that shows the levels or organization for your ecosystem. Label your levels and your organisms.

air grasses hawks Prairie snakes mice water

Bellwork – Homework (If not finished in class) In your science spiral, answer all questions on page 10, “Section 1 Assessment.” Write a descriptive paragraph as explained in “Writing in Science” on page 10.

Scoring Guide for Writing in Science, p 10 100%- Includes detailed descriptions of what student needs, how the student will get it, and how another habitat would not meet the student’s needs. 75%- Includes incomplete descriptions of all three factors. 50%- Includes only two of the three factors. 25%- Includes only one of the factors.

Internet Resources Activity Go to www.scilinks.org Type in the web code scn-0511 Complete worksheet while exploring different web sites about living and nonliving things