1. Laurie Hutchinson Lehi Jr High School
ECOSYTEMS UNIT
Laurie Hutchinson
Lehi Jr High School

2. 8th Gr. Integrated Science Utah Core
Standard 2
The sun is the source for essentially all biological energy. Plants store and capture light energy as chemical energy in sugars. Animals eat plants to obtain the energy and matter that they need. The energy from food is used for mechanical and heat energy. The matter is used to build the cells of the organism.
Food chains and food webs are model used to show the transfer of energy and matter among organisms. These models can be used to show relationships among organisms. Organisms, including humans, influence the ability of other organisms to live in a specific environment.
Students will understand that energy from sunlight is changed to chemical energy in plants, transfers between living organisms, and that changing the environment may alter the amount of energy provided to living organisms.

3. Student Objectives Student will be able to:
Collate the connections between various environmental factor with the success of species.
Compare the ways plants and animal obtain and use energy.
Generalize the dependent relationship between organisms.
Analyze human influence on the capacity of an environment to sustain living things.
Describe the 4 factors in the energy transfer food web pyramid.
Create connections between the chemical cycles (water, nitrogen, carbon, and energy.

4. Unit Outline - Ecosystem
Access Prior Knowledge with questions.
Interactive Slide Show Student Notes on Ecosystems
Drawings the Stages in the Energy Food Pyramid and chemical cycles.
Assignment to research species factors and connections of a chosen species. (Poster & Model)
Explorative Antelope Island Species Food Web Activity to check for understanding.
Student Interactive Peer Teaching.
Assessment - Final Review and Test.

5. Unit Activities - Ecosystems
Food transfers from sun light to muscle movements – Flip book (sugar movement)
Fieldtrip to Hogle Zoo
Speakers – Bats / Birds / Environmental Engineer
Atom Transferring (Carbon Cycle – Nitrogen Cycle – Water Cycles)
Cycles Connections
Activities – Sugar Effects - Heart Beat and Muscle Contractions Activities
Student Project – Model, Poster, and Booklet.

6. Unit Activities - con’t
Wetlands – Food Chain Activity
Wetlands – Metaphors Handouts
Tracing Food Chains
Rain Forests – Destruction
Changes in Ecosystems - Impacts
Human Impacts – Hypothetical Changes in the Environment or Food Web
Frogs, Sharks, and Others - Mutations and Endangered Report
Species Relationships - Unique pairs

7. Student Project (guided practices)
Research a specific species and relate how it fits into an ecosystem.
Prepare a Poster of general information and create a Model of the species within that environment and their food chain.
Fill-in the booklet questions about species.
Student Presentations on the species.
Reflection Paper.

8. Species Booklet Topics
CLASSIFICATION / FAMILY TYPE
APPERANCES / FEATURES
PERSONALITIES - NICHES / ROUTINES / UNIQUIENESS
HABITATS – SHELTER / HOME / TERRITORY / COMMUNITY
BIOMES / COMMUNITY / REGIONS
ADAPTATION / WHAT IF? (CHANGES)
REALTIONSHIPS - OTHERS / HUMANS
RELATIONSHIPS - FAMILY / GROUPS
FOOD PYRAMIDS / FOOD WEB / CYCLES

9. Antelope Island and Hogle Zoo
With the 20 species of Antelope island, use the descriptions of prey and predator and create 5 level food pyramid.
Hogle Zoo
Attend Hogle Zoo Field Trip and summarize the varies species seen in the student handout.

10. Unit Guided Practices
Student Presentations will be used to summarize their new and prior learning by completing and summarizing the unit objectives on the assigned species.
Connection Drawing of the 4 main cycles (water, nitrogen, carbon, and energy) overlapping the cycles.
Periodic Quizzes and Final Test will demonstrate understanding of the objectives.

11. Conclusion
Complete and review key components of the unit in a “Picture Page” handout. Students write key words and color pictures.
Review the Unit Objectives and Notes with a “Memory Game”
Show the key cycle slides to have students show the connections between energy & chemical cycles.

12. Independent Practice Student Species Project & Activities –
Researching Species
Creating a Model, Poster, and Booklet
Completing Field Trip Review
Preparing for the Quizzes & Final Test
Organize Notes in a Species Booklet
Write a Reflections Paper.