Model Curriculum Unit - ESD 114

Effects of Changes in an Environment on the Survival of Organisms Life Science (Biological Evolution), Grade 3

This unit engages students in a comparison of animals and plants that are extinct to animals and plants found today as they explore the effect of changes to an environment on the ability of animals and plants to survive. A KWL serves as a formative assessment of students’ conceptions of dinosaurs—a commonly known set of extinct organisms—and serves as a jumping off point for discussion of other organisms and their environments. Students consult multiple information sources to gather evidence of the effect of changes in an environment on organisms as seen through past and current examples. Students create a scientific notebook to compare examples of an extinct and a current organism and their environments, and argue for the effect of changes on the ability of each to survive.

This Model Curriculum Unit is designed to illustrate effective curriculum that lead to expectations outlined in the Draft Revised Science and Technology/Engineering Standards (www.doe.mass.edu/STEM/review.html) as well as the MA Curriculum Frameworks for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics. This unit includes lesson plans, a Curriculum Embedded Performance Assessment, and related resources. In using this unit it is important to consider the variability of learners in your class and make adaptations as necessary.

This work is licensed by the MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). Educators may use, adapt, and/or share. Not for commercial use. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ July 2015 Page 1 of 38

This document was prepared by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D., Commissioner

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Table of Contents

Unit Assumptions and Comments on Sequence ........................................................................................................................... 4

Unit Plan ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Lesson 1: KWL: What Caused the Extinction of Dinosaurs? .................................................................................................... 9 Lesson 2: Mass Environmental Change ......................................................................................................................................... 12 Lesson 3: Fossils Tell of Long Ago ................................................................................................................................................... 15 Lesson 4: The Great Kapok Tree ...................................................................................................................................................... 18

Lesson 5: Oh Deer! .................................................................................................................................................................................. 21 CEPA Teacher Instructions ................................................................................................................................................................. 26

CEPA Rubric .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 29

Unit Resources ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 30


Unit Assumptions and Comments on Sequence

In addition to relevant standards that students should know from prior grades (see below and K-ESS2-2, 2-ESS2-4 [MA], 2-LS2-3 [MA], 2-LS4-1, 3-ESS2-2, 3-LS4-2, and 3-LS4-5 [MA]), this unit assumes students already know: • How to productively contribute to a collaborative KWL. • How to listen to a story and discuss it afterward, either responding to questions or volunteering thoughts. • How to write fact-based sentences and paragraphs. • How to create and use simple graphic organizers. This unit is best placed after a unit on life cycles and the effect of variation among individuals on their survival (3-LS4-2, and 3-LS4-5 [MA], among others). This unit provides the foundation for units in later grades on animal and plant adaptations to environmental changes and, ultimately, units on ecological dynamics, evolution, and natural selection.



Stage 1 — Desired Results

ESTABLISHED GOALS G Science, Technology and Engineering [NOTE: These are draft revised STE standards (as of 10/22/13); final adopted STE standards may be slightly different.] 3-LS4-1. Use fossils to describe types of organisms and their environments that existed long ago and compare those to living organisms and their environments. Recognize that most kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no longer found anywhere. [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include identification of specific fossils or present plants and animals. Comparisons are limited to physical or observable features; not to include dynamic processes or genetics.] 3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular environment some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive.[Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence could include needs and characteristics of the organisms and habitats involved.] 3-LS4-4. Analyze and interpret data about changes in the environment in an area and describe how the changes may affect the ability of organisms that live in that area to survive and reproduce. [Clarification Statement: Environmental changes should include changes to landforms, distribution of water, climate, and availability of resources. Changes in the environment could range in time from a season to decades. Data should be provided.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to a single environmental change,

Transfer Students will be able to independently use their learning to… T1 Use principles of the physical world to analyze living systems. T2 Use appropriate evidence and reasoning to develop scientific claims and engage in discussions of scientific and technical topics. Meaning UNDERSTANDINGS U ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Students will understand that… EQ1 What happens to organisms U1 Some plants and animals that once lived when they cannot meet their are no longer found on earth but have needs? similarities to organisms that are living today. EQ2 How big of a change to the U2 Some changes may force an organism to environment causes an move or the organism may change its organism to go extinct? behavior to accommodate the change; not all changes in an environment lead to extinction. U3 Plants and animals depend on each other and their environment for continued survival. U4 Scientific arguments rely on relevant evidence and logical reasoning. Acquisition Students will know… K Students will be skilled at… K1 That many plants and animals have S1 Comparing and documenting become extinct. features of extinct plants and animals to extant plants and K2 There is evidence that an extinct plant or animals. animal once existed (e.g., fossils). S2 Using informational text to K3 If a plant or animal disappears, it can gather evidence for a scientific affect the rest of the habitat. K4 One organism can have many roles in an argument. environment (habitat, food, etc.) S3 Using scientific terminology in K5 Some changes to an environment can writing and speaking.


however, it is understood that environmental changes are complex.]

Mathematics 3.MD.B.3. Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. English Language Arts and Literacy W3.2.Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Evaluative Criteria Criteria for Success: • See Scientific Notebook Rubric and Checklist

lead to reduction in ability of an organism to survive, which can lead to the extinction of that organism. K6 Loss of one or more individuals or loss of all organisms in one habitat is not extinction; extinction is only when all individuals of an entire population dies all over Earth. K7 Categorical data can be used to compare relative amounts or numbers of organisms in a population, due to different events or at different times.

S4 Analyzing and interpreting categorical data. S5 Make a bar graph using data collected from an activity. S6 Using relevant evidence to make and justify a scientific argument.

Stage 2 — Evidence

Assessment Evidence CURRICULUM EMBEDDED PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT (PERFORMANCE TASKS) Students will be “research scientists” who construct an argument about the effect of changes in an environment on the survival or extinction of a chosen organism. They support their argument with evidence from the unit and additional research they gather. They must compare their chosen extinct plant or animal and its environment with a currently existing plant or animal and its environment. They will then make a case for what environmental change or changes may have led to the extinction of their organism. They will present their work to an audience to share their findings OTHER EVIDENCE: • Classroom KWL Chart • Notebook entries • Great Kapok Tree representation • Homework paragraphs • Teacher observations • Classroom discussions


Stage 3 — Learning Plan

Summary of Key Learning Events and Instruction Engagement (and pre-assessment) Lesson 1: KWL: What Caused the Extinction of Dinosaurs? Create curiosity and share ideas about interesting animals and plants that no longer live on earth and ideas about why extinction happens.

Exploration Lesson 2: Mass Environmental Change Students will explore different changes to an environment and the effect on populations of organisms. Focuses on three key factors: change in climate, change in resource availability (including water, food, shelter), and change in the landscape. Lesson 3: Fossils Tell of Long Ago Fossils provide insight into plants and animals of long ago, but we have to infer what the organisms and their environments looked like since the fossils only tell part of the story. Lesson 4: The Great Kapok Tree Students will consider the interdependent relationships among plants and animals in an environment and how changes can make it difficult to survive. Lesson 5: Oh Deer! Students explore the effects of change to an environment on the survival of deer populations through game play. Evaluation Lesson 6. CEPA: An Evidence-Based Argument About the Extinction of an Organism Students develop a scientific argument about what changes in an environment may have led to the extinction of a chosen plant or animal. They compare their chosen extinct plant or animal with a current plant or animal. Adapted from Understanding by Design®. © 2012 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. Used with permission.


Lesson 1: What Caused the Extinction of Dinosaurs?

Brief Overview of Lesson: Create curiosity and share ideas about interesting animals and plants that no longer live on Earth as well as ideas about why extinction happens through to the creation of the KWL chart. As you plan, consider the variability of learners in your class and make adaptations as necessary.

Estimated Time (minutes): 30 Standard(s)/Unit Goal(s) to be addressed in this lesson: 3-LS4-4. Analyze and interpret data about changes in the environment in an area and describe how the changes may affect the ability of organisms that live in that area to survive and reproduce. [Clarification Statement: Environmental changes should include changes to landforms, distribution of water, climate, and availability of resources. Changes in the environment could range in time from a season to decades. Data should be provided.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to a single environmental change, however, it is understood that environmental changes are complex.]

Essential Question(s) addressed in this lesson: EQ1. What happens to organisms when they cannot meet their needs? EQ2. How big of a change to the environment causes an organism to go extinct?

Objectives • Students will initiate their thinking about how an environment can change and result in extinction. • Students will clarify what extinction means. • Students will recognize that some animals were once alive and are now extinct and that a lot of other plants and animals—not just dinosaurs—are extinct. What students should know and be able to do before starting this lesson: • How to productively contribute to a collaborative KWL

Anticipated Student Preconceptions/Misconceptions • Students may believe that dinosaurs and people lived at the same time, that dinosaurs are the only animals to ever become extinct, that plants don’t become extinct, or that current plants and animals do not become extinct.


Instructional Materials/Resources/Tools • Large paper and markers for KWL chart • Video access and projection equipment • Sticky notes

Instructional Tips/Strategies/Suggestions for Teacher • Set up the KWL chart prior to the lesson. The question for the KWL is EQ 2: How big of a change to the environment causes an organism to go extinct? The initial entries to the K and W columns will be specific to dinosaurs and entries will expand beyond dinosaurs through the unit. Assessment • Results of the KWL chart development Lesson Sequence

Lesson Opening Elicit student conceptions (10 minutes) • Explain the focus of the unit is on the needs of plants and animals and the effects of changes in an environment on plants’ and animals’ ability to survive. • Introduce Essential Question 2: How big of a change to the environment causes an organism to go extinct? Explain extinction means “no longer existing.” Ask students to think about an extreme case of extinction, that of the dinosaurs and 70 percent of all other life that existed at the time. Ask them to share some reasons that they may have heard for why dinosaurs and the other plants and animals went extinct. Record these. • Show the video: Mammals Get Their Chance (less than two minutes): http://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.eiu.littlemammals/mammals-get-their-chance/

During the Lesson Developing the KWL chart (15 minutes) • Tell students, “Now we’re going to discuss the things we know about what caused the extinction of dinosaurs or other prehistoric creatures, first with a Think-Pair-Share.” Have students turn to a partner and do a Think-Pair-Share about what may have caused dinosaurs to go extinct. The video emphasizes that an asteroid hit the Earth. Ask, “What changes in the environment might an asteroid hitting Earth have caused that led to the extinction of dinosaurs?” • Hand out sticky notes and have pairs of students write ideas or questions about the extinction of dinosaurs on the sticky note. Have students come up to the KWL chart and share their post (post in the K or W column as appropriate) with the class. • As a class, elicit thoughts about what organisms need to survive and what might happen when they can’t get the things they need to survive (food, water, shelter).This does not have to be limited to dinosaurs. Write responses on the board. Next, ask what types of changes might lead to the


extinction of a plant or animal. Write responses and questions on the KWL as appropriate. Prompt students to think about the potential effect of three particular changes in the environment: a change in climate, change in resource availability (including water, food, shelter), and changes in the shape of the land (such as by earthquakes, landslides, and so on.).

Lesson Closing (5 minutes) • Note that very few extinctions have occurred like those posited for dinosaurs. Most extinction happens over a long period of time and over generations of a population and can have many causes. This unit will focus on the effect of changes on an environment on the ability of plants and animals to survive of which extinction is only one possible outcome. That is what this unit will engage them in learning about. • Note that they will be using a scientific notebook throughout the unit to record evidence and their ideas about changes in an environment and the plants and animals that live there. Introduce the performance assessment (CEPA) in which they will choose a particular plant or animal, describe it in its fossil form, what it and its environment might have looked like when the organism was alive, and compare that to a similar plant or animal and its environment living today. The final product they will create is a scientific argument about what change in the environment may have led to the extinction of their chosen plant or animal.


Lesson 2: Mass Environmental Change

Brief Overview of Lesson: Students explore different changes to an environment and the effect on populations of organisms. The focus is on three key factors: change in climate, change in resource availability (including water, food, shelter), and change in the shape of the land. As you plan, consider the variability of learners in your class and make adaptations as necessary. Estimated Time: 60 minutes

Standard(s)/Unit Goal(s) to be addressed in this lesson: 3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular environment some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive.[Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence could include needs and characteristics of the organisms and habitats involved.] 3-LS4-4. Analyze and interpret data about changes in the environment in an area and describe how the changes may affect the ability of organisms that live in that area to survive and reproduce. [Clarification Statement: Environmental changes should include changes to landforms, distribution of water, climate, and availability of resources. Changes in the environment could range in time from a season to decades. Data should be provided.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to a single environmental change, however, it is understood that environmental changes are complex.] ELA W3.2.Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. Essential Question(s) addressed in this lesson: EQ1. What happens to organisms when they cannot meet their needs?

Objectives: • Students will explain how changes in an environment can affect the survival of different kinds of plants and animals • Students will recognize that changes in an environment can have natural causes • Students will provide examples of different organisms that have different responses to a change in an environment • Students will describe three types of changes: landform changes, change in climate, change in resource availability • Students will write fact-based sentences and paragraphs What students should know and be able to do before starting this lesson: • Plants and animals depend on their surroundings to get what they need to live. • There are a variety of plants and animals living in any particular area. • The shape of a landform can change over time. • Climate and weather in any particular region varies. • Survival of a population is dependent on reproduction.


•

Variations in characteristics among individuals provide advantages (or disadvantages) in their survival.

Anticipated Student Preconceptions/Misconceptions • Students may believe that only dinosaurs have ever become extinct, that humans are the only cause of extinction, or that humans never cause extinction. Instructional Materials/Resources/Tools • Video access and projection equipment • Scenario cards (see the end of this unit) for each group • Scenario station set up, each scenario labeled (pictures optional) with a large envelope

Instructional Tips/Strategies/Suggestions for Teacher: • There are attached scenarios that posit different examples of changes to an environment. These should be written on large paper and hung up around the room in different areas, along with a large envelope hung underneath (reachable by students). The scenarios need to be copied for the number of groups, and should be cut ahead of time in order to expedite the lesson. To accommodate students with special needs or ELLs, you could put pictures on the large paper illustrating each scenario.

Assessment • Review the scenarios to ensure understanding of the concepts. Lesson Sequence

Lesson Opening Elicit student conceptions (10 minutes) • Replay and review the video from Lesson 1: http://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.eiu.littlemammals/mammals-get-theirchance/. Ask students to listen for evidence that supports the hypothesis about causes of mass extinction. • Introduce the Essential Question 1: What happens to organisms when they cannot meet their needs? Based on the video, review the concept of “change in an environment” and ask students to list in their scientific notebook things they saw in the video that caused a change in the environment and the specific effects. Ask students to share; record these for the class. • Ask students to think of other events that may cause massive change in the environment. Prompt them to consider things like asteroids/meteors, volcanoes, changes to landforms (such as landslides), changes to climate, flooding, competition from other (or introduced) plants and animals, habitat destruction, disease, or change in water or food availability. This work is licensed by the MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). Educators may use, adapt, and/or share. Not for commercial use. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ July 2015 Page 13 of 38

During the Lesson (40 minutes) • Explain that now the students are going to work in groups to sort and categorize scenarios of different changes to an environment. The example causes (in the scenarios in the resource section) can be categorized by: landform change (meteor/asteroid, volcanic activity), reduction in resource availability (food, shelter, water), climate change, and disease. • Group students in heterogeneous groups. Explain to the students that they are going to try to match scenarios to each of the four categories of causes. Do an example for them: A massive hurricane passes over a tiny tropical island and erodes away the beaches that are the only home to a small population of tropical toads. The toads cannot survive without the beach. Is the cause of this extinction a change in landform, reduction in the availability of a necessary resource, climate change, or disease? Students can identify this cause as a change in landform and/or reduction in a resource (habitat). Go over to one envelope and pretend to put that scenario in it. Explain that there may be more than one place for a scenario, and in that case they have to use their best scientific thinking to decide which makes more sense. (Note: a single weather event is not a change in climate.) • Hand out scenario cards and have student groups sort them into potential causes. • After everyone has finished sorting, take each envelope and, as a class, go over the scenarios that the students chose to go with each cause. Discuss the scenarios in relationship to the Essential Question 1 to help refine any choices, encouraging students to explicate their reasoning about each choice. Be sure to point out that all changes to an environment do not cause extinction; sometimes an organism moves or finds a way to cope with the change, and that sometimes a change to an environment can allow some organisms to thrive while others die out. • Ask students to write a few sentences in their scientific notebook about two of the scenarios, with particular focus on how the change to the environment affected the population of the noted organism(s). Lesson Closing (10 minutes) • Ask students to write summary thoughts about/reactions to Essential Question 1, particularly about the potential effects of the four categories of changes to an environment, in their scientific notebooks. Ask several students to share their writing and provide feedback about the relevance and quality of their ideas to the essential question.


Lesson 3: Fossils Tell of Long Ago

Brief Overview of Lesson: Fossils provide insight into plants and animals of long ago, but we have to infer what the organisms and their environments looked like since the fossils only tell part of the story. As you plan, consider the variability of learners in your class and make adaptations as necessary. Estimated Time: 60 minutes

Standard(s)/Unit Goal(s) to be addressed in this lesson: 3-LS4-1. Use fossils to describe types of organisms and their environments that existed long ago and compare those to living organisms and their environments. Recognize that most kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no longer found anywhere. [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include identification of specific fossils or present plants and animals. Comparisons are limited to physical or observable features; not to include dynamic processes or genetics.] ELA W3.2.Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. Essential Question(s) addressed in this lesson: EQ1. What happens to organisms when they cannot meet their needs?

Objectives: Students will know and be able to: • Compare fossils of organisms that existed long ago to living organisms • Describe the environments in which organisms of long ago lived in and compare them to the environments of similar living organisms

Anticipated Student Preconceptions/Misconceptions: • Students may believe that dinosaurs and people lived at the same time, that dinosaurs are the only animals to ever become extinct, that plants don’t become extinct, that plants and animals aren’t still in danger of becoming extinct, that plants and animals don’t go extinct anymore, that dinosaurs are the only animals to become fossils, that plants don’t become fossilized, or that fossilized organisms are not related to organisms that currently live on Earth. What students should know and be able to do before starting this lesson: • There are a variety of plants and animals living in any particular area. • The shape of a landform can change over time. • How to write fact-based sentences and paragraphs. • How to create and use simple graphic organizers.


Instructional Materials/Resources/Tools • Dinosaurs to Dodos: An Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals by Don Lessem • Websites of extinct animals and plants (see additional resources at the end of this unit)

Instructional Tips/Strategies/Suggestions for Teacher: • Refer to Talk Science Primer for tips and strategies about how to generate productive science talk; see additional resources at the end of this unit. Assessment • Quality of observations of image pairs • Scientific notebook

Lesson Sequence Lesson Opening Elicit student conceptions (10 minutes) • Explain that the focus of this lesson is to compare fossils to animals and plants that currently exist on Earth. • Show several pairs of images of an extinct and a current organism of similar type (such as a fossil fern and a real fern leaf, or an ammonite and a nautilus shell). Include both fossil and inferred rendering images of the extinct organism, and images of the current organism and, if possible, an image of its skeleton. Ask students: How are these fossilized organisms like the organisms that currently live on Earth? How are they different? Encourage students to make careful observations of physical features, without making inferences about the organisms. On a large chart paper, place three columns with headings: Organism, Alike, and Different and record student observations as appropriate.

During the Lesson (40 minutes) • Group students heterogeneously, and give each group several images or models of fossils and images of what they may have looked like, as well as pictures of plants and animals that currently exist and are similar to the fossils. For some of the pairs, include additional images of the environments in which the organisms lives or lived. • Encourage students to discuss what they notice about how the fossil organisms and the current-day organisms are alike and how they are different (for example, body structures, having bones, shells, or laying eggs; caring for their young just as modern organisms) and to record their ideas in their scientific notebooks. For the image sets that include the environment, encourage observations of that as well. Remind students that notebook entries can include drawings of their observations and that they can label their drawings so people reading their notebook can understand their drawings. • Move paired pictures and models to different groups so each group has a variety of organisms and environments to observe, discuss, and record. • Have the student groups share, in a whole group, some of the comparisons they noticed. Record these on the class sheet. This work is licensed by the MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). Educators may use, adapt, and/or share. Not for commercial use. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ July 2015 Page 16 of 38

• •

Read aloud and show the pictures of a section of the book that focuses on recently extinct animals: Dinosaurs to Dodos: An Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals by Don Lessem, or show pictures from http://www.care2.com/greenliving/interesting-animals-that-are-recently-extinct.html. Ask students if they have seen living animals like these animals and have students compare these animals to animals they have seen.

Lesson Closing (10 minutes) • Ask students to pair up then take turns explaining what it means when a plant or an animal is extinct. Have each share two things they learned from comparing extinct organisms to living organisms. • Have student return to their scientific notebooks responding to: Today you looked at images of fossils and organisms that are extinct. Describe one of these fossils or organisms that existed long ago and compare it to a living organism. Describe how they are alike and describe how they are different.


Lesson 4: The Great Kapok Tree

Brief Overview of Lesson: Students consider the interdependent relationships among plants and animals in an environment and how changes can make it difficult to survive. As you plan, consider the variability of learners in your class and make adaptations as necessary. Estimated Time: 60 minutes

Standard(s)/Unit Goal(s) to be addressed in this lesson: 3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular environment some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive.[Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence could include needs and characteristics of the organisms and habitats involved.] 3-LS4-4. Analyze and interpret data about changes in the environment in an area and describe how the changes may affect the ability of organisms that live in that area to survive and reproduce. [Clarification Statement: Environmental changes should include changes to landforms, distribution of water, climate, and availability of resources. Changes in the environment could range in time from a season to decades. Data should be provided.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to a single environmental change, however, it is understood that environmental changes are complex.] ELA W3.2.Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. Essential Question(s) addressed in this lesson: EQ1. What happens to organisms when they cannot meet their needs? EQ2. How big of a change to the environment causes an organism to go extinct?

Objectives • Animals and plants depend on each other for survival. • Changes in the environment affect the survival of the plants and animals that live there. • Explain some of the reasons that animals and plants survive well, less well or do not survive.

Anticipated Student Preconceptions/Misconceptions • Students may believe that dinosaurs are the only animals to become extinct, that extinction doesn’t happen anymore, that humans are the only things that cause extinction, or that humans never cause extinction.

What students should know and be able to do before starting this lesson: • Understanding of extinction, some knowledge of habitat. • Plants and animals depend on their surroundings to get what they need to live.


• • • • • •

There are a variety of plants and animals living in any particular area. Survival of a population is dependent on reproduction. Variations in characteristics among individuals provide advantages (or disadvantages) in their survival. How to listen to a story and discuss it afterward, either responding to questions or volunteering thoughts. How to write fact-based sentences and paragraphs. The difference between survival of an individual and survival of a species.

Instructional Tips/Strategies/Suggestions for Teacher: • Throughout the read aloud, the teacher should stop to explain unfamiliar words or concepts. • As students work through the activity, circulate and check student work to ensure understanding of concepts and directions. Clarify if necessary. • Add unfamiliar concepts to the KWL chart to either come back to later (in the W column) or as something they understand (L column). • In order to choose animals for the response, provide pictures of the animals from the story. This can be done with small pictures at each table or large pictures in the front of the room, etc. • For students who need support, give them a choice of two animals instead of all of the animals. • For students who need support/ELLs, give them a word bank of frequently used words or new vocabulary.

Instructional Materials/Resources/Tools: • The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Cherry • Resources for all disciplines and activities to differentiate: www.homeschoolshare.com/great_kapok_tree.php • Recently Extinct Animals list: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/recently-extinct-animals-list-470209 • The Great Kapok Tree worksheet (see Unit Resources)

Assessment • Pick one animal from the book. Write a sentence explaining what is threatening its existence, then draw and write what would happen to the other animals and plants if it the chosen animal disappeared from this environment. Lesson Sequence

Lesson Opening (10 minutes) • Review the KWL chart, specifically highlighting survival of a species, what extinction is, and touching upon dinosaurs and other animals discussed in the previous lesson. • Explain that today we will learn some ways or reasons why animals have difficulty surviving and how some struggle to survive and may become extinct.


• •

Show the video: Amazon Rainforest (1:45 min.) http://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.oate.rainforest/amazon-rainforest/. Introduce Lynne Cherry’s The Great Kapok Tree. Explain that this story takes place in a Kapok tree, which is in a rainforest and is a habitat for many animals. Tell students to listen closely to the animals to find out how they feel and why; they will each write about one of the animals.

During the Lesson (30 minutes) • Read The Great Kapok Tree aloud. • Explain that now they will do their activity. They each need to choose an animal from the story. First they must write a sentence explaining what is threatening their chosen animal’s existence (habitat destruction, lack of food, etc.). Then they will draw a picture and write what would happen to other plants and animals if their chosen animal became extinct. This can be done in their scientific notebooks instead of the paper, or the paper can be added in. Write these expectations on the board for the students to refer to while working. • Model the worksheet (see resources at the end of this unit) as a group choosing an animal that the students aren’t allowed to choose. • Hand out the worksheet and send the students to their seats to work. Keep the book out in case students need access, and if possible have extra copies, but talk students through their thoughts before having them consult the book. For children who may have trouble picking an animal, give them two choices. Lesson Closing (20 minutes) • Put students into groups of four or five to share their pictures and read their responses. Discuss their responses in light of Essential Question 1. Add to the KWL chart using information learned in this lesson as appropriate. • Collect the worksheet for review and feedback. • Explain that tomorrow the students will learn about particular environments and animals and the effects that changes on those familiar environments have on the animals’ survival. Extended Learning/Practice • Students can share their work with their parents and write a sentence explaining what they talked about. • Students can read about New England species that are extinct, or are endangered (close to extinction) in Wild Times Vol. 1, Issue 2: “Here Today— Gone Tomorrow”: http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/pubs/documents/wt-atrisk.pdf


Lesson 5: Oh Deer!

Brief Overview of Lesson: Students explore the effects of change to an environment on the survival of deer populations through game play. As you plan, consider the variability of learners in your class and make adaptations as necessary. Estimated Time: 70 minutes

Standard(s)/Unit Goal(s) to be addressed in this lesson: 3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular environment some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive.[Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence could include needs and characteristics of the organisms and habitats involved.] 3-LS4-4. Analyze and interpret data about changes in the environment in an area and describe how the changes may affect the ability of organisms that live in that area to survive and reproduce. [Clarification Statement: Environmental changes should include changes to landforms, distribution of water, climate, and availability of resources. Changes in the environment could range in time from a season to decades. Data should be provided.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to a single environmental change, however, it is understood that environmental changes are complex.] 3.MD.B.3. Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. Essential Question(s) addressed in this lesson: EQ1. What happens to organisms when they cannot meet their needs? EQ2. How big of a change to the environment causes an organism to go extinct?

Objectives • Students will be able to explain that different changes in environment can affect the survival of animals. • Students will be able to recognize that animals can have different responses to different changes in environment. • Students will be able to rRecognize that different animals have different needs that may or may not be met by a particular environment. • Students will be able to create a bar graph to show fluctuations in habitat components and the population of a model animal (deer) What students should know and be able to do before starting this lesson: • Plants and animals depend on their surroundings to get what they need to live. • There are a variety of plants and animals living in any particular area. • Survival of a population is dependent on reproduction.


Anticipated Student Pre-conceptions/Misconceptions • Students may be unclear about the specifics of what animals eat, or believe that bigger animals have better chances of surviving a change.

Instructional Materials/Resources/Tools: • Space (playground, gym, etc.) • Graph paper and pencils • Clipboard and paper to collect data • Craft sticks or print cards • Data Table handout (see resources at the end of this unit) • Sample Graphing worksheet (see resources at the end of this unit) • Masking tape to mark area • Large flip chart with the same data table to record class data • Adapted from http://www.projectwild.org

Instructional Tips/Strategies/Suggestions for Teacher: • This game involves movement and touching. Be sure to explain the expectations for behavior before starting. For the purposes of this lesson, habitat and environment are interchangeable terms. The activity is best conducted in a space with room to move. Students will need to make a graph that represents iteration of the game.

Teacher preparation before students arrive: • Mark two parallel lines on the ground or floor some distance apart. Label each line, Line 1 and Line 2. Between the parallel lines, also mark two, fivefoot radius circles and label one circle Survive and Reproduce and the other Die and Decompose (see diagram at end of this unit). • Have craft sticks or print cards labeled with habitat components. (Make the same number as you have students. If there are 24 students, make 6 labels or craft sticks of each component: food, water, shelter, and space.) Assessment • Collect and review homework for understanding of concepts and interpretation of data

Lesson Sequence

Lesson Opening Elicit student conceptions (10 minutes) • Ask students what a habitat is and elicit responses. This work is licensed by the MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). Educators may use, adapt, and/or share. Not for commercial use. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ July 2015 Page 22 of 38

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Explain that a habitat is an area that includes food, water, shelter, and space. Ask students to share some examples of habitats they have learned about (tropical rainforests, deserts, grasslands, woodlands, wetlands, arctic, oceans). Ask what happens to plants or animals in the habitat when there is a change to the environment/habitat. Elicit responses. Ask if changes in an environment only affect animals or if they affect plants, too. Elicit responses.

During the Lesson (50 minutes; likely done over two days—try to break between the activity and discussion/data analysis) • Tell students they will be participating in an activity that emphasizes the most essential things animals need in order to survive. • Review the essential components of habitat with the students: food, water, shelter (safety), and space. • Explain they will play a simulation or game that represents what happens in nature. An animal needs all of the habitat components and is seeking the components to survive. If an animal isn’t able to eat, drink, find shelter (to be safe), or have space to grow and reproduce, it does not survive. • Explain they will play multiple rounds of this game and that every studen will have an opportunity to play every part at some point during the game. • Explain that they will need to take time between each round to count the deer who survived and those that did not. They will write this data in their own data table and they will graph this data during the next day. • Explain the rules of the game once before students move to the space. o Ask the students to count off in fives. Have all the ones go to Line 1 and find a space on the line; all twos, threes, fours, and fives go together to Line 2 and find a space on the line. At the beginning of the game and the first round, the two lines of students should be facing each other. (See diagram in Unit Resources.) o Tell the ones they represent “deer.” All deer need good habitat to survive. Again ask the students what the essential components of habitat are (food, water, shelter, and space). The deer (Line 1) need to find food, water, space, and shelter to survive. They will know what they need by randomly selecting a craft stick or card with the habitat component out of the container. They will look for what they need based on how the students on Line 2 are holding their hands to represent each component. o Tell the twos, threes, fours, and fives that they are the habitat components of food, water, space, and shelter. Explain that each student is allowed to choose at the beginning of each round which component he or she will be during that round. The students depict which component they are by holding their hands in a specific way: If a student is representing food, he should clamp his hands over his stomach. When a student represents water, she puts her hands over her mouth. When a student represents shelter, he holds his hands together over his head. When a student represents space, she spreads her hands out to the side. During each round, they must choose to be a habitat component, and not change the component once the round has started. Have the entire class practice the hand motions that represent each habitat component by calling out, “food,” “water,” shelter,” and “space,” and modeling the hand placement. o Ask the students to count the number of deer on Line 1. Place that number in the class data table. Ask the students to count the habitat components on Line 2. Place that number in the class data table. Ask the students to predict if they think all of the deer will find the habitat component they need during the first round. Ask a few students to explain their thinking around their prediction. Note the predictions on the class table. o The activity starts with all players lined up behind their respective lines (deer on one side, habitat components on the other side). Tell the students to all turn around so the two lines of students have their backs to each other.


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Begin the first round by walking down the deer line and having each deer take a card or popsicle stick. While the deer are getting what they will need, each habitat student should decide what habitat component he or she will be. Give the students a few moments to put their hands in place— over stomachs, over mouths, over their heads, and out to the sides. (The two lines of students normally will display a lot of variety—with some students portraying each component.) When the students are ready, say, “Oh Deer!” Each deer and each habitat component turn to face each other, the deer continuing to hold their signs/cards clearly. When deer see the habitat component they need, they should run to it. Each deer must hold the card of what it is looking for until getting to the student representing that component. Each deer that reaches its necessary habitat component takes it (the student) to the Survive and Reproduce circle. “Capturing” a component represents the deer successfully meeting its needs and successfully reproducing as a result. Any deer that fails to find its food, water, shelter, or space should move to the Die and Decompose circle. That is, any deer that died will be a habitat component in the next round and so is available as food, water, space, or shelter to the deer that are still alive. Ask the students to count how many deer survived and reproduced after Round 1. Ask the students how many deer died and decomposed. (If at the beginning of Round 1 there were five deer, at the end there should be approximately 10 who “survived and reproduced” and probably none who “died and decomposed.” There will be many habitat students who did not pair up with a deer. They go back to the habitat line. If any deer died, they now go to the habitat line and become a habitat component.) The teacher records the number of survivors and deaths at the end of each round in the class data table. Continue the activity for two or three more rounds. Each time at the end of a round, the deer students should put their cards/popsicle sticks back in the bucket and draw new cards once they are on the line. At the start and end of each round, the teacher should take time to count the deer and habitat components, and the survivors and the dead. The teacher should take time at the end of each round to talk about what happened. Why are there more deaths at the end of a round? What happened? Why are there more or fewer habitat components? Students should start to see as there are greater numbers of deer, there are fewer habitat components for the deer (due to competition and population growth). After the students have played three rounds of Oh Deer!, the teacher should secretly tell the habitat students that there is a drought and so there is no water available for the deer in the fourth round. They may only be food, shelter, or space. Run the simulation. Count those who survived and reproduced and those who died. Record on the class data table. Discuss what happened. For Round 5 whisper to the habitat students that the drought continues and therefore there is also no food. Habitat students may only make the signs of space and shelter. Deer continue to randomly select the cards from the entire assortment. Note the results at the end of the round on the class data table. Take time to discuss student thinking about what is happening as the habitat changes. For Round 6 whisper to habitat students that humans have decided to develop the area (build houses or a new factory) so there is no longer space or shelter. Tell them they may only make the signs of food and water. Deer continue to randomly select the cards from the entire assortment. Note the results at the end of the round on the class data table. Take time to discuss student thinking about what is happening as the habitat changes. Continue playing rounds of Oh Deer! as time permits. Limit the habitat in a variety of ways so students understand there is a relationship between animals that are able to meet their needs for survival/reproduction. At the end of the simulation, bring the students back to the classroom/gathering space to place the data from the simulation into their own data table.


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Using the Talk Science Protocol (see the link under Unit Resources), encourage them to talk about what they experienced and saw in the simulation and encourage them to use the data as evidence for their reasoning. For example, they saw a small herd of deer (seven students in a class size of 28) begin by finding more than enough of its habitat needs. However, because the population of deer expanded over two to three rounds of the activity until it exceeded the carrying capacity of the habitat; there was not sufficient food, water, shelter, and space for all members of the herd. At that point, deer died from lack of water, food, or shelter or from overcrowding, and they returned as part of the habitat. The graph will show the relationships among the number of deer in a habitat, the number of habitat components, and the ability of the deer to survive and reproduce. From their own data table, students will graph Round 1 and two other consecutive rounds of their choice. Using the graph paper, model for the whole class how to graph Round 1 data. Have them create a graph while you model how to graph the data. (See graph model in resources.) When the students have completed their graphs, have them glue them into their journals, making sure they date the entry.

Lesson Closing (10 minutes) • Ask students to look at and think about the data from the simulation and write a response to this prompt in their journal: “From the data in your data table, and the graphs you created from the data, describe how the deer population changed as the habitat components changed. When do the deer populations grow? What change in habitat caused the most death to the deer? What do all animals need in order to survive and reproduce?”


Curriculum Embedded Performance Assessment (CEPA) Teacher Instructions

Students will create an evidence-based argument about the extinction of an organism: They will be “research scientists” who construct an argument about the effect of changes in an environment on the survival or extinction of a chosen organism. They support their argument with evidence from the unit and additional research they gather. They must compare their chosen extinct plant or animal and its environment with a currently existing plant or animal and its environment. They will then make a case for what environmental change or changes may have led to the extinction of their organism. They will present their work to an audience to share their findings. Materials • Different print sources such as encyclopedias and textbooks • Internet websites: See additional resources at the end of this unit • Student checklist • CEPA Rubric • Computer for writing, if possible • Simple graphic organizers

Instructions • Explain to the students that now that they’ve learned about the effects of environmental change on organisms, and that fossils can be used to infer what organisms looked like long ago, they are going to act as research scientists to write a scientific argument to document and present their learning. • Show them the Scientific Notebook Checklist and Rubric and ensure they understand all that must be done to complete the task. • Pair up students to accommodate strengths and weaknesses. Explain they will work together to begin to gather information for their assessment. • They need to complete two writing tasks: a paragraph on the impact of change in an environment on an organism’s ability to survive when its needs cannot be met; and a scientific argument—with a claim, relevant evidence, and appropriate reasoning, about what change in their chosen organism’s environment might have led to its extinction. Provide a graphic organizer if needed to help them write their paragraph (depending on what kinds of graphic organizers are familiar to the students). • They need to choose an extinct plant or animal (not limited to dinosaurs or that period) and find a comparable plant or animal. They need to include a number of images of each organism and its environment (inferred environment), being sure to include labels to explain their comparisons as relevant.


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Given that the vast majority of information about extinct organisms and their environment is inferred, focus on the quality and reasonableness of the student’s argument—their claim(s), evidence, and reasoning. The “correctness” or “likelihood” of particular details when describing extinct organisms and past environments are not critical to assess student understanding of the standards in this unit. When all of the elements are complete (1–2 class periods), share their arguments in groups of four students (two pairs). The other pair of students gives feedback: Two things they learned and one question they still have. The teacher uses the rubric to assess the scientific notebook.


Name_________________________________

Student Checklist for Scientific Argument in Notebook

Please check off on this list as you complete each component in your notebook ☺

Paragraph: Impact of change in an environment _____ Opening sentence summarizing what might happen to a plant or animal when it cannot meet its needs _____ At least three detailed sentences about factors or changes to an environment that can affect a plant or animal’s ability to survive

Comparison of organisms _____ Identify chosen extinct animal/plant and similar existing animal/plant

_____ Provide images of each animal/plant and its environment (include what the extinct animal/plant looks like as a fossil and as it might have looked when alive) _____ Label and/or list details comparing observable similarities and differences between the extinct animal/plant and its environment to the living animal/plant and its environment

Argument about potential changes leading to extinction _____ Clearly articulate a claim about what change(s) in the animal/plant’s environment may have led to it becoming extinct

_____ Provide relevant evidence (from text, images, lessons) to support the claim (include data where appropriate)

_____ Articulate your reasoning about how the evidence supports the claim Communication skills _____ Correct use of scientific terminology and punctuation

_____ Ideas and information are clearly expressed in your notebook

_____ Ideas and information are clearly expressed in your presentation This work is licensed by the MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). Educators may use, adapt, and/or share. Not for commercial use. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ July 2015 Page 28 of 38

Paragraph: Impact of change in an environment Alignment: 3LS4-3, 3-LS4-4; EQ #1 Comparison of Organisms Alignment: 3-LS4-1

Argument about potential changes leading to extinction Alignment: 3-LS4-3 3-LS4-4 EQ#2

Communication skills Alignment W3.2

CEPA Rubric: Scientific Notebook

Exemplary (4)

Accomplished (3)

Demonstrates writing and understanding above the expected performance described in level 3

Includes an opening sentence, 3 detailed sentences, and a summary sentence

Image analysis above the expected performance described in level 3

Includes a well-crafted argument as described in Level 3 and includes relevant data and/or graphs

Demonstrates performance expected in Level 3 and gets feedback from an additional audience

Changes include at least 2 of the 3 key factors (change in landform, change in availability of resources, change in climate)

Demonstrates understanding of the effect of environmental change on ability of an organism to survive Images are relevant and comparable, and show: • Selected extinct plant or animal, both as a fossil and as might have looked when living • Comparable extant plant or animal • The environment each organism lived/lives in

Comparison includes details of similarities and differences of the organisms and their environments Includes a clearly stated claim about what environmental change(s) may have led to extinction Evidence includes differences in extinct vs. extant environments, as well as the change(s) that may have impacted the organisms’ ability to meet its needs

Claim and/or reasoning make clear how the environmental change(s) was sufficient to cause extinction Ideas and information are clearly expressed in notebook Ideas and information are clearly expressed to peers

Correctly uses scientific terminology and punctuation

Developing (2)

Beginning (1)

Lacks sufficient detail or coherence

Lacks components of a paragraph

Demonstrates basic understanding of concepts

Limited understanding of concepts

Changes include only 1 of the 3 key factors

Images are relevant and comparable but lack one or more elements expected Comparison includes details of either the organism or the environment, not both Includes a claim but not both relevant evidence and reasoning Argument makes clear the student has a basic understanding of the concepts

Ideas and information are clearly expressed in either the notebook or to peers

Correct use of terminology

Note: Assessment of mathematics standard 3.MD.B.3 is not included in the CEPA. It is, however, assessed in Lesson 5.

Changes are not relevant or reasonable

Images are provided but not comparable or described in a way that demonstrates comparison was productive Does not include key elements of a scientific argument

Any claims or reasoning does not demonstrate concepts Lack of clearly expressed ideas in either the notebook or to peers Significant errors


Unit Resources

Additional resources: • Talk Science Primer by Sarah Michaels and Cathy O’Connor, TERC http://inquiryproject.terc.edu/shared/pd/TalkScience_Primer.pdf • (Video) PBL Learning Media: Dragonfly TV GPS: Dinosaur (1:30 min) http://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/32990d92-4917-4775-85f48749e9d79329/32990d92-4917-4775-85f4-8749e9d79329/ • The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Cherry http://www.timelessteacherstuff.com/readerstheater/GreatKapokTree.html (Kapok Tree Readers’ Theatre) • Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins • http://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.eiu.littlemammals/mammals-get-their-chance/

Fossil Images for Lesson 3 http://www.fossilmuseum.net/index.htm http://www.fossilmuseum.net/Fossil_Galleries/GreenRiverFossils.htm http://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/ess05_int_fossiltype/

And more articles and images: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/12/091222-top-ten-dinosaurs-2009-fossils/ http://animal.discovery.com/extinct-animals (dinosaurs, ice age, etc) http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/thezone/animals/extinct/index.htm (extinct animal resource) http://www.bagheera.com/inthewild/extinct.htm (extinct animal resource—higher level) http://www.50birds.com/animals/extinct-animals.htm (extinct animal resource) http://www.allaboutanimals.org.uk/SP-Endangered.asp (extinct animal resource) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXnIF8dB-28 (extinct animal) http://www.nps.gov/rlc/murie/index.htm/static/2091/plant-fossils (extinct plant resource) http://sterlinghillminingmuseum.org/whatshere/fossils.php?gclid=CObA8efshbMCFURnOgodN28A3w (extinct plant resource) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeamphora_longicervia (extinct plant resource; carnivorous pitcher plant) http://steurh.home.xs4all.nl/home.html(extinct plant resource; illustrations and photos) http://www.abc.net.au/beasts/fossilfun/burial/default.htm interactive fossil formation http://www.abc.net.au/beasts/fossilfun/makingfossils/ animated fossil formation

Dinosaurs in their habitats http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/dinosaurbasics/tp/Dinosaur-Habitats.htm


Lesson 2: Scenario Cards

Dust has been kicked up into the atmosphere from a huge meteor, blocking out much of the light from the sun for many seasons. This has prevented plants from making their own food, which has made them all die.

Ash from a huge volcano has been blown into the atmosphere, blocking out most light from the sun for several years. This has caused the temperature to drop, and coldblooded animals are freezing.

The ocean level has risen, overtaking beaches on which crabs live. This has happened so quickly that new beach hasn’t had time to form, so all the crabs have died.

The early, warm spring has caused a fungus to form on rotting wood in the forest. Any animals that eat the fungus become sick and die, but the fungus continues to thrive in the warm weather.

A virus has begun making some monkeys sick. This virus is easily spreadable, and the monkeys are unable to fight it off. Many monkeys die. More banana trees grow because there are fewer monkeys eating the fruit.

A giant crater has been formed in the earth, which has caused a huge shockwave that blasted through an area of jungle, destroying trees and killing animals.


Lava has seeped into a nearby lake, filling it up. The fish that lived in the lake all died. Plants eventually grow on the cooled lava. Now there is more room for mice and squirrels to live and grow.

An earthquake has opened a fissure in the ground in an area of the desert that has drained all available water. The animals that live in the area are no longer able to find food or water there. They have to move out of the area or risk death.

The ice sheet covering the north pole is receding more and more quickly every year, affecting the ability of polar bears to hunt. They cannot get as much food. The seals are multiplying without the bears as a strong predator.

It hasn’t rained for three years in an area, and the soil is unable to support plants. Small animals that depended on those plants have relocated, and larger animals have either followed or have risked death.

The Greenland ice sheet has been melting, changing the ocean temperature in some places. Whales that live in those areas have moved to other areas to find food. They now eat the food of other animals in those areas.

The clover on the prairie has a bacteria growing on it. The small animals that eat the clover have gotten sick and are dying. Any animals that eat the small animals are also getting sick.


A hurricane has come up the coast and has caused flooding and destruction of many mangrove trees where crabeating monkeys live. The monkeys no longer have enough space in which to live and have had to relocate. There are now relatively more crabs in the remaining mangrove trees.

Increasing amounts of carbon dioxide have been released into the atmosphere, causing the earth to warm up over many years. This warming has caused less oxygen to be in the ocean, causing the death of many fish, and the proliferation of algae and bacteria.

A forest fire rips through mountains in Colorado. The trees and shrubs in the area all die and the deer no longer have food. The deer have to move to forests in other areas, or risk death.


Lesson 4 worksheet:

Name: _________________________________ Date: ___________ The Great Kapok Tree

Chosen animal: ______________________________________________

Why might this animal have difficulty surviving in The Great Kapok Tree?

__________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Draw a picture showing what the Kapok tree habitat looks like. Include all the animals and plants that live there.

This work is licensed by the MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). Educators may use, adapt, and/or share. Not for commercial use. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ July 2015 Page 34 of 38

Draw a picture showing what you think will happen to other plants and animals if your animal becomes extinct. Use information from the story! Write at least three sentences explaining the differences between your two drawings.

__________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

This work is licensed by the MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). Educators may use, adapt, and/or share. Not for commercial use. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ July 2015 Page 35 of 38

Lesson 5: Simulation Room Layout Line 1

Survive and Reproduce

Die and Decompose

Line 2


Round 1 Before

Number of Deer

Number of habitat components

Round 2 Before

Number of Deer


Round 3 Before

Number of Deer


Round 4 Before

Number of Deer


Round 1 After

Number of Survivors

Number of deceased

Round 2 After

Number of Survivors

Number of deceased

Round 3 After

Number of Survivors

Number of deceased

Round 4 After

Number of Survivors

Number of deceased

Special condition? ________________________________________

Round 5 Before

Number of Deer


Number of Survivors

Round 5 After

Number of deceased

Special Condition? ________________________________________

Round 6 Before

Number of Deer


Number of Survivors

Round 6 After

Number of deceased


Round 7 Before

Number of Deer


Number of Survivors

Round 7 After

Number of deceased


Round 8 Before

Number of Deer Number of habitat components

Number of Survivors

Round 8 After

Number of deceased


Lesson 5: Oh Deer! Sample graphing categories and data Number of habitat components 18 12 8 12 8

Number of deer

Round 1 2 3 4 5 6

6 12 16 12 16

Number who survived Number and of reproduced deceased 12 0 16 4 12 10 16 4 drought 8 12 drought and no food

20 18 16

Number of deer

14 12


10

Number who survived and reproduced

8 6

Number of deceased

4 2 0 1

2

3

4

5

6

7
