Grade Range
5th-10th
Active Time
60 minutes
Total Time
60 minutes
Area of Science
Zoology
Key Concepts
understanding data, migration, ecosystems, primary productivity
Credits

Overview

Osprey with fish pursued by gulls

"Osprey with Gulls" © 2014 Lee Jaffe

Why do birds migrate? How do seasonal changes in primary productivity influence the behaviors of higher order consumers like raptors? Visualize and explore the connectedness of organisms within and across ecosystems in this teacher-guided activity.

NGSS Alignment

This lesson helps students prepare for these Next Generation Science Standards Performance Expectations:
  • MS-LS2-2. Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.
  • MS-LS2-3. Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
  • MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
This lesson focuses on these aspects of NGSS Three Dimensional Learning:

Science & Engineering Practices Disciplinary Core Ideas Crosscutting Concepts
Analyzing and Interpreting Data. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for phenomena.

Use graphical displays (or media) of large data sets to identify temporal and spatial relationships.

Constructing Explanations. Construct an explanation that includes qualitative or quantitative relationships between variables that predict(s) and/or describe(s) phenomena.

Apply scientific ideas, principles, and/or evidence to construct, revise and/or use an explanation for real-world phenomena, examples, or events.
 MS-LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems. Organisms, and populations of organisms, are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors.

MS-LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience. Ecosystems are dynamic in nature; their characteristics can vary over time. Disruptions to any physical or biological component of an ecosystem can lead to shift in all of its populations.

PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life. The chemical reaction by which plants produce complex food molecules (sugars) requires an energy input (i.e., from sunlight) to occur. In this reaction, carbon dioxide and water combine to form carbon-based organic molecules and release oxygen.
 Patterns. Patterns in rates of change can provide information about natural systems.

Patterns can be used to identify cause and effect relationships.

Visualizations can be used to identify patterns in data.

Cause and Effect: Mechanism and Prediction. Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural systems.
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Grade Range
5th-10th
Active Time
60 minutes
Total Time
60 minutes
Area of Science
Zoology
Key Concepts
understanding data, migration, ecosystems, primary productivity
Credits
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