Unit Goals: Advance Preparation For The Unit

Brooke Bourdélat-P…, 5/14/2017 5:05 PM
In the second unit of BSCS Biology: A Human Approach, the students will apply what they learned about the
Comment [1]: Kelly, This is a Unit Opener, so
characteristic of humans and other organisms to develop an understanding of the concepts of interaction and we should probably have some sort of heading for it.
interdependence. They also will apply their understanding of this unit’s concepts as they consider human influence on the [see comment on Unit 0]. This one is going to be
Unit 1: Interdependent Relationships.
biosphere.
April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:05 PM
In chapter 2, Interdependence among Organisms, the students will develop an understanding of the complexity of the
Deleted: this final
interactions that exist in ecosystems, as well as of the intricacies of ecological interdependence. They will do this through a
series of activities in which they will investigate the dynamics of population growth, the factors that affect population growth,
Deleted: synthesize what they have learned during
and the carrying capacity of particular ecosystems. previous units and
Advance Preparation for the Unit Deleted: to the large and complex issues of
In chapter 2, many activities incorporate educational videos, simulations, and animations to help students understand Deleted: and responsibility for the welfare of
ecological principles. You will need to coordinate access to computers with Web access for those activities. You also should
Deleted: 15
preview each online activity so that you are familiar with the segments for that activity.
The chapter 2 Explore activity, Interactions in the World around Us, and the Evaluate activity, Critters and
Deleted: build on their experiences with the carbon
Interdependence, use videos from the online resource as well. cycle, food webs, and matter and energy concepts
Also, check the chapter implementation chart or Materials in each activity to determine the copymasters that you need to from chapter 9, The Cycling of Matter and the Flow
of Energy in Ecosystems. They also will
duplicate for students.
Deleted: a more complete
UNIT GOALS April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:13 PM
Deleted: In chapter 16, Decision Making in a
Complex World, the students will investigate the role
By the end of unit 1, the students should be able to understand that that science plays in the complex decisions that
humans must make. The students will examine
• a community of organisms interacts with the abiotic environment to form ecosystems; human influence on Earth’s resources. As they
proceed, they will come to appreciate the dynamic
• ecosystems are complex, but it is possible to analyze them; and social nature of science as well as the inherent
ethical implications.
• populations are limited in size by the amount of available resources; and April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:30 PM
• ecosystems can be modified by human actions. Comment [2]: [from Brooke, same as for unit 1]
Kelly, throughout the document icons have caused
In chapter 2, Interdependence among Organisms, students will develop an understanding of the interdependence of weird spacing. I am wondering if we can do
organisms in various ecosystems in the biosphere. The chapter examines the organization and interaction of populations something with wrap text so that it does not appear
within an environment, the interdependence that occurs among organisms, and the influence that humans have on various that way? Or, alternately, have the icon and then text
starting under it? I am not sure which will work or is
aspects of the biosphere. better.
Students will begin looking for specific examples of interactions firsthand by going outdoors. Next, the students will April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:14 PM
explore interactions further by viewing video images of interactions and their results in various environments in the Deleted: chapters 15 and 16
biosphere. Then students will develop an understanding of the primary ecosystem concepts, including resources, carrying April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:15 PM
capacity, and limiting factors, as they study a scenario involving shared resources in “The Pasture Story”. Deleted: 15
The students will elaborate on the concepts of this chapter by studying the human population and resource changes that April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:15 PM
occurred over time on Easter Island. The chapter concludes with an Evaluate activity in which the students assess how their Deleted: In chapter 16, the Explore-Explain
activity, Tri-Lakes: An Initial Study, requires some
... [1]
critters will interact with other organisms in their assigned environments.
Prior Conceptions Deleted: s
As students complete the activities in chapter 2, certain misconceptions will likely surface. Some of these misconceptions are
Deleted: 6
listed in this section:
• Populations will increase indefinitely due to limitless resources. Students often fail to understand that populations are Deleted: ; and
constrained by resources. April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:30 PM
• Populations only depend on the organism that they prey on. Populations depend on abiotic factors as well as biotic factors Comment [3]: [comment from Brooke in ch. 1] I
would suggest having the chapter heading like ...
what
[3]
other than food sources.
• Ecosystems are simpler than they really are. Ecosystems are complex systems with many interactions between biotic and Deleted: • human actions follow from
abiotic components. decisions, which are made within a cultural
... [2]
• Populations exist in states of either constant decline or constant growth, depending on their position on the food chain. April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:16 PM
Populations have a tendency to fluctuate around an average level. These fluctuations have to do with the impacts of both Deleted: 15
abiotic and biotic factors. Some factors, such as the presence of disease, are not directly related to the food chain. April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:16 PM
Deleted: 15
• Varying the population of an organism will only affect the other organisms that are directly connected through the food
chain. Changes in a population of organisms affects those directly in the food chain as well as organisms indirectly
affected. For example, competing populations affect one another.
• Only large animals are important in ecosystems, not smaller organisms such as nematodes. Ecosystems consist of
microorganisms as well as plants and large animals. While individual large animals can have important effects on
ecosystems, small organisms can also have large effects through their large numbers and unique contributions (such as
decomposition) to the ecosystem.
CHAPTER GOALS
By the end of chapter 2, students should understand that

• organisms interact and are interdependent, Deleted: 15
• interactions occur among biotic and abiotic parts of an ecosystem,
• factors such as climate and carrying capacity affect the interdependence of organisms, and
• humans influence the biosphere in many different ways.
• The role of the abiotic aspects of the environment is often discounted. Organisms are dependent on abiotic aspects of the
environment such as light, temperature, and water.
The grasp students may have of these concepts will depend on their exposure in earlier years andpersonal knowledge
construction. Unit 1, Interdependent Relationships, presents the framework for students to develop an understanding of April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:17 PM
ecosystem characteristics from a systems perspective, building on whatever prior knowledge you find the students possess. Deleted: ,
In this chapter, students have an opportunity to learn using all three dimensions of NGSS. The following Deleted: , and understanding developed from prior
units (particularly unit 3, Energy, Matter, and
table describes which elements of each dimension students experience as they work through the chapter. Organization: Relationships in Living Systems) in
this program.
Deleted: 6
Deleted: Ecology: Interaction and
Interdependence in Living Systems
Science and Engineering Crosscutting Concepts

Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs)
Practices (SEPs) (CCCs)
This chapter focuses on This chapter addresses This chapter focuses on Comment [4]: [Brooke’s comment as in ch. 1]
Please include this as art with the colors, rather than
• SEP 2: Developing and • LS2.A: Interdependent CCC 4: Systems and a manuscript table.
Using Models System Models

Relationships in Ecosystems,
grades 9–12, element 1: Ecosystems
• SEP 4: Analyzing and • Grades 9–12, element 3:
Interpreting Data have carrying capacities, which are
Models can be used to
limits to the numbers of organisms
• SEP 8: Obtaining, simulate systems and
and populations they can support.
Evaluating, and interactions—including
These limits result from such factors
Communicating Information. energy, matter, and
as the availability of living and
information flows—within
nonliving resources and from such and between systems at
Specific elements are listed in challenges as predation, competition, different scales. April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:19 PM
the Process and Procedure and disease. Deleted: It also addresses SEP 6:
• Grades 9–12, element 4: Constructing Explanations and Designing
steps in the TE. • LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Models can be used to Solutions.
Functioning, and Resilience, predict the behavior of a
grades 9–12, element 1: A complex system, but these
set of interactions within an predictions have limited
ecosystem can keep its numbers and precision and reliability
types of organisms relatively due to the assumptions
constant over long periods of time and approximations
under stable conditions. If a modest inherent in models.
biological or physical disturbance to
an ecosystem occurs, it may return to
its more or less original status, as
opposed to becoming a very different
ecosystem. Extreme fluctuations in
conditions or the size of any
population, however, can challenge
the functioning of ecosystems in
terms of resources and habitat
availability.
• LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics,
Functioning, and Resilience,
grades 9–12, element 2: Moreover,
anthropogenic changes (induced by
human activity) in the environment—
including habitat destruction,
pollution, introduction of invasive
species, overexploitation, and climate
change—can disrupt an ecosystem
and threaten the survival of some
species.
• LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans,
grades 9–12, element 2: Humans
depend on the living world for the
resources and other benefits
provided by biodiversity. But human
activity is also having adverse
impacts on biodiversity through
overpopulation, overexploitation,
habitat destruction, pollution,
introduction of invasive species, and
climate change. Thus sustaining
biodiversity so that ecosystem
functioning and productivity are
maintained is essential to supporting
and enhancing life on Earth.
Sustaining biodiversity also aids
humanity by preserving landscapes
of recreational or inspirational value.
Performance Expectations
HS-LS2-6: Evaluate claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain
relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a
new ecosystem. Partial
CHAPTER 1 IMPLEMENTATION April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:30 PM
Comment [5]: [Brooke’s comment from ch. 1 ]
This table should be a 2-page spread (from here
down to the Chapter Organizer heading). Maybe art
ENGAGE as well?
EXPLORE EXPLORE EXPLAIN
Hidden Interactions? Interactions in the World The Pasture Story

around Us April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:25 PM
Student activity
Deleted: Observing the World around Us

Instructional Flow
Copymaster 2.1, Task Copymaster 2.2, April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:26 PM

Deleted: 15
Cards Pasture Profits
Online resource

“Images from around “The Pasture Story” Deleted: 15
the World” “Pasture Profits”

simulation
“The Abundant
Earth”
Essay (E) and
sidebar (S)
Team size: 1 Team size: 2, 4 Team size: 2–4

Team size/cooperative
Skill: Individual work Skill: Sharing perspectives Skill: Sharing

Classroom
learning focus
perspectives;
Support
acknowledging
contributions
Fieldwork; science
Strategies and tools

notebook entries “Images from around “The Pasture Story”
the World” “Pasture Profits”

simulation
Observations; appendix B4, “The Abundant Earth”
How to Use and Create Computer skills; team
Organizing Tables discussions; class
discussion
Prior knowledge of Prior knowledge: range of Ability to select and test

interactions among interactions, consequences of possible solutions in a
opportunities
organisms and between interactions simulation; graphing;

Assessment
organisms and their graph interpretation

environments
ELABORATE ELABORATE EVALUATE
Mystery on Easter Island Islands in the Sky Critters and Interdependence
“Easter Island” Copymaster 2.3, Chapter 2 April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:26 PM

Deleted: 15
Critter Rubric
“Ecosystems of the Earth” Deleted: Critters
and Interdependence
Rubric
Interdependence Involves Climate Change and Its

Limiting Factors and Impacts on the
Carrying Capacity (E) Western United States (E)
Growing, Growing, Grown (E)
Team size: 2–4 Team size: 2 Team size: Individual work

Skill: Sharing perspectives; Skill: Sharing perspectives Skill: Synthesizing ideas;
taking responsibility probing for understanding
Readings; partner
“Easter Island” discussions; analyzing “Ecosystems of the Earth”
Readings; team discussions; scientific data; appendix B6, Story; class discussion
using evidence to make How to Write Highlight
inferences; appendix B6, How Comments and Captions
to Write Highlight Comments
and Captions
Graph interpretation; ability to Ability to analyze and Ability to synthesize information
analyze and synthesize synthesize information and present ideas
information
Class Time Key

ê = One class period.
= ½ class period. Based on a 50-minute class period.
Chapter Organizer April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:29 PM

Comment [6]: [Brooke’s comment from ch. 1]
To help students keep track of their learning and the flow of ideas across the chapter, have students reference the chapter Kelly, still checking with Dawn about what to do
organizer as they complete the chapter activities. with the Chapter Organizer in the TE.
ELL
Having a visual representation of the concepts and connections can be particularly useful to ELL students. Ensure that they Comment [7]: [Brooke’s comment from ch. 1]
Kelly, we felt like this is okay like this, but we
reference the chapter organizer frequently. wondered if there could be a box/shading around all
the ELL strategies.
Advance Preparation
You will need computers with Internet access for students to use for the Explain activity, The Pasture Story, and the
first Elaborate activity, Mystery on Easter Island. Be sure to review the online materials in advance and familiarize yourself
with the navigation features of the program.
You also will need a computer with Internet access for the video segments used in the Explore activity, Interactions in the
World around Us, and in the Evaluate activity, Critters and Interdependence.
ENGAGE
EXPLORE
Hidden Interactions? Comment [8]: [Brooke’s comment from ch. 1]
Kelly, I wonder if there is any way to delineate the
start of a new lesson better. I am not sure there is
Major Topic because I know we do not want to start a new page
since that add to the cost. Maybe it is a line or some
Interactions in local ecosystems sort of shading?
Overview Deleted: Observing the World around Us
This Engage-Explore activity engages students in a study of local ecosystems in which they will observe and seek their own
examples of interactions in the outdoors. The activity provides you with an opportunity to assess the students’ prior
knowledge and their ability to observe and recognize a range of interactions. The concepts of interaction and interdependence
will begin to emerge by the conclusion of Hidden Interactions?
Deleted: Observing the World around Us
Materials (per individual) April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:34 PM
pencils Deleted: .
Outcomes and Indicators of Success

The following indicator allows you to assess the students’ level of success with the activity and to assess their process of
learning.
By the end of this activity, the students should be able to become aware of the interactions within ecosystems from their
immediate surroundings. They will show their awareness by describing a number of interactions in the ecosystem that they
observe.
Safety
When students go outdoors during this activity, instruct them to refrain from handling organisms, even
those that are harmless. In some instances, harmless organisms may be handled cautiously and respectfully,
under your guidance.
Preparations
Choose a location for students to make their observations in the Engage-Explore activity. There should be minimal
distractions so that students can observe a natural setting and write in their science notebooks. Keep in mind that interactions
can be observed in most urban settings. For example, plants growing between sidewalk cracks, humans interacting with each
other, and ants building nests in a parking lot are all observable interactions that can occur in many settings. If you decide to
take the students off the school grounds to make observations, you will need to secure permission according to the policies of
your school and district.
Choose school exits that are accessible for all students. Adjust directions if needed for students with impairments that
will hinder observations or their ability to record them in their science notebooks.
In case it is not possible for students to go outside on the day chosen for this activity, make arrangements for an alternative
that will allow them to make the kind of observations described. For example, set up a computer to stream footage from a
web cam of the ocean or other natural setting.
Safety
Before taking students outdoors, review the flow of the activity, provide safety instructions, and give
general guidelines to the class. Give students clear directions about where they can go outside and how much
time they have to make their observations. Remind students to work quietly and individually during the Process
and Procedures steps so that those students listening for sounds of interactions can hear them.
Strategies for Guiding Learners

Process and Procedures
As a class, read orally or silently all the introductory materials for the activity and ask students to examine the chapter
organizer to help them build connections between concepts and activities. You may wish to also have them read Process and
Procedures in advance. Use the time spent reading to bring the students’ attention into focus.
1–8. The activity is designed to engage the students’ senses in making observations.
If students are having difficulty hearing sounds made by living organisms, ask them to imagine what Deleted: The drawing skills required in these
steps use the skills taught early in the program
sounds they might hear from organisms in that community, then listen again. during the Engage section, Being a Scientist.
While the students work, check for understanding about what qualifies as an organism. Students may
forget or not know to include plants or fungi in their observations.
ELL
ELLs may not know the names of organisms they observe. Be aware of this and help them name the organisms as you
circulate among the students. Consider making an identification chart in advance that shows pictures and names of organisms
they are likely to see. Be sure to include both plants and animals.
If the students are having a hard time finding examples of interactions, you may need to mention
one to get them started, such as a bird eating an insect or fungi growing on rotting wood.
Students will discuss their observations in the next activity. As students complete the steps, they
are engaging in SEP 8, Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information, grades 9–12, element 5:
Communicate scientific and/or technical information or ideas in multiple formats.
ASSESSMENT
Answers to Analysis
Have students work in pairs on the Analysis questions. This will generate discussion and give you additional opportunities to
informally assess their prior knowledge and conceptions about interactions.
1. How each student answers this question should give you an idea about whether the student already recognizes that all
living organisms are dependent in some way on other organisms. Reasonable answers should include recognition of
interactions such as these:
• Nearly all organisms that cannot perform photosynthesis ultimately rely on plants for energy. (Note: Some
chemoautotrophs do not.)
• Heterotrophs and autotrophs depend on each other to generate oxygen and carbon dioxide gases for use in cellular
respiration and photosynthesis.
• Organisms depend on decomposers for recycling the matter that the living systems need.
• The continuation of many species depends on the interactions between 2 members of the species for reproduction.
2. No matter where your class made its observations, bacteria, fungi, and protists were present that may have been
overlooked. Other groups of organisms, such as plants, may also have been ignored. The way students respond may provide
insight into their awareness of less obvious interactions that are necessary for life, such as decomposition and beneficial April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:44 PM
dependencies between bacteria and animals (for instance, within our digestive systems), and between fungi and plants (for Deleted: Remind students to think back to their
work with kingdoms in chapter 3, Products of
instance, some fungi are associated with plant roots, which help plants gain nitrogen from molecules in the soil). Evolution: Unity and Diversity, for examples of
groups they may have forgotten.
3. This question provides an opportunity for students to practice what they learned in chapter 1 in the Explain activity, More
Evidence, about evidence and inference. You may need to help students understand that, in this case, their observations are
the evidence they have.
4. This interactions that students observe in this activity are not really hidden, but it is likely that students did not notice them
until they were asked to make close, careful observations. Look for evidence that students recognize that when they observe
as scientists they will begin to see many more details about the world around them.
EXPLORE
Interactions in the World around Us

Major Topic
Interactions in various ecosystems within the biosphere
Overview
This Explore activity, Interactions in the World around Us, allows the students to observe numerous video images of
interactions that take place in a wider variety of ecological settings than were possible to observe in the Engage-Explore
activity (Observing the World around Us). The students will build on their common experiences by observing and identifying
interactions and interdependence through this activity.
Materials (per class of 30, teams of 2)
online resource
8 copies of copymaster 2.1, Task Cards (see Preparations)
Deleted: 15
The following indicators allow you to assess the students’ level of success with the activity and to assess their process of
learning.
By the end of this activity, the students should be able to become aware that there are a myriad of different types of
interactions in the world, and humans have an effect on various components of the biosphere.
They will show their awareness by
• providing examples from the video or from their own experiences,
• speculating on the type of effect humans have in different environments, and
• reflecting on our responsibility to monitor the type of influence we have on Earth’s ecosystems.
Preparations
Make 8 photocopies of the task cards on copymaster 2.1, Task Cards.. Cut each photocopy in half to make two April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:59 PM
Deleted: 15
different task cards.Each task card should contain a set of 4 tasks. You might want to laminate the cards to increase their
durability. Stack the 2 types of task cards into 2 piles. You may want to add a sticker or other distinguishing mark to 1 type of
Deleted: Notice that there are 2 tables of tasks on
task card, because in the , pairs of students with different task cards will merge to form teams of 4. You should have 16 task the copymaster
cards, enough to give each pair of students in the class 1 task card. April Gardner 5/14/2017 7:16 PM
Deleted: out the
Strategies for Guiding Learners April Gardner 5/14/2017 7:16 PM
Process and Procedures Deleted: tables to make the
Deleted: ; e
Procedures in advance. Use the time spent reading to bring the students’ attention into focus. Deleted: activity
1–2. When partners have concluded their work, convene a short class discussion. Use the students’ responses to the
questions in step 1 to informally assess their prior knowledge about relationships such as parasitism, competition, and
predation. Guide the discussion to highlight examples of the various types of ecological relationships; however, refrain
from introducing new terminology at this exploratory instructional stage. These terms will be formally introduced at a April Gardner 5/14/2017 6:31 PM
later point in this activity. Expect students’ responses to step 1 to be similar to these. Deleted: , and herbivory
a. Students may relate observations where one organism was eating another, or one used another organism to provide
shelter.
b. Students may relate observations where organisms were interacting cooperatively, for example, in mating or in
pollinator-plant interactions.
c. The discussion may include examples such as aromatic flowers that attract pollinators, perfumes used to attract mates,
or skunk spray directed at discouraging interactions, if observations of smells were limited. Encourage students to
recognize examples that may have more than 1 outcome, for example, flower nectar (encourages specific interactions
that are beneficial and some unintended harmful interactions caused by organisms that are attracted to the nectar and
damage the flower or plant); birdcalls (may attract mates and discourage same-sex competitors); cricket chirps (may
attract a mate, but may also attract a predator); and conversation between humans (may attract or discourage
interactions with other humans, depending on the tone and content).
d. The students were introduced to the terms “biotic” and “abiotic” in the introduction to this chapter, as well as in the
annotation to step 1d. Answers to this question will provide an opportunity to informally assess the students’ April Gardner 5/14/2017 6:34 PM
understanding of these concepts. Deleted: chapter 9
3. Direct students to define “ecosystem” in their own words, and ask for a few students to use this preliminary
definition so that you can assess students’ understanding of an ecosystem.
If students are reluctant to offer a definition, explain that their understanding of this concept will
grow over the course of the chapter and that they should simply write their best ideas at this point.
4–5. Distribute a task card to each pair of students in the room. Give students time to develop an organizing table to keep
track of their observations as they complete the tasks. You may want to provide guidance to students on how to divide the
tasks between partners. For example, one partner might observe the video for examples for the first two columns of their April Gardner 5/14/2017 7:18 PM
table and the other for the last two columns of the table. Deleted: It is appropriate at this stage in the
program to allow students to determine how best to
split up the task work with their partners.
6. Go to the “Images from around the World” segment in the online resources. This segment presents many brief
images including, for example, a burning forest, cattle on overgrazed land, people on a city street, a landfill, and a person
hunting. There are 2 types of task cards, each with a set of 4 tasks that students will complete while watching the segment.
Before you show the video segment to your students, remind them to think about the question on the segment as they
view the images: “How do the following images relate to each other?”
Have the students watch the video segment once or twice, looking for examples that are related to
the tasks described on their cards. The students then should record these examples in their tables. Here
are some examples of interactions that students might record in their tables:
• Examples of the positive influence of humans on other organisms: Providing bird feeders, bird
boxes, and brush for nesting areas; renovating natural areas for shelter; planting a flower garden to
attract butterflies or hummingbirds
• Examples of the positive influence of humans on the abiotic environment: Fencing off erosion
control areas; reseeding barren soil areas to control erosion; planting trees to help absorb CO2
• Examples of the positive influence of humans on other humans: a parent caring for a child; a
delivery person or a mail carrier making deliveries; people collecting food supplies for those in
need; people providing medical care for sick individuals
• Examples of the negative influence of humans on other organisms: Constructing buildings that
destroy some habitats for wildlife; polluting the water supply, which inhibits aquatic organisms;
overusing recreational areas, which limits plant life
• Examples of the negative influence of humans on the abiotic environment: Polluting the water
supply; littering; releasing pollution into the air
• Examples of the negative influence of humans on other humans: Spreading disease in highly
populated areas; overcrowded conditions leading to violence; war leading to disruption of the food
supply and famine
• Examples of the influence of nonhuman organisms on other organisms: A robin eating a worm; an
ant carrying the dead remains of another insect; a snake eating a ground squirrel in a grassy area;
trees providing nesting sites for birds
• Examples of the influence of nonhuman organisms on the abiotic environment: Too many fishes
living in a small pond and releasing ammonia, which affects the pH of the water
7–8. Direct students to develop a new 3-column table and form teams of 4 to share their observations about the different
sets of tasks. Monitor student work to ensure that the interactions that students record in each of the 3 columns are
specific and refer to both organisms involved in the interaction. Although not specified in the student directions, students
should be able to adequately justify why they placed an interaction in a certain column of the Interactions among
Organisms table.
9. Direct students to study figure 2.3 in the student text and apply their learning to their Interactions among April Gardner 5/14/2017 7:38 PM
Deleted: 15.2
Organisms table. Monitor their work to informally assess their understanding of terminology associated with different
ecological interactions.

10. Expect students to respond with ideas similar to the following:
Deleted: 10. The scenario, Early Morning
Reflections, highlights the unintended consequences
• Examples of relationships are everywhere. of human actions within the context of a riparian
• Living things have important relationships with other living things for food or shelter. ecosystem in northern Nevada. Thinking that the
willows along the riverbank were using too much
• Some of these relationships and activities also have an effect on the environment. water, some people cut them down. However,
cutting down the willows led to an increase in
floodwater damage and erosion, an increase in
water temperature, and a decrease in biodiversity.
ASSESSMENT April Gardner 5/14/2017 7:39 PM
Deleted: ELL ... [4]
Answers to Analysis
Ask the students to complete the Analysis individually for homework. Then hold a class discussion to allow students to share
and justify their responses.
1. The pictures in Figure 2.3 may give students hints for thinking about organisms that interact in the natural world. For
example, they may think of pelicans catching and feeding on fish. They should be able to explain that this is an example of a
predator-prey relationship. The pelicans benefit and the fish are harmed.
2. Herbivory is a type of interaction that students have probably not heard of before. It is also an interaction in which the
effect is more challenging to classify than the other examples in Figure 2.3. As the examples in this question indicate,
sometimes the interaction is +/-, as in the mountain pine beetles and pine trees. Other times, the interaction is +/+, as in the
example of hummingbirds and honeysuckle.
3. The students could answer either way. It is likely that they will say that humans have more influence on the environment
because of our population size and because of the influence of industry and other aspects of technology. Some students may Deleted: 1
not think this is so. At this point in the instructional model, accept any response that the students can justify.
4. Again, the students may or may not feel that we have such a responsibility. Accept any response that the students can
justify. This question presents you with an opportunity to broaden the students’ awareness of how a person’s culture April Gardner 5/14/2017 7:57 PM
influences his or her attitude toward and values about the environment. Within a culture, ideas and positions can vary from Deleted: 2
person to person.
EXPLAIN
The Pasture Story

Major Topics
Resources; interactions that involve shared resources; carrying capacity
Overview
In this Explain activity, The Pasture Story, the students will explore the concepts of resources, interactions that involve
shared resources, and carrying capacity by studying the changes that take place in a fictional shared pasture depicted in the
online resources. The students will begin to use ecological terminology to describe these concepts. They also will analyze and
interpret results from their own strategies to manage resources in a computer simulation involving a shared pasture.
Background
In his 1968 essay The Tragedy of the Commons, Garrett Hardin uses the scenario of a “pasture open to all” as a metaphor for
many of the environmental challenges that humans face in a world of exponentially growing populations and finite resources.
The story of the pasture is simple: Cowherders who graze their cattle on a pasture “shared by all” discover that there are
limits to the number of cows the pasture can sustain. Unfortunately, the cowherders discover these limits by exceeding them
and destroying the pasture. The cowherders are not malicious or deliberately destructive but merely act in ways they perceive
to be in their own best interests. Adding yet another cow to the pasture profits each cowherder more than it costs until all the
cowherders pay the final, cumulative price of the loss of the pasture that sustained them. In Hardin’s words, the “tragedy” lies
not so much in the loss of the pasture but in the chain of events that leads to its destruction.
This activity introduces the concepts of carrying capacity and resources. Carrying capacity is defined as the number of
individuals of a species that the environment can support without diminishing the quality of the environment. On a farm, the
carrying capacity of a pasture determines the number of animals that can graze on the land year after year without affecting
the overall health of the pasture. A resource is any substance, service, or information that we get from the biotic or abiotic
environment that is useful to us. Material resources such as coal, freshwater, fertile soil, and aluminum are those whose
quantities theoretically can be measured. Nonmaterial, or intangible, resources, such as beauty, joy, solitude, and stimulation,
theoretically are unlimited, although they may not exist in a crowded or degraded setting.
The online activities engage students in the pasture story and facilitate them developing their own understanding of natural
resources. The students encounter several important terms that scientists use to describe resources. An understanding of those April Gardner 5/14/2017 8:10 PM
terms gives students a foundation for the remainder of chapter 2. On this foundation, students can build a more detailed Deleted: s
understanding of the issues related to natural resources as well as to population growth and resource consumption. April Gardner 5/14/2017 8:10 PM
As students complete this activity, they develop understanding related to LS2.A, Interdependent Relationships in Deleted: 15
Ecosystems, grades 9–12: Ecosystems have carrying capacities, which are limits to the numbers of organisms and April Gardner 5/14/2017 8:10 PM
populations they can support. These limits result from such factors as the availability of living and nonliving resources and Deleted: and all of chapter 16 (Decision Making in
a Complex World)
from such challenges as predation, competition, and disease. Organisms would have the capacity to produce populations of
great size were it not for the fact that environments and resources are finite. This fundamental tension affects the abundance
of species in any given ecosystem. They also address LS4.D, Biodiversity and Humans, grades 9–12, element 2: Humans
depend on the living world for the resources and other benefits provided by biodiversity. But human activity is also having
adverse impacts on biodiversity through overpopulation, overexploitation, habitat destruction, pollution, introduction of
invasive species, and climate change. Thus sustaining biodiversity so that ecosystem functioning and productivity are
maintained is essential to supporting and enhancing life on Earth. Sustaining biodiversity also aids humanity by preserving
landscapes of recreational or inspirational value.
In addition, they have a chance to explore CCC 4, Systems and System Models, grades 9–12, element 3: Models can be
used to simulate systems and interactions—including energy, matter, and information flows—within and between systems at
different scales, and element 4: Models can be used to predict the behavior of a system, but these predictions have limited
precision and reliability due to the assumptions and approximations inherent in models.
Materials (per teams of 2–4)

online resource
computers with Internet access and printers
copies of copymaster 2.2, Pasture Profits (2 per team for each simulation run)
Outcomes and Indicators of Success Deleted: 15
learning.
By the end of this activity, the students should be able to
1. begin to understand the concept of resources.
They will demonstrate their understanding by
• explaining the difference between biotic and abiotic resources and
• identifying renewable and nonrenewable resources.
2. develop a more complete understanding of the role that resources play in determining the size of populations that any
ecosystem can support.
• describing how the overuse of limited resources such as the food supply can lead to the degradation of a natural resource
such as a common pastureland and
• explaining the results of their resource management strategies and evaluating what determined the success or failure of
those strategies.
3. begin to understand the concept of carrying capacity.
• analyzing data and using graphs to explain the changes that occurred in the pasture across time and
• describing the relationship between resources and carrying capacity.
Preparations
This activity (and the next) uses computers, printers, and online resources. You will need to arrange that access and decide on
team sizes (depending on the number of computers available). Ideally, students should work in pairs.
Check accessibility to computers for students with physical challenges. All students either need to see the monitor
clearly or to have the simulation portion of the activity described as it takes place.
Make photocopies of copymaster 2.2, Pasture Profits, as needed by teams. Each team will need 2 of these handouts April Gardner 5/14/2017 8:11 PM
Deleted: 15
for each simulation that it runs; if time allows, teams may be able to run several simulations.
Familiarize yourself with the online material and simulations in advance.

1. You may want to discuss general navigation features before students begin working through the simulation. Have
students begin their work by viewing the video, “The Pasture Story”.
2–3. Avoid offering any explanation of the subject or purpose of the “The Pasture Story” video. If the students ask, respond
by noting that the video will help them construct their own understanding. Steer their discussion to focus on both what
they actually saw take place and their explanations for why it occurred, including the role of resources.
4–5. The “Pasture Profits” simulation includes 2 roles, Kiana and Jason, which can be divided between the team members.
Challenge the students to maximize their individual profits. This activity provides an opportunity to create an atmosphere April Gardner 5/14/2017 8:12 PM
of good-humored competition. If time permits, allow teams opportunities to try 2 or more management options for the Deleted: Sondra
pasture.
It is important that the students understand that they earn their living by selling milk, because the April Gardner 5/14/2017 8:21 PM
Comment [9]: Dawn/Brooke—take a look at the
goal in the simulation is to maximize milk production, and in so doing, to maximize earnings. During the simulation. I don’t think the simulation displays the
simulation, the computer displays the amount of money the farmers earn, not the amount of milk a amount of milk produced per cow; instead it displays
the total amount of milk. Do you agree? If so, then
farmer’s cows produce. The amount of milk produced per cow, however, is an important variable that the students can calculate the units of milk produced per
computer tracks and then displays at the end of the simulation. As students complete the simulation, they cow. This is where I got the numbers for the scale on
are engaging in SEP 2, Developing and Using Models, grades 9–12, element 3: Develop, revise, and/or use the y-axis on the right. If I’m wrong and it does
display the units produced per cow, then they have to
a model based on evidence to illustrate and/or predict the relationships between systems or between calculate the total number of units of milk produced.
components of a system. The graph calls for both.
Let me know what you think and I will adjust this

6. Distribute 2 copies of copymaster 2.2, Pasture Profits, to each team. When teams have finished running the language in the TE to fit!
simulation, they will receive individual reports that show how well they and the other farmer did. They will also receive a Deleted: 15
combined summary report that shows the total number of cows present, the percentage of pasture area covered by grass
(called “pasture health” in the summary report), the number of units of milk produced per cow at the end of each 6-month
period, and the total amount of milk produced by the cows during the simulation.
Direct students to graph the 4 sets of data from the combined summary on copymaster 2.2, Comment [10]: See comment above. Unless I
totally missed something it doesn’t do both of these.
Pasture Profits. The annotation after step 6 identifies the 4 sets of data for students. Review the graphing April Gardner 5/14/2017 8:23 PM
requirements with the students before they begin to construct their graphs. Be sure they understand what Deleted: 15
data they are graphing and that all 4 lines should appear on the same graph.
If time allows, provide teams with more copies of copymaster 2.2, Pasture Profits, and allow them to
run the simulation for another round or rounds. April Gardner 5/14/2017 8:24 PM
Deleted: 15
Some students may have trouble focusing on what conditions to try in additional rounds and may
simply try random ideas. If this is the case, encourage them to look carefully back at the results of
previous rounds and what seemed to have an effect on the milk production. Have them use the patterns
they see as the basis for additional rounds.
7. Students are introduced to the Highlight Comments and Captions strategy in step 7. Because this is the first
time they have seen this strategy, you are encouraged to do it as a whole class activity. As students progress
through the program, they will become more confident in applying the strategy on their own. As interpreting
graphs becomes a habit of mind for students, this scaffold will fade.
8. Monitor students’ discussions during this step, prompting students to analyze their graphs carefully. As Formatted: Font:Not Bold
they do this, students are practicing SEP 4, Analyzing and Interpreting Data, grades 9–12, element 1: Analyze data using Deleted: 7
tools, technologies, and/or models in order to make valid and reliable scientific claims or determine an optimal design
solution. You can expect answers to reflect the following ideas.
a. In the time available, students may or may not have succeeded in protecting the pasture. A strategy that limited the
Deleted: You may find it helpful to have teams
number of cows to a level less than or equal to the carrying capacity of the pasture would protect the pasture. compare graphs with one another.
b. The more food that is available per cow, the greater the number of cows that can be sustained.
Answers to Analysis Questions 1–5 are on TE page 769A April Gardner 5/14/2017 8:35 PM
Comment [11]: Kelly—I’m not sure where this
belongs, or if it will be necessary in the new flow.
Please check to see if it’s needed and, if so, if it’s in
c. The production of milk per cow decreases as the pasture’s condition and the amount of food available declines. the right place.
d. The pasture in the simulation can support 20 cows without declining in quality.
e. Students’ answers to this question may vary, but ideally they would recognize that several different strategies could
affect carrying capacity, including the following strategies:
• A larger pasture. The students may or may not realize that enlarging the pasture will increase the carrying capacity, but
there still will be a limit to the number of cows. Whether the pasture is small or large, it has a carrying capacity for cows
that cannot be exceeded without the pasture degrading. (The enlarged pasture can support 40 cows without declining in
quality.)
• A different breed. Using a different breed of cow will not solve the problem because, although these cows consume less
grass per unit of milk they produce, there still will be a limit to the number of cows the pasture can sustain. (The pasture’s
carrying capacity for this breed of cow is approximately 22 cows.)
• Private pastures. Dividing the pasture into 2 private pastures (1 for each farmer) reduces the carrying capacity of the
pasture available to each farmer by one-half (or 10 cows). Although privatization allows individuals to manage their
pastures wisely, it does not guarantee that each pasture will be protected. Furthermore, this approach solves the pasture
dilemma by eliminating the commons, not by finding a management strategy that protects it.
• Pay to graze. Imposing an escalating tax on the total number of cows on the pasture solves the problem because once
such a tax is enacted, the farmers simply cannot afford to buy the number of cows that would be dangerous to the pasture.
9. Students read the background information provided in “The Abundant Earth” online resource. Their definitions should
show an understanding that a resource is any substance, service, or information that an organism gets from the biotic or Deleted: 8
abiotic environment that benefits that organism. Natural resources are those comprised of raw materials from the Earth.
Renewable resources are those that are naturally replenished within a reasonable time frame, while nonrenewable
resources are not able to be regenerated or are only regenerated on a geologic scale.
10. Students’ responses should focus on the option that best manages the commonly owned pasture, not on an option that
results in a short-term increase of individual profits. Students should be encouraged to think in terms of the long-term April Gardner 5/14/2017 8:38 PM
sustainability of the pasture ecosystem. Deleted: 9
The management option that allows for the highest profits without destroying the pasture, thus
ensuring sustainability, is the pay to graze option. Students may cite evidence that the pay to graze
option limits the number of cows because the tax on the total number of cows increases as the number of
cows increases. Due to this increasing tax, farmers cannot afford to buy the number of cows that would
destroy the pasture ecosystem.
11. Convene a class discussion of students’ answers to steps 8 and 10. Remind them that the evidence used to support their Deleted: In this step, students take part in
claims is important and must be shared along with their claims. Encourage students to use the terminology about natural, SEP 6, Constructing Explanations and
renewable, and nonrenewable resources in this discussion. Designing Solutions, grades 9–12, element
5: Design, evaluate and/or refine a solution
to a complex real-world problem, based on
scientific knowledge, student-generated
sources of evidence, prioritized criteria, and
ELL tradeoff considerations.
ELLs may feel more confident and participate in the class discussion more if you allow them to discuss their ideas to step 10 Deleted: 10
before beginning the class discussion. April Gardner 5/14/2017 8:38 PM
Deleted: 7 and 9
ASSESSMENT Deleted: 9
Answers to Analysis
If there is time, the students will benefit from discussing the Analysis questions before answering them individually. These
may be assigned as homework.
1. Students’ responses should include herbivory between the cows and the grass and competition between individuals in the
cow population.
2. Students may list the world’s oceans, our country’s national forests, a community’s water supply, and clean air as
examples of commons. Expect students to give examples of regulations that are used to govern shared resources on a variety
of levels. For example, in many communities, residents pay a utility company for the water they use. In the United States, the
Clean Air Act regulates the amount of air pollution that industries can generate.
3. Students may explain that renewable resources are more likely to be biotic because the living environment can renew itself
through reproduction. Although the cycling of matter results in the renewal of many abiotic resources, students may not be
aware of this at this point in the program. April Gardner 5/14/2017 11:24 PM
Deleted: However,
4. The students should develop the idea that once its carrying capacity is exceeded, the pasture declined in quality. The only April Gardner 5/14/2017 11:23 PM
way to maintain the high quality of the pasture was to limit the number of cows to at or below the carrying capacity. Partners Deleted: Students with a thorough understanding
could accomplish this either by cooperating with each other as part of a voluntary agreement or by using the pay to graze should recognize that the timescale for replenishing
resources that we consider renewable is shorter than
option to force compliance with the community’s attempt to conserve the commons. Knowing how fast the pasture resources
some of the biogeochemical cycles.
are being consumed and what the pasture’s carrying capacity for cows is can make it easier to make a voluntary management
agreement.
5. The simulation realistically models several important features of a common pasture, such as the following:
Farmers:
• The farmers pay a fee to access the pasture.
• Neither farmer can control the number of cows put on the pasture by the other farmer.
• The farmers can agree among themselves to limit the number of cows they put on the pasture.
Cows:
• Farmers must withdraw money from their bank accounts to purchase cows.
• Cows cannot obtain their monthly requirements of grass if their numbers on the pasture exceed its carrying capacity.
• Milk production per cow declines if the cow does not obtain its monthly requirement of grass.
• Cows begin to die when their monthly intake of grass falls below a minimum.
Grass:
• The quality of the pasture begins to decline when the number of cows exceeds the carrying capacity.
• The greater the number of cows above carrying capacity, the faster the quality of the pasture declines.
• If the pasture has not been ruined, its quality increases across time if the number of cows falls below the carrying capacity
after a die-off.
• A ruined pasture cannot support any cows, and the vegetation never recovers.
Several unrealistic features of the simulation include the following:
Farmers:
• Only 2 farmers have access to the pasture rather than many farmers.
• Farmers cannot remove cows from the pasture.
• Farmers cannot sell cows to earn money.
Cows:
• The cost of cows remains constant and does not fluctuate with market conditions.
• All cows require the same amount of grass.
• The maximum milk production per cow is the same for all cows.
• If the number of cows on the pasture exceeds carrying capacity, the decline in milk production per cow is the same for all.
Grass:
• The growth rate of the grass is the same in all parts of the pasture.
• The quality of the pasture is the same in all parts.
ELABORATE
Mystery on Easter Island

Major Topics
Limiting factors; resource dependency; resource depletion consequences
Overview
In this Elaborate activity, Mystery on Easter Island, the students will read about the mystery of Easter Island, then propose
explanations for the data scientists have collected about that civilization and its demise. Students will gain an appreciation for
the consequences of human resource depletion and continue analyzing and interpreting graphically represented data.
Background
Although the concept of carrying capacity was not defined until the 1800s, even Plato commented on the decrease in the
carrying capacity for plants in Attica, Greece. According to Garrett Hardin (1993), Plato said:
“[In earlier days, Attica] yielded far more abundant produce. In comparison of what then was, there are remaining only
the bones of the wasted body, all the richer and softer parts of the soil having fallen away, and the mere skeleton of the
land being left. But in the primitive state of the country, its mountains were high hills covered with soil, and the plains
were full of rich earth, and there was abundance of wood in the mountains.” (p. 208)
Plato noticed that as the demand from humans increased, the land was less productive. Hardin states that the devastation of
Greece was due to the deforestation that occurred for the sake of fuel and lumber. Greece also suffered from overgrazing by
an uncontrolled population of goats that thrived on seedling trees. A similar situation has occurred or is occurring in many
other areas on Earth. Many of the deserts of the world were created by populations of organisms that exceeded the carrying
capacity.
Some individuals in our society do not believe that carrying capacity is an issue. For example, Hardin (1993) quotes
economist Julian Simon and futurist Herman Kahn from their 1984 book The Resourceful Earth.
“Because of increases in knowledge, the earth’s ‘carrying capacity’ has been increasing throughout the decades and
centuries and millennia to such an extent that the term carrying capacity has by now no useful meaning.” (p. 205)
Individuals who doubt the importance of carrying capacity believe that technology, money, and ingenuity always will be able
to increase the number of organisms that an environment can support.
On the other hand, many individuals think that we already have exceeded Earth’s carrying capacity, certainly in specific
countries or areas of countries, and possibly for the world. When we factor the world’s potential for further population
growth, the picture that emerges is sobering. In this light, the recent commitment by the world’s nations to stabilize the
world’s population at or below 9.8 billion by the year 2050 takes on a special significance.
The relationship between human activity and the welfare of other forms of life can be seen in calculations of the
percentage of Earth’s net primary productivity that humans use, either directly or indirectly. Earth’s net primary productivity
(NPP) is defined as the total amount of solar energy converted into biochemical energy through producer photosynthesis
minus the energy that those producers use for their own life processes. Because this biochemical energy is the basic food
source for virtually all organisms, NPP provides one definition of the outer limit of Earth’s carrying capacity. Some estimates
indicate that before human’s impact, Earth’s NPP was some 150 billion tons of organic matter per year (for example, see
Worldwatch Institute’s State of the World, 1994). These estimates also indicate that humans have destroyed the ecosystems
responsible for about 12 percent of Earth’s terrestrial NPP and now directly or indirectly use another 27 percent. This means
that one species (humans) has appropriated nearly 40 percent of the terrestrial food supply, leaving only 60 percent remaining
for other terrestrial organisms.
Carrying capacity is commonly defined as the largest number of any species that a particular habitat can support
indefinitely. If that maximum number is exceeded, the foundation of resources that sustains the population will begin to
decline, eventually affecting the population.
The key phrase in the above definition for carrying capacity is “support indefinitely.” Carrying capacity is a measure of
the population size that the habitat can sustain, not a measure of the size that it can support for the short term. The question of
Earth’s capacity to support human life has to do with more than just its ability to provide our most basic food needs today.
Instead, it relates to Earth’s ability to provide us with a “quality of life” as well as its ability to absorb and neutralize our
waste products, not just today but indefinitely.
Three important trends have contributed heavily to the pressures now being placed on Earth’s ecosystems. These trends
include the growth of the world’s human population, the widening gap in the distribution of income and resources, and the
rapid growth in the world’s economic output that has taken place since the industrial revolution.
An important unknown in this situation, of course, is the role that changing technology will play in helping us support the
world’s current and future inhabitants. Critical to our success in avoiding serious environmental destruction will be our
ability to distinguish between technologies that simply allow us to meet more needs and demands regardless of the
environmental cost, and technologies that meet needs and demands in an environmentally sustainable manner. The decrease
in Earth’s total arable land, for example, means that meeting future food needs will depend almost exclusively on raising the
productivity of the land. During the last few decades, the world has shown remarkable gains in productivity, but it is not clear
that this rate of increase can continue indefinitely.
Materials (per team of 2–4)
online resource
computer with Internet access
different-colored pens or pencils

learning.
1. develop a more complete understanding of the impact of population growth on interactions and interdependence within a
community.
They will demonstrate their understanding by describing what their study of the Easter Island population tells them about
some of the principles of population growth.
2. develop a deeper understanding of the concept of limiting factors.
• describing what factors finally limited the islanders’ population growth and
• describing how a small island has limited resources.
3. build a deeper understanding of a carrying capacity.
They will demonstrate their understanding by analyzing data from the Easter Island population and describing the impact
of population growth and limiting factors.
4. gain an understanding that the carrying capacity of an environment will change as the environment changes.
They will demonstrate their understanding by interpreting data from the Easter Island population and inferring the effect
of a change in the environment on the carrying capacity.
Preparations
This activity uses online resources. You will need to arrange for access to the Internet and decide on team sizes (depending
on the number of computers available).

Procedures in advance. Use the time spent reading to bring the students’ attention into focus. As students carry out this
activity, they continue their work on DCI LS2.A, element 1 and DCI LS4.D, element 2 from the previous activity. In
addition, they will focus on DCI LS2.C, Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience, grades 9–12, element 1: A
complex set of interactions within an ecosystem can keep its numbers and types of organisms relatively constant over long
periods of time under stable conditions. If a modest biological or physical disturbance to an ecosystem occurs, it may return
to its more or less original status, as opposed to becoming a very different ecosystem. Extreme fluctuations in conditions or
the size of any population, however, can challenge the functioning of ecosystems in terms of resources and habitat
availability.
1–2. Students begin by reading the need to know, The Mystery. Focusing students’ attention on the extinction of the giant
Easter Island palm encourages students not only to draw upon their knowledge of organismal interactions, but sets the
stage for an in-depth examination of abiotic and biotic factors and how they can affect population size. Encourage a wide
range of student predictions.
3–4. Direct students to make a good copy of figure 2.8 in their science notebooks.
Deleted: 15.7
If you think it will take some students too much time to recreate the graph in their notebooks, print
out a copy for those students to attach in their notebooks. It is important that the graph be in the
notebook for the highlight comments strategy; however, providing a copy to students who may struggle
with recreating the graph can save time.
Students’ answers to steps 4a–e should reflect the following.
a. The population grew by about 1,900 people. That is relatively slow growth when compared to later years.
b. The population grew by about 3,500 people. The population grew at a faster rate, indicated by the steeper line, as
compared to the years between 400 and 850.
c. The population grew at its fastest rate between 1250 and 1500—the population grew by about 4,500 people. The
population started to slowly decline in the years between 1500 and 1600.
d. The population declined rapidly in the years between 1600 and 1700—the population declined by 7,000 people. The
population reached its lowest number around 1950 with a approximately 1,000 individuals. Since then, the population
had grown to about 2,000 people in the year 2000.
e. Students’ responses should indicate that the population grew slowly at first. This period was followed by a period of
rapid growth and rapid population decline.
5. Monitor student discussions of this question. Similarities should indicate a period of rapid population growth followed by
an even faster rate of population decline. Differences may include the various causes students attribute to the rapid growth
and decline of the population.
6. Biotic resources may include the palm trees, grasses, shrubs, other small trees, crops, fishes, and birds. Abiotic resources
may include soil nutrients, soil quality, physical space, drinking water, climate, and stones.
7–9. Direct students to the next segment, “Easter Island.” For step 9, students’ answers should explain some of the
interactions included in the following description: April Gardner 5/14/2017 11:42 PM
Deleted: 8
“The changes in island vegetation coincided with an increase in human population size from probably fewer than 100 April Gardner 5/14/2017 11:42 PM
people at the time of settlement to approximately 10,000 between the 1500s and 1600s. As the population grew, its Deleted: 8
activities changed the character of the island’s vegetation.”
“Initially, clearing the forest increased food supplies and provided timber for building canoes and houses, for firewood,
and for moving and erecting the giant stone statues. The availability of crops, fishes, birds, and palm fruits promoted
human population growth. Although deforestation continued to meet the demands of a growing population, it was
accompanied by increased soil erosion, leaching of soil nutrients, wind damage, diminishing supplies of freshwater, and
dwindling numbers of palm trees. By the 1500s, the character of the island’s vegetation was very different from that
encountered by the first colonizers.”
“Deforestation and the environmental degradation that accompanied it also had profound effects on the culture of the
islanders. Scientists believe that the collapse of the Easter Island civilization was connected to the elimination of the
forest and its dominant species, the giant palm tree.”
As students complete steps 3–8, they practice SEP 8, Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating
Information, grades 9–12, element 2: Compare, integrate, and evaluate sources of information presented
in different media or formats as well as in words in order to address a scientific question or solve a
problem.
10. In addition to discussing the Process and Procedures questions, you may find opportunities to guide the discussion to
include the following points: Deleted: 9
• Resources are limited.
• A civilization that uses up its resources is at risk.
• Humans do not necessarily behave in ways that promote long-term survival.
As students take part in the discussion about the work they have completed in previous steps,
they are developing skills related to SEP 8, Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information,
element 5: Communicate scientific and/or technical information or ideas in multiple formats.
11. Students should use the Mark It Up! Strategy introduced (or reviewed) in chapter 1 as they read the essays,
Interdependence Involves Limiting Factors and Carrying Capacity and Growing, Growing, Grown. Review the
Deleted: 10–
instructions for the reading strategy with them to make sure they know what they need to do as they read. If you feel
confident that they can use the strategy appropriately, you may want to assign steps 11-12 (which include reading the two
essays) for homework. April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:10 AM
Deleted: You may wish to
April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:11 AM
Deleted: 10–11
ELL
If you have many ELL students in your class, consider using a partner reading strategy—such as read, summarize, repeat—to Deleted: , Interdependence Involves Limiting
Factors and Carrying Capacity and Growing,
ensure that students understand each of the points in the essays. Growing, Grown
12. Expect that students will indicate that the growth of the island’s population was limited by the food
supply and by space. Other factors that might limit the size of a population include the amount of water,
the amount of protection available, the amount of shelter, or the number of mates. For example, the
students might say that the limited amount of water in the desert limits the population of plants and
animals that can survive there. The number of suitable nesting sites in a meadow might limit the
population of meadowlarks.
13. Students’ population growth graphs should be colored to show that after periods of slow and then rapid continuous
growth, the population fell significantly. Deleted: 12
14. Students should justify the number they chose as the island’s carrying capacity for humans with some evidence of a time
when the island’s resources were plentiful in relation to the population size. For example, some students may choose the April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:13 AM
year 950 as a time when vegetation, according to the vegetation chart, was not yet degraded. The population at that time Deleted: 13
was approximately 3,000, so that could be represented by a horizontal line to indicate the initial carrying capacity.
15. Students should indicate that after a period of continuous growth, the population fell significantly. The new April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:13 AM
Deleted: 14
evidence students have from steps 13and 14 helps them to engage in SEP 4, Analyzing and Interpreting Data, grades 9–
12, element 5: Evaluate the impact of new data on a working explanation and/or model of a proposed process or system. April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:16 AM
Deleted: 12
16. Students should indicate that Easter Island’s carrying capacity for humans after the environmental degradation had April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:16 AM
occured was significantly lower than the initial carrying capacity. The students may place the later carrying capacity Deleted: 13
around 400, the level at which the human population began to grow again. April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:14 AM
Deleted: 15
16. Students should indicate that the population experienced an exponential rate of growth. This is evidenced by the April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:17 AM
Deleted: r
rapid increase in the human population that inhabited Easter Island. Since exponential growth continued unchecked, the
population experienced a rapid decline as the human population exceeded the carrying capacity of the environment. In
this step, students engage in SEP 8, Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information, grades 9–12, element 1:
Critically read scientific literature adapted for classroom use to determine the central ideas or conclusions and/or to obtain
scientific and/or technical information to summarize complex evidence, concepts, processes, or information presented in a
text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.
ASSESSMENT
Answers to Analysis
1. Students should relate this change in population growth to their understanding of exponential growth. Some students may
be able to articulate the idea that in the beginning, when a population is small, growth happens slowly, but even with a fixed
rate of growth, eventually growth occurs rapidly.
2. Easter Island demonstrates that limiting factors come into play and define the carrying capacity of a given environment for
a certain population. Unchecked population growth cannot continue indefinitely.
3. Both the situation on Easter Island and the common pasture scenario involve limited resources that became exhausted by a
rapidly growing population. Both the number of people on Easter Island and the number of cows on the common pasture
demonstrate that if a population continues to grow beyond an ecosystem’s carrying capacity, environmental degradation and
resource depletion will occur, reducing the carrying capacity for that population.
4. Students should recall that the graph of exponential growth has a J-shaped appearance because the population increases so
rapidly across time.
5. Specific examples of resource consumption and interactions may vary. Responses should emphasize how Earth as a whole
is similar to the Easter Island ecosystem. A sample response might point out that Earth is like an island because resources are April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:22 AM
limited to Earth; other than the Sun’s energy, no resources come from outer space. Although other species do not compete on Deleted: 4
a global scale for resources, humans do. In a typical meal, a person in the United States may consume foods that were grown
on several different continents on Earth.
EXTENSIONS
Ask the students to explore the concept of cultural carrying capacity and, in an essay, try to describe and define it in their
own terms. Some background on cultural carrying capacity follows.
Thomas Malthus’s theories about population implicitly center on the concept of carrying capacity. Garrett Hardin (1993)
discusses carrying capacity in cultural terms as well as in biological terms. Hardin claims that not only must we take into
account the amount of land needed to support human life, but that we also must consider cultural carrying capacity. He states:
Some goods—the amenities—impose costs that cannot easily be stated in terms of energy: the solitude of lonely beaches,
access to wilderness and areas rich in flowers, birds, and butterflies, together with time to enjoy these amenities as well
as music and the visual arts. The ability to furnish these goods is also part of the human carrying capacity of the
environment; more important to some people, less so to others. “What is the carrying capacity?” and “What is the
optimum human population?” are complicated and subtle questions. (p. 213)
According to Hardin, the cultural carrying capacity also must account for the quality of life for humans. One physicist
estimated that Earth could support 50 billion people. However, what would be the resulting quality of life?
At the current time, no one knows Earth’s carrying capacity for humans. It is clear, however, that with our population size
doubling every 25 years, we have reached the point where we must ask ourselves, “Are we able to provide a life of quality
for our children?”
ELABORATE
Islands in the Sky

Major Topics
Effect of multiple limiting factors on populations; population extinctions and climate change
Overview
This Elaborate activity, Islands in the Sky, helps the students deepen their understanding of limiting factors by examining
data collected about populations of pikas. This small mammal is undergoing population declines in the western United States.
After identifying potentially limiting factors that might be linked to these declines, students will reflect on the results of
research conducted by research ecologist Erik Beever and his colleagues. They then will consider whether recent global
climate change might be responsible for some of the population declines.
Background
Studies Involving Multiple Variables
In previous chapters, students have primarily considered biological studies where data are observational (such as the fossil
history of Earth) or can be gathered using a controlled experiment (such as their investigations of heart and breathing rates
during exercise). By this point in the program, students may have some appreciation of the fact that it is difficult to control all
variables in a biological study. In this activity, however, they are exposed to the typical context of an ecological study, in
which data on many variables must be collected because a number of them may affect the phenomenon of interest. Typically,
variables are not controlled by the experimenter but “controlled for” by using statistical techniques. These statistics can help
the researcher isolate how much the phenomenon of interest is affected by each different factor measured in the study.
Similar techniques are commonly used in sociological studies, which students may be more familiar with. For example, we
might read that alcoholism is related to a family history of alcoholism, even when controlling for other factors such as age,
gender, level of education, and socioeconomic status.
Climate Change
In the essay, Climate Change and Its Impacts on the Western United States, students are introduced to recent climate change
as a potential explanation for changes in pika populations. Students are likely to have a number of misconceptions about
climate change. This background information is designed to help you work with students’ misconceptions and answer
students’ questions about some of the evidence for recent climate changes that are mentioned in the essay. Much of the
background information is taken from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2001) publication Climate
Change 2001: Working Group I: The Scientific Basis.
Following are some common misconceptions that students may bring to your classroom:
• The greenhouse effect is bad. The greenhouse effect is not bad; in fact, it is the very process that makes our planet
habitable for humans and other forms of life. Without it, temperatures on Earth would be too extreme.
• Our planet is warmer now than it has ever been. Earth has experienced several cycles of warming and cooling, and proxy
records indicate that in the past Earth has at times been warmer than it is now. However, it is correct that the planet is
warmer now than at any point in recorded human history.
• Individual extreme events such as a blizzard, a powerful hurricane, or a heat wave can indicate that global warming is or
is not occurring. These individual events describe weather phenomena and do not necessarily describe climate. Only by
looking at patterns in the frequency of extreme weather events can we infer climate change.
• Because our planet has gone through natural cycles and has been warmer in the past, current climate change is
occurring due to natural processes. Although natural cycles exist and have affected climate over geological history,
climate changes over the past century can only be explained when human-induced changes are factored in.
• Humans are too small to affect a planet as large as Earth. By adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, humans
have changed the chemical composition of the atmosphere.
• Ozone depletion is a cause of climate change. The ozone “hole” does not allow extra heat into the atmosphere, as
commonly believed. While a complex chemical interaction does occur that links ozone with climate change, it appears to
have a relatively small impact on the system. Strategies once commonly used to reduce ozone, such as not buying aerosol
products, will not have an impact on climate change.
Lines of evidence that students may request more information about include the following:
Glacial Advancement and Retreat

• Satellite data show that there are very likely to have been decreases of about 10 percent in the extent of snow cover since
the late 1960s, and ground-based observations show that there is very likely to have been a reduction of about two weeks
in the annual duration of lake and river ice cover in the mid- and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere during the
20th century.
• There has been a widespread retreat of mountain glaciers in nonpolar regions during the 20th century.
Changes in Precipitation Patterns

• It is very likely that precipitation has increased by 0.5–1 percent per decade in the 20th century over most mid- and high
latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere continents, and it is likely that rainfall has increased by 0.2–0.3 percent per decade
over the tropical (10° north to 10° south) land areas. Increases in the tropics are not evident over the past few decades. It
is also likely that rainfall has decreased over much of the Northern Hemisphere in subtropical (10° north to 30° north)
land areas during the 20th century by about 0.3 percent per decade.
• In the mid- and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, over the latter half of the 20th century, it is likely that there
has been a 2–4 percent increase in the frequency of heavy precipitation events. Increases in heavy precipitation events can
arise from a number of causes, for example, changes in atmospheric moisture, thunderstorm activity, and large-scale
storm activity.
• In some regions, such as parts of Asia and Africa, the frequency and intensity of droughts have been observed to increase
in recent decades.
Changes in Growing Season

Most global climate change scenarios indicate that higher latitudes in North America would undergo warming that would
affect the growing season in this region. For example, estimates of increases in the frost-free season under climatic change
range from a minimum of one week to a maximum of nine weeks (Brklacich et al., 1997a). For Ontario and Quebec, Canada,
most estimates suggest an extension of three to five weeks. Estimated temperature increases for the frost-free season in
Ontario and Quebec are mostly between 1.5°C and 5.0°C (Brklacich et al., 1997a).
Although warmer spring and summer temperatures might be beneficial to crop production in northern latitudes, they may
adversely affect crop maturity in regions where summer temperature and water stress limit production (Rosenzweig &
Tubiello, 1997). Predicted temperature shifts indicate a significant increase in potential evapotranspiration, implying
increased seasonal moisture deficits. Modeling studies addressing the southeast United States have shown that changes in
thermal regimes under conditions of doubled carbon dioxide would induce greater demand for irrigation water and lower
energy efficiency of production (Peart et al., 1995).
Sea Level Rise

• Tide gauge data show that global average sea level rose between 0.1 and 0.2 m during the 20th century.
• Global ocean heat content has increased since the late 1950s, the period for which adequate observations of subsurface
ocean temperatures have been available.
• Ocean thermal expansion leads to an increase in ocean volume at constant mass. Observational estimates of about 1
mm/yr over recent decades are similar to the values of 0.7–1.1 mm/yr obtained from Atmosphere-Ocean General
Circulation Models (AOGCMs) over a comparable period. Averaged over the 20th century, AOGCM simulations result
in rates of thermal expansion of 0.3–0.7 mm/yr.
• The mass of the ocean, and thus sea level, changes as water is exchanged with glaciers and ice caps. Observational and
modeling studies of glaciers and ice caps indicate a contribution to sea level rise of 0.2–0.4 mm/yr averaged over the 20th
century.
The IPCC and Human-Caused Climate Change

In 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The IPCC is open to all members of the UN and WMO. The role
of the IPCC as stated on its website is to “assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the scientific,
technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate
change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. The IPCC does not carry out research nor does it
monitor climate related data or other relevant parameters. It bases its assessment mainly on peer reviewed and published
scientific or technical literature.”
One of the recent IPCC documents (2004) states that the confidence in the ability of models to project the future climate
has increased. This boost in confidence is partly due to the ability of some recent models to produce good simulations of
current climate. Running a climate model against actual observations is one way scientists ensure that the model is valid.
Then if the computer model is allowed to run beyond the time we have observational data for, the model can be used to
predict certain trends.
These models provide strong evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human
activities. These human-caused climate forcings (anthropogenic forcings) are largely due to anthropogenic greenhouse gases.
A 2004 IPCC report states, “The best agreement between model simulations and observations over the last 140 years has
been found when all the . . . anthropogenic and natural forcing factors are combined . . . . These results show that the forcings
included are sufficient to explain the observed changes, but do not exclude the possibility that other forcings may also have
contributed.” See figure T15.1 for the 2007 version of these models, as reported in the IPCC Frequently Asked Questions
report.
Source: IPCC, 2007: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor and H.L.
Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.
Figure T15.1 A comparison of observed and simulated global temperature. Simulating Earth’s temperature
variations, and comparing the results with measured changes, can provide insight into the underlying causes of
the major changes. Natural causes of climate change include volcanic emissions and solar variation. Human
activities influencing the climate include human-generated greenhouse gases and aerosols.

learning.
1. understand that population levels of organisms can be affected by multiple limiting factors.
• listing limiting factors that could affect pika populations,
• describing how abiotic and biotic limiting factors could affect each other in ways that affect pika populations, and
• considering how different limiting factors may affect populations in different regional ecosystems.
2. recognize that recent climate change is changing multiple factors that affect ecosystems.
They will demonstrate their recognition by
• identifying factors affecting pikas that may be related to recent climate change and
• describing how climate change may be affecting pika populations.
3. understand that the process of science can be applied to ecological questions. Deleted: writing an explanation about
They will demonstrate their understanding by outlining how an ecological study exemplifies different practices that are
part of the process of science.
Preparations
Read the entire student activity in advance and consult additional background material if you are unfamiliar with the topic of
sky islands or climate change. You may wish to assign parts of this activity, such as reading the first scenario, to students for
homework.

1–2. Direct students to read the scenario, Mystery Mountain Mammal, copy the data table (figure 2.18) into their science
notebooks, and add highlight comments to the data table. Deleted: 15.18
Students have used the highlight comments strategy to analyze graphs twice in this chapter. Deleted: You may wish to have students carry out
these steps for homework.
However, they have not used the strategy for a data table. If students seem to struggle with starting their April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:27 AM
comments, ask them to look for changes, trends, or differences that they see in the numbers. For Deleted: By this point in the program, s
example, they should notice that there are many fewer populations at lower altitude in both time ranges. April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:29 AM
Deleted: often
3. In step 3, students expand their highlight comments to write the caption for the data table. This is the complete Highlight
Comments and Captions strategy. Students’ captions should indicate that the number of pika populations has decreased April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:30 AM
Deleted: may not be as familiar with using
over time at both elevation levels. Some students may also notice that a greater proportion of populations have
disappeared from the lower-elevation levels.
Deleted: any
4. The contents of students’ tables will vary. Encourage all reasonable suggestions for limiting factors. Abiotic factors that April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:33 AM
students might list include summer temperatures, water availability, the amount of rocky slope habitat, and the amount of Deleted: Encourage students to share their
snow cover providing insulation in the winter. Biotic factors students might list include the abundance of weasels, the highlight comments with their partners before
abundance of plant species that pikas eat, the incidence of diseases in the pika population, and the presence of human April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:33 AM
activities. As students construct these tables, it may help to circulate around the room and ask prompting questions that Deleted: ing
challenge students to make their descriptions of limiting factors specific. For example, if a student lists “temperature,” April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:34 AM
Deleted: final
you might ask, “How do you imagine temperature might be a limiting factor for pikas?” and “Please write down the
more-specific limiting factor instead of just saying ‘temperature’.”
5. The factors that students choose as likely limiting pika populations will vary. Accept all reasonable suggestions and
monitor student work to encourage them to construct well-reasoned explanations for why they think these are the most
likely limiting factors.
6. Encourage students to spend some time pondering this question and discussing potential interactions with their partners.
Students’ answers again will vary. One possible answer is that decreased rainfall could lead to a decreased abundance of
the plant species that pikas eat, which could lead to pika extinction through the starvation of adults or a decreased ability
to produce offspring.
7. This step is meant to get students thinking about how to study populations in decline, rather than to have students present
a more formal proposal for a study. However, monitor their work to make sure that they follow through to making a
prediction about patterns in the data that they propose to collect. After students have completed this step, consider
convening a class discussion about their answers to steps 5–7. As different students relate their answers, the class should
gradually realize that there are quite a few factors that a scientist would likely want to keep track of in order to know
whether they affect a population’s size.
8–9. Direct students to read the scenario, Investigating Pika Declines, and compare the study described in the scenario with Deleted: the Process of Science Diagram
the factors that they listed in step 5. You may want to relate to students that the scenario summarizes a real pika study and April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:40 AM
only a selection of data is presented for simplicity. The study’s authors actually included data for 22 different variables in Deleted: 15.20
their full statistical model. Students’ answers to step 9 may vary; they are intended to help students make a personal April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:40 AM
connection to the information they have read rather than converge on a particular “right” answer. Deleted: They should be fairly familiar with this
diagram at this point in the program.
Deleted: accessed prior knowledge
ELL April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:50 AM
Deleted: generated a testable
Although the directions specify for students to read on their own, ELLs may not feel comfortable doing so. Consider using an
appropriate reading strategy, such as a choral reading, with these students. Deleted: planned and carried out an investigation
10. Direct students to compare the study they have read about with How Science Works (figure 2.20). Students should be able Deleted: ); gathered evidence (
to identify that Beever and his team explored scientific literature (by collecting information about historical sightings of April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:52 AM
the pika); asked a question (“What factors affect pika extinctions?”); gathered data (collecting data on at least 6 factorsby Deleted: communicated their study
going into the field and gathering data on those factors); published papers on their findings (as evidenced by the news April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:53 AM
brief that Malcolm read); and were inspired to revise or develop a new hypothesis (as more than 1 factor they studied was Deleted: considered alternative explanations
found to be related to pika extinctions). In addition, the scenario showed that Malcolm engaged in the curiosity portion of April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:54 AM
Deleted: wondering
how science works (when he and Dylan heard the strange call of the pika), and he took steps to explore the literature
about pikas (from the Web and from the park ranger). April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:54 AM
Deleted: the process of science
11–12. The factors that students should list follow: April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:55 AM
Abiotic Factors: Deleted: access prior knowledge
• Elevation of habitat (lower = higher chance of extinction)

• Maximum summer temperature (higher summer temperature = higher chance of extinction)
Biotic Factors:
• How heavily livestock graze the location (more grazing = higher chance of extinction)
• Distance from the habitat to the nearest major road (closer the road = higher chance of extinction)
Students may or may not circle temperature as a factor related to climate change that affects pikas. This
is not important at this step, as the action is designed to simply get students anticipating what they might
encounter in the next essay, Climate Change and Its Impacts.
In step 12, guide students in using the Mark It Up! annoting text strategy if they need help. Students April Gardner 5/15/2017 12:56 AM
may notequestions about the essay, depending on their familiarity with the topic of climate change. After Deleted: on the Western United States
students have had a chance to read the essay, you may wish to reserve some class time for an informal April Gardner 5/15/2017 1:00 AM
discussion of climate change causes, impacts, and ways that people can contribute to solving the Deleted: s
problem. Students may propose arguments counter to the idea that human activities cause climate April Gardner 5/15/2017 1:00 AM
Deleted: have
change, and it is appropriate to allow them to discuss these ideas. However, remind students that all
ideas have to withstand the rigor of scientific peer review. The best scientific explanations will not only
propose a mechanism for climate change but show how alternative explanations are not as good a fit for
the data. The scientific process is capable of working out the different contributions of natural processes
and human activities to the phenomenon, and the best scientific explanation currently implicates human
activities in the cause of recent climate change.
13. Students’ paragraphs will vary, but are likely to show an appreciation for the fact that pika extinctions are likely
caused by a combination of factors, including the natural elevation of their habitat, the summer temperatures experienced
by pikas, and the level of human and agricultural activity in the area. They are likely to suggest that climate change has
affected 1 of these factors, summer temperatures, and to predict that increasing temperatures due to climate change will
lead to further pika population extinctions. Some students may acknowledge the possibility that warmer temperatures can
lead to extinctions but stop short of predicting such extinctions in the future, citing a lack of information that would allow
such a prediction—this is a well-reasoned analysis as well. In this step, students engage in SEP 8, Obtaining, Evaluating,
and Communicating Information, grades 9–12, element 2: Compare, integrate, and evaluate sources of information
presented in different media or formats as well as in words in order to address a scientific question or solve a problem.
ASSESSMENT
Answers to Analysis
1. Because pikas are not known to travel long distances, because they rely on the shelter of rocky slopes, and April Gardner 5/15/2017 1:02 AM
Comment [12]: Remove SEP icon
because they are sensitive to high temperatures, they are unlikely to move to lower elevations in search of a distant
mountaintop habitat.
2. Students’ answers may vary, and many may struggle to make a connection between a cold weather phenomenon and
Deleted: Students are asked to write a scientific
climate change. However, some students may remember that snow provides insulation to pikas in the wintertime. We can explanation in this step. In doing so, they are
predict that decreasing snowfall lessens the amount of insulation that pikas have against cold winter temperatures. This could developing skills related to SEP 6, Constructing
Explanations and Designing Solutions, grades 9–12,
cause more pikas not to survive the winter. In fact, this idea has been supported by data recently collected in the Rocky element 3: Apply scientific ideas, principles, and/or
Mountains by Chris Ray, and also in a new analysis of the pika extinctions in the Great Basin. New data on historical evidence to provide an explanation of phenomena
and solve design problems, taking into account
climates in the Great Basin have allowed Erik Beever and his colleagues to discover that, overall, cold stress may be a more possible unanticipated effects.
important factor in pika extinctions than heat stress. This example helps underscore the fact that scientists can learn new
things about a system, given new or additional data.
EVALUATE
Critters and Interdependence

Major Topics
Global interdependence; carrying capacity; resources; limiting factors; population dynamics; interactions
Overview
This Evaluate activity, Critters and Interdependence, provides you and the students with an opportunity to evaluate their
understanding of the key concepts in this chapter. The students will use their habitat cards from chapter 1 and imagine that
they live in such an ecosystem along with their critters, other students’ critters, humans, and other native organisms. They April Gardner 5/15/2017 1:05 AM
will work together to create a story that describes the interactions among these various organisms. Deleted: 3
Materials (per class of 30, individuals and small teams)

Part A
online resource
Part B
descriptions and diagrams of the students’ critters from previous chapters
30 copies of copymaster 2.3, Chapter 2 Critter Rubric
Outcomes and Indicators of Success Deleted: 15.3
Deleted: Critters and Interdependence
learning.
1. demonstrate their understanding of the types of interactions and interdependence in a specific ecosystem.
They will demonstrate their understanding by describing the types of interactions and interdependence among their
organisms, other organisms, and themselves in a particular ecosystem.
2. demonstrate their understanding of the following concepts: resources, carrying capacity, growth rate, and limiting factors.
They will demonstrate their understanding by making these concepts an integral part of their stories.
3. reflect on their own thinking.
They will demonstrate their ability by answering questions about the process that they used to think about and write their
stories.
Preparations
You may wish to provide additional references about the various ecosystems for students to use as resources. BSCS Biology:
An Ecological Approach (BSCS, 2006) is a good reference.
You might want to collaborate with a language arts teacher for this activity.
Develop a scoring rubric, using copymaster 2.3, Chapter 2 Critter Rubric, as a guide. April Gardner 5/15/2017 1:06 AM
Deleted: 15.3
Arrange to have a computer with Internet access available to show the video segment, “Ecosystems of the Earth.” April Gardner 5/15/2017 1:06 AM
Deleted: Critters and Interdependence
Answers to Analysis Questions 1–4 are on TE page 789A April Gardner 5/15/2017 1:07 AM
Comment [13]: Kelly, please check placement
and need for this.
Part A Resources and Ecosystems

1. Ask students to review their critter work from chapter 1, The Human Animal, in the Evaluate activity, First Encounter
with the Critter. If they have forgotten, this work should include a description of the habitat that their critters occupy.
Deleted: 3
2. As students view images of their habitats on the video segment, “Ecosystems of the Earth,” remind them to begin April Gardner 5/15/2017 1:07 AM
thinking of interactions that might take place; encourage them to take notes on what they observe, in addition to the Deleted: Products of Evolution: Unity and
Diversity
names of the ecosystems and the limiting factors.
The first 6 ecosystems in the video segment, “Ecosystems of the Earth” correspond to the habitat
cards in the chapter 1 Evaluate activity, First Encounter with the Critter. Use these 6 or any of the other 10
in the segment. April Gardner 5/15/2017 1:08 AM
Students may list biotic factors such as other populations of organisms and abiotic factors such as Deleted: 3
water, climate, soil, or sunlight availability.

3. Guide the discussion to activate the knowledge and understanding students gained during their studies in chapter 2. Be
sure that the students provide their own overview of the “big ideas” from the chapter.
Deleted: 15
Part B Critters in Ecosystems

1. Ask the students to meet with other classmates who had the same habitat card in chapter 1. If any habitats turn out to have
only a single student, have the student join a group with a similar habitat, if possible.
Deleted: 3
2. Each student should receive a rubric (copymaster 2.3 Chapter 2 Critter Rubric) to use as a guide. Ask students to April Gardner 5/15/2017 1:09 AM
Deleted: 15.3, Critters and Interdependence
review the rubric to make sure they understand the requirements of the assignment and to see if they have any questions
about it. Circulate among groups so that you are available to answer questions as they arise.
3. As students introduce their critters, circulate among groups and encourage equitable participation. Steer the group
discussions to step 4 as soon as all students have introduced their critters. Limit the time for step 3 so that teams move
quickly to the brainstorming session in step 4.
4. While the students are having their brainstorming sessions, remind them to focus on the ideas that are listed in
this step. Students may want to view the video segments several more times to help them come up with ideas. Some
students may feel compelled to have their critter’s interactions dominate all others. Remind the students that all organisms
are interdependent in a wide variety of ways. Steps 4 and 5 allow students to practice SEP 8, Obtaining, Evaluating, and
Communicating Information, grades 9–12, element 5: Communicate scientific and/or technical information or ideas in
multiple formats.
5. Writing the story may be done in class or can be assigned as homework. You may want to give students more than 1 day
to complete the story.
ELL
Use an appropriate writing strategy for the level of the ELLs in your class. This could include some or all of the following:
sentence frames, picture banks, and word banks. This strategy will help students structure the story and allow them to focus
on the science ideas that are important for writing the story.
ASSESSMENT
Answers to Analysis
1. Expect that the students will indicate that some specific aspect of writing was difficult for them, for example,
incorporating all the features into 1 plot, thinking up the main story line, or connecting ideas may have been challenging.
2. Expect that students will indicate that the most difficult concepts for them to incorporate were those that they understood
the least or were interested in the least.
3. Expect that most students will indicate that it was easier to write about the interactions because they are the most concrete.
On the other hand, they may indicate that it was easy to write about limiting factors and carrying capacity because they now
understand the concepts and have many good ideas.

Deleted: 4. Students may have thought certain
adaptations were too simple to be worth including or
too complex to be able to explain well, for example.

Unit Goals: Advance Preparation For The Unit

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By the end of chapter 2, students should understand that

Science and Engineering Crosscutting Concepts

Using Models System Models

EXPLORE EXPLORE EXPLAIN

Hidden Interactions? Interactions in the World The Pasture Story

Deleted: Observing the World around Us

Copymaster 2.1, Task Copymaster 2.2, April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:26 PM

April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:26 PM

the World” “Pasture Profits”

Team size: 1 Team size: 2, 4 Team size: 2–4

Skill: Individual work Skill: Sharing perspectives Skill: Sharing

Strategies and tools

the World” “Pasture Profits”

Prior knowledge of Prior knowledge: range of Ability to select and test

organisms and between interactions simulation; graphing;

organisms and their graph interpretation

Mystery on Easter Island Islands in the Sky Critters and Interdependence

“Easter Island” Copymaster 2.3, Chapter 2 April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:26 PM

Interdependence Involves Climate Change and Its

Team size: 2–4 Team size: 2 Team size: Individual work

Class Time Key

Chapter Organizer April Gardner 5/14/2017 5:29 PM

Outcomes and Indicators of Success

Strategies for Guiding Learners

Interactions in the World around Us

definition so that you can assess students’ understanding of an ecosystem.

April Gardner 5/14/2017 7:39 PM

The Pasture Story

Materials (per teams of 2–4)

Familiarize yourself with the online material and simulations in advance.

Strategies for Guiding Learners

Let me know what you think and I will adjust this

Mystery on Easter Island

Outcomes and Indicators of Success

Strategies for Guiding Learners

Islands in the Sky

Glacial Advancement and Retreat

Changes in Precipitation Patterns

Changes in Growing Season

Sea Level Rise

The IPCC and Human-Caused Climate Change

Outcomes and Indicators of Success

Strategies for Guiding Learners

• Elevation of habitat (lower = higher chance of extinction)

Critters and Interdependence

Materials (per class of 30, individuals and small teams)

Part A Resources and Ecosystems

water, climate, soil, or sunlight availability.

Part B Critters in Ecosystems

April Gardner 5/15/2017 1:11 AM

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