Lesson 3 : Engineer

Time Required: 150 minutes

Use their knowledge of the food web to design a solution that reduces the amount of waste your cafeteria sends to the local landfill.

STANDARDS:
Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment (5-LS2-1).
Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun (5-PS3-1).
Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem MS-LS2-1).
Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems (MS-LS2-2).
Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem (MS-LS2-3).
Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations (MS-LS2-4).
Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services (MS-LS2-5).

5-LS1-1

Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the idea that plant matter comes mostly from air and water, not from the soil.]

5-LS2-1

Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the idea that matter that is not food (air, water, decomposed materials in soil) is changed by plants into matter that is food. Examples of systems could include organisms, ecosystems, and the Earth.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include molecular explanations.]

5-PS3-1

Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, and motion and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun. [Clarification Statement: Examples of models could include diagrams, and flow charts.]