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Grade 2 - 2-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

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Grade 2 - 2-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

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Disciplinary Core Ideas

LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
• Plants depend on water and light to grow. (2-LS2-1)
• Plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around. (2-LS2-2

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions
• Designs can be conveyed through sketches, drawings, or physical models. These representations are useful in communicating ideas for a problem’s solutions to other people. (secondary to 2-LS2-2)

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Use the Template and Resource Links to Fulfill NGSS

l. Goals:

  1. Understand that plants depend on water and light to grow.
  2. Understand that plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around.
  3. Understand that designs can be conveyed through sketches, drawings, or physical models. These representations are useful in communicating ideas for a problem’s solutions to other people.

Essential Questions:

  1. How do water and light help plants grow?
  2. How do animals help plants pollinate and spread their seeds?
    NGSS Note: Think, question, entertain ideas.
     

ll. Introductory Activities to Assess Prior Knowledge

A. Simple Activities - that assess students’ understanding of what plants need to grow, pollinate and spread their seeds.
Label the Parts of the Plant

Seed Dispersal Matching

Spreading the Seeds - Mini-Poster

Spreading Seeds - Matching

Seed Dispersal - An Investigation

Pollination or Seed Spreading - Matching

What Plants Need - Matching (Color)

Name the Parts of a Plant - Cut and Paste

What Plants Need - Read Aloud (K-2)

What Plants Need - Read Aloud Vocabulary Cut and Paste

What Plants Need Coloring Page

What Plants Need - Poster

B. Brainstorming Session
Question:
How do animals help plants spread their seeds?
    1. Break students down into groups of 3-4.
    2. Ask students to generate a list of ways that animals help plants spread their seeds.
    3. Discuss

C. Critical Thinking - Discuss the Seed dispersal comic (below) and what is ironic about it.

Seed Dispersal Adaptation Comic

 

lll. New Knowledge - Text

A. Read about animals that live in groups and consider how this helps them.

Photosynthesis Simplified (Elementary Levels)

Plant Adaptations for Pollination & Seed Dispersal

B. Examples of Models (depicts the concept expressed in the reading):
Ask students to look at the models and explain how each illustrates the concepts they've read about.

photosynthesis simplified, plants need water and light to grow
Plant Adaptations for Pollination & Seed Dispersal

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lV. Experiments, Activities, Model-making (Critical Thinking)
Inquiry related to social interactions and group behaviors. Choose and Research an animal that lives in a group and then use critical thinking to complete the social interactions and group behavior sheet below about them

Photosynthesis - A Simple Experiment

Learning About Plants - Make a Terrarium

Seed Dispersal Experiment - Field Study

Plants Depending on Animals - An Illustrated Report

What Plants Need to Grow - Investigation

 

V. Summarize Knowledge - Enduring Understandings

  1. Plants depend on water and light to grow.
  2. Plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around.
  3. Designs can be conveyed through sketches, drawings, or physical models. These representations are useful in communicating ideas for a problem’s solutions to other people.


Vl. New Generation of Science Standards (NGSS) - Grade 2

Disciplinary Core Ideas

LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
• Plants depend on water and light to grow. (2-LS2-1)
• Plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around. (2-LS2-2

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions
• Designs can be conveyed through sketches, drawings, or physical models. These representations are useful in communicating ideas for a problem’s solutions to other people. (secondary to 2-LS2-2)


Science and Engineering Practices (NGSS)

Developing and Using Models
Modeling in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to include using and developing models (i.e., diagram, drawing, physical replica, diorama, dramatization, or storyboard) that represent concrete events or design solutions.
• Develop a simple model based on evidence to represent a proposed object or tool. (2-LS2-2)

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
Planning and carrying out investigations to answer questions or test solutions to problems in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to simple investigations, based on fair tests, which provide data to support explanations or design solutions.
• Plan and conduct an investigation collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence to answer a question. (2-LS2-1)


Crosscutting Concepts (NGSS)

Cause and Effect
• Events have causes that generate observable patterns. (2-LS2-1)

Structure and Function
• The shape and stability of structures of natural and designed objects are related to their function(s). (2-LS2-2)

Performance Expectations

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

2-LS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow. [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to testing one variable at a time.]

2-LS2-2.
Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.* 

Common Core State Standards Connections

ELA/Literacy
W.2.7     Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).
(2-LS2-1)
W.2.8   
  Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. (2-LS2-1)
SL.2.5    
Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. (2-LS2-2)

Mathematics
MP.2    Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (2-LS2-1)
MP.4  
 Model with mathematics. (2-LS2-1),(2-LS2-2)
MP.5    
Use appropriate tools strategically. (2-LS2-1)
2.MD.D.10 
Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with single-unit scale) to represent a data set with up to four categories. Solve simple put-together, take-apart, and compare problems using information presented in a bar graph. (2-LS2-2)

 

Grade 2 - 2-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

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