1 Core Concepts:
1) All living things share common characteristics and are classified based upon similarities and differences of major physical characteristics. 2) The Earth itself and the life forms on it have evolved over geologic time.
3) The theory of evolution explains how species change over time via the process of natural selection. 4) Inherited traits are passed from parents to offspring in predictable patterns.
5) Many factors affect the flow and quality of water as it moves through the water cycle.
6) A variety of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources are used by people to meet their needs. 7) Living things meet their needs through interactions with the biotic and abiotic components in a biome.
8) Limiting factors act to influence the types and numbers of living things that can be supported in an ecosystem.
Essential Questions:
Title: Common Characteristics of Life / Classification
Standards Content (What the Student Will Know) Performance (What the Student will Do) Activities/Assessments
3.1.7.A1 All living things share common
characteristics.
Determine if something is living or nonliving based upon its ability to meet the criteria shared by all living things.
Graphic organizer for characteristics of living things. 3.1.6.A1 3.1.6.A6 3.1.7.A2 CC.3.5.6-8.D CC.3.5.6-8.E
Organisms are classified into kingdoms based upon similarities and differences of major physical characteristics.
Classify organisms into one of the major kingdoms based upon similarities and differences of major characteristics.
Kingdom Table graphic organizer.
Kingdom Clues matching activity. Kingdom Practical Exam
3.1.7.B5 A. Scientists have developed a
systematic way of naming organisms.
A. Use scientific names to assess relationships among organisms.
7 Levels of organization graphic organizer.
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B. A dichotomous key is a tool that taxonomists have developed to identify organisms.
B. Use and make a dichotomous key to identify a set of organisms.
A. Matching scientific and common names. B. “Keying out Trees” – using a dichotomous key B. “It’s Classified” – using a dichotomous key B. Making Dichotomous Keys – practice with fish and animals
B. Leaf Dichotomous Key Project
3 Title: Earth’s Biologic History
Standards Content (What the Student Will Know) Performance (What the Student will Do) Activities/Assessments
3.3.5.A3 4.1.8.B CC.3.5.6-8.A
Geologic process observed today such as erosion, movement of lithospheric plates, and changes in the composition of the atmosphere are similar to those in the past.
A. Relate the geologic processes happening today to the same processes that have acted on Earth in the past. B. Use geologic, fossil, and past climate evidence to
support the idea that the continents have not always been located at their current locations.
A. Reading and discussion regarding continental drift and the theory of Plate Tectonics.
B. Pangaea and
Continental Drift maps; past, present, and future.
B. Video – Faces of Earth: Building the Planet
3.3.7.A3 CC.3.5.6-8.I
Physical evidence, such as fossils, supports the theory that the Earth and the life forms on it have evolved over geologic time.
A. Use fossil evidence, tree ring analysis, ice core samples, etc. to support the theory that the Earth and its organisms have changed over time.
B. Determine the relative age of fossils using the Law of Superposition.
C. Compare and contrast absolute dating with relative dating.
D. Arrange major events in the Geologic Time Scale in the
A. Graphic organizer on fossil types and
formation.
A. Video: Saber Tooth Cat –what kinds of evidence can fossils tell us about Earth’s past. A. Video: Ice Man – a study on how fossils link us to our past.
4 order of appearance and in a way that demonstrates the scale
of
time that occurred between each event. A. Tree Ring Analysis Lab – What information
about past climate can tree rings indicate? B. Relative Dating graphic organizer and examples
B. Who’s on First? – Relative Dating Activity C. Venn diagram on Relative and Absolute Dating
D. Geologic Time Graphic Organizer D. 4-Square pictogram of the 4 major Eras of Geologic Time. D. Taking Steps in Geologic Time – outdoor activity D. Geologic Time
Column activity – match the clue to the event.
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D. Video Clip Review: Faces of Earth
6 Title: Natural Selection
Standards Content (What the Student Will Know) Performance (What the Student will Do) Activities/Assessments
3.1.6.C1 CC.3.5.6-8.H
There are differences between instinctive (inherited) and learned (acquired)
behaviors that relate to survival.
A. Differentiate between inherited and acquired traits. B. Describe how Charles Darwin devised the theory of
evolution and why it is the only accepted scientific theory that describes how species change over time.
A. Graphic Organizer: Compare and Contrast Darwin vs. Lamarck B. Study of Darwin’s voyage to the Galapagos Islands using readings and maps. B. Video – Galapagos 3.1.5.C2 3.1.7.C1 3.1.7.C2 4.1.8.D CC.3.5.6-8.C
The theory of evolution explains how species change over time via the process of natural selection.
A. Explain and model how the four factors that govern natural selection (overproduction, variation, adaptation, and selection) work in a population to bring changes to a species.
B. Use examples of organisms found on the Galapagos Islands to explain how speciation occurs.
C. Model how natural selection occurs.
A. Theory of Evolution – Frayer model graphic organizer A. Understanding Natural Selection graphic organizer B. Examples of Natural Selection (fish, polar bears)
C. Bird Beak Analysis activity
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Selection activity
Standards Content (What the Student Will Know) Performance (What the Student will Do) Activities/Assessments
3.1.8.C1 Reproductive success coupled with
advantageous traits over many generations contributes to natural selection and speciation.
Describe how different types of isolating mechanisms can produce speciation through reproductive isolation.
Reproductive Isolation graphic organizer Assess evolutionary diagrams depicting speciation.
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3.1.7.C3 CC.3.5.6-8.F
There are geologic, fossil, genetic and comparative anatomical evidence that provide the basis for the theory of evolution.
Explain the different kinds of scientific evidence that support the theory of evolution.
Constructing Support: Evidence of Evolution graphic organizer Peppered Moth project
9 Title: Genetics and Heredity
Standards Content (What the Student Will Know) Performance (What the Student will Do) Activities/Assessments
3.1.5.B1 CC.3.5.6-8.D
Genetic instructions influence inherited traits, which are passed from parent to offspring.
Assess why dominant traits tend to appear more frequently in a population as well as identify situations in which the
recessive form of a trait would appear more frequently.
Lab: Dominant and Recessive Alleles 3.1.7.B1
CC.3.6.6-8.B
A. A Punnett Square can be used to
predict simple patterns of inheritance as demonstrated by Gregor Mendel. B. Patterns of inheritance include
dominant/recessive, codominant, polygenic, incomplete dominance, and sex-lined.
C. Many types of disorders are inherited.
D. Pedigrees can be used to investigate
and understand familial inheritance of traits.
A. Use a Punnett Square to determine the probability of an
offspring having a particular genotype and phenotype.
B. Recognize several different types of inheritance patterns
and give examples of each.
C. Identify common examples of genetic disorders and their inheritance patterns.
D. Use a pedigree to answer questions regarding the genotypes and phenotypes of its members.
A. Assessing Genetic Corn inheritance (proving 3:1 ratio) A. Punnett Square Practice A. Bikini Bottom Genetics
A. The Test Cross
B. Inheritance Patterns
4 Square/ Foldable B. Practice Packet: Inheritance Patterns B. Blood Typing Lab B. Blood Type Genetic Problems
C. Genetic Disorders Foldable
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D. Pedigrees of the Rich
and Famous
D. The Blue People of Kentucky
3.1.7.B4 CC.3.6.6-8.A
Selective breeding and biotechnology can alter the genetic composition of
organisms.
Debate the pros and cons of technologies using selective breeding and biotechnologies.
DNA Technologies 4-Square Video: Decoding Dogs – how selective breeding leads to domestication
11 Title: Watersheds and Wetlands
Standards Content (What the Student Will Know) Performance (What the Student will Do) Activities/Assessments
4.2.5.C Water is a unique substance due to its
physical and chemical properties.
Demonstrate how the polarity of water affects its ability to form surface tension, cohesion, capillary action, and its use as a solvent.
Properties of Water Graphic Organizer. How Many Drops Fit on a Penny - activity
4.1.5.B 4.2.5.A 4.2.7.A 4.2.8.A
Water enters, moves through, and leaves a watershed.
Describe how water moves through the water cycle. Water Distribution and
Use graphic organizer PLAY – Water Cycle Graphic Organizer Water Drop Journey activity
4.2.6.A A. There are six major watersheds in
Pennsylvania.
B. Many factors affect the flow of water
and run-off pollution within a watershed. C. Many kinds of maps and GIS technology
can be used to investigate water flow and water quality issues within watersheds.
A. Identify and describe the six major watersheds in
Pennsylvania.
B. Use a topography map to outline the boundaries of a
watershed.
C. Describe how different factors affect the flow of water and
how water pollution moves through a watershed.
A. Watershed Graphic Organizer
A. Six Ways to the Sea – Meet the Watersheds of PA graphic
organizer B. Topography – Mapping Out Watersheds
B. Big River Topographic Map Activity
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B. Copycat – Go With the Flow worksheet C. National Geographic - Chesapeake Bay Fieldscope lessons and use of GIS technology.
4.2.7.A Streams are given orders based upon their
physical parameters.
Determine the stream order of a stream and relate this to the physical and biological properties of that stream.
Stream Order graphic organizer
Stream Order practice sheets.
River Continuum graphic organizer. A Wet World – macroinvertebrate intro 4.2.5.B 4.2.6.B 4.2.7.B 4.2.8.B
A. Wetlands are areas of land that have hydric soil, hydrophilic plants, and standing water.
B. Wetlands provide many important
functions to people as well as to wildlife.
C. Wetlands have been disappearing at an alarming rate since European
development.
A. Identify wetlands and differentiate between marshes,
swamps, and bogs.
B. Describe the many different functions that wetlands
perform.
C. Explain the main threats to wetlands.
A. Wetland Characteristics graphic organizer. A. Wetland matching (visuals) B. Wetland Functions graphic organizer. B. Wetland Metaphors activity. C. John Smith’s
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Chesapeake – comparing the
Chesapeake Bay then and now. 4.2.6.C 4.2.7.C 4.2.8.A 4.2.8.C 4.5.5.C CC.3.6.6-8.F
A. Both natural and human-made factors
affect the quality of surface and ground water.
B. Pollution can be categorized as either
point or nonpoint.
C. Drinking Water Treatment and Waste
Water Treatment plants act to keep our water supply clean and healthy.
A. Identify how natural and human-made factors affect the
quality of surface and ground water.
B1. Categorize pollution as either point or nonpoint and design a plan of action to address the pollution. B2. Explain how eutrophication occurs and why it is a problem in the Chesapeake Bay.
B3. Demonstrate the process of Biomagnificaiton.
B4. Using information about water pollution, devise a plan for development of an area utilizing best management practices to minimize negative affects of pollution. C. Explain how drinking water and waste water are treated.
A. Water Pollution graphic organizer. B1. Water Pollution Graphic organizer / notes. B1. Legislation – A Few Pollution Laws. B2. Eutrophication sequence graphic organizer.
B.3 Deadly Links activity. B3. Biomagnification Handout
B3. Video Clip – Water to the Last Drop B4. What’s in the Water? – Lab Activity
B4. Dragonfly Pond activity
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C. Components of Municipal Water and Wastewater
Treatment Systems diagram.
C. The Path of Water through a City handout.
C. Location, Location assessment sheet.
15 Title: Natural Resources
Standards Content (What the Student Will Know) Performance (What the Student will Do) Activities/Assessments 3.3.5.A2 3.3.8.A2 4.3.7.A 4.3.7.B 4.5.6.A 4.5.7.A 4.5.8.A CC.3.5.6-8.I
A. Many products used by humans are
derived from natural resources.
B. Resources are categorized as renewable
or nonrenewable.
C. The development of civilization affects
the use of natural resources.
A. Describe the natural resources used in the manufacture of
products.
B. Differentiate between renewable and nonrenewable
resources.
C. Suggest best management practices for conserving natural resources.
A. Materials in a Pencil diagram
B. Generations activity B. Need versus Greed activity C. Discussion / Research / Presentations on Best Management Practices. 4.3.8A 4.5.6.A 4.5.7.A 4.5.7.D 4.5.7.E 4.5.8.C 4.5.8.D CC.3.6.6-8.C
A. Fossil fuels have many advantages and disadvantages.
B. Many types of pollution result as a
consequence of using natural resources for energy production.
C. Many types of alternative energy
resources are being developed to meet human needs.
A1. Differentiate between the formation of coal and that of oil and natural gas.
A.2 Explain advantages and disadvantages of fossil fuels. B. Relate pollution caused by resource use to human and
environmental health (i.e. acid rain, greenhouse effect climate c change, ground level ozone (smog).
C. Compare and contrast various types of natural resources that can be used for energy and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each.
A1. What is Coal? - handout. A1. Discuss the formation of coal and show examples of each of the intermediate types of coal.
A1. Video Clip: Faces of Earth – coal and oil formation and exploration. A1. Graphing analysis
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and comparison of fossil fuel use and production.
A2 Notes / Discussion on the pros and cons of fossil fuels.
B. 4-Square graphic organizer: Pollution from Burning Fossil Fuels.
B. Acid Precipitation information sheet B. Canaries and Trout – What’s the
Connection? B. The Greenhouse
Effect – handout B. Diagram the Carbon
Cycle
B. Information handout
on Ground Level vs. atmospheric ozone. B. Video: Earth, the Biograph:
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Atmosphere C. Energy Resources
table graphic organizer
C. Written assignment:
To Dam or Not to Dam
4.1.6.D 4.5.5.D
Conservation of Natural Resources involves reducing our use, reusing items, and recycling.
Identify ways to conserve our use of natural resources by reducing, reusing, and recycling.
Energy Conservation handout / discussion / examples. 4.1.7.A 4.1.7.B CC.3.5.6-8.J
Both biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem are interdependent on each other.
A. Identify biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem and
explain how they are interdependent on each other.
B. Explain biogeochemical cycles within an ecosystem (i.e.
nitrogen, water, carbon cycles).
A. Graphic Organizer on Abiotic Factors. A. Graphic organizer on
soils and soil horizons. B. Nutrient Cycling graphic organizers. B. Cycles in Ecosystems packet 3.1.5.C1 3.1.7.A8 4.1.7.A CC.3.5.6-8.G
A. There are six major land biomes
categorized by their climate and characteristic flora and fauna.
B. Plants and animals in different biomes
utilize varying adaptations to help them survive in their habitat.
A. Describe and locate on a map the 6 major land biomes.
B. Explain a variety of adaptations that plants and animals
have/use in order to survive in different biomes.
A. Packet on Biomes. A. Graphic organizer
table on 6 major land biomes A. Mapping biomes activity A. Assessing Temperature and Precipitation graphs.
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B. Activity - match the organism to its biome. B. Activity – match the organism to its adaptation. 4.1.7.E
CC.3.5.6-8.B
Ecosystems undergo a series of
predictable changes in flora and fauna called ecological succession until a climax community is reached.
A. Describe the predictable changes that an ecosystem goes through until a climax community is reached. B. Differentiate between primary and secondary succession.
A. Succession graphic organizer.
B. Compare and contrast primary and
secondary succession. B. Activity: Putting succession in order.
19 Title: Population Dynamics and Organism Interactions
Standards Content (What the Student Will Know) Performance (What the Student will Do) Activities/Assessments
3.1.7.A8 3.1.8.A8 4.1.7.A
Interactions among organisms in an ecosystem may involve predation, competition and cooperation
A. Identify and describe three types of symbiotic relationships
of organisms including mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.
B. Describe and analyze various predator/prey relationships. C. Describe various ways in which organisms compete and
cooperate for survival.
A. Foldable for
Symbiotic Relationships.
B. Graphic organizer for predator/prey interactions. B. Graphing analysis of interactions among organisms and predator/prey relationships. C. Reading and discussions on various ways organisms
compete and cooperate.
C. Video: Triumph of
Life – 4 million year war.
3.1.5.C1 4.5.7.C CC.3.6.6-8.J.I
A. Populations of organisms have defining characteristics related to size, density, spacing, and age structure.
B. Limiting factors in an environment act
to restrict population sizes.
A1. Explain the four factors that define populations. A2. Discuss advantages of different types of population spacing and analyze age structure diagrams and predict future needs of populations.
B. Describe how density-dependent and density-independent
A1. Graphic organizer on
populations and population defining factors.
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C. Limiting factors act in concert to
determine the carrying capacity for an ecosystem.
limiting factors act to limit the size of populations.
C.1 Determine the carrying capacity of an environment for a particular population of organisms.
C2. Predict consequences of a population overshooting its carrying capacity and recommend strategies to keep population numbers at a healthy level.
A2. Analysis of Population
spacing and age structure. B. Limiting Factor activity B. Limiting Factor graphic organizer C1. Carrying Capacity graphic organizer. C1. Oh, Deer! Activity C2. Graphing analysis on carrying capacity. 4.1.5.D 4.1.7.D 4.1.7.E 4.5.6.C 4.5.6.D 4.5.7.B 4.5.7.C 4.5.8.C A. Biodiversity is related to an
ecosystem’s ability to adapt to changes.
B. Reasons why organisms become
threatened, endangered, or extinct may be both natural and man-made.
C. Humans can have both positive and
negative impacts on the environment.
D. Introduced organisms may become
invasive and cause ecological and economical damage.
A. Relate Biodiversity to the health of an ecosystem and its
ability to adapt to change.
B. Differentiate between the terms threatened, endangered
and extinct.
C. Describe several ways that human actions can have both
advantageous as well as detrimental effects on the environment.
D. Identify common invasive species and explain why invasive
species are an ecological and economical threat.
A. Biodiversity Fact Sheet A. Loss of Biodiversity graphic organizer. A. Video: Natural Connections.
B. Graphic organizer for terms.
B. Discussion on both
21 made causes of decreasing organism populations. B. Endangered Species graph analysis. C. Discussion on how
human interactions can have both good and bad affects on the
environment.
D. Invasive Species
posters (research and presentations).
