Download Title of Unit: Ecology Course and Grade Level: 9th Grade Biology

Title of Unit: Ecology Course and Grade Level: 9th Grade Biology
Essential Questions:
What is the meaning of
interdependence? Are we
interdependent creatures?
Why do organisms pick specific
homes?
Can a population grow
exponentially forever?
How do we interact with other
species and our environment?
Key Terms:
ecology
biosphere
ecosystem
community
population
habitat
(a)biotic factors
niche
producer & consumer
Herb, omni, detriti and
carnivore
decomposers
predation and prey
symbiosis
mutualism, commensalism
and parasitism
succession
biomes
Content & Standards
Diversity and
Interdependence of life:
ecosystems
Each organism on Earth
depends on other living
and nonliving things in its
environment.
Skills in Science:
State the five levels of ecological study.
Compare abiotic and biotic factors and
list two examples of each.
Summarize the roles of producers in an
ecosystem.
Energy flows from the sun
to autotrophs to
heterotrophs then to
decomposers.
Interpret and discuss food webs and
chains.
Matter is recycled and
reused through the
carbon, water and
nitrogen cycles.
Discuss how energy is transferred
throughout an ecosystem.
Population grow and
disperse in a patterned
fashion.
Many species have
specific interactions with
other species based on
benefits and harms.
Communities must
recover from
disturbances.
Scientists classify the
biosphere into very large
terrestrial biomes and
aquatic ecosystems with
similar climates and
inhabitants.
Humans have a great
Assessments:
Formative:
Discuss in detail the types of symbiosis.
Identify the eight major biomes and
describe properties of each.
ELA connection: Cite specific textual
evidence to support analysis of
science and technical texts, attending
to precise details of explanation or
description
Analyze the structure of the
relationship among concepts in a text,
including among key terms
Literature:
designing food webs
virtual population growth lab
Symbiosis Wanted posters
Technology: Design websites
on weebly.com, virtual labs
Modeling predation
Informational Text: Chapter
18­20 in Holt’s Modern
Biology
Explain the importance of decomposers.
Identify examples of competition and
predator and prey adaptations.
Resources
Summative:
Biome Travel Guide
Other:
Created by:
Jillian R. Little
Biology Instructor
M.A. Secondary Education
impact on the
environment.