Download Standard 5 - Pompton Lakes School District

New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
POMPTON LAKES SCHOOL DISTRICT
SCIENCE – GRADE 6
COURSE OF STUDY
June 2011
Dr. Paul Amoroso, Superintendent
BOARD MEMBERS
Mr. Jose A. Arroyo, Mrs. Traci Cioppa, Mr. Robert Cruz, Mr. Shawn Dougherty,
Mr. Garry Luciani, Mr. Carl Padula, Mr. Tom Salus, Mrs. Nancy Schwartz,
Mrs. Stephanie Shaw, Mr. Timothy Troast, Jr.
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Standard 5.3 Life Science: Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for
By the end
making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. Order in of Grade 6
natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order
of natural systems can be modeled and predicted through the use of mathematics.
Strand A. Organization and Development: Living organisms are composed of cellular units (structures)
that carry out functions required for life. Cellular units are composed of molecules, which also carry out
biological functions.
Essential Questions
Enduring Understandings
What do all living things have in Living organisms have a variety of observable features that enable them
common?
to obtain food and reproduce.
Content and Cumulative
Progress Indicators (CPIs)
Content
Systems of the human body are
interrelated and regulate the
body’s internal environment.
CPI
5.3.6.A.1
Model the interdependence of
the human body’s major systems
in regulating its internal
environment.
Classroom Applications
Instructional Guidance
To assist in meeting this CPI, students may:

Construct conceptual models to clarify the levels of organization
for structure and function in living things (cells, tissues, organs,
organ systems).

Create simulations and models of how human body systems
(digestive, respiratory, reproductive, and circulatory) work
together to perform functions necessary for life.
Sample Assessments
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may complete the
following assessment:
Students imagine themselves as their favorite food, a red blood cell, a
virus, air, etc. and write a short story about what happens when the
food, etc. enters the human body. They trace the object throughout the
human body, explaining where the object stops and for what purpose
and present their short story at a reading in the school’s library.
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may answer the
following question:
The diagram below shows a major system of the human body.
2
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Which of the following best describes the function of this system?
A.
B.
C.
D.
absorbing nutrients from food
protecting the body from infection
exchanging gases with the environment
responding to stimuli in the environment
Resources
 Teachers’ Domain provides lesson plans and other multimedia
resources (video clips and simulations) that support this CPI.
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.reg.lp_
humanreg/
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.reg.body
control/
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.stru.body
systems/
Content
Instructional Guidance
To assist in meeting this CPI, students may:
Essential functions of plant and
animal cells are carried out by
organelles.

CPI
Sample Assessments
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may complete the
following performance assessment:
5.3.6.A.2
Model and explain ways in
which organelles work together
to meet the cell’s needs.
Compare and contrast the types of organelles found within plant
and animal cells. Focus on how all of the organelles, in both plants
and animals, work together to complete the essential cell
functions.
You are the leader (mayor, principal, manager, etc.) of a human-created
system (a city, a school, a restaurant, etc.). Compare, using an original
metaphor, the functions and interdependence of cell organelles to the
elements of your human-created system. Create a commercial to
advertise your city, school, restaurant, etc. using the details of the
organelles’ functions to draw people in, highlighting how efficiently the
elements work together, just like within a cell.
3
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Resources
 Teachers’ Domain provides lesson plans and other multimedia
resources (video clips and simulations) that support this CPI.
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/lsps07.sci.life.stru.cell
diagram/
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.cell.animplant/
4
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Standard 5.3 Life Science: Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for
By the end
making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. Order in of Grade 6
natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order
of natural systems can be modeled and predicted through the use of mathematics.
Strand B. Matter and Energy Transformations: Food is required for energy and building cellular
materials. Organisms in an ecosystem have different ways of obtaining food, and some organisms obtain
their food directly from other organisms.
Essential Questions
Enduring Understandings
How is matter transformed, All organisms transfer matter and convert energy from one form to another.
and energy
transferred/transformed in
living systems?
Content and Cumulative
Classroom Applications
Progress Indicators (CPIs)
Content
Instructional Guidance
To assist in meeting this CPI, students may:
Plants are producers: They
use the energy from light to
make food (sugar) from
carbon dioxide and water.
Plants are used as a source
of food (energy) for other
organisms.

CPI
Sample Assessments
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may complete the
following performance assessment:
5.3.6.B.1
Describe the sources of the
reactants of photosynthesis
and trace the pathway to the
products.
Construct a digital simulation to explain how energy entering the
ecosystem as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical energy
through photosynthesis.
Your class has been asked to help a green engineering firm design portable
solar panels that mimic the action of plants to create sugar. They are looking
to create portable solar panels for people who need access to food in
extreme conditions (people in the military, field scientists, astronauts or
serious hikers). The firm would like you to create schematic drawings or
digital simulations that explain to them how plants are able to take solar
energy and convert it to sugar.
Resources
 Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ Digital Video Library
provides short video clips of teachers describing experiments associated
with this CPI.
http://www.hsdvl.org/video.php?record_serial=231
5
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ Digital Video Library
provides short video clips of classroom experiences and interviews with
students and scientists regarding the content aligned with this CPI.
http://www.hsdvl.org/video.php?record_serial=110
Content
Instructional Guidance
To assist in meeting this CPI, students may:
All animals, including
humans, are consumers that
meet their energy needs by
eating other organisms or
their products.

CPI
Sample Assessments
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may complete the
following assessment:
5.3.6.B.2
Illustrate the flow of energy
(food) through a
community.
Create a video podcast or mini-documentary to demonstrate how
individuals and groups of organisms interact with each other and their
environment based on energy flow
Create a digital interactive food web that traces energy from light through an
ecosystem. Highlight each transfer of energy between organisms, and
discuss how the pathway may vary within one ecosystem and between
ecosystems.
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may answer the following
question:
Which shows one way that energy flows to birds in this food web?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Rodents → insects → birds
Insects → plants → birds
Snakes → rodents → birds
Plants → rodents → birds
6
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Resources
 Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ Digital Video Library
provides short video clips of an interview with a science education
expert regarding content associated with this CPI.
http://www.hsdvl.org/video.php?record_serial=1005
 Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ Digital Video Library
provides short video clips of an interview with a science education
expert regarding student misconceptions associated with this CPI.
http://www.hsdvl.org/video.php?record_serial=43
 Teachers’ Domain provides lesson plans and other multimedia resources
(video clips and simulations) that support this CPI.
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.oate.decompose/
7
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Standard 5.3 Life Science: Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for
By the end
making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. Order
of Grade 6
in natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the
order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted through the use of mathematics.
Strand C. Interdependence: All animals and most plants depend on both other organisms and their
environment to meet their basic needs.
Essential Questions
Enduring Understandings
In what ways do organisms
All animals and most plants depend on both other organisms and their
interact within ecosystems?
environments for their basic needs.
Content and Cumulative
Classroom Applications
Progress Indicators (CPIs)
Content
Instructional Guidance
To assist in meeting this CPI, students may:
Various human activities
have changed the capacity of
the environment to support
some life forms.
CPI
5.3.6.C.1
Explain the impact of
meeting human needs and
wants on local and global
environments.

Distinguish between natural (wildfire, flood, drought) and man-made
changes (forest clear cutting, input of pollutants, filling in of
marshland) to an ecosystem and discuss how these changes affect the
balance of an ecosystem.

Research and participate in local projects where humans are
changing the environment to ensure a species’ survival.
Sample Assessments
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may complete the
following performance assessment:
Your class has decided to become activists to support the conservation of
natural ecosystems. Select a region of the world where there is high
biological diversity (biodiversity) which is threatened by human actions.
Determine the species (plants, animals, fungi, etc.) that are crucial to the
balance of that ecosystem. Consider the specific human-induced threats to
biodiversity in that area, and how you might manage them with
consideration of the local culture. Interact with peers and scientists living
and working in the target culture to develop and present a specific
conservation plan to address the identified threats in the threatened region.
Resources
 GLOBIO is a collaborative site that works to collect digital images to
assess the human footprint on the world.
http://www.globio.info/
 National Public Radio features a podcast interview with a pilot who
flew over Africa in a plane to document the impact of the human
footprint on the world.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4803547
8
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)

ePals is a website that schools can use as a tool for addressing the
performance assessment. It allows teachers and students to safely
connect, collaborate and learn using with students worldwide through
protected email and blog solutions.
www.epals.com
Content
Instructional Guidance
To assist in meeting this CPI, students may:
The number of organisms
and populations an
ecosystem can support
depends on the biotic
resources available and on
abiotic factors, such as
quantities of light and water,
range of temperatures, and
soil composition.
CPI

Cite evidence to support the idea that when the environment changes,
some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others die or
move to other locations.

Analyze the changes that occur (e.g., adaptations of plants and
animals) in species of organisms as a result of the changes in Earth’s
physical environment over long periods of time.
5.3.6.C.2
Predict the impact that
altering biotic and abiotic
factors has on an ecosystem.
Sample Assessments
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may complete the
following assessment:
Students are provided data and information about a given ecosystem,
including data about population numbers of different species. Roll two
“environmental change dice”. One die will randomly determine if light,
water, temperature, soil, etc. will change, and the other die will determine
if it will increase, decrease, stay the same, etc. The groups of students
make predictions about how that change will affect their unique
ecosystem, if at all and support with scientific reasoning. Run several
trials and engage in discussion.
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may answer the
following question:
A builder is proposing a new housing development in a coastal area of
New Jersey. Construction of the housing development will destroy the
wetland habitat in the area.
Which of the following would most likely happen after a wetland is
destroyed?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The wetland plants would make more seeds.
The wetland animals would be unable to survive in that area.
The wetland animals would survive in the housing development.
The wetland plant species would move to nearby meadow habitats.
9
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Content
All organisms cause changes
in the ecosystem in which
they live. If this change
reduces another organism’s
access to resources, that
organism may move to
another location or die.
CPI
Resources
 Science NetLinks offers lesson plans and support materials associated
with this CPI.
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?BenchmarkID=5&
DocID=79
 American Museum of Natural History offers free materials in online
graduate-level professional development courses for K-12 educators
related to this CPI.
http://learn.amnh.org/courses/ocean_resource11.php
Instructional Guidance
To assist in meeting this CPI, students may:

Explain why moving organisms from their native ecosystem to a new
ecosystem may upset the balance of the new ecosystem.
Sample Assessments
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may complete the
following assessment:
5.3.6.C.3
Describe how one population
of organisms may affect
Students are provided with data and information about a given ecosystem,
other plants and/or animals
including data about population numbers of different species. Roll two
in an ecosystem.
“ecological change dice”. One die will randomly determine if a certain
group of organisms (plants, insects, mammals, reptiles, fungi, etc.) will
change within the population, and the other die will determine if that
group will increase, decrease, stay the same, etc. The groups of students
make predictions about how that change will affect their unique
ecosystem, if at all and support it with scientific reasoning. Run several
trials and engage in discussion.
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may answer the
following question:
10
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Which of the following is most likely to lead to an increase in the number
of foxes over time?
A.
B.
C.
D.
a decrease in owls
an increase in hawks
an increase in mountain lions
a decrease in raspberry bushes
Resources
 Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ Digital Video Library
provides short video clips of a workshop covering content associated
with this CPI.
http://www.hsdvl.org/video.php?record_serial=244
 Science NetLinks offers lesson plans and support materials associated
with this CPI.
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?BenchmarkID=5&
DocID=79
11
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Standard 5.3 Life Science: Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for
By the end
making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. Order in
of Grade 6
natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order
of natural systems can be modeled and predicted through the use of mathematics.
Strand D. Heredity and Reproduction: Organisms reproduce, develop, and have predictable life cycles.
Organisms contain genetic information that influences their traits, and they pass this on to their offspring
during reproduction.
Essential Questions
Enduring Understandings
How do organisms change as
Organisms reproduce, develop, have predictable life cycles, and pass on
they go through their life cycle? some traits to their offspring.
Content and Cumulative
Progress Indicators (CPIs)
Content
Reproduction is essential to the
continuation of every species.
CPI
5.3.6.D.1
Predict the long-term effect of
interference with normal
patterns of reproduction.
Classroom Applications
Instructional Guidance
To assist in meeting this CPI, students may:

Research populations of animals that have been hunted or exploited
over time.

Use authentic data to determine the trends in population numbers,
and consider the specific reasons for the decline in these
populations.
Sample Assessments
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may complete the
following assessment:
Select a threatened or endangered species using the International Union
for Conservation of Nature Redlist. They can use the database to research
population numbers of each species. They learn about the threats to each
species, and focus on those threats that interfere with reproduction. As a
class, determine which threats have the most dramatic impact on
endangered species in certain regions of the world using the data
provided.
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may answer the
following question:
A rabbit population has increased noticeably in the past ten years. Which
of the following is a reasonable hypothesis to explain this population
growth?
A. Competition for food has increased among rabbits.
B. The rabbit’s main predator has been eliminated by human
development.
12
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
C. Abnormal weather conditions have decreased water levels of the
local ponds.
D. An organism that relies on similar food sources has migrated into
the area.
Resources
 United States Geological Survey website provides authentic
population data for students to interpret and manipulate.
http://www.usgs.gov/science/science.php?term=1333
 The New Jersey Audubon Society website provides authentic local
population data for students to interpret and manipulate.
http://www.njaudubon.org/Home.aspx
 International Union for Conservation of Nature Redlist offers
authentic data related to threatened and endangered species
worldwide, and would support students in meeting the sample
performance assessment expectation for this CPI.
http://www.iucn.org/
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Content
Instructional Guidance
To assist in meeting this CPI, students may:
Variations exist among
organisms of the same
generation (e.g., siblings) and of
different generations (e.g.,
parent to offspring).

Research methods of manipulating inheritance.

Explain how given traits can be achieved (and can occur in higher
frequencies) by selective breeding.
CPI
Sample Assessments
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may complete the
following performance assessment:
5.3.6.D.2
Explain how knowledge of
inherited variations within and
between generations is applied
to farming and animal breeding.
You are a breeder for a farming or animal industry (horse, cow, dog,
plants, flowers, etc.). Your crops/plants/animals have been receiving
much attention from your field recently, as they are much
larger/healthier/brighter, etc. than any other competitors’. People are
talking about your techniques, claiming that you are using illegal
products to encourage the growth of your product. Create a two minute
commercial that explains the process of selective breeding with respect to
your product; show the process of how you can select certain traits to
breed and how generations can change over time.
13
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Resources
 Science NetLinks offers lesson plans and support materials associated
with this CPI.
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?BenchmarkID=5&Doc
ID=361
Content
Instructional Guidance
To assist in meeting this CPI, students may:
Traits such as eye color in
human beings or fruit/flower
color in plants are inherited.

Breed virtual or live organisms in the classroom (plants, fruit flies,
mealworms, etc.) and document the entire process.

Monitor the different variations found among organisms of the
same kind (color, size, etc.).

Observe their bred organisms of the same kind and describe how
their physical appearances differ in a journal or a student-created
nature documentary.
CPI
5.3.6.D.3
Distinguish between inherited
and acquired
traits/characteristics.
Sample Assessments
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may complete the
following assessment:
Determine which traits are acquired or inherited after being provided
with a variety of images of individuals from the same species. They
justify their response with evidence.
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may answer the
following question:
Botanists often use leaves to identify plants. Which trait of the leaves
shown would be most useful in identifying the plants they came from?
A. Color of the leaf
B. Function of the leaf
C. Arrangement of leaves on a stem
D. Presence or absence of veins
14
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Resources
 Annenberg Media’s Teachers’ Resources offer short video courses
covering essential science content for K-6 teachers.
http://www.learner.org/resources/series179.html?pop=yes&pid=1957
15
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Standard 5.3 Life Science: Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for making By the end
sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. Order in natural
of Grade 6
systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order of
natural systems can be modeled and predicted through the use of mathematics.
Strand E. Evolution and Diversity: Sometimes, differences between organisms of the same kind provide
advantages for surviving and reproducing in different environments. These selective differences may lead
to dramatic changes in characteristics of organisms in a population over extremely long periods of time.
Essential Questions
Enduring Understanding
In what ways are
Sometimes differences between organisms of the same kind give advantages
organisms of the same kind in surviving and reproducing in different environments.
different from each other?
How does this help them
reproduce and survive?
Content and Cumulative
Progress Indicators
Classroom Applications
(CPIs)
Content
Instructional Guidance
To assist in meeting this CPI, students may:
Changes in environmental
conditions can affect the
survival of individual
organisms and entire
species.

Explain how the extinction of a species occurs when the environment
changes and the adaptation of a species is insufficient to allow for its
survival.

Use evidence from the fossil record to develop and explain their ideas.
CPI
Sample Assessments
To show evidence of meeting this CPI, students may answer the following
questions:
5.3.6.E.1
Describe the impact on the
survival of species during
specific times in geologic
history when
environmental conditions
changed.
65 million years ago, the age of the dinosaurs ended when a catastrophic
event led to their mass extinction.
1. What type of disastrous event could have led to the extinction of such a
large group of animals?
2. Did any other life forms become extinct at this time in geological
history?
16
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
3. Which of the following might explain how a large number of ancient fish
fossils were found in the middle of a desert?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Someone put them there
Fish once lived in the desert habitat
A large wave crashed into the desert
A body of water once covered the desert
Resources
 Science NetLinks offers lesson plans and support materials associated
with this CPI.
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?BenchmarkID=5&DocID=
358
17
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Life Science: Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth.
Order in natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted
through the use of mathematics. (5.3)
Organization and Development: Living organisms are composed of cellular units (structures) that carry out functions required for life. Cellular units are
composed of molecules, which also carry out biological functions. (5.3.A)
Essential Questions
What do all living things have
in common?
Content Statements
All organisms are composed of
cell(s).
Enduring Understandings
Living organisms have a variety of
observable features that enable them to
obtain food and reproduce.
Cumulative Progress Indicators
Compare the benefits and limitations of
existing as a single or multicellular
organism. 5.3.8.A.1
In
multicellular
organisms,
specialized
cells
perform
specialized functions.
Tissues, organs and organ
systems are composed of cells
and function to serve the needs
of cells for food, air, and waste
removal.
During the early development of
an organism, cells differentiate
and multiply to form the many
specialized cells, tissues, and
organs that compose the final
organism.
Tissues grow through cell
division.
Relate the structures of cells, tissues,
organs and systems to their functions in
supporting life. 5.3.8.A.2
Labs, Investigation, and Student Experiences
Unpacked Content Statements
 All living things are composed of cells, from just one to many millions,
whose details usually are visible only through a microscope.

Different body tissues and organs are made up of different kinds of cells.

The cells in similar tissues and organs in other animals are similar to
those in human beings but differ somewhat from cells found in plants.

Cells repeatedly divide to make more cells for growth and repair.

Various organs and tissues function to serve the needs of all cells for
food, air, and waste removal.

Within cells, many of the basic functions of organisms—such as
extracting energy from food and getting rid of waste—are carried out.

The way in which cells function is similar in all living organisms.

About 2/3 of the weight of cells is accounted for by water, which gives
cells many of their properties.
Common Misconceptions
Preliminary research indicates that it may be easier for students to understand
that the cell is the basic unit of structure (which they can observe) than that
the cell is the basic unit of function (which has to be inferred from
experiments).
Suggested Activities
 Compare prepared slides or digital images of a variety of cells from
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
human body systems (nervous, digestive, cardiac, circulatory etc.).
Consider how the shape and structure of each cell type is related to the
function of the cell. Describe the differences with respect to cell
functioning.
Desired Results


Students imagine that they are slime molds, which are capable of living
as singular or multi-cellular organisms. They write a persuasive essay to
the rest of the slime molds, asking them to either unite or separate, using
the benefits and drawbacks living as a singular or multi-celled organism
to guide their argument. Students make a claim about the preferred
lifestyle, and support it with evidence and reasoning.
Students answer the question how does structure relate to function? by
creating a pictorial essay using cell images. There will be no words
accompanying the essay, just images. Students select the appropriate
images (and sequence the images) to demonstrate to the viewer how
cellular and tissue structures determine the function of these elements.

Compare live or digital video images of a variety of single-celled
organisms to multicellular organisms. Consider factors such as behavior,
growth, development, movement, etc. to describe the differences.

Explain the division of labor among the levels of the hierarchy in
multicellular organisms that allow these organisms to carry out necessary
life processes, and how that may differ from single-celled organisms.

This video illustrates essential cellular processes—transportation of
materials, communication, energy transfer, protein-building, waste
disposal, movement, and the all-important mitosis and meiosis—as well
as key cellular landmarks like the nucleus, ribosomes, mitochondria, the
Golgi complex, the endoplasmic reticulum, and lysosomes.
Resources
 Cells: The Building Blocks of Life
http://ffh.films.com/id/11462/Cells_The_Building_Blocks_of_Life.html
19
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Life Science: Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth.
Order in natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted
through the use of mathematics. (5.3)
Matter and Energy Transformations: Food is required for energy and building cellular materials. Organisms in an ecosystem have different ways of
obtaining food, and some organisms obtain their food directly from other organisms. (5.3.B)
Essential Questions
Enduring Understandings
How are matter and energy
transferred or transformed in
living systems?
All organisms transfer matter and
convert energy from one form to
another.
Content Statements
Cumulative Progress Indicators
Plants are producers: They use
the energy from light to make
food (sugar) from carbon dioxide
and water. Plants are used as a
source of food (energy) for other
organisms.
Describe the sources of the reactants of
photosynthesis and trace the pathway to
the products. (5.3.6.B.1)
All animals, including humans,
are consumers that meet their
energy needs by eating other
organisms or their products.
Illustrate the flow of energy (food)
through a community. (5.3.6.B.2)
Desired Results


Suppose your class has been asked to help a green engineering firm
design portable solar panels that mimic the action of plants to create
sugar. They are looking to create portable solar panels for people who
need access to food in extreme conditions (people in the military, field
scientists, astronauts or serious hikers). The firm would like you to
create schematic drawings or digital simulations that explain to them how
plants are able to take solar energy and convert it to sugar.
Labs, Investigation, and Student Experiences
Unpacked Content Statements
 Plants use the energy from light to make sugars from carbon dioxide and
water.

Plants can use the food they make immediately or store it for later use.

Almost all food energy comes originally from sunlight.

Some source of "energy" is needed for all organisms to stay alive and
grow.

Organisms that eat plants break down the plant structures to produce the
materials and energy they need to survive. Then they are consumed by
other organisms.
Common Misconceptions:
Students of all ages see food as substances (water, air, minerals, etc.) that
organisms take directly in from their environment. In addition, some
students of all ages think food is a requirement for growth, rather than a
source of matter for growth. They have little knowledge about food being
transformed and made part of a growing organism's body.
Some students of all ages hold misconceptions about plant
nutrition. They think plants get their food from the environment
rather than manufacturing it internally, and that food for plants
is taken in from the outside. These misconceptions are
particularly resistant to change. Even after traditional
Create a digital interactive food web that traces energy from light
through an ecosystem. Highlight each transfer of energy between instruction, students have difficulty accepting that plants make
20
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
organisms, and discuss how the pathway may vary within one ecosystem
and between ecosystems.
food from water and air, and that this is their only source of
food. Understanding that the food made by plants is very
different from other nutrients such as water or minerals is a
prerequisite for understanding the distinction between plants as
producers and animals as consumers.
Some middle-school students do not realize that the matter from
dead organisms is converted into other materials in the
environment. Some middle-school students see decay as a
gradual, inevitable consequence of time without need of
decomposing agents. Some high-school students believe that
matter is conserved during decay, but do not know where it
goes.
Middle-school students seem to know that some kind of cyclical
process takes place in ecosystems. Some students see only
chains of events and pay little attention to the matter involved in
processes such as plant growth or animals eating plants. They
think the processes involve creating and destroying matter rather
than transforming it from one substance to another. Other
students recognize one form of recycling through soil minerals
but fail to incorporate water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide into
matter cycles. Even after specially designed instruction, students
cling to their misinterpretations. Instruction that traces matter
through the ecosystem as a basic pattern of thinking may help
correct these difficulties.
Middle- and high-school students tend to think that energy transformations
involve only one form of energy at a time. Although they develop some skill
in identifying different forms of energy, in most cases their descriptions of
energy change focus only on forms that have perceivable effects. The
transformation of motion to heat seems to be difficult for students to accept,
especially in cases with no obvious temperature increase. Finally, it may not
21
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
be clear to students that some forms of energy, such as light, sound, and
chemical energy, can be used to make things happen.
Some students of all ages have difficulty in identifying the
sources of energy for plants and also for animals. Students tend
to confuse energy and other concepts such as food, force, and
temperature. As a result, students may not appreciate the
uniqueness and importance of energy conversion processes like
respiration and photosynthesis. Although specially designed
instruction does help students correct their understanding about
energy exchanges, some difficulties remain. [Careful
coordination between The Physical Setting and The Living
Environment benchmarks about conservation of matter and
energy and the nature of energy may help alleviate these
difficulties.
Suggested Activities:


Construct a digital simulation to explain how energy entering the
ecosystem as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical energy
through photosynthesis.
Grow plants (Wisconsin Fast Plants) in order to determine how
variables affect photosynthesis and plant growth.

Create a video podcast or mini-documentary to demonstrate how
individuals and groups of organisms interact with each other and their
environment based on energy flow

Design a terrarium including producers, consumers and decomposers.
Research and create a product to illustrate the flow of energy in this
system.
22
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Life Science: Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. Order in
natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted through the use of
mathematics. (5.3)
Interdependence: All animals and most plants depend on both other organisms and their environment to meet their basic needs. (5.3.C)
Essential Questions
In what ways do organisms interact
within ecosystems?
Content Statements
Enduring Understandings
Labs, Investigation, and Student Experiences
All animals and most plants depend on
both other organisms and their
environments for their basic needs.
Unpacked Content Statements

Changes in an organism's habitat are sometimes beneficial to it and
sometimes harmful.
Cumulative Progress Indicators
Various human activities have changed
the capacity of the environment to
support some life forms.
Explain the impact of meeting human
needs and wants on local and global
environments. (5.3.6.C.1)
The number of organisms and
populations an ecosystem can support
depends on the biotic resources
available and on abiotic factors, such
as quantities of light and water, range
of temperatures, and soil composition.
Predict the impact that altering biotic and
abiotic factors has on an ecosystem.
(5.3.6.C.2)
All organisms cause changes in the
ecosystem in which they live. If this
change reduces another organism’s
access to resources, that organism may
move to another location or die.
Describe how one population of
organisms may affect other plants and/or
animals in an ecosystem. (5.3.6.C.3 )
23

In all environments, organisms with similar needs may compete
with one another for limited resources, including food, space,
water, air, and shelter.

All organisms, both land-based and aquatic, are interconnected
by their need for food. This network of interconnections is
referred to as a food web. The entire earth can be considered a
single global food web, and food webs can also be described for
a particular environment. At the base of any food web are
organisms that make their own food, followed by the animals
that eat them, then the animals that eat those animals, and so
forth.
Suggested Activities:

Distinguish between natural (wildfire, flood, drought) and man-made
changes (forest clear cutting, input of pollutants, filling in of marshland)
to an ecosystem and discuss how these changes affect the balance of an
ecosystem.

Research and participate in local projects where humans are changing
the environment to ensure a species’ survival.

Your class has decided to become activists to support the conservation of
natural ecosystems. Select a region of the world where there is high
biological diversity (biodiversity) which is threatened by human actions.
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Determine the species (plants, animals, fungi, etc.) that are crucial to the
balance of that ecosystem. Consider the specific human-induced threats
to biodiversity in that area, and how you might manage them with
consideration of the local culture. Interact with peers and scientists
living and working in the target culture to develop and present a specific
conservation plan to address the identified threats in the threatened
region.
Desired Results

Predict, based on evidence, the potential impact that altering biotic or
abiotic factors has on an ecosystem.

Explain why moving organisms from their native ecosystem to a new
ecosystem may upset the balance of the new ecosystem.
24
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Life Science: Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth.
Order in natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted
through the use of mathematics. (5.3)
Heredity and Reproduction: Organisms reproduce, develop, and have predictable life cycles. Organisms contain genetic information that influences their
traits, and they pass this on to their offspring during reproduction. (5.3.D)
Essential Questions
Enduring Understandings
How do organisms change as
they go through their life
cycle?
Content Statements
Organisms reproduce, develop, have
predictable life cycles, and pass on some
traits to their offspring.
Cumulative Progress Indicators
Reproduction is essential to the
continuation of every species.
Predict the long-term effect of
interference with normal patterns of
reproduction. (5.3.6.D.1)
Variations
exist
among
organisms of the same generation
(e.g., siblings) and of different
generations (e.g., parent to
offspring).
Explain how knowledge of inherited
variations
within
and
between
generations is applied to farming and
animal breeding. (5.3.6.D.2)
Traits such as eye color in human
beings or fruit/flower color in
plants are inherited.
Distinguish between inherited and
acquired traits/characteristics. (5.3.6.D.3)
Desired Results

Select a threatened or endangered species using the International Union
for Conservation of Nature Redlist. They can use the database to research
population numbers of each species. They learn about the threats to each
species, and focus on those threats that interfere with reproduction. As a
class, determine which threats have the most dramatic impact on
endangered species in certain regions of the world using the data
provided.
Labs, Investigation, and Student Experiences
Unpacked Content Statements
 New varieties of cultivated plants and domestic animals have resulted
from selective breeding for particular traits.

Some likenesses between children and parents are inherited. Other
likenesses are learned.

In organisms that have two sexes, typically half of the genes come from
each parent.

In sexual reproduction, a single specialized cell from a female merges
with a specialized cell from a male.

In some kinds of organisms, all the genes come from a single parent.

The same genetic information is copied in each cell of the new organism
Common Misconceptions
Some students believe that traits are inherited from only one of the parents
(for example, the traits are inherited from the mother, because she gives birth
or has most contact as children grow up; or the same-sex parent will be the
determiner). Other students believe that certain characteristics are always
inherited from the mother and others come from the father. Some students
believe in a "blending of characteristics." It may not be until the end of 5th
grade that some students can use arguments based on chance to predict the
outcome of inherited characteristics of offspring from observing those
characteristics in the parents.
25
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)


Suppose You are a breeder for a farming or animal industry (horse, cow,
dog, plants, flowers, etc.). Your crops/plants/animals have been receiving
much attention from your field recently, as they are much
larger/healthier/brighter, etc. than any other competitors’. People are
talking about your techniques, claiming that you are using illegal
products to encourage the growth of your product. Create a two minute
commercial that explains the process of selective breeding with respect to
your product; show the process of how you can select certain traits to
breed and how generations can change over time.
Determine which traits are acquired or inherited after being provided
with a variety of images of individuals from the same species. They
justify their response with evidence.
Early middle-school students explain inheritance only in observable features,
but upper middle-school and high-school students have some understanding
that characteristics are determined by a particular genetic entity which carries
information translatable by the cell. Students of all ages believe that some
environmentally produced characteristics can be inherited, especially over
several generations.
Suggested Activities:
 Use authentic data to determine the trends in population numbers, and
consider the specific reasons for the decline in these populations.

Research methods of manipulating inheritance in farm stock, cats, dogs
or plants. Explain how given traits can be achieved (and can occur in
higher frequencies) by selective breeding.

Breed virtual or live organisms in the classroom (plants, fruit flies,
mealworms, etc) and document entire process. Monitor the different
variations found among organisms of the same kind (color, size, etc), and
describe how physical traits differ in a journal or a student-created nature
documentary.
26
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Life Science: Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth.
Order in natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted
through the use of mathematics. (5.3)
Evolution and Diversity: Sometimes, differences between organisms of the same kind provide advantages for surviving and reproducing in different
environments. These selective differences may lead to dramatic changes in characteristics of organisms in a population over extremely long periods of time.
(5.3.E)
Essential Questions
Enduring Understandings
In what ways are organisms of
the same kind different from
each other? How does this help
them reproduce and survive?
Content Statements
Sometimes
differences
between
organisms of the same kind give
advantages
in
surviving
and
reproducing in different environments.
Cumulative Progress Indicators
Changes
in
environmental
conditions can affect the survival
of individual organisms and
entire species.
Describe the impact on the survival of
species during specific times in geologic
history when environmental conditions
changed. (5.3.6.E.1)
Desired Results
1.
65 million years ago, the age of the dinosaurs ended when a catastrophic
event led to their mass extinction.
a)
What type of disastrous event could have led to the extinction of
such a large group of animals?
b) Did any other life forms become extinct at this time in geological
history?
4.
Which of the following might explain how a large number of ancient fish
fossils were found in the middle of a desert?
E. Someone put them there
F. Fish once lived in the desert habitat
G. A large wave crashed into the desert
Labs, Investigation, and Student Experiences
Unpacked Content Statement:
 Individuals of the same kind differ in their characteristics, and
sometimes the differences give individuals an advantage in surviving and
reproducing.

Changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of
individual organisms and entire species.

Most species that have lived on the earth are now extinct. Extinction of
species occurs when the environment changes and the individual
organisms of that species do not have the traits necessary to survive and
reproduce in the changed environment.

Fossils can be compared to one another and to living organisms
according to their similarities and differences. Some organisms that lived
long ago are similar to existing organisms, but some are quite different.
Common Misconceptions:
Some research suggests that students' understanding of evolution is related to
their understanding of the nature of science and their general reasoning
abilities. Findings indicate that poor reasoners tend to retain nonscientific
beliefs such as "evolutionary change occurs as a result of need" because they
fail to examine alternative hypotheses and their predicted consequences, and
they fail to comprehend conflicting evidence. Thus, they are left with no
alternative but to believe their initial intuitions or the misstatements they
hear.
Suggested Activities:
27
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
H. A body of water once covered the desert

Explain how the extinction of a species occurs when the environment
changes and the adaptation of a species is insufficient to allow for its
survival.

Use evidence from the fossil record to develop and explain their ideas.
28
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Life Science: Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth.
Order in natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted
through the use of mathematics. (5.3)
Evolution and Diversity: Sometimes, differences between organisms of the same kind provide advantages for surviving and reproducing in different
environments. These selective differences may lead to dramatic changes in characteristics of organisms in a population over extremely long periods of time.
(5.3.E)
Essential Questions
In what ways are organisms of
the same kind different from
each other?
Enduring Understandings
Sometimes
differences
between
organisms of the same kind give
advantages
in
surviving
and
reproducing in different environments.
How does this help them
reproduce and survive?
Content Statements
Labs, Investigation, and Student Experiences
Unpacked Content Statements
 Small differences between parents and offspring can accumulate
(through selective breeding) in successive generations so that
descendants are very different from their ancestors.

Individual organisms with certain traits are more likely than others to
survive and have offspring.

Changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of
individual organisms and entire species.

Many thousands of layers of sedimentary rock provide evidence for the
long history of the earth and for the long history of changing life forms
whose remains are found in the rocks.

More recently deposited rock layers are more likely to contain fossils
resembling existing species.

Most species that have lived on the earth are now extinct. Extinction of
species occurs when the environment changes and the individual
organisms of that species do not have the traits necessary to survive and
reproduce in the changed environment.

Reproduction is necessary for the survival of any species.
Cumulative Progress Indicators
Individual
organisms
with
certain traits are more likely than
others to survive and have
offspring
in
particular
environments. The advantages or
disadvantages
of
specific
characteristics can change when
the environment in which they
exist changes. Extinction of a
species
occurs
when
the
environment changes and the
characteristics of a species are
insufficient to allow survival.
Organize and present evidence to show
how the extinction of a species is related
to an inability to adapt to changing
environmental
conditions
using
quantitative and qualitative data.
5.3.8.E.1
Anatomical evidence supports
evolution and provides additional
detail about the sequence of
branching of various lines of
descent.
Compare the anatomical structures of a
living species with fossil records to
derive a line of descent. 5.3.8.E.2
Common Misconceptions
Some research suggests that students' understanding of evolution is related to
29
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
Classroom Applications Document – Science
Life Science (by the end of grade 6)
Desired Results

You are a US Fish and Wildlife officer in a Midwestern state.
Conservation biologists Josh Donlan and Harry Greene have asked to
speak to you regarding their “Pleistocene Rewilding Project” which
proposes to reintroduce giant tortoises, wild horses, lions and elephants
to the Midwest, where their distant relatives once roamed. They argue
that these introductions would contribute biological, economic, and
cultural benefits to North America. Before you decide to speak with
Donlan and Green, research the proposed reasons for the ancestral
extinction of the megafauna. As a class, use scientific evidence found in
journal articles and primary sources to debate if the plan will have any
ecological or cultural benefit, and decide if your state should consider
their reintroduction plan.
their understanding of the nature of science and their general reasoning
abilities. Findings indicate that poor reasoners tend to retain nonscientific
beliefs such as "evolutionary change occurs as a result of need" because they
fail to examine alternative hypotheses and their predicted consequences, and
they fail to comprehend conflicting evidence. Thus, they are left with no
alternative but to believe their initial intuitions or the misstatements they
hear.
Suggested Activities
Use current news and journal articles to locate scientific evidence to
explain current extinctions due to changing environmental conditions.
Explain why the species is at risk, clarifying the concept that evolution
occurs at the level of the species, not at the level of the individual.
Explain to peers the evolution of a species based on anatomical evidence in
a digital or video representation.
A fisherman in coastal New Jersey found the carcass of a whale. The man
reported that the stomach contained the bones of a mermaid. He
described the bones for the tabloid news artist, who drew the picture
below. The artist left out the skull because the fisherman was unable to
find it.
30