assessing understanding → assessments → informal assessments → ecosystems

Observing Connections in a Food Web

Activities: Introduce the Web of Life Game and Construct the Web (see page 26 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for instructions). Analyze the Connectedness of the Web. Introduce the Forest Food Web Diagram (see page 34 of the Ecosystem Curriculum). See page 17 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment Questions: Do students recognize direct, connections between organisms in the food web? Are they able to recognize the direct effect in a food web if one organism disappears? Are students surprised at the extended, indirect effects in the food web if the green plants disappear? How do students talk about "food"? Do they talk about food as energy? Do they talk about food as nutrients? Do they talk about food as matter? Do students always substitute active language "this eats that" for the passive language that you are modeling or do they use both active and passive ("this gives energy to that"; "this provides food for that")?

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Introducing Simple Linear and Domino Causality in a Food Web

Activities: Contrast Simple Linear and Domino Causality. Show How Domino Causality Explains Food Chain and Food Web Relationships. See page 17 of the Ecosystem Curriculum for Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment Questions: Do students recognize direct, one-step, linear patterns of cause and effect in the food web? Do students recognize the domino-like pattern of cause—>effect/cause—>effect/
cause—>effect/cause—>effect in the food web? How do students talk about the transfer of food or nutrients/matter from one organism to the next? Do they talk about direct, one-step connections? Do they talk about extended, multi-step connection? Are students recognizing extended, branching effects? Are students able to pick out a non-branching food chain from the more complex branching food web? Do students talk about the arrows in terms of "what gives energy to what"?

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Thinking About Matter and Energy

Activity: Difference Between Matter and Energy. See page 17 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment Questions: How do students talk about "food"? Do they talk about food as energy? Do they tallk about food as nutrients? Do they talk about food as matter? How are students talking about matter and energy? Are students talking about the domino links as referring to matter or energy?

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Domino Causality in a Food Web

Activity: Food Web Dominoes (see page 22 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for description). See page 17 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment Questions: Do students recognize direct, one-step, linear patterns of cause and effect in the food web? Do students recognize the domino-like pattern of cause—>effect/cause—>effect/cause in the food web? How do students talk about the transfer of food or nutrients/matter from one organism to the next? Do they talk about direct, one-step connections? Do they talk about extended, multi-step connections? Are students recognizing extended, branching effects? Are students able to pick out a non-branching food chain from the more complex branching food web?

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Connections and Complexity in a Food Web

Activity: Food Web Connections Game (see page 37 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for instructions). See page 17 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment Questions: Are students constructing food webs with few levels and connections? Are they constructing food webs with many levels and connections? Are students choosing cards at all levels? Are they trying to get lower-level producer cards? Are students thinking about extended effects?

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Analyzing Connections in a Food Web

Activity: Replaying the Web of Life Game (see page 22 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for description). See page 17 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment Questions: Do students recognize the indirect connections between organisms in the food web? Are they able to recognize the indirect effects in a food web if one organism disappears? What language are students using? Are they talking about food webs, domino cause and effect, food chains, and so on? Are students recognizing extended, branchinng effects? How do students talk about "food"? Do they talk about food as energy? Do they talk about food as nutrients? Do they talk about food as matter?

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Exploring Energy and Matter

Activity: Measuring the Heat in a Compost Bin (see page 22 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for description). See page 17 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: How do the students talk about matter and energy? Where do students think energy comes from? From organisms? From the sun? Do students see the links between energy from sun and energy in compost? What do students think about heat and energy?

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Observing Different Stages of Decay

Activity: Explore the Log. Discuss Students' Findings. Compare Logs at Three Points of Decay. Consider How Decay Happens. See page 53 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: What do students think about the decay of the log? Do students think the observed organisms (insects, fungi) are causing the decay? Do students think the decay just happens or that it is caused by something? If they find dirt in the log, where do they think it came from? Do they realize that the log is turning into dirt or do they think that dirt got into the log?

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Observing Decay Over Time

Activity: Make Predictions. Create the Chamber (see page 70 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for instructions). Discuss Students' Findings. Consider How Decay Happens. See page 53 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: Do students predict change will take place? What causes do students think will make the changes happen? Are students surprised at the increase in level of the soil? What do students think about the decay of organic matter? Do they think the decay just happens or do they think that something is causing the matter to break down?

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Exploring Linear and Cyclic Causality in Decay and Matter Recycling

Activity: Contrast Linear and Cyclic Causality (see worksheet on page 66 of the Ecosystems Curriculum). Show How Cyclic Causality Explains Matter Recycling (see worksheet on page 65 of the Ecosystems Curriculum). See page 53 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: Do students recognize direct, one-step, linear patterns of cause and effect in the food web? Do students recognize the domino-like pattern of cause-->effect/cause-->effect/cause in the food web? How do students talk about the transfer of food or nutrients/matter from one organism to the next? Do they talk about direct, one-step connections? Do they talk about extended, multi-step connections? Are students recognizing extended, branching effects? Do students recognize that the matter released from decomposers is then used by the green plants? Do students recognize the "end" in cyclic causality acts as a cause to make the "first" event happen again—that the process is continuous and that there are many on-going cycles of decay all happening simultaneously?

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Exploring Extended Effects of Decay

Activity: Consider What Would Happen Without Decay. See page 53 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment:How are students thinking about the extended consequences of decay? Do students understand that if things didn't decay, there would be no material for new things to grow? Do students understand that if things didn't decay, there would be no space for new things to grow because the dead things would pile up? Do they seem to understand that matter is conserved?

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Cyclic and Domino Causality in an Ecosystem

Activity: Cycles of Nature Game (see page 71 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for instructions). See page 53 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: Do students recognize the cyclic nature of matter recycling? Do students recognize the domino nature of energy transfer? How do students talk about matter/nutrients and energy? Do they combine the two, or do they talk about them as different things? Do students realize the matter cycle can have just two components, a producer and a decomposer?

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Exploring Cyclic Causality in Matter Recycling

Activity: Nutrient Cycles Game (see page 74 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for description). See page 53 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: Do students recognize the cyclic nature of matter recycling? Do students understand that matter does not "disappear," nor does it spontaneously appear? That matter is neither created nor destroyed? Do students extend the process of matter "flow" from one part of the ecosystem to another? Are they thinking about the small linear segments of the cycle, or are they thinking about the whole cycle? Do students understand extended effects in the game, how come players move many spaces in some encounters?

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Decay and Non-Obvious Causes

Activity: Consider the Results in Each Tank. Contrast Obvious and Non-Obvious Causes. See page 98 from the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: Are students understanding that broken up pieces fit more closely together than larger pieces? Do students talk about gases/matter released into the air as disappearing? (Do students think of air as particles?) Are students surprised that there are non-obvious causes of decay?

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Making the Non-Obvious Obvious

Activity: Collecting Evidence for Non-Obvious Decomposers: Growing Microbes on Bread (see page 114 of the Ecosystems Curriculum). See page 98 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: Are students surprised to see the mold/fungi? Do students recognize that the bread is a source of food for the fungi? Do students realize the microbes were invisible, or at least too small to be seen with the unaided eye, in places where they rubbed the bread? Do students seem more aware that invisible microbes are everywhere, that just because they cannot see them does not mean that they are not there?

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Preventing Decay with Preservatives: Making the Non-Obvious Obvious

Activity: Learning About Preservatives: Bakery Bread versus Store-Bought Bread (see page 116 of the Ecosystem Curriculum). See page 98 from the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: Are students surprised at the different rates of mold growth? Do students recognize that the bread is a source of food for the fungi? Do students realize the microbes were invisible, or at least too small to be seen with the unaided eye, before they started the experiment? Do students seem more aware that the invisible microbes are everywhere? That just because they cannot see them does not mean they are not there?

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Thinking about Time Delays in the Process of Decay

Activity: View The Time-Lapse Videos. Time Delays Make It Hard to See the Causal Patterns. Show How Time Delays Affect Our Ability to Think About Decay. See page 123 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: Do students realize from their experiences that the time delays made it harder for them to realize that decay was happening? And what was causing the decay? Are students beginning to think about the long time needed for decay to occur?

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Observing Rates of Decay

Activity: Varying Rates of Decay in Decomposition Chambers (see page 26 of the Ecosystem Curriculum for description). See page 123 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: Do students realize that the rates of decay depend on the conditions? What factors are students thinking about as things which would affect the rate of decay?

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Introducing Two-Way Causality

Activity: Introduce the Set of Stories about Symbiotic Relationships (worksheet page 143). Introduce the Set of Stories on Parasitic Symbiotic Relationships. Analyze Current Thinking. See page 135 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: Are students beginning to recognize the two-way causal relationships?

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Introducing Two-Way Causality: Grass and Rabbits Simulations

Activity: Introduce and Explore StarLogo Simulation #1: Grass and Rabbits. Discuss the Role of Two-way Causality in the Grass and Rabbits Simulation (worksheet on page 149). See page 135 of the Ecosystem Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: Are students recognizing that the grass helps the rabbits? And that the rabbits help the grass? Are students beginning to recognize the two-way nature of the connection between grass and rabbits? Do students realize that when you change variables for either population, you impact the other?

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Introducing Two-Way Causality: Rabbits and Foxes Simulations

Activity: Introduce and Explore StarLogo Simulation #2: Rabbits and Foxes. Discuss the Role of Two-way Causality in the Rabbits and Foxes Simulation. See page 135 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: Are students recognizing that the rabbits help the foxes? And that the foxes help the rabbits? Are students beginning to recognize the two-way nature of the connection between rabbits and foxes? Are students recognizing the difference between individual effects and effects at the level of populations? Do students realize that when you change variables for either population, you impact the other?

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Two-Way Causality and Ecosystems Interactions

Activity: Review Two-Way Causality Explanation. Connect Two-Way Causality to the Interactions in the Simulations (worksheet on page 153). See page 135 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: Do students recognize two-way patterns of cause and effect in the ecosystem? Do students recognize the domino-like pattern of energy flow in the ecosystem? Are students recognizing the difference between individual effects and effects at the level of populations? Are students beginning to recognize the complexity of the ecosystems?

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Analyzing Connections in a Food Web

Activity: Two-Way Web of Life Game. See page 135 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: Do students recognize the direct connections between organisms in the food web? Are they able to recognize the direct effects in a food web if one organism disappears? Are students recognizing extended, branching effects? Do students recognize the two-way connections between organisms in the food web? Are students thinking about the interactions between individual organisms in the food web? Are they thinking about the interactions between organisms at the level of populations?

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Thinking About Interdependencies and Parachuting Cats

Activity: Investigating the Important Role Predators Play in Controlling Population Size (story on page 170). Map the Interdependencies Amongst Populations. See page 164 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: Do students recognize the direct connections between the organisms in the story? Are students recognizing the extended, indirect or domino effects? Do students recognize the two-way connections between organisms in the story? Are students thinking about the interactions between individual organisms in the story? Are they thinking about the interactions between organisms at the level of populations?

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Thinking About Change and Balance

Activity: Read the Story The Lemmings of Norway. Read the Lynx-Hare Cycles Sheet on page 173. See page 164 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: How do students talk about flux, or change, in an ecosystem? Do they speak of change as a bad thing? As a good thing? How do they talk about balance? Do students recognize the links between food source and population size? Do they recognize the connections between the organisms in the situations?

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Playing with Flux and Balance in an Ecosystem

Activity: Population Shuffle (page 174). See page 164 of the Ecosystems Curriculum for the Lesson Plan.

As-You-Go Assessment: How do students talk about balance or imbalance in the game? The goal for each team is balance. Do students seem to realize that if their species is not successful, it creates opportunities for other species? Do students realize that their species population is dependent upon other species—both predators and food sources?

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