Corgi Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
Overview
In this 3-lesson unit, students will explore how cycles of matter and energy transfer. They will understand how matter cycles through living and nonliving parts in an ecosystem, explore how energy flows, and understand the characteristics of matter cycles and energy flows in an ecosystem.
Corgi Co-organize your learning
CorgiCo-organize your learning |
Unit & Lesson Plans
Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
Subject: Science
Grade level: Middle School
Guides: Question Exploration, Comparison
Standards: NGSS, Common Core - ELA
Introduction
Thank you for your interest in Unit & Lesson Plans for the Corgi application!
The units and lessons that follow are intended to be used in conjunction with Corgi, a free, digital tool developed with the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
Each unit is aligned to national and/or state standards such as the Next Generation Science Standards or the Common Core Standards.
Each lesson utilizes the 5E Instructional Model to guide implementation.
Table of Contents
What is included in this Unit?
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Suggestions
Lesson 1: Movement of Matter and Energy in an Ecosystem
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Suggestions
Lesson 2: Energy Flow Within and Outside of an Ecosystem
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Suggestions
Lesson 3: Matter Cycles in an Ecosystem
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Suggestions
Unit Plan
Unit Synopsis
In this 3-lesson unit, students will explore how cycles of matter and energy transfer. They will understand how matter cycles through living and nonliving parts in an ecosystem, explore how energy flows, and understand the characteristics of matter cycles and energy flows in an ecosystem.
Learning Goal
Students will understand how cycles of matter and energy transfer from producers to consumers, and decomposers. They will also understand the key elements of energy flow within and outside of an ecosystem and how the food chain is impacted. Finally, students will understand the similarities and differences in the movement of matter and energy through the ecosystem.
Main Ideas
- Atoms and molecules of matter cycle between the living and nonliving parts of ecosystems by transferring between producers, consumers, and decomposers.
- Energy flow within and outside of an ecosystem occurs at every level.
- Matter cycles within an ecosystem and energy flows through an ecosystem. Both move through an ecosystem via the same pathway, but are different in how they enter and exit a food chain.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards:
MS-LS2. Students who demonstrate understanding can develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
Disciplinary Core Ideas:
LS2.B: Cycle of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
Food webs are models that demonstrate how matter and energy is transferred between producers, consumers, and decomposers as the three groups interact within an ecosystem. Transfers of matter into and out of the physical environment occur at every level. Decomposers recycle nutrients from dead plant or animal matter back to the soil in terrestrial environments or to the water in aquatic environments. The atoms that make up the organisms in an ecosystem are cycled repeatedly between the living and nonliving parts of the ecosystem. (MS-LS2-3)
Common Core State Standards:
ELA/Literacy - SL.8.5. Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.
What is included in this Unit?
Several key pieces are included to help you build your own unit or support a unit you have already created.
Each lesson in this unit contains:
- Essential question for students
- Key terms
- Resources
- Corgi guide
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL) suggestions
If you are interested in more structured units, you can explore the Corgi Unit library. Some of the other units contain the above mentioned components as well as a step by step scaffolding that follows the 5E model of science instruction. Please note that we do our best to maintain correct links to resources and materials. If a specific link is no longer working, please don't hesitate to contact us at corgi@cast.org.
Lesson Plans
| Lesson 1 | Movement of Matter and Energy in an Ecosystem | Comparison Guide |
| Lesson 2 | Energy Flow Within and Outside of an Ecosystem | Question Exploration Guide |
| Lesson 3 | Matter Cycles in an Ecosystem | Question Exploration Guide |
Methods of Assessment
Option A: Use your district’s current curriculum and suggested assessment designed to consider learner variability.
Option B: Select self-assessments, peer assessments, writing assignments, exams, etc. that allow students to reflect on their learning and demonstrate their understanding.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Suggestions
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for teaching and learning that guides the design of inclusive, accessible, and challenging learning environments. The framework is grounded in three principles:
- Design multiple means of engagement
- Design multiple means of representation
- Design multiple means of action and expression
CAST’s UDL Guidelines were developed to support practitioners to apply these three principles to practice.
While this unit was not explicitly designed through a UDL lens, UDL can be used as a tool to reduce existing barriers and increase access to the unit learning goal as well as to individual lesson goals. Below is an overview of how UDL might be applied to this unit. We’ll also offer more specific ideas for applying UDL at the end of each of the lessons associated with this unit.
Anticipate Potential Barriers
The UDL framework can support educators to reframe their understanding of barriers: from locating barriers within individual students to locating barriers within the design of the learning environment. Here we brainstorm potential barriers that learners may encounter in the design of the unit. Please note that these are just examples to get you thinking about the potential barriers in your own unique context.
Are there barriers to engagement? (connection to students’ lives, location, grouping, noise level, etc.)
The design of the unit/lessons may need to do more to spark students’ curiosity based on their unique interests, goals, and contexts. The design may need to better emphasize why the topics are meaningful and important to explore. The design may also need to more fully support students to make connections to their own lives, communities, and questions they care about.
Are there barriers to the representation of content? (oral, written, etc.)
These lessons consist of multimedia presentations with text, graphics, videos, and infographics. Some videos may need captions, or some captions don’t turn on automatically. The videos may also need a written transcript so students can follow along for key ideas, vocabulary, and note-taking. Further, the content shares mathematical and scientific notation and complex mathematical relationships that may also act as barriers to students engaging with the ideas. Finally, several of the lessons contain non-interactive PDFs that do not allow students to highlight or make comments.
Are there barriers to action and expression? (writing, speaking, planning, etc.)
While the Corgi guides embed multiple options for students to share their ideas (text, images, and speech-to-text), it is important to anticipate barriers to students being able to express their ideas in other associated activities.
Address Learner Variability
Here we brainstorm ways to address the potential barriers described above. Again, please note that these approaches to reducing barriers and increasing access to the learning goals are just examples to get you thinking. We know that every context is unique.
How will you address barriers to engagement?
The Engagement Guidelines prompt us to consider the following questions when addressing barriers to engagement:
- Are there options for choice, relevancy, and minimizing distractions?
- Are there options for sustaining effort and persistence?
- Are there options for supporting and developing self-regulation and self-assessment?
Barriers to learners’ engagement and multiple pathways to engage students will be addressed through the supplementary resources, survey questions, and videos throughout each lesson.
With regard to the anticipated barriers around supporting students to find meaning and relevance, consider creating spaces for students to make connections to their own lives, their communities, and issues that they care about. For example, students could explore the school yard to find examples of producers, consumers, and decomposers. Or, students could be encouraged to share an article from a local newspaper about issues affecting the community.
We encourage you to collaborate with your students and co-design ways to address other barriers to engagement that may emerge throughout this unit.
How will you address barriers to representation?
The Representation Guidelines prompt us to consider the following questions when addressing barriers to representation:
- Are there options for audio/visual/display of info?
- Are there options to access language, math, and symbols?
- Are there options to build background knowledge, construct meaning, and generate new understandings?
The supplementary resources and videos have been constructed to offer multiple ways of representing information as well as the mixed media within each lesson/activity.
With regard to captions that don’t turn on automatically, support students to learn how to use and turn on/off the closed caption option. Also, transcripts of the videos should be made available for students.
With regard to the anticipated barriers around the lack of captions and transcripts, consider transcribing tools like Otter.ai, rev, and Express Scribe. Further, a free screen reader such as TextHelp Read & Write, ChromeVox, or NVDA can assist students with online articles. Finally, to reduce the barriers associated with non-interactive PDFs, consider free PDF tools such as Bit.ai and Jotform.
We encourage you to collaborate with your students and co-design ways to address other barriers to representation that may emerge throughout this unit.
How will you address barriers to action and expression?
The Action and Expression Guidelines prompt us to consider the following questions when addressing barriers to representation:
- Are there options for physical action?
- Are there options for multiple communication tools?
- Are there options for varying levels of support?
- Are there options for goal setting, strategy development, and self-monitoring?
The Action and Expression Guidelines can offer ideas for embedding varied ways for learners to communicate ideas, share understandings, and work toward goals in the associated activities throughout this unit.
With regard to the anticipated barriers around physical action and physical space, consider encouraging learners to find learning spaces that work best for them (e.g. a quiet space, a space with natural lighting, etc.) and spaces that offer room to move or stand.
We encourage you to collaborate with your students and co-design ways to address other barriers to action and expression that may emerge throughout this unit.
Review the following link for a complete interactive overview of the UDL Guidelines.
Lesson 1: Movement of Matter and Energy in an Ecosystem
Essential Question
How do matter cycles and energy flow impact an ecosystem?
Key Terms
Matter
Energy
Cycle
Energy flow
Ecosystems
Resources
Video: LS2B - Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer
Sample Corgi Guide: Comparison - Movement of Matter and Energy in an Ecosystem (To be able to view the guide you must be logged in to Corgi)
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Suggestions
Here we brainstorm potential barriers that learners may encounter in the design of the lesson. Please note that these are just examples to get you thinking about the potential barriers in your own unique context.
Potential barrier:
- Anticipating the barrier: The video “LS2B - Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer” covers several topics related to matter cycles, both covered in elementary science and then in high school science. There are also moments when the video host references science standards and key teaching strategies. These make the video both long and certain portions hard to follow.
- Addressing the barrier: This video can be used in many ways. The Matter Cycle portion of the video starts at 3:24 in the video. Each topic covered in the video is time stamped and shown in the “Key Moments'' section of the video. Also, the topics that are considered elementary topics can be shown as refreshers for background knowledge while the portions covered in upper secondary can be used as extension videos and topics.
Lesson 2: Energy Flow Within and Outside of an Ecosystem
Essential Question
How does energy flow within and outside of an ecosystem?
Key Terms
Food chain
Trophic level
Energy flow
Resources
Video: Energy transfer in food chains
Website: ‘Energy Flow: From Sunlight to Plants to Animals’
Sample Corgi Guide: Question Exploration - Energy Flow Within and Outside of an Ecosystem (To be able to view the guide you must be logged in to Corgi)
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Suggestions
Here we brainstorm potential barriers that learners may encounter in the design of the lesson. Please note that these are just examples to get you thinking about the potential barriers in your own unique context.
Potential barrier:
- Anticipating the barrier: The PBS Learning activity ‘Energy Flow: From Sunlight to Plants to Animals’ has several UDL features: it is a high interest activity, it is easily navigated with common accessibility tools, and supplemental materials are easily shareable. However, it does have background sound which may be distracting to students who are using screen readers.
- Addressing the barrier: Students may want to turn off the background sound to reduce ambient noise in this activity.
Lesson 3: Matter Cycles in an Ecosystem
Essential Question
How do atoms and molecules of matter cycle between the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem?
Key Terms
Ecosystem
Matter
Food web
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
Resources
Video 1: How Ecosystems Work | Biology | Ecology
Video 2: Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers | Ecosystems
Sample Corgi Guide: Question Exploration - Matter Cycles in an Ecosystem (To be able to view the guide you must be logged in to Corgi)
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Suggestions
Here we brainstorm potential barriers that learners may encounter in the design of the lesson. Please note that these are just examples to get you thinking about the potential barriers in your own unique context.
Potential barrier:
- Anticipating the barrier: Students could have trouble accessing the ‘Defender: Natural Selection’ activity either due to technology barriers or screen navigation tools.
- Addressing the barrier: A similar or alternative activity should be considered.
Potential barrier:
- Anticipating the barrier: Natural selection can be a complicated topic; supporting students to make meaning of this key mechanism of evolution can be challenging.
- Addressing the barrier: To help students better understand the process, try walking them through examples from the videos to make sure they understand. Additionally, it may be helpful to introduce local flora and fauna ( e.g. the food we eat, pets, dangerous bacteria, etc) as representative examples.
Potential barrier:
- Anticipating the barrier: The slide deck Biogeochemical Cycles and Energy Flow has useful information but the site is difficult to navigate and visually cluttered. It may present students with difficulty if they are left to navigate it on their own.
- Addressing the barrier: This resource works well as a guided experience. It does contain a nice transcript at the bottom of the site.