Grade 2

Science

Unit: 10

Lesson: 03

Suggested Duration: 9 days

Science Grade 02 Unit 10 Exemplar Lesson 03: Investigating Organisms in Their EnvironmentScience Grade 02 Unit 10 Exemplar Lesson 03: Investigating Organisms in Their Environment

This lesson is one approach to teaching the State Standards associated with this unit. Districts are encouraged to customize this lesson by

supplementing with district-approved resources, materials, and activities to best meet the needs of learners. The duration for this lesson is only a

recommendation, and districts may modify the time frame to meet students’ needs. To better understand how your district may be implementingCSCOPE lessons, please contact your child’s teacher. (For your convenience, please find linked the TEA Commissioner’s List of State Board of

Education Approved Instructional Resources and Midcycle State Adopted Instructional Materials.)

Lesson Synopsis

Students will review the basic needs of plants and animals and continue the discussion about factors in the environment, including temperature and

precipitation that affect growth and behavior such as migration, hibernation, and dormancy of living things. They will spend time investigating food

chains and compare and give examples of the ways living organisms depend on each other and on their environments.

TEKS

The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) listed below are the standards adopted by the State Board of Education, which are required by

Texas law. Any standard that has a strike-through (e.g. sample phrase) indicates that portion of the standard is taught in a previous or subsequent

unit. The TEKS are available on the Texas Education Agency website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=6148.

2.9 Organisms and environments. The student knows that living organisms have basic needs that must be met for them

to survive within their environment. The student is expected to:

2.9B Identify factors in the environment, including temperature and precipitation, that affect growth and behavior

such as migration, hibernation, and dormancy of living things.

2.9C Compare and give examples of the ways living organisms depend on each other and on their environments

such as food chains within a garden, park, beach, lake, and wooded area.

Scientific Process TEKS

2.2 Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student develops abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry in classroom

and outdoor investigations. The student is expected to:

2.2F Compare results of investigations with what students and scientists know about the world.

2.3 Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student knows that information and critical thinking, scientific problem

solving, and the contributions of scientists are used in making decisions. The student is expected to:

2.3A Identify and explain a problem in his/her own words and propose a task and solution for the problem such as

lack of water in a habitat.

2.4 Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student uses age-appropriate tools and models to investigate the natural

world. The student is expected to:

2.4B Measure and compare organisms and objects using non-standard units that approximate metric units.

GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION

Performance Indicators

Grade 02 Science Unit 10 PI 02

Create a travel brochure to inform others about an environment, such as a forest, marine, desert, or polar environment. Include information about the temperature and

precipitation that affects growth and behaviors, such as hibernation, migration, or dormancy. Include examples of how living organisms depend on each other and on

their environment.

Standard(s): 2.2F , 2.3A , 2.9B , 2.9C

ELPS ELPS.c.1C , ELPS.c.3D , ELPS.c.5B

Key Understandings

Living things are found almost everywhere in the world. There are somewhat different kinds in different places.

—   What are the animals you can identify in this environment?Animals eat plants or other animals for food and may also use plants (or even other animals) for shelter and nesting.

—   In what ways do animals depend on other animals and plants?

Vocabulary of Instruction

Last Updated 04/25/13 page 1 of 21  

environment

temperature

precipitation

growth

behavior

migration

dormancy

hibernation

depend

interdependence

organisms

plants

animals

living

nonliving

food chains

garden

park

beach

lake

wooded area

Materials

book (that discusses interactions in the environment and consequences of actions, 1 per class)

brochures (travel, 1 per group)

chart paper

colored pencils (per group)

crayons, colored pencils, or markers (per group)

glue (sticks or white liquid, per group)

hand lenses (1 per student)

index cards (3”x5”, with statements written on them, 1 per group)paper

pencils (1 per student)

pictures (from magazines, clip art, or other sources, per group)

resealable plastic bags (to hold card sets, 1 per group)

spoon (plastic, to move small amounts of soil, 1 per student) – Optionalteacher’s lunch (demonstration, 1 per class)

Attachments

All attachments associated with this lesson are referenced in the body of the lesson. Due to considerations for grading or student assessment,

attachments that are connected with Performance Indicators or serve as answer keys are available in the district site and are not accessible on

the public website.

Optional Handout: Storyboard (1 per student)

Optional Teacher Resource: Each One Teach One

Handout: Food Chains (1 per student)

Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Looking At Environments and Their Food Chains

Handout: Food Chain Cards (1 set per group)

Teacher Resource: Performance Indicator SAMPLE

Resources

Suggested Websites

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/6_7/plants_animals_env.shtml

Food chains:

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain/foodchain.htm (food chains)

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/frogs/chain_reaction/index.cfm

http://www.playlearnschool.com/Science/1/Food-Chain/Food-Chain.asp

http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0162-food-chains.php

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/foodchains.html

Interdependence of organisms and the environment:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/6_7/plants_animals_env.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/10_11/interdependence.shtml

http://www.ehow.com/about_6509857_interdependence-between-plants-animals.html

http://www.scribd.com/doc/46268845/Form-2-Chap-04-Interdependence-Among-Living-Organisms-and-the-Environment-3

http://www.project2061.org/publications/sfaa/online/chap5.htm (scroll down to interdependence)

There are websites that provide students with clear visuals for different environments.

Wood: http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sirrobhitch.suffolk/habitats/wood.htm

Pond: http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sirrobhitch.suffolk/habitats/pond.htm

Garden: http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sirrobhitch.suffolk/habitats/hedge.htm

Suggested Books:

Cherry, L. (2000). The great kapok tree: A tale of the Amazon rain forest. San Anselmo, CA: Sandpiper.

Geisel, T. (1971). The lorax. New York: Random House for Young Readers.

Lauber, P. and Keller, H. (1994).Who eats what? Food chains and food webs. New York: Collins.

Peet, B. (1981). Wump world. San Anselmo, CA: Sandpiper.

Grade 2

Science

Unit: 10

Lesson: 03

Suggested Duration: 9 days

Last Updated 04/25/13 page 2 of 21  

Advance Preparation

1. Gather a book that discusses interactions in the environment and consequences of actions.

2. Write statements from the Optional Teacher Resource: Each One Teach One on index cards. One statement should be on each card, and

there should be enough for each group to get one card/statement.

3. Collect magazines that have pictures of animals and plants (organisms that might be found in a food chain), or clip art of plants and animals

(enough for each student for Performance Indicator).

4. Copy the Handout: Food Chain Cards (1 set per group) onto sturdy paper. Laminate the cards for greater durability. Cut them out, and

place each set in a resealable, plastic bag for each group.

5. Gather travel brochures to use on Day 7 (1 per group).

6. Prepare attachment(s) as necessary.

Background Information

According to the introductory material in Grade 2, “careful observation and investigation are used to learn about the natural world and reveal patterns, changes, and cycles.”

“Students should understand that certain types of questions can be answered by using observation and investigations and that the information gathered in these may

change as new observations are made. As students participate in investigation, they develop the skills necessary to do science as well as develop new science concepts.”

This unit bundles student expectations that address ways that living organisms depend on each other and on their environments and factors in the environment, including

temperature and precipitation that affect growth and behavior. In Grade 1, students gathered evidence of interdependence among living organisms. During this lesson,

students will compare and give examples of the ways that living organisms depend on each other and on their environments and identify factors in the environment,

including temperature and precipitation that affect growth and behavior such as migration, hibernation, and dormancy of living things. After this unit, in Grade 3, students

continue their investigation of ecosystems, refocusing students’ attention on the importance of the Sun to all life on Earth and the notion that we are all connected in a

delicate system. Students will develop the understanding that many characteristics of an organism are inherited, but other characteristics are acquired or learned as a

result of interactions with the environment.

According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), in the Benchmarks for Science Literacy (Project 2061) [online version], “All students,

especially those who live in circumstances that limit their interaction with nature, must have the opportunity to observe a variety of plants and animals in the classroom, on

the school grounds, in neighborhoods, at home, in parks, streams, gardens, and at the zoo. Simple observation is not enough. The students should have reasons for their

observations; reasons that prompt them to do something with the information they collect. The reason can be to answer their own questions about how organisms live or

care for their young. Some students may enjoy displaying drawings, photographs, or even real specimens of all the living things they can find where they live. The goal is to

encourage students to ask questions for which they can find answers by looking carefully at plants and animals and then discussing their observations and answers with

one another.”

National Academy of Science. (1995). National science education standards. Retrieved May 21, 2008, from http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/.

For more information on hibernation, migration, and dormancy, please see the Resources and References section from the previous lesson (Grade 2, Unit 10, Lesson 02).

For information on food chains and on the ways living organisms depend on each other and on their environments, please consider the following resources:

Food chains:

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain/foodchain.htm (food chains)

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/frogs/chain_reaction/index.cfm

http://www.playlearnschool.com/Science/1/Food-Chain/Food-Chain.aspx

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/foodchains.html

http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0162-food-chains.php

Interdependence of organisms and the environment:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/6_7/plants_animals_env.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/10_11/interdependence.shtml

http://www.ehow.com/about_6509857_interdependence-between-plants-animals.html

http://www.scribd.com/doc/46268845/Form-2-Chap-04-Interdependence-Among-Living-Organisms-and-the-Environment-3

http://www.project2061.org/publications/sfaa/online/chap5.htm (Scroll down to interdependence.)

INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES

Instructional Procedures

ENGAGE – The Environment Around Us

Notes for Teacher

NOTE: 1 Day = 50 minutes

Suggested Day 1

1. Take students on a 10–15 minute nature walk to observe the local ecosystem. Theschool yard will work; however, if there is access to a field, pond, or garden,

students will have the opportunity to watch different interactions among organisms.

2. If students are observing in the school yard, a designated, roped off area would be

helpful.

Materials:

pencils (1 per student)

hand lenses (1 per student)

spoon (plastic, to move small amounts of soil, 1

Grade 2

Science

Unit: 10

Lesson: 03

Suggested Duration: 9 days

Last Updated 04/25/13 page 3 of 21  

3. Students should have their science notebooks, a pencil, and a hand lens for this

activity.

4. Say:

Find a small area, about the size of this paper (hold up a large sheet of

construction paper), where you are going to make careful observations

for the next five minutes.

Your job is to record, in drawings and words, the type and number of

living organisms in your small area.

5. Encourage students to look for examples of living things interacting. Students

should use hand lenses to get a closer look, as needed.

6. Ask:

What do you think “interdependence” means? It is a relationship between

organisms and/or objects such that each one depends on the other. Examples

might be plants need plants; plants need animals; animals need plants; animals

need animals; and both plants and animals need air, water, and sunlight and

rocks/soil- either directly or indirectly.

7. Students may want to create a field journal using words and pictures to document

the living things that they encounter, along with any relationships that appear to

exist between them.

8. Encourage students to compare and discuss their findings.

9. Wash hands before returning to the classroom.

10. Once students are back in the classroom, facilitate a discussion about the different

types of organisms found and how they were interacting with each other. A chart

could be created to collect the student data. A sample of a student observation

page and a data collection chart are shown on the next page.

per student) – Optionalchart paper (per class) – Optional

Safety Notes:

When taking students outside, ensure that they are following all

safety rules. They should be wearing closed-toe shoes. Verify any

allergies students may have (insect sting, grass), and take

appropriate precautions.

Instructional Notes:

Students may not think that the school yard is an environment

where many plants and animals interact. The teacher may need to

model how to observe carefully with the hand lens. In addition, the

teacher may want to explain to students that some organisms

may be in the soil. Also, check the area thoroughly for fire ants.

In the chart to the left, it shows that students mentioned things like

birds and squirrels. Although the students were instructed to

observe organisms in the grass, the reality is that they will be

looking around and perhaps seeing other organisms around

them. This could be included in the discussion that squirrels are

interacting with the tree and the bird may be interacting with

organisms on the ground.

EXPLORE – Why Should We Care About The Environment? Suggested Day 2

1. Read a book, such as The Lorax by Dr. Seuss or Wump World by Bill

Peet, that discusses interactions in the environment and consequences

of actions.

2. Although these stories are fictional, stories can lead to a good

discussion of some of the threats to the living environment, from air and

water pollution to deforestation. It also illustrates the relationships

between living organisms within an environment.

3. Review the actions and consequences in the story.

Ask:

Could there be actions like we heard in the story in our

everyday lives?

Materials:

book (that discusses interactions in the environment and

consequences of actions, 1 per class)

paper (plain, 1 sheet per student) – Optionalcrayons or colored pencils (per group)

Attachments:

Optional Handout: Storyboard (1 per student)

Grade 2

Science

Unit: 10

Lesson: 03

Suggested Duration: 9 days

Last Updated 04/25/13 page 4 of 21  

What might be some consequences of polluting in our

environment?

How did polluting affect the plants and animals in the story?

How might pollution affect the plants and animals around us?

4. Review the basic needs of plants and animals. Students should be able

to recall that plants and animals are the living components of an

environment.

5. Ask:

How were the basic needs met in the story that you just

heard? Answers will vary depending on the book used.

6. Ask

How are the basic needs of the plants (or grass) in the

schoolyard met? (Students should be able to recall that the plants

(or grass) need water, air, soil, and sunlight for producing food.)

7. Review that air, water, sunlight, and soil/rocks are the nonliving

components of an environment.

8. To summarize, allow time for students to create a story board to review

the information that they heard in the story about plant and animal

interactions. The Optional Handout: Storyboard could be used for

students who need the support.

Instructional Notes:

Teachers should begin a word wall at this time. During the course of this

lesson, there is a great deal of academic vocabulary introduced. Students

should have the opportunity to see these words to become comfortable with

their meaning.

The Internet site:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/6_7/plants_animals_env.shtml

has interactive screens that allow students to review the identification of living

organisms. Another screen has them completing food chains.

EXPLORE – Every Organism is Somebody’s Lunch Suggested Day 3

1. Ask:

How do humans depend on the environment? At this time, students may be

able to recall that we meet our basic needs of air, water, and food through our

interaction with the environment.

2. Acknowledge that the environment provides with our basic needs: water, air, and

food. We also get materials to build our homes from the environment (shelter).

3. Say:

In your science notebook, draw what you enjoy eating for lunch.

As you are completing your illustrations, I will draw an example of a

lunch on this chart.

4. Say:

In your table groups, I would like you to discuss the following questions,

and then be prepared to share with the whole class: (Read the questions

to the class.)

Where do we get the peanuts for the peanut butter?

Where do we get the strawberries for the jam?

Where do we get the potatoes for the potato chips?

Where do we get the apple?

Where do we get the milk?

Materials:

chart paper (per class)

crayons, colored pencils, or markers (per group)

teacher’s lunch (demonstration, 1 per class)

Instructional Notes:

This activity is setting the foundation for the concept of food

chains. All food chains start with the Sun. Producers are the first

food source in any food chain. Students should be able to trace all

sources of food that they recognize back to plants.

Check For Understanding:

This activity provides teachers with a formative assessment on

student understanding of food as it relates to plants.

Grade 2

Science

Unit: 10

Lesson: 03

Suggested Duration: 9 days

Last Updated 04/25/13 page 5 of 21  

5. Allow about five minutes for table talk. If students finish the conversation sooner,

begin to call on groups to share their thinking.

6. Using your lunch as the model, demonstrate that all the food we eat starts in some

way with plants.

7. Many students will assume the food just “appears” at the grocery store, but theconcept you are working toward for student understanding is that all the food we eat

starts in some way with plants.

8. Demonstrate to students that all of the foods listed on the chart (as seen below) are

plants.

9. To summarize: Instruct students to work in pairs to discover the components of their

lunch. In their science notebooks, they should write or draw the plants needed to

produce the food that they ate. Monitor and assist students as they complete the

task.

EXPLAIN – Each One Teach One Suggested Day 4

1. Say:

You are going to work in teams to teach your classmates about the

interdependence of organisms in the environment.

Ask:

What does the word “environment” mean? An environment (ecosystem) is a

biological community that occurs in a specific location and consists of both the

living and nonliving components.

Who can tell the class what “interdependence” means? It is a relationship

between organisms and/or objects so that each one depends on the other.

Examples might be plants need plants; plants need animals; animals need

plants; animals need animals; and both plants and animals need air, water,

sunlight, and rocks/soil- either directly or indirectly.

2. Say:

I will be distributing a card to each group.

On the card is a sentence.

I will read the sentence to your group when I distribute the card.

Your group’s job will be to teach the class the concept that is on yourcard.

3. Ask:

Are there any questions about what your group will accomplish?

4. Say:

You may draw your explanation, act it out, sing about it, or discuss it with

the class.

Materials:

index cards (3”x5”, with statements written onthem, 1 per group)

Attachments:

Optional Teacher Resource: Each One Teach

One

Instructional Notes:

This activity is a final review to ensure students understand these

concepts. In the next activity, students will be putting all of this

information together as they learn about food chains.

Science Notebooks:

Expecting students to write the main idea of each presentation in

their science notebook is one way to encourage students to focus

on their classmates’ presentations.

Grade 2

Science

Unit: 10

Lesson: 03

Suggested Duration: 9 days

Last Updated 04/25/13 page 6 of 21  

5. You will have 15 minutes to prepare, and then your group will present the

information.

The cards have the following statements:

All organisms depend on each other and the environment to grow.

Temperature and precipitation affect the growth of plants.

Temperature and precipitation affect the behavior of animals.

Some animals eat plants. Some animals eat animals. Some animals eat both

plants and animals.

No matter what an animal eats, the source of food is always a plant.

The lack of water in an environment has an effect on both plants and animals.

6. The Optional Teacher Resource: Each One Teach One has these statements

written on them. As an option, the teacher could write the statements on an index

card.

7. Monitor student progress on this task. After the 15 minutes of

discussion/preparation time groups should present. The presentations should take

no more than 3–5 minutes each.

EXPLORE/EXPLAIN – Food Chains In Different Environments Suggested Day 5

1. Distribute the Handout: Food Chains.

2. Read the booklet together. Ask Guiding Questions to ensure students understand

the content of the booklet.

3. Questions might include:

What do animals need to survive?

What do plants need to survive?

How do plants depend on the environment?

In what ways is the sun important to plants?

4. Ask:

In what ways do animals depend on other animals and plants? (Allow time

for students to remember and discuss their previous learning.)

5. Show the PowerPoint Looking At Environments and Their Food Chains.

6. Students should recognize the PowerPoint from the previous lesson. Food chains

for a variety of environments have been added so students can begin to

understand that food chains exist in every environment but the plants and animals

will be different.

7. Facilitate a discussion as students view each slide. The discussion should include

the concepts:

The Sun is necessary to provide energy for plants to produce their own food.

Plants are the organisms at the start of every food chain.

Animals eat plants.

Some animals eat other animals.

Plants and animals depend on the environment for air, water, and sunlight

(space to grow-plants, shelter-animals).

8. As you present each slide,

Ask:

What are the animals you can identify in this environment?

Materials:

index cards (3”x5”, with statements written on them,1 per group)

Attachments:

Handout: Food Chains (1 per student)

Teacher Resource: PowerPoint Looking At

Environments and Their Food Chains

Instructional Notes:

The Teacher Resource: PowerPoint Looking At Environments and

Their Food Chains should provide students with the pictures they

need to understand the concept of food chains in different

environments.

There are websites that provide students with clear visuals for

different environments.

Wood:

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sirrobhitch.suffolk/habitats/wood.htm

Pond:

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sirrobhitch.suffolk/habitats/pond.htm

Garden:

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sirrobhitch.suffolk/habitats/hedge.htm

EXPLORE/EXPLAIN Suggested Day 6

1. Before this activity begins, the classroom may be cleared to have a large open area

for the Food Chain game. (The instructions start at #10.)

2. Distribute the Handout: Food Chain Cards (1 set per group)

3. Instruct each group to construct the food chains that would be appropriate for each

environment. Remind students that the environments for these food chains include:

a garden, park, beach, lake, and wooded area.

Materials:

resealable plastic bags (to hold card sets, 1 per

group)

Attachments:

Grade 2

Science

Unit: 10

Lesson: 03

Suggested Duration: 9 days

Last Updated 04/25/13 page 7 of 21  

4. After each group completes the five different food chains, facilitate a discussion that

focuses on their choice of plants and animals in each food chain, what is similar

about each food chain (They all have the Sun, plants, and animals.), and what is

different (The plants and animals tend to be different in different environments.)

5. Say:

Think about the earlier lessons when we discussed animals and plants

and their basic needs.

6. Ask:

What might happen if the basic needs are not met? The plant or animal will

usually perish (die).

As you look at the food chains in front of you, how would a basic need

not be met? If the plant does not get enough water, it will not grow. If the plant

doesn’t grow, then some animals will lose their source of food.

7. Say:

We are going to do a simulation of what happens in nature when basic

needs are not met.

You will each receive an index card that has the name of a plant or

animal. (There can be more than one student representing a certain type of

animal or plant.)

8. Say:

For this game, we will all use the cards from the

____________environment. (The teacher should decide which food chain to

use with their class).

You will need to put the cards for the other food chains back into the

resealable, plastic bag.

You will also need to put the Sun card away.

Each person in your group will hold onto one plant or animal card. Any

extra cards will need to be put in the resealable, plastic bag.

9. The teacher may want to collect all the plastic bags of cards so they do not get

misplaced.

10. Instruct the students to group themselves with the other members of the class who

are holding the same card. For example, all birds would be in one area, and all

plants in another area.

11. At this stage, the teacher will be able to see how many of each organism exists.

12. Instruct students to form a food chain with the correct organisms (They have seen

these in the sorting activity that they did prior to playing this game, as well as in the

PowerPoint).

13. Say:

There has been no precipitation for months in our environment. One of

the basic needs for plants has not been met.

Would all of the students holding the _______ (name of the plant) please

sit down? You have been removed from the food chain.

14. Ask:

Who depended on this organism? Answers will vary.

Say:

Raise your hand if this plant was your food source.

Ask:

What are the consequences of losing this food source? When one food

source is altered, it alters the food source for many other organisms.

Handout: Food Chain Cards (1 set per group)

Instructional Note:

This activity reinforces the consequences if basic needs are not

met, the consequences of an organism no longer being in the

food chain, and how plants and animals depend on each other

and their environment.

Grade 2

Science

Unit: 10

Lesson: 03

Suggested Duration: 9 days

Last Updated 04/25/13 page 8 of 21  

15. Instruct all “organisms” to stand again. Give another scenario.Say:

The temperature dropped very quickly. An ice storm covered the area

with freezing precipitation. Would all the students holding the _________

(name the organism) please sit down? You were not able to migrate,

hibernate, or go dormant quickly enough. You have been removed from

the food chain.

16. Ask:

Who depended on this organism? Answers will vary.

Say:

Raise your hand if this plant was your food source.

Ask:

What are the consequences of losing this food source? When one food

source is altered, it alters the food source for many other organisms.

17. Several scenarios could be acted out depending on class time. To summarize,

facilitate a discussion focused on the implications of this simulation with the class.

What happens to the plants and animals in an area when one type of plant or

animal dies out? Make sure students understand that all plants and animals in an

area (an ecosystem) depend on one another.

ELABORATE – Looking At Travel Brochures Suggested Day 7

1. Pair students or divide class into groups of 3–4 students.

2. Distribute a travel brochure to each pair/small group. Students should have the

opportunity to carefully observe the brochures.

3. Instruct students to look for pictures that show how hot or cold it is and different

forms of precipitation. Also, look for how living organisms depend on each other and

their environment.

4. After students have had some time (around five to ten minutes) to observe the

brochures, call on each group to explain pictures that show how hot or cold it is and

different forms of precipitation and how living organisms depend on each other and

on their environment

5. Create a list of the information that students should include in their travel brochure.

Explain that the focus will be on:

Describing the environment

Describing the temperature (in terms of hot, warm, and cold)

Describing the precipitation

Describing how plants grow (Are there a lot of plants or only a few plants?)

Describing if any animals migrate and why. (Is there a lack of water? Is there a

lack of food?) Note: The teacher will need to facilitate this discussion. Students

still may not fully grasp the concept.

Includes at least one food chain that has the Sun, a producer, and two

consumers.

6. Allow time for students to ask questions.

Materials:

brochures (travel, 1 per group)

chart paper (per class)

Instructional Notes:

This part of the lesson sequence is introducing students to travel

brochures along with their components and function. It should be

made clear that when they design their brochure, it will not look

exactly like these professional products. The emphasis will be on

how the temperature and precipitation affect growth and

behaviors, such as hibernation, migration, or dormancy.

Additionally, the emphasis will be on

how living organisms depend on each other and on their

environment.

EVALUATE – Performance Indicator Suggested Days 8 and 9

Grade 02 Science Unit 10 PI 02

Create a travel brochure to inform others about an environment, such as a forest, marine, desert, or

polar environment. Include information about the temperature and precipitation that affects growth

and behaviors, such as hibernation, migration, or dormancy. Include examples of how living

organisms depend on each other and on their environment.

Standard(s): 2.2F , 2.3A , 2.9B , 2.9C

ELPS ELPS.c.1C , ELPS.c.3D , ELPS.c.5B

1. Students should select one environment (ecosystem) that they will focus on. They

Materials

paper (plain, 1 sheet per student)

colored pencils (per group)

pictures (from magazines, clip art, or other

sources, per group)

glue (sticks or white liquid, per group)

Grade 2

Science

Unit: 10

Lesson: 03

Suggested Duration: 9 days

Last Updated 04/25/13 page 9 of 21  

should have the opportunity to choose from forest, marine, desert, polar, garden,

lake, park, beach, or woodland.

2. Students will create a travel brochure that has the following features:

Describes the environment

Describes the temperature

Describes the precipitation

Describes how plants grow

Describes if any animals migrate and why (Is there a lack of water? Is there a

lack of food?)

3. Includes at least one food chain that has the Sun, a producer, and two consumers.

Attachments:

Teacher Resource: Performance Indicator

SAMPLE

Instructional Notes:

Remind students that the word wall is available as a reference.

The Vocabulary of Instruction contains the scientific vocabulary

that students used during this lesson.

Grade 2

Science

Unit: 10

Lesson: 03

Suggested Duration: 9 days

Last Updated 04/25/13 page 10 of 21  

Grade 2 Science

Unit: 10 Lesson: 03

©2012, TESCCC 10/10/12 page 1 of 1

Storyboard

Grade 2 Science

Unit: 10 Lesson: 03

©2012, TESCCC 10/10/12 page 1 of 1

Each One Teach One

All organisms depend on each other and the environment to

grow.

Temperature and precipitation affect the growth of plants.

Temperature and precipitation

affect the behavior of animals.

Some animals eat animals.

Some animals eat plants.

Some animals eat both plants and animals.

The lack of water in an environment has an effect on

both plants and animals.

No matter what an animal eats, the source of the food

is always a plant.

FOOD CHAINS

A food chain describes “who eats what” in a certain area. Food chains are different in different environments or ecosystems. Food chains always start with the Sun. The Sun provides energy for plants to grow. Remember, a plant needs sunlight, water, and air to grow. Plants are the first organism in a food chain. They are called “producers” because they can produce, or make, their own food.

The next part of a food chain is an animal that eats plants. Some animals you may have seen eating plants include deer, rabbits, a turtle, or a mouse. These animals get their energy from the plant. These animals are called consumers. In the next level of a food chain, one animal eats another animal. An owl might eat a mouse, or a fox might eat a rabbit. These animals are also called consumers, and they get their energy from eating other animals.

This is a food chain from a lake. Each of the organisms depend on another organism to meet its basic need of food. The plants and animals depend on each other and on the environment to live and grow. People are part of a food chain. When we eat a carrot or an apple, we have eaten a plant. When we eat some chicken or a hamburger, we have eaten an animal. We depend on plants and animals to meet our basic needs.

Grade 2 Science

Unit: 10 Lesson: 03

©2012, TESCCC 10/10/12 page 1 of 6

Food Chain Cards

Garden

Lake

Grade 2 Science

Unit: 10 Lesson: 03

©2012, TESCCC 10/10/12 page 2 of 6

Grade 2 Science

Unit: 10 Lesson: 03

©2012, TESCCC 10/10/12 page 3 of 6

Park

Grade 2 Science

Unit: 10 Lesson: 03

©2012, TESCCC 10/10/12 page 4 of 6

Beach

Grade 2 Science

Unit: 10 Lesson: 03

©2012, TESCCC 10/10/12 page 5 of 6

Woodland

Grade 2 Science

Unit: 10 Lesson: 03

©2012, TESCCC 10/10/12 page 6 of 6

Grade 2 Science

Unit: 10 Lesson: 03

©2012, TESCCC 10/10/12 page 1 of 2

Performance Indicator SAMPLE

INSIDE

Grade 2 Science

Unit: 10 Lesson: 03

©2012, TESCCC 10/10/12 page 2 of 2

The owl depends on the rabbit.

The rabbit depends on the grass.

The grass depends on the Sun.

The bird depends on the butterfly.

The butterfly depends on the

flowers.

The flowers depend on the Sun.

All the plants and animals depend

on air, water, and food to live.

In this environment, the plants

depend on the Sun, water, air, and

soil.

You can see the lake in the

background. There has been a lot

of rain in the area so the lake is

full, and the plants have had

plenty of water.

The temperature is cool at night

and warm during the day.

The plants grow well with the

warmer temperatures.

Since it is warm outside, the

rabbit, owl, birds, and butterflies

are all still outside. The butterflies

and birds will migrate when the weather turns cold.

The

Forest

Environment