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B4: Investigate the connection between major living and nonliving components of a local ecosystem.

Curriculum Organizing Questions	What are the living parts of this ecosystem? What are the nonliving parts of this ecosystem? What parts of the nonliving ecosystem might be changed by the organisms living there? What might happen to the organisms living in this ecosystem if one of the nonliving parts were to change? What behaviors do these organisms have that are related to their environment? What nonliving parts of ecosystems have you seen people change?
Elaboration	Studies of ecosystems should start with what students can directly observe. By viewing nature films, students should see a great diversity of life in different habitats. Making sense of the way organisms live in their environments will develop some understanding of the diversity of life and how all living things depend on the living and nonliving environment for survival. Benchmarks p.116
Specific Ideas	The number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available both living and nonliving. NSES C4d (gr 5-8) Nonliving components in an ecosystem include the amount of light and water, range of temperatures, and soil composition. NSES C4d (gr 5-8) Living things are affected by the nonliving components of an ecosystem. SFAA page 64-65 Living things can affect the nonliving components of an ecosystem. SFAA page 64-65 For any particular environment, some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some can not survive at all. Benchmarks 5D1 An organism's behavior is related to the type of environment, including the kinds and numbers of other organisms present, the availability of food and resources, and the physical characteristics. NSES C3b Humans change environments. These changes are sometimes beneficial, sometimes harmful. NSES C3d
Developmental & Instructional Implications	Elementary students typically use movement, breath, reproduction, and death to decide whether things are alive. Many children do not consider plants to be alive, but do consider inanimate objects that move to be alive. Benchmarks page 341 (There is an extensive discussion of the development of this concept in "Making Sense of Secondary Science" by Driver, pgs. 17-21.) Many pupils seem unable to think of organisms and their environments without human involvement and many younger children think that all organisms are fed by people. Generally pupils are unaware of the role that microbes play in environments.
Examples

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