Digital Unit Plan – Goals, Objectives and Assessments

Unit Title: Organisms and Nonliving Things are Made of Matter Name: Daniel Lee, Meghan Pantaleon, Audrey
Ostreicher, & Michael Nassen
Content Area: Science Grade Level: 7th
Next Generation Science Standards/Performance Expectations
MS-PS1-1 Matter and its Interactions
Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures

MS-PS1-4 Matter and its Interactions

Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a
pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.

MS-LS2-3 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts
of an ecosystem.

MS-PS1-3 Matter and its Interactions

Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.

Anchoring Phenomenon and Activity

Phenomenon: A fire has broken out at Sequoia National Park destroying all trees and wildlife in a particular area. Many years later, however, this
same area is now bustling with wildlife and with trees fully regrown despite being completely destroyed by fire.
Activity: Students will create an initial model of Sequoia National Park and describe the role of fire in maintaining its ecosystem.

A fire has broken out in a particular location at Sequoia National Park, destroying all of the plants and trees and leaving behind land that is burnt to a
crisp. After some time, however, this same area is now bustling with new plant life and growth even after the destruction caused by the fire.
Students will first be asked to observe a before and after picture of a fire that took place at a specific location in Sequoia National Park. You are a
Wildland firefighter for the National Park Service (NPS) that must propose a model to the local government that describes what has taken place and
explain the role that fire plays in the destruction and revival of the ecosystem in that specific location. This model will be revisited and revised
throughout the unit and the final model will be a summative assessment to evaluate student mastery over the content.
Driving Question of the Unit

What role does fire play in maintaining a healthy ecosystem?

Unit Goals---Describe what you want students to be able to do. For example, I wanted my students to be able to know when to use the epistemic practices when I gave them
verbal or visual cues. Students will need to be able to recognize science even if it is not in the verbal form. See the article “Outside the Pipeline: Reimagining Science Education
for Nonscientists.” A summary of the article is in the appendix of this unit plan template.

Students will be able to draw upon pre-existing knowledge to make observations and inferences regarding a certain phenomenon

Students will think like scientists by asking questions and researching to find evidence for their hypotheses

Students will engage and interpret scientific text to gather information

Students will learn how to create detailed models to show accurate representations of the systems involved

Students will be able to evaluate the work of their peers and provide encouraging feedback in an effective manner

Lesson 1 – [Atoms and Matter]

Lesson Level Phenomenon and
Essential Questions
Just How Small is an Atom?
Atom interactive:
https://ca.pbslearningmedia.org/re
source/lsps07.sci.phys.matter.theat
om/the-atom/
What do you, an apple, and the
moon have in common?
Student Learning Objective
(Highlight the three dimensions)
After viewing the “Just How Small is
an Atom?” video and completing the
online atom interactive tool,
students will work in pairs to build a
water molecule model in each state
of matter, including the atomic parts
of the molecule, to show that atoms
are the smallest unit of matter and
may combine and interact in various
ways.
Acceptable Evidence – Formative
and/or Summative Assessment:
Model of a water molecule in each
state of matter, showing the atomic
components of the hydrogen and
oxygen molecules and that these
atoms can combine together to form
a molecule.
How does this connect to the
anchoring phenomenon?
What do the students figure
out?
Students will figure out that
atoms are the building blocks
of matter and make up
everything in our lives. They
will also grasp the basic
components and properties of
an atom. This connects to the
anchoring phenomenon
because students need to
understand the molecular and

Lesson 2 – [Matter and its Interactions]
Lesson Level Phenomenon and
Essential Questions
(Picture is example of lab stations)
What are the physical and chemical
changes that take place when you
bake cookies?
Lesson 3 – [States of Matter]
Lesson Level Phenomenon and
Essential Questions
Some substances (i.e water) can
exist as a liquid, solid, or gas.
Student Learning Objective
(Highlight the three dimensions)
Using a series of eight quick lab
stations, students will analyze each
station and construct explanations
to determine if a physical or
chemical change occurred and
identify if/how the shape and
structure of the substance changed.
Student Learning Objective
(Highlight the three dimensions)
Students will analyze data gathered
from a lab experiment with dry ice
and record observations of how
Acceptable Evidence – Formative
and/or Summative Assessment:
After completing the lab station
activity, students will analyze a
cookie recipe and note the physical
and chemical changes that occur in
each step. Students will use CER
(claim, evidence, and reasoning) to
support their answers of whether
there is a chemical or physical
change occurring.
Acceptable Evidence – Formative
and/or Summative Assessment:
Upon completion of lab experiment
(dry ice) students’ will have a lab
notebook check and show that they
atomic composition of
substances, and start to form
wonderings if heat (energy) is
also a form of matter.
How does this connect to the
anchoring phenomenon?
What do the students figure
out?
Students will figure out the
difference between physical
and chemical changes and the
various physical and chemical
properties. Students will
understand that a chemical
change is present when a new
substance is formed. This
connects to the anchoring
phenomenon because fire
provides irreversible changes to
an ecosystem and counts as a
chemical change.
How does this connect to the
anchoring phenomenon?
What do the students figure
out?
Normally, ice melts from solid to
liquid at room temperature. Dry
ice, however, does not melt from
solid to liquid, but goes directly
from solid to gas.
What happens to the particles in
substances as they change state or
change temperature?
How is it possible for dry ice to go
from solid directly to gas?
Lab experiments:
Exploring States of Matter
Lesson 4 – [Living and Nonliving Parts of an Ecosystem]
Lesson Level Phenomenon and
Essential Questions
As a fire burns through the Sequoia
National Forest what parts of an
ecosystem are affected?
What are things in the world made
out of?
Does an ecosystem include living
and nonliving things?
energy flows in and out of the
substance resulting in different
states of matter.
Student Learning Objective
(Highlight the three dimensions)
Students will investigate and analyze
patterns of characteristics between
living and nonliving things through
their own observations outside the
classroom in the outside classroom
environment.
have recorded observations.
Students will then discuss in groups
their conclusions and make claims of
how they think energy flows in and
out of substances in the real world
environment. They will have a
chance to present their claims to
another group through an
argumentation session.
Acceptable Evidence – Formative
and/or Summative Assessment:
After students explore the
environment outside the classroom
and record their observations of
living and nonliving things, they will
record in their lab notebooks
characteristics and examples of what
they believe to be living and
nonliving. They will then create an
initial model of an ecosystem of a
forest and label the living and
nonliving parts.
Students begin to understand
particle motion and how it
changes the properties of a
substance as temperature
changes. It relates to the
anchoring phenomena because
introducing heat (as in a fire)
causes particles to move faster
and react creating different
states of matter.
How does this connect to the
anchoring phenomenon?
What do the students figure
out?
Through investigations of their
own environment students will
see that everything, living and
nonliving, are made of atoms.
As far as the anchoring
phenomena, they have
expanded their knowledge of
what types of substances make
up the sequoias and are
present in the ecosystem. They
can now add different types of
animals, trees, and land masses
that are affected by a fire in the
forest. This evidence will show
how a fire can impact a whole
What types of living and nonliving
things would be affected by a fire?
Lesson 5 – [Matter and Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem]
Lesson Level Phenomenon and
Essential Questions
How would the removal of 10,000
trees affect the ecosystem in
Sequoia National Park?
Incident Report
Lesson 6 – [Synthetic Materials and Its Impact on Society]
Lesson Level Phenomenon and
Essential Questions
How are synthetic materials made?
How can synthetic materials
positively and negatively impact
the environment?
Student Learning Objective
(Highlight the three dimensions)
Using the KNP Complex fire incident
report, students will develop a
model of a food web that
demonstrates the transfer of energy
between producers, consumers, and
decomposers in an ecosystem.
Student Learning Objective
(Highlight the three dimensions)
After reading the online article and
learning one way synthetic materials
can positively affect the
environment, students will choose a
species of their choice to plan and
carry out investigations on the
Acceptable Evidence – Formative
and/or Summative Assessment:
A model of producers, consumers,
and decomposers in Sequoia
National Park. The students will
explain what would happen to
consumers and decomposers if a
large amount of trees(producers)
were removed.
Acceptable Evidence – Formative
and/or Summative Assessment:
Students will perform outside
research and share their findings
through a poster presentation in a
gallery walk where they can receive
feedback from their peers. The
teacher can summatively assess all of
ecosystem by destroying
habitats.
How does this connect to the
anchoring phenomenon?
What do the students figure
out?
This connects to the anchoring
phenomena because the trees
need to be removed because
they were weakened by
drought, disease, age, and/or
fire. The students figure out
the positives and negatives of
fire in an ecosystem.
How does this connect to the
anchoring phenomenon?
What do the students figure
out?
By researching the impact
synthetic materials have on
society, students will be able to
further their understanding of
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/20/
1038972507/california-sequoia-tre
es-general-sherman-aluminum-bla
nket
effects of synthetic materials on its the students’ models to ensure the role of fire in maintaining a
ecosystem in order to create a mastery of the content. healthy ecosystem. They will
poster presentation that displays the also learn about the role
cause and effect relationship humans play in maintaining an
between synthetic materials and the ecosystem through the
ecosystem. production of synthetic
materials.

Unit Summative Assessment

After multiple opportunities to revise and improve their initial models, students will submit a final model that accurately depicts the role of fire
in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Their models will include the various systems involved as well as cause and effect relationships that portray
fire and its importance to the environment. Each lesson in the unit will serve as an opportunity for students to learn new information on how to
improve their models with more accurate representations. After learning about atoms and matter, students will be able to incorporate this
knowledge by showing that all parts of the ecosystem such as the trees, air, and fire are all composed of atoms and matter in their model. Once
they expand on this knowledge and learn more about the interactions between matter resulting in physical and chemical changes, they will be
able to display this knowledge in their model by showing that fire burning trees is a chemical change. Then students will also be able to represent
the states of matter in their model by showing that fire causes particles to move faster and create different states of matter in the ecosystem.
Students will be able to discern that all living and nonliving things have matter and that there is a constant flow of energy within the ecosystem.
They can represent this in their models by incorporating food webs to represent the levels of energy within an ecosystem and how fire can
positively or negatively impact the flow of energy in an ecosystem. Finally, students will represent in their models the impact of synthetic
materials and how humans can use synthetic materials to protect against dangerous fires that could potentially harm the ecosystem.
Upon gathering all of the necessary information, students will be able to produce a final model that is accurate in explaining the anchoring
phenomenon and its importance.

Useful Websites:
Just How Small is an Atom?
https://ca.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/lsps07.sci.phys.matter.theatom/the-atom/
Incident Report
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/20/1038972507/california-sequoia-trees-general-sherman-aluminum-blanket
https://ngss.nsta.org/
https://padlet.com/
https://classroom.google.com/
https://www.scienceworld.ca/resource/exploring-states-matter/
Review: Outside the Pipeline: Reimagining Science Education for Nonscientists Science, April 19, 2013.

Summary of the Article:

How People Interact with Science

Individuals have different motivations for using scientific information. Factors that influence the use of science include social,
cultural, and demographic differences. In addition, the type of science that is useful differs from one problem or issue to another.
Science comes in a variety of forms such as experimentation, observational data or simulations or field research. One goal of science
education is to facilitate student understanding of what forms of science are best suited for the problems that we are trying to solve.
Students will need to understand that science is a flexible philosophical and methodological human endeavor. The sub-goals of this
BIG IDEA are as follows:
● Students will need to understand the context of a problem to understand what type of methods are needed
● Students will understand and interpret the scientific principles that “speak” to the driving questions and anchoring activities
presented in the coursework. The principles will change with subject matter.
● Students will engage in ill-structured problems, defined in personal and practical terms, to practice using different principles
and epistemic practices.

Knowing Science: From Knowing the Textbook to Accessing the Science you need

Science education should prepare more students to access and interpret scientific knowledge at the time and in the context of need.
Students will need to be able to read articles and the text book, draw on prior knowledge to interpret the text, and be able to cross
reference what is read with other materials. This is not simply the application of science for a particular problem, this is
reconstructing the science in valid ways to construct solutions. When it comes to planning science for students some sub-goals of
this major goal are as follows:
● To confront students with an ill-structured problem or challenge framed in an anchoring activity to extend their existing
knowledge and develop concrete solutions.
● To create a learning environment where students develop the skills to recognize when and how science is relevant in their
daily lives.
● To be able to cite textual based evidence to support or refute a claim (CCSS ELA)
● To be able to convert a phenomena into a mathematical model (CCSS Math)
Thinking Scientifically: From Practicing Science to Judging Scientific Claims

Students will need to engage in the epistemic practices of science in flexible and creative ways. The procedures that make up the
epistemic practices of argumentation, experimentation, modeling, and the negotiation of expository text are not static but are
guided by the cycle of scientific thinking. Students will rarely need to go through ALL the steps in a given epistemic procedure in
order to engage in scientific problem solving or research design. However, students will need to make sophisticated judgments about
credibility of scientific claims based on cues like publication venue, institutional affiliation, and potential conflict of interest. In order
to plan lesson that allow students to engage in this big idea teachers will need to set some of the following goals:
● To help students understand how scientists evaluate evidence and how research is packaged for presentation. Engaging
student in argumentation and negotiation of expository text does this. Note: expository text will need to be presented in
more ways then just the textbook.
● To help students engage in peer review when teachers are planning an argument or negotiation of expository text.
● Students will engage in epistemic practices to examine a science-inflected social problem, with the goal of uncovering
epistemic and ethical nuances at the interface of science and daily life.
● To help students engage in and interpret scientific text.

Appreciating Science: From Positive Feelings to Deep and Durable Involvement

Teachers will need to create learning environments where students develop an appreciation of science and recognize how science
influences their daily lives. Students will need to connect with science though interest areas and following their personal curiosities.
Therefore, some of the sub-goals of the work science teachers do will be to:
● Facilitate students pursing their own science related interest, questions, and personal curiosities through project-based;
inquiry-based; and model based learning.
● Facilitate socio-scientific issue discussion in class.
● Help students identify and develop individual interest and expertise in the subject matter.
● Connect students with science resources in the community such as clubs, museums, projects, science fair, and business that
specialize in science outreach.
● Use science-based games to facilitate student interest and curiosity for science problem solving. Empowering students to use
the epistemic practices in their everyday lives and to own the practices for life long problem-solving.