Students will be able to independently use their learning to…

• Understand an organism using a systems perspective

• Compare and contrast how a variety organisms rely on internal systems to survive, reproduce, and interact with their environment

• Use systems thinking to understand the interconnectedness of all living things

• Connect to place and understand their role and responsibility as stewards of the environment

• Develop a plan of action to address a selected problem or issue

UNIT UNDERSTANDINGS:

Students will understand that…

• A living organism is made up of many interdependent body systems that interact to sustain life.
• All organisms require food, water, and shelter for survival.
• All organisms also need energy, which can be traced back through food chains to plants and sun.
• All organisms have predictable life cycles.
• Organisms reproduce in a variety of ways including: sexual and asexual reproduction.
• Organisms have adaptations to help them survive in particular habitats.
• Adaptations can be visible, invisible (physiological), or behavioural.
• Organisms interact with each other in a variety of ways including: competition, predator-prey, symbiotic, and parasitic relationships.
• Organisms also interact with the surrounding environment (abiotic factors) including: energy, water, air and soil.
• All organisms are connected, including us.
• My actions (both positive and negative) impact the organism’s ability to survive.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

Students will keep considering…

• What is a living organism?
• What do all organisms need for survival?
• What adaptations help the organism survive in its environment?
• What interactions do you observe –between organisms, and between the organism and environment?
• How am I connected to the organism(s) I’ve experienced during field studies?
• What does it mean to be a steward of the environment?

> Click here to learn more about Essential Questions

CURRICULAR COMPETENCIES

Students will be skilled at…

• Experience and interpret the local environment (Science 6)
• Demonstrate curiosity about the natural world (Science 6)
• Make observations in familiar or unfamiliar contexts (Science 6)
• Make ethical judgments about events, decisions, and actions that consider the conditions of a particular time and place and asses appropriate ways to respond (ethical judgment) (Social Studies 6)

CONTENT

Students will know…

• Goats, chickens, ducks and pigs have internal systems that function together to sustain life

• Goats, chickens, ducks and pigs are warm-blooded (circulatory system) & have adaptations to temperature of surrounding H₂0

• Goats, chickens, ducks and pigs have internal fertilization (reproductive system)

CORE COMPETENCIES

Which Core Competencies will be integrated into the unit? 

Positive Personal & Cultural Identity

• Contributing to community and caring for the environment

Communication

• Contributing to community and caring for the environment

Critical Thinking

• Contributing to community and caring for the environment

The unit will make connections with:

How does the field study reflect Cheakamus Centre Principles (Place, Community, Inquiry, Personal Connections, and First Peoples’ Perspectives)?

• Teaching in and Learning about Place: students will be at a working farm while they study about systems related to farms and farm animals
• Engaging Students with Nature-based Inquiry: students will ask and answer questions such as, how is the organism is a system; how do the animals interact; and how do we interact with animals?
• Making personal connections: students will learn about and experience where there food and food byproducts come from