Interdependence
Big Idea 17
SC.4.L.16.2, SC.4.L.16.3, SC.4.L.17.1, SC.4.17.4
Pacing Guide – Quarter 3 Topic 12
01/21-02/06
Keisha Kidd, Curriculum Support Specialist
Mary Tweedy, Curriculum Support Specialist
Millard Lightburn, District Supervisor
Department of Mathematics and Science
Office of Academics and Transformation
Grade 4 Fair Game
Big Idea 17 Interdependence Benchmarks
• SC.4.L.16.2 Explain that although characteristics of plants and
animals are inherited, some characteristics can be affected by the
environment. (Assessed as SC.5.L.17.1)
• SC.4.L.16.3 Recognize that animal behaviors may be shaped by
heredity and learning. (Assessed as SC.5.L.17.1)
• SC.4.L.17.2 Explain that animals, including humans, cannot make
their own food and that when animals eat plants or other
animals, the energy stored in the food source is passed on to
them. (Assessed as SC.4.L.17.3)
• SC.4.L.17.4 Recognize ways plants and animals (invasive species),
including humans, can impact the environment. (Assessed as
SC.5.L.17.1)
Engage
• Hold your thumbs against your palms and
then untie and tie their shoes.
• If you don’t have laces, write your name on a
sheet of paper.
Were these tasks difficult?
Thumbs are an adaptation that help us do
many things. All animals have body parts and
other physical adaptations that help them to
survive.
We will take a look at the physical adaptations
that animals and plants have for survival.
Adaptations
1. Inherited traits
2. Bird adaptations
3. Other mammal adaptations
4. Protection
5. Hide from predators
6. Movement
Instincts
1. Inherited behaviors
2. Migration
3. Hibernation
Learned Behaviors
1. Training & experience
2. Parents teach offspring
3. Offspring teach parents
Interaction of Organisms
1. Competition
2. Sharing resources
3. Helping each other
4. Living side by side
5. Causing harm
Harmful Effects from Humans
1. Polluted water
2. Air pollution
3. Land pollution
4. Ocean pollution
Restoration from Humans
1. reclamation
2. preservation
3. recycling
Invasive Species
1. Impacts
2. Non-native released pets
Investigation Four:
Endangered Species
“Wanted—Alive”
Lesson Objectives
 Students will become knowledgeable about the endangered
animal and plant species in South Florida.
 Students will identify ways in which plants and /or animals
(including humans) can impact the environment.
 Students will understand how interaction of organisms in
ecosystem can impact the environment.
 Students will identify animals’ energy sources.
Background Information for Teachers:
In 1973, the Endangered Species Act was
passed by the United States Congress to
classify plants or animals species that should
be considered “endangered” or “threatened”.
What does it mean when a plant or
animal is classified as endangered?
Plants or animals species are considered
endangered if they are in danger of
becoming extinct throughout all or most of its
range.
Extinction is considered a natural process.
However, today’s extinction rates of plants
and animals are accelerating at a rate that is
faster than a natural process.
Factors that are contributing to
this include:
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•
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•
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loss of habitat
alteration of water flow
drainage of wetlands
introduction of non-native organisms
direct killing (over-harvesting and
poisoning)
Everglades’ Problems
• No Natural Water Flow
• Loss of Habitat
• Endangered animals:
American alligator, cape sable sparrow, green turtle,
panther, southern bald eagle, eastern indigo snake
What are the endangered species
found in the Everglades?
Animal species that are classified as endangered are::
• Insects: Schauss Swallowtail
• Mammals: Florida Panther, West Indian Manatee,
Key Largo Wood Rat, Key Largo Cotton Mouse
• Birds: Snail (everglades) Kite, Arctic Peregrine
Falcon, Cape Sable Sea Side Sparrow, Wood Stork
• Reptiles: Kemp’s Ridley Turtle, Green Turtle,
Hawksbill Turtle, Leatherback Turtle, American
Crocodile
SC.4.L.17.4 - Clarification
Remarks/Examples:
Introduce the impacts of invasive species, such as Brazilian
pepper, Cuban anole, Kudzu, Australian pine, non-native pets
released into wild (Burmese python). Ocean pollution resulting
from discharge of sewage, toxic chemicals, manufacturing
wastes, fertilizers, soaps, detergents, runoff and insecticides;
population growth causes consumption of limited resources and
land use expansion to accommodate for more people; animal
extinction (endangered and threatened species).
Why should these species be
saved?
There are many benefits of naturally functioning
ecosystems.
•
•
•
•
•
oxygen production
soil generation and maintenance
ground water recharge
water purification
flood protection
Biological diversity benefits
humans.
Plants and animals provide humans with
• food
• clothing
• energy
• medicines
• structural materials
Some species may play a critical role in an ecosystem, and
we may not even know about it.
We don’t want to find out when it’s too late.
What is extinction?
• Extinction is indeed forever. Once a species
becomes extinct, a hole is left in the ecosystem
and that species’ role, or niche, is left
unoccupied.
• The loss of a single species can affect many
other plants and animals.
Suggested Procedures:
• Assign or have students choose one of the
endangered species plant or animal to research
and prepare a poster for the class. Make sure that
each species will be covered. Each poster should
include:
• A physical description and picture
• Type of habitat required
• Predator/Prey relationship (what do they
eat/what eats them)
• What role does the species fill in its
environment (niche)
Discussion Questions
• Why should these species be saved?
• What are the endangered species found in the
Everglades?
• Why should these species be saved?
• What can students do to help save endangered
species?
Technology Integration
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/southflorida/everglades.html
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/everglades/FEeverglades1.html
http://www.miamisci.org/ecolinks/everglades/animals.html
http://www.everglades.org/habitats/
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/76/
Science Investigations
• Investigation Two: Observing Florida’s
Ecosystems: Habitat Sweet Habitat
• Investigation Four: Endangered Species
“Wanted – Alive”
Introduction to Mini-Unit:
The Last Egret
As you complete this unit of study, keep a page in
your journal to keep track of your thoughts and
actions. Include the following:
• List ways you would protect your home, the
South Florida Everglades.
• Think of ways you take for granted the plants and
animals in your environment.
• Think of ways you can spread the word for
protection of the Everglades
Investigation Two
Observing Florida’s
Ecosystems:
Habitat Sweet Habitat
Everglades habitats
In the Everglades, slight changes in water flow, elevation and
other environmental factors result in a variety of unique
habitats. Here are a few of the Everglades habitats:
Lesson Objectives
SC.4.L.16.2, SC.4.L.16.3, SC.4.L.17.4
Tested in Grade 5: SC.5.L.17.1
 The student will research at least four Everglades/South Florida habitats
and be able to identify two animals and one plant that live in each habitat.
 The student will recognize how each habitat provides the necessary
resources (food, water, shelter, and personal space) so that its plants and
animals can survive.
 The student will compare and contrast the differences between the habitat
types and the different organisms that live in each.
Background Information
for Teachers:
 South Florida/Everglades ecosystem is a collection of habitat types. The
random formation of the limestone foundation in the Everglades determines
where a certain habitat is found. Therefore pockets and islands of different
habitats are scattered throughout. The water level and water availability
determine the vegetation of a particular habitat, and this in turn determines
the wildlife found there.
 For more teacher background information on the specific habitats see the
following site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_and_ecology_of_the_Everglades
Suggested Procedures
• Review “Habitat Sweet Habitat”
• How does this house compare to your home and explain
how they are alike?
• What is a habitat?
• What resources does a habitat need to provide?
– food
– water
– shelter
– space
Everglades National Park
Video link for each habitat
South Florida/Everglades
has many habitats
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Hardwood Hammock
Freshwater Slough
Pine Rocklands
Sawgrass/Prairie
Marsh
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Mangrove Forests
Coastal Lowlands
Freshwater Marl Prairie
Florida Bay
Habitat Focus
Sawgrass/Prairie Marsh
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Wet Habitat
Sawgrass, not grass, but a sedge
Named for tiny sharp saw-like teeth attached to the leaf blade.
Water is about two feet deep in wet season
During dry season small pools of water trap thousands of fish that
provide food for birds
• Birds: ibis, anhinga, heron, wood stork,
• periphyton, a blue-green algae provides a microhabitat for
insects, and tiny fish.
Freshwater Slough
• Slow moving river
• Holds deepest water all year - two to four feet deep
• Animal population increases during the Everglades Dry Season
(November-May)
• Plants: Water lilies, giant reed, pond apple tree
• Wading birds: Anhinga, Wood stork, ibis
• Fish: gambusia, Florida gar, bass
• Reptiles: alligator, turtles
• Invertebrates: Apple snails
Pine Rocklands
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Driest habitat
Above sea level elevations
Porous oolite limestone bedrock
Slash pine has thick bark, high branches & needle like leaves
Thick bark = microhabitat for beetles, scorpions
Fire is essential for the survival of the pine rocklands
Fire removes competing plants/trees that are shading the new pine
seedlings
• Fire tolerant plants: cabbage palms, saw palmettos
• Animals: scorpions, mice, rabbits, raccoons, panthers, deer, foxes,
• Birds: woodpeckers, owls, and songbirds
Hardwood Hammock
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Broad- leafed hardwood tree forest
Highest elevated land
Dark, shady, moist habitat
Soft and spongy ground cover from fallen leaves home to many
decomposers
Trees: Royal Palm, Gumbo Limbo, Live Oak, Strangler Fig, & Lysiloma or “
tree snail tree”
Animals: Zebra butterfly, tree snails, panthers, raccoons, mice, rabbits,
lizards, snakes, song birds
Symbiotic relationships
Commensalism: hardwood trees & air plants or epiphytes
Mutualism: lichens - algae & fungus relationship
Sensitive to pollution
POP QUIZ
Everglades Habitat Match Up
Habitat
Main Characteristics
1. Fresh Water Slough
A. Fire tolerant plants grow in the driest and
rockiest habitat.
B. Sedge with saw-like teeth blades grow in this
wet habitat.
C. A slow moving river that holds the deepest
water.
D. Broadleaved trees grow on highest elevated
land.
2. Hardwood Hammock
3. Pine Rocklands
4. Sawgrass Marsh
Discussion Questions
 What makes habitats different (i.e. water levels and
availability, elevation, types of plants, types of
animals, etc.)?
 Do some animals depend on more than one
habitat?
 Are all different habitats necessary?
 Why do certain plants and animals need a
particular habitat?
Lesson Review
 Name at least four habitats found in South
Florida/Everglades.
 Identify two animals and one plant that live in each
habitat.
 What resources habitat provides the necessary resources
so that its plants and animals can survive?
 Name the differences between the habitat types and the
different organisms that live in each.
Habitat Foldable
Select four Everglades/South Florida habitats.
Identify two animals and one plant that live in each
habitat.
(See sample)
Directions:
• Divide the class into two groups. (Plants vs. Animals)
• Line up each group in a single file line.
• The first person in each line selects a picture card
and places it in the appropriate habitat. (Relay race
style)
• The first team to finish correctly wins.
Plants vs. Animals
REVIEW
Hardwood Hammocks
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Broad- leafed hardwood tree forest
highest elevated land
Dark, shady, moist habitat
Soft and spongy ground cover from fallen leaves home to many
decomposers
Trees: Royal Palm, Gumbo Limbo, Live Oak,
Strangler Fig, & Lysiloma or “ tree snail tree”
Animals: Zebra butterfly, tree snails, panthers, raccoons,
mice, rabbits, lizards, snakes, song birds
Symbiotic relationships:
- Commensalism: hardwood trees & air plants or epiphytes
- Mutualism: lichens - algae & fungus relationship
Sensitive to pollution
Freshwater Slough
• Slow moving river
• Holds deepest water all year - two to four feet deep
• Animal population increases during the
Dry Season
• Plants: Water lilies, giant reed, pond apple tree
• Wading birds: Anhinga, Wood stork, ibis
• Fish: gambusia, Florida gar, bass
• Reptiles: alligator, turtles
• Apple snails
WOODSTORK
Pine Rocklands
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Driest habitat
Above sea level elevations
Porous oolite limestone bedrock
Slash pine has thick bark,
high branches & needle like leaves
Thick bark = microhabitat for beetles, scorpions
Fire is essential for the survival of the pinelands
Fire removes competing plants/trees that are
shading the new pine seedlings
Fire tolerant plants: cabbage palms, saw palmettos
Animals: scorpions, mice, rabbits, raccoons, panthers,
deer, foxes,
woodpeckers, owls, and songbirds
Sawgrass Marsh
• Wet Habitat
• Sawgrass, not grass, but a sedge
• Named for tiny sharp saw-like teeth attached to the
leaf blade.
• Water is about two feet deep in wet season
• During dry season small pools of water trap
thousands of fish that provide food for birds
• birds: ibis, anhinga, heron, wood stork,
• periphyton, a blue-green algae provides a
microhabitat for insects, and tiny fish
An ADAPTATION is a characteristic
or trait that helps an organism
survive in its environment.
Here are some examples of adaptations:
Camouflage is a type of adaptation that allows animals to blend in with
their surroundings. During summer months, the Arctic fox has a brown
coat. During winter, the coat of the Arctic fox is white, matching its icy,
snowy surroundings.
In drier, temperate deciduous forests
a thick bark helps to limit moisture
evaporation from the tree's trunk.
Since this is not a concern in the high
humidity of tropical rainforests, most
trees have a thin, smooth bark. The
smoothness of the bark may also
make it difficult for other plants to
grow on their surface.
What are Adaptations?
• Adaptations are the result of evolution.
Evolution is a change in a species over long
periods of time.
• Adaptations usually occur because a gene
mutates or changes by accident! Some
mutations can help an animal or plant survive
better than others in the species without
mutation.
• For example, imagine a bird species. One day
a bird is born with a beak that is longer than
the beak of other birds in the species.
Adaptations
Special structures that make an organism
more suited for its environment
SC.4.L.16.2, SC.4.L.16.3, SC.4.L.17.4
Tested in Grade 5: SC.5.L.17.1
Birds
• Beaks: straight, curved,
spoon-like, spear-like =
catching food
• Legs: long = wading in
water
• Feet: webbed, colored =
successful hunting
Trees
Slash pine: thick bark,
high branches, thin
needle-like leaves =
Fire resistance
Adaptations
Structural and Behavioral Characteristics
Why Adapt?
• When people hear the word adapt, one of the first
things that comes to mind is “fitting in.” People are
always having to adapt or change to different
situations or places.
• For animals, adaptation is a matter of life or death. If
animals don’t adapt in certain ways to their
surroundings, they will not survive.
• In other words, adaptation means having certain
body parts or behaviors that allow animals to survive
and thrive in their environments.
• In order for plants and animals to survive, they must
have structures, behaviors and physiology that meet
the requirements of their environment.
• For example, in order for plants to survive on land,
they must have ways to get their water and other
nutrients from their surroundings.
• Just as plants need these essential components to
survive, all animals have specific characteristics that
allow them to survive as well.
Structural and Behavioral
Adaptations
• Now, let’s take a closer look at the definition of
structural and behavioral adaptations.
• All organisms have adaptations that help them to
survive. Some adaptations are structural and some are
behavioral.
• Structural adaptations are physical features of an
organism like the bill on a bird or the fur on a bear.
• Other adaptations are behavioral. Behavioral
adaptations are the things organisms do to survive. For
example, bird calls and migrations are behavioral
adaptations.
A Need to Survive!
• The longer beak helps the bird catch more food.
Because the bird can catch more food, it is
healthier than the other birds, lives longer and
breeds more. The bird passes the gene for a
longer beak on to its offspring. They also live
longer and have more offspring and the gene
continues to be inherited generation after
generation.
• Eventually the longer beak can be found in all of
the species. This doesn't happen overnight. It
takes thousands of years for a mutation to be
found in an entire species.
A Need to Survive!
• Over time, animals that are better
adapted to their environment survive and
breed. Animals that are not well adapted
to an environment may not survive.
• The characteristics that help a species
survive in an environment are passed on
to future generations. Those
characteristics that don't help the species
survive slowly disappear.
Plants adaptations allow them to live in
specific environments.
Some adaptations are only helpful
because of the environment in which a
plant lives.
Click on this link to explore a web site and
learn about plant adaptations in different
environments.
Like plants, animal adaptations allow them to
live in specific environments.
Some adaptations are only helpful because
of the environment in which a plant or animal
lives.
Click on this link to explore a web site
and learn about animal adaptations in
different environments.
Group Discussion
Round Table:
Beginning with the tallest
person in your collaborative
group, take turns going
around the table in a
clockwise direction telling
one adaptation made by a
plant which allows it to
survive in its environment.
Group Discussion
Round Table:
Beginning with the tallest
person in your collaborative
group, take turns going
around the table in a
clockwise direction telling
one adaptation made by an
animal which allows it to
survive in its environment.
Extension
• Take the class on a schoolyard habitat
observation walk.
• Have students keep a list of plants and
animals they encounter. Students can
draw illustrations and/or take pictures.
• Students compare plants and animals
found in the schoolyard to those found in
the Everglades habitats studied.
Technology Integration
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
Everglades video from Discovery:
http://app.discoveryeducation.com/player/?assetGuid=75fb5e6f-d12f-4a1590e9cae97954eec8&fromMyDe=0&isPrinterFriendly=0&provider=&isLessonFromHealth=0&pr
oductcode=US&isAssigned=false&includeHeader=YES
Everglades Royal Field Trip video:
http://ka.uvuvideo.org/_Untold-Stories-Everglades-National-Park/video/632519/86294.html
Everglades Conservation video:
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/environment/going-greenenvironment/conservation-in-action/everglades
Direct link to habitat descriptions: http://www.nps.gov/ever/forkids/habitats.htm
South Florida/Everglades plant and animal picture cards pgs 197-213:
http://www.nps.gov/ever/forteachers/upload/SFNP%20Supplementary%20Materials.pdf
Big Idea 17 Interdependence
Online Resources
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http://www.nps.gov/ever/forteachers/index.htm
http://www.odysseyearth.com/videos/the-everglades-river-of-grass/
http://theevergladesstory.org/journey/
http://www.newtonsapple.tv/video.php?id=915
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/photosynthesis.html
http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/ecosystems/food-chains.htm
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain/photosynthe
sis.htm
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/animaldiet/herbivore.ht
m
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/games/foodchaingame.
htm
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/games/producersconsu
mersgame.htm
Guided Practice
1. Some plants have thick and waxy layers on top of
their leaves. This reduces water loss from evaporation.
Where would a plant without waxy leaves grow
successfully?
a.
b.
c.
d.
where it is very cold at night
where it is very hot during the day
where there is plenty of water available
where there is very little water available
The correct answer is C
(where there is plenty of water available).
A. Plants without waxy leaves may not grow successfully where it is very cold
at night. Being very cold at night does not mean that overall evaporation
rates would be low. Deserts, for instance, may have hot days and cold
nights.
B. Plants without waxy leaves would not grow successfully where it is very
hot during the day. Areas that are very hot during the day will have high rates
of evaporation and, therefore, be likely to have plants with thick, waxy layers
on their leaves.
C. Plants without waxy leaves would not grow successfully where there is
very little water available. Plants in dry areas are likely to be adapted to limit
water loss by having thick, waxy layers on their leaves.
2. The snowshoe rabbit has white fur in the
winter and brown fur in the summer. Which
of the following can you infer about the
snowshoe rabbit?
a. It has adapted to blend in with its
environment.
b. It has a disease.
c. It travels south for the winter.
d. It was brought from another country.
The correct answer is A
(it is adapted to blend with its
environment).
B. This fur color change is typical of healthy snowshoe rabbits.
C. The white fur helps the snowshoe rabbit blend in with the snowy winter
environment in the north.
D. The snowshoe rabbit is adapted well to the environment from which it
originates.
3. Koala bears eat leaves from eucalyptus
trees. If very cold weather killed most of the
eucalyptus trees, which of the following
would probably NOT happen?
a. Koalas would compete for leaves
that were left.
b. Koalas would move farther away to
look for food.
c. The number of koalas in the area
would be less.
d. The number of koalas in the area
would be more.
The correct answer is D
(The number of koalas in the area would
be more).
A. It is true that the koalas would have to
continue to compete for a limited food supply.
B. As food became more scarce, koalas would
begin to wander further in search of food.
C. Because of the limited food supply, some
koalas would not survive.
4. Polar bears have adapted to
live in very cold places where it
snows often. Which of the
following adaptations helps polar
bears to survive?
a. They eat plants.
b. They are food for other
large animals.
c. They have small tails.
d. They have fur that appears
white.
5. The nuttall rabbit has
adapted to live in the desert.
Which of the following is it
likely to eat?
a.
b.
c.
d.
cactus
corn
seeds
smaller animals
6. During long periods of dry
weather many plants have a special
adaptation that helps to keep them
from losing water. What is this
adaptation?
a.
b.
c.
d.
They make seeds.
They grow more leaves.
They get shorter.
Their leaves curl up.
7. The camel has a special
adaptation that makes it easier it
to live in the desert. What is this
adaptation?
a.
b.
c.
d.
It stores water in its body.
It has large hooves.
It has a long neck.
Its body is covered with
fur.
Journal Writing
Reflection
What adaptations of organisms
allow them to thrive in their
environments?
Evaluate
 Create a class data table, identifying the
average results of each of the “raincoat”
ratings from the different groups in the
class. Compare and contrast all the data.
 Analyze whole class data.
 Discuss why some data are the same and
why some data are different.
 Discuss what constant variables could
have affected the results.
Journal Writing
Reflection
Choose a plant or an animal. Write
a first person paragraph explaining
how YOUR adaptations (as the
plant or the animal) have helped
you survive in your environment.
Extension
• Have the students repeat the experiment with real leaves.
• Use hand lens to observe and record plant adaptation
characteristics.
• Include similarities, differences and summarize findings in science
journals.
GIZMOS
• Pond Ecosystem
• Water Pollution
References
Polk County Public Schools
Plant Adaptation Site
www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/adapt.html
Animal Adaptation
http://www.chiddingstone.kent.sch.uk/homework/
adaptation.htm
http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=
93830
http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/s
cience/plants/plant-adaptations.htm
Technology Integration
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/southflorida/everglades.html
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/everglades/FEeverglades1.html
http://www.miamisci.org/ecolinks/everglades/animals.html
http://www.everglades.org/habitats/
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/76/
http://www.sln.org/guide/knox/Traits/traitsexamples.pdf
http://www.floridastandards.org/Resources/PublicPreviewResource1898.as
px
Experience the Everglades first hand:
Plan a Grade 4 Everglades Field Trip
for the Next School Year 2013 - 2014
Click on the following link:
http://www.nps.gov/ever/forteachers/planafiel
dtrip.htm