4 - ESS1.E - Living Things - FINAL (WND 1/15/14)

Module: Living Things

DCI: ESS2.E Biogeology – Living things affect the physical characteristics of their regions.

 PE: 4-ESS2-1 Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.

[Clarification Statement: Examples of variables to test could include angle of slope in the downhill movement of water, amount of vegetation, speed of wind, relative rate of deposition, cycles of freezing and thawing of water, cycles of heating and cooling, and volume of water flow.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to a single form of weathering or erosion.]

The ideas we see in this standard are: 

- living things affect the physical characteristics of their regions

- observations and measurements can be made which will provide evidence that vegetation can affect the land. 

Possible Question Starters: 

"A tree is growing into a rock.  The rock will be broken into smaller pieces as which part of the tree grows?"
correct answer - the roots

incorrect answer - the branches, the leaves, the trunk

"The amount of soil erosion in two different locations for one year is shown. 

Location	Vegetation	Soil Erosion per year (cm)
1	No vegetation	4
2	Vegetation	<1

This information can be used to tell us that -"

correct answer - having vegetation in an area can slow down soil erosion. 

incorrect answer - vegetation grows better in areas that have more soil erosion.