Were you surprised by anything you saw in the field? Are there any more questions you have now that you have collected this data? Activity 3: Publishing Data By the end of this activity, I will be able to… NGSS Practice 3 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Planning and carrying out Investigations Publish my “Found/NOT Found” Observation to Vital Signs Use detailed photo and written evidence to support my observation Match the written and the photo evidence that support my observation and explain how the evidence supports my claim. Generate ideas for improving the quality of my investigation. Key question: Is the data clear and accurate enough to answer my research question? After you have published your data, answer the questions below: What did you do well when collecting your data? What could you do to improve the quality of your data? Part III: Data Analysis and Visualizing Change Over Time
Activity 3: Revisiting Predictions about Change in Species Abundance Over Time Key Question: How will the population of the target species change in the future? What should, if anything should be done? By the end of this activity I will be able to… MS LS 2-2 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems Use my observations to make a prediction about how the abundance of the target species will change over time. Support my claim with evidence from my investigation or research that I have conducted. Represent my prediction accurately on a line graph and explain any patterns in changes in species abundance that helped me make my prediction. Form additional questions that I want to investigate in order to be more confident in my prediction. Based on what you researched about your target species, data that you gathered on Vital Signs, and what you have seen from your field observations, make a prediction about how the abundance of your species will change in the next five years. Fill in the graph below so that shows your prediction. Explain the reasons why your graph looks the way it does. What is your evidence and reasoning for this prediction? Go back to the graph that you drew in Part I Activity 3. Add your initial (first) prediction to your graph. Make sure to label which was your initial prediction and your last prediction so that you can tell them apart. Did your prediction change? Why or why not? What new information that you gathered over the course of your investigation changed or confirmed your initial prediction?
Performance descriptors: I can describe a plan to monitor the abundance of my target species over the next five years I can use techniques learned from our class investigation to devise a practical monitoring plan that will gather data from a sample of a population in order to answer a statistical question about changes in the abundance of my target species in the next 5 years. I can improve upon our class investigation to devise a monitoring plan that will answer a statistical question about the change in abundance of my target species by using enough data from random samples to draw inferences about the species population. I can anticipate limitations in the data that I will be able to collect and explain how these limitations should be taken into account. Elements of each level of proficiency: - includes how to collect data on species abundance. - accounts for five years of data collection. All of 1 and… - incorporates skills used during the whole class investigation - acknowledges need to use a sample to represent the whole population - begins with a statistical question - details what data is to be collected - is practical for students to implement All of 1 and 2 and… - improves upon class investigation in terms of accuracy of data collection, randomness of sampling, or amount of data collected -uses appropriate random sampling techniques -details frequency and duration of data collection - will generate enough data to be able to draw inferences on changes in abundance All of 1, 2, and 3 and… - identifies potential errors in data collection, gaps in data, sampling bias, or other possible challenges or sources of error -makes suggestions for how to interpret data despite limitations APPENDIX E SAMPLE RUBRIC: Summary of Findings Choose two to three of the strands below on which to assess your students. Choose the performance indicators that best reflect the work done through your class investigation. Standard Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 MS-LS 2-1 I can use my observations to identify a relationship between available resources and abundance of species in an ecosystem I can interpret data in a graph or a chart to identify relationships between resource availability and species abundance an ecosystem I can use a graph or chart to provide evidence to show relationships between resource availability and species abundance in an ecosystem and predict how changes in resource availability might impact abundance. I can communicate multiple possible explanations of the data, including limitations in the data. I can pose additional questions for future study to help me investigate further.
MS I can use my observations to identify a relationship between populations of two or more species in an ecosystem. I can interpret data in a graph or a chart to identify relationships between populations of two or more species in an ecosystem. I can use data to provide evidence for predatory, competitive, and/or mutually beneficial relationships between species and make predictions how the introduction of a species or changes in abundance of one species might impact populations of another. I can communicate multiple possible explanations of the data, including limitations in the data. I can pose additional questions for future study to help me investigate further. I can use a model to show how energy and matter move from one organism in an ecosystem to another. I can develop a model based on data that I collected to show how matter or energy moves through an ecosystem. I can create a model that illustrate how matter and energy move throughout an ecosystem showing multiple relationships, including abiotic and biotic factors and the species that I am investigating. I can use data to determine whether my model is accurate. I can propose ways to revise or improve my model based on evidence that I collected. I explain how a change in an ecosystem affects the population of a different species. I can support my explanation using evidence from data that I collected. I can predict how changes in an ecosystem might impact species abundance. I can explain my prediction and the evidence that supports it by describing patterns that I observed. I can devise a new investigation to test the accuracy of my prediction.