In this Grade 4 lesson from Science: A Closer Look, Chapter 2, students learn to distinguish between biotic factors (living things) and abiotic factors (nonliving things) and understand how these elements interact to form an ecosystem. Students also explore key vocabulary including habitat, population, and community while investigating how organisms depend on one another within an ecosystem. The lesson uses hands-on observation activities to help students classify and compare living and nonliving things in real-world environments.
Section 1
Ecosystems Connect Living and Nonliving Elements
Ecosystems contain both biotic factors (living things like plants and animals) and abiotic factors (nonliving things like water, rocks, and light) that interact and depend on each other for survival.
Section 2
Organisms Adapt to Specific Habitats
Each organism in an ecosystem has its own habitat where it can survive. Plants and animals can only thrive in environments that meet their specific needs, like rainforest plants needing moisture.
Section 3
Populations Form Diverse Communities
All members of one species in an ecosystem form a population, while all populations together create a community. Changes in one population can affect the entire community's balance and health.
Section 4
Scientists Investigate Ecosystem Relationships
Scientists study how living things interact with their environment through observations, predictions, and experiments. These investigations help us understand how ecosystems function and how pollution affects organisms.
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Section 1
Ecosystems Connect Living and Nonliving Elements
Ecosystems contain both biotic factors (living things like plants and animals) and abiotic factors (nonliving things like water, rocks, and light) that interact and depend on each other for survival.
Section 2
Organisms Adapt to Specific Habitats
Each organism in an ecosystem has its own habitat where it can survive. Plants and animals can only thrive in environments that meet their specific needs, like rainforest plants needing moisture.
Section 3
Populations Form Diverse Communities
All members of one species in an ecosystem form a population, while all populations together create a community. Changes in one population can affect the entire community's balance and health.
Section 4
Scientists Investigate Ecosystem Relationships
Scientists study how living things interact with their environment through observations, predictions, and experiments. These investigations help us understand how ecosystems function and how pollution affects organisms.
Book overview
Jump across lessons in the current chapter without opening the full course modal.
Continue this chapter