Parent Signature___________________________ Ecosystems & Environments What I will Know and be able to do by the end of this unit: Plants

s and animals in an environment interact with each other to survive and keep a balanced ecosystem. Identify and describe the conditions in different environments (pond, forest, prairie, etc) Describe how plants and animals interact with their environment (how they get their food, reproduce, protect themselves, deal with the weather) Identify what causes plants and animals to behave in certain ways (hunting, migration, hibernation) Identify characteristics that help plants and animals survive in their environment (root, cactus needles, thorns, winged seeds, waxy leaves, antennae, body covering, teeth, beaks, whiskers, appendages) Predict which plant or animal would survive in an environment based on its characteristics All plants and animals use energy in an ecosystem. Classify plants and animals as producers, consumers, decomposers Classify the three types of consumers (herbivore, carnivore, omnivore) Classify animals as predator or prey Missouri fossils have similarities and differences. Compare and contrast fossils found in Missouri to plants and animals found today (trilobites, ferns, crinoids, gastropods, bivalves, fish, mastodons) Make an inference about what the past environment must have been like, based on the fossil evidence Humans can help or hurt the environment. Identify examples of things we do to help or hurt plants and animals (feeding birds, littering vs. picking up trash, hunting/conservation of species, paving/restoring green space) I will know the following vocabulary words: Organism Predator Ecosystem/Environment prey herbivore Producer carnivore Consumer Decomposer omnivore