Erin Barger

TE 861B: Interview Plan

Interview Topic and Informants

In my 6th grade classroom we will be going over Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems. We will be focusing on such topics as
photosynthesis, food webs, changes in populations due to environmental factors, and how energy and matter could flow into, through, and
out of ecosystems.

Ideas about Questions

Performance Expectation Possible Follow-up

Scientific Disciplinary Core
Initial Question or Task and/or Cross-cutting Probing Questions
Practice Idea
Concept (if applicable)
1) How do plants grow? – This question Engaging in LS1.C: Organization 5-LS1-1. Support an Where do plants get the
targets the idea that plants need sunlight, Argument for Matter and argument that plants get energy and food that
water, and carbon dioxide in order to from Evidence Energy Flow in the materials they need for they need to grow?
make food (which they use for energy) Organisms growth chiefly from air and
and oxygen. This process is water. Where do the materials
photosynthesis. Students need to know PS3.D: Energy in that they need for
this to understand how plants take the Chemical Processes MS-LS1-6. Construct a growth come from?
sun's energy and then become the energy and Everyday Life scientific explanation based (Where do they get
source for all consumers. This is also vital on evidence for the role of what they need so they
to understanding how matter (in the form photosynthesis in the can continue to get
of water, oxygen, and carbon) can cycle cycling of matter and flow bigger and have more
through ecosystems. of energy into and out of mass?)
organisms.
What evidence might
CCC: Energy and Matter you need in order to
support your claim?
2) What are some factors that might Constructing LS2.A: MS-LS2-1. Analyze and How and why might
cause the number of organisms in a Explanations Interdependent interpret data to provide changes in [factor]
population to change over time? – This Relationships in evidence for the effects of affect the population of
question targets students' understandings Engaging in Ecosystems resource availability on an organism?
of how populations of organisms are not Argument organisms and populations
stagnant, and they are affected by many from Evidence LS2.C: Ecosystem of organisms in an Can you provide an
living and nonliving factors. It is important Dynamics, ecosystem. example?
for students to know that the reduction of Analyzing and Functioning, and
space and resources can throw Interpreting Resilience MS-LS2-4. Construct an Can you tell me more?
ecosystems out of whack. Data argument supported by
empirical evidence that Why do you think that?
(Will have ready two different online changes to physical or
simulators that can give students data biological components of an
about when various factors change, such ecosystem affect
as unusually warm or cold seasons, populations.
amount of available space to live, amount
of food, population of predators, etc.) CCC: Cause and Effect,
Stability and Change
3) Task: Ask student to draw a picture of Developing LS2.B: Cycle of MS-LS2-3. Develop a model What are some
how energy flows through an ecosystem. and Using Matter and Energy to describe the cycling of important parts (both
– This question targets students' Models Transfer in matter and flow of energy living and nonliving) of
understanding that the energy source of Ecosystems among living and nonliving an ecosystem that you
all ecosystems is the sun, and then how Constructing parts of an ecosystem. might want to include?
plants harness that energy to grow, and Explanations
then consumers get energy from eating CCC: Energy and Matter Where does the energy
plants (or other consumers). It is start flowing into an
important because students need to ecosystem? (Where
understand that every living organism is does the energy come
important for food webs within from?)
ecosystems so that energy can flow to all
organisms. It also aids in students Where might the energy
understanding that energy is never flow after that? Why?
created nor destroyed, it just travels to
new places and takes on new forms. Where or how might
 energy flow out of an
ecosystem?
4) Task: Ask student to draw a picture of Developing LS2.B: Cycle of MS-LS2-3. Develop a model What are some
how matter flows through an ecosystem. and Using Matter and Energy to describe the cycling of important parts (both
– This questions students' understanding Models Transfer in matter and flow of energy living and nonliving) of
of matter (specifically water, oxygen, Ecosystems among living and nonliving an ecosystem that you
carbon, nitrogen) and their different roles Constructing parts of an ecosystem. might want to include?
and places within an ecosystem, and how Explanations
they flow through in various forms. This is CCC: Energy and Matter What is matter? What
important because it aids in students are some examples of
understanding that matter is never matter that might move
created nor destroyed, it just travels to through an ecosystem?
new places and takes on new forms.
Where might that
matter flow after that?
Why?

Interview Questions about Nature of Science:

I have some suggestions below of questions for you to consider. Choose 3-5 questions from this list that you would like to ask (and feel
free to design some of your own).

 How do you think scientists decide when something is true? – This question targets student understanding of how scientists gain
knowledge about the world. It is important because students need to understand that scientists don't just make things up, they
don't make random guesses about things and call it truth, and they do not turn their opinions into facts.
 Do “scientific facts” ever change? – This question targets student understanding of different areas of science, such as law and
theory. If students think of "scientific facts" as referring to laws (and hopefully they have an idea of what a law is), hopefully they
would be able to explain that scientific laws do not change because the patterns that we see now are most likely the patterns that
we will continue to see. This is important because students should know that some parts of science can be set in stone because of
repeating patterns of the world.
 After scientists have developed a theory (e.g. atomic theory), does the theory ever change? – This question targets student
understanding of different areas of science, this one being scientific theory. (Asking this question can also help gauge student
understanding of what scientific theory really is.) Hopefully they can explain that scientific theories can change over time because
 they are explanations of what we see in science, and as we learn more and study new things and gain new technology to gather
new data, we may have a better idea of why things work the way they do. This is important because students should know that
science is constantly changing as we learn more about the world, and it isn't always clear "right" and "wrong" all the time, and it
isn't perfect all the time. Not everything in science is set in stone.
 Do you think that it is important to learn science? Why or why not? – This question targets whether or not a student things that
science is important to them or important to the growth of the world. It's an important question to ask because then it gives us the
opportunity to explain to students all of the different ways that science is applicable to them and why it is so important to the
advancement of society.