A 5-week science sequence that integrates Virginia SOL LS.5, LS.6, LS.7, and LS.8. Students choose a deciduous forest animal to research, build a representative piñata, and compile a weekly portfolio connecting their organism to food webs, biogeochemical cycles, ecological relationships, and environmental dynamics.
I can pose and refine a testable question to deepen system understanding. I can design and improve a model to test interactions or investigate systemic feedback loops.
I can pose testable questions to help me investigate. I can design a model to test an idea, explaining its strengths, parts, functions, and structural limitations.
I can ask research questions and build models showing how one thing affects another (simple cause and effect).
I can ask questions to learn about something I observe, and build basic models to show what a real thing looks or works like.
SCI.2 Represent & Interpret Data
I can choose coordinate graphs or multi-variable visual layouts following strict conventions. I can use visual features to highlight trends and complex patterns.
I can select the best way to display data based on data type, and use graphs, tables, or charts to clearly show trends, differences, or patterns.
I can organize information into standard tables, graphs, or charts that make patterns easier to see and explain my formatting.
I can label and complete simple charts or visual maps (e.g., tally tables, food web webs) to help others see simple relations.
SCI.3 Scientific Reasoning
I can construct explanations using strong evidence and sound reasoning, linking them to system models. I can critique competing claims by analyzing evidence quality.
I can construct an explanation using valid evidence and clear reasoning to describe a phenomenon, and create arguments containing specific claims.
I can make scientific claims and support them with multiple pieces of evidence (measurements, observations, or cycle facts).
I can use simple evidence to support my ideas ("because I saw...") and explain what I observed or already know.
SCI.4 Design Solutions
I can formulate innovative solutions to complex design challenges. I can plan and manage projects, identify possible design failures, and iterate based on feedback.
I can apply structured design criteria, build detailed 3D models with proper physical proportions, and resolve structural design problems systematically.
I can plan a basic project step-by-step, draft simple diagrams, and outline the materials required to construct a physical model.
I can describe a simple design problem, list basic craft steps, and build a simple representative layout with cardboard/paper.
Review your 3D animal model, portfolio entries, and inquiry progress. Rate your competency stage (Stage 4, 6, 8, or 10) in each domain below:
Inquiry (SCI.1)
My Stage: ____
Data (SCI.2)
My Stage: ____
Reasoning (SCI.3)
My Stage: ____
Design (SCI.4)
My Stage: ____
Wild Woods Piñata Project Portfolio Kit Page 2 of 2
Interdependence
Predict how your chosen animal competes or cooperates with other species. Describe one potential symbiotic relationship (mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism) that involves your species.
Resource Competition & Cooperation:
What resource does it compete for? (Mates, territory, food)
Does it show cooperative behavior? (Herding, hunting packs)
Symbiotic Relationship Case Study:
Define the partner species and state if the relationship is mutualistic, commensal, or parasitic.
Wild Woods Research Portfolio Journal Page 2 of 3
Scientific Research & Competency Portfolio
WEEK 5 & FINAL SYNTHESIS
Ecosystem Dynamics & Exhibition
Week 5: Ecosystem Dynamics & Disturbances
Dynamics
Deciduous forests are highly dynamic. Explain how your animal responds to daily/seasonal patterns (e.g., photoperiod changes, temperature shifts, winter dormancy). Then predict how a sudden large-scale event (like a forest fire or human habitat destruction) would impact its population size.
Daily & Seasonal Survival Behaviors:
Describe dormancy, migration, circadian changes, or protective habits.
Impact of Large-Scale Disturbances:
Formulate a claim regarding forest fires, habitat division, or climate threats.
Final Portfolio Synthesis Statement
In your own words, summarize how both living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) factors in the deciduous forest govern the survival of your organism. Why must matter cycle and energy flow continuously to keep your species alive?
Squirrels and Oak Trees: An Eastern Gray Squirrel builds a temporary shelter nest inside hollows of mature oak branches.
Type: ______________________
Week 5 Check-In: Ecosystem Dynamics & Disturbance
5. Sequentially order the following events (1 to 5) that occur during the process of eutrophication:
[ ] Decomposers (bacteria) multiply rapidly to break down dead algae, consuming massive amounts of dissolved oxygen.
[ ] Sunlight is blocked from entering deeper water layers, causing submerged native water plants to wither and die.
[ ] Excess fertilizer compounds run off agricultural soils during heavy rains and enter local aquatic forest systems.
[ ] Dissolved oxygen levels crash to lethal points, causing massive die-offs of fish and other respiration-dependent aquatic species.
[ ] Nitrogen and phosphorus run-off triggers an explosive, rapid population growth of microscopic surface algae (algal bloom).
Checkpoint Self-Reflective Metacognition
Which concept (biochemical cycles, energy hierarchies, symbiotic combinations, or environmental disruptions) feels most difficult? Write down one concept you need to clarify with your teacher:
