Unit Plan 16 (Grade 5 Science): Human Impacts on Ecosystems

Focus: Research how human actions and community decisions impact ecosystems, and explain how communities use science ideas to protect resources, reduce pollution, and support organisms and habitats.

Grade Level: 5

Subject Area: Science (Earth & Environmental Science • Life Science Connections)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, students investigate how people and communities affect ecosystems—both in harmful and helpful ways. Building on their understanding of food webs, matter movement, and ecosystem balance, they examine how actions like recycling, habitat restoration, pollution controls, and conservation laws are based on science ideas. Students research real examples of how local and global communities work to protect Earth’s resources and environments, then create a product that explains one community solution and how it supports plants, animals, and ecosystems.

Essential Questions

• How do human activities affect ecosystems, organisms, and resources?
• How do communities use science ideas to protect resources, reduce harm, and support healthy habitats?
• What can we learn from real examples of communities protecting water, land, air, and living things?
• How can students use evidence from texts, videos, and data to describe effective environmental actions?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify and describe examples of human impacts on ecosystems (both harmful and helpful).
2. Obtain information from texts, visuals, and videos about how communities protect resources (e.g., recycling programs, wildlife corridors, water conservation, habitat restoration).
3. Combine information from multiple sources to explain how a specific community action is connected to science ideas (e.g., pollution, erosion, habitats, food webs).
4. Explain how at least one community effort helps protect resources and support organisms in its ecosystem.
5. Create and present a Community Protection Snapshot (poster, brochure, or slide) that clearly explains a real example of resource protection and its ecosystem benefits.

Standards Alignment — 5th Grade (NGSS-Aligned)

• 5-ESS3-1 — Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can describe how humans can harm or help ecosystems.
• I can find and record information from more than one source about a community that protects water, land, air, or habitats.
• I can explain how the community’s actions are based on science ideas (like pollution, erosion, or habitat needs).
• I can clearly show how the action helps organisms and resources in that ecosystem.
• I can create a Community Protection Snapshot that someone else can understand and learn from.