Unit Plan 15 (Grade 7 Science): Human Impacts on Ecosystems
Grade 7 unit using data to show how human activities change ecosystems and populations, while defining design problems with criteria and constraints to reduce impacts.
Focus: Use data to examine how human activities change physical and biological components of ecosystems, how those changes affect populations, and how to define design problems that could help mitigate human impacts.
Grade Level: 7
Subject Area: Science (Life Science — Ecosystems & Human Impact; Engineering Design)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students zoom in on human impacts on ecosystems and link these impacts to population changes and possible solutions. Building on their understanding of ecosystem stability, biodiversity, and ecosystem services, they analyze graphs, maps, and case studies of human disruptions such as pollution, habitat loss, overharvesting, and climate-related changes. Students then define design problems that respond to these impacts with clear criteria and constraints, preparing for later design-focused units and aligning to MS-LS2-4 and MS-ETS1-1.
Essential Questions
- How do human activities change the physical and biological components of ecosystems?
- How can data (graphs, tables, maps, case studies) show the effects of human impacts on organisms and populations?
- How can we construct arguments that connect human-caused changes to population responses in ecosystems?
- What does it mean to define a design problem with criteria and constraints that could help reduce or mitigate human impacts on an ecosystem?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Identify and describe examples of human impacts on ecosystems (e.g., pollution, habitat fragmentation, invasive species introduction, overuse of resources).
- Analyze empirical data (graphs, tables, maps, or case studies) showing how these human impacts change physical or biological components and affect population sizes or biodiversity.
- Construct arguments with clear claims, evidence, and reasoning that connect human-driven changes to population-level effects, aligned to MS-LS2-4.
- Select a local or global human impact scenario and define a design problem that addresses it, including clear criteria (what the solution should accomplish) and constraints (limits on time, cost, materials, space), aligned to MS-ETS1-1.
- Produce a short Human Impact Argument & Design Brief that combines their scientific argument about impact with a well-defined design problem focused on mitigation.
Standards Alignment — 7th Grade (NGSS-based custom)
- MS-LS2-4 — Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
- Students use real or simulated data to argue how human-caused changes alter populations and ecosystem stability.
- MS-ETS1-1 — Define design problems with criteria and constraints to ensure successful solutions.
- Students frame design problems that address human impacts using specific goals and realistic limits.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can name specific human activities that change ecosystems and explain whether they change physical or biological components.
- I can read graphs, tables, or case studies and describe how populations change after a human impact.
- I can write or present a science argument with a clear claim, evidence from data, and reasoning about ecosystem interactions.
- I can clearly define a design problem about reducing a human impact, including what a good solution must do (criteria) and what limits it must follow (constraints).
- I can create a Human Impact Argument & Design Brief that shows I understand both the science of the impact and the engineering side of responding to it.