Students will diagram the flow of energy through 

living systems, including food chains, food webs, 

and energy pyramids.  

Students will examine organisms or their 

structures such as insects or leaves and use 

dichotomous keys for identification. 

Students will observe and describe how 

different environments, including microhabitats in 

schoolyards and biomes, support different 

varieties of organisms. 

Students will explain variation within a population or species by comparing external features, behaviors, or physiology of organisms that enhance their survival such as migration, hibernation, or storage of food in a bulb. 

Students will also investigate and explain how internal structures of organisms have adaptations that allow specific functions such as gills in fish, hollow bones in birds, or xylem in plants.