Video

This 8 minute video shows second grade students engaged in activities that examine their thinking about how light travels. This video can be used to supplement Sections II and IV.

Supplements to CTS: Section I- A visit to a sewage treatment plant looks at the role of decomposers and decomposition. Also, a scientist describes the cycling of matter in a forest ecosystem. Section IV- Dr. Tina Grotzer talks about research on ideas children have about decomposition, and the importance of looking at cause and effect in building accurate scientific understandings.

Supplements to CTS: Section I- An ecologist describes what happens to energy as it flows through a community and distinguishes between energy and matter. A distinction is made between energy and matter and how both relate to food. Scientists describe the key role of photosynthesis and respiration to the energy needs of organisms. A visit to a compost research facility looks at decomposers and their role in energy flow. Section II- Dr. Herbert Their discusses the importance of building understandings of community-level phenomena in elementary grades.

Supplements to CTS: Section I- Scientists explain the role of DNA and genes as a source of variation and mutation is introduced as one cause of new variations in populations. Dr. Paul Williams describes his experience observing variation and how he developed Fast Plants through artificial selection. The historical contributions and focus of Darwin on the meaning of adaptation through natural selection are highlighted. Section II- A 6th grade class is shown investigating variation in plant height.

Supplements to CTS: Section I- Scientists describe the fundamental differences among life forms that provide a basis for biological classification, including organisms that do not fit neatly into classification schemes. Section II- Examines STC curriculum materials that provide activities for students to distinguish between plant and animals characteristics. Section IV- Early ideas of first graders are examined as they use Venn diagrams to determine how plants and animals are alike and different, using descriptive terms that are particularly human-centered.