Unit 7.1

Ecosystems

In this unit, students are introduced to simulations as models created to reflect natural phenomena. They will design their own simulated ecosystems by identifying the constraints of their programs, planning interactions between simulated organisms, and devising ways to represent the impacts of external forces on an existing ecosystem.

school
Grade 7
local_library
Subject Science
schedule
Length of unit 6 hours

Overview documents

1

Simulations

Students define simulations as models used to observe phenomena without them actually taking place. They are then introduced to the Code Editor and the Scratch programming language, which they will use to create a simulated ecosystem.

2

Make a move

Students investigate the coordinate system native to the Scratch stage. They then explore Scratch’s motion blocks and generate random numbers to control their sprites’ movement.

3

Populating producers

Students distinguish between duplicated and cloned sprites. They then use loops to populate their simulation with a set number of organisms.

4

Variables

Students evaluate the use of variables as a way to track values in a program. They distinguish between local and global variables. They then create local variables to track the amount of energy an organism has.

5

Programming interactions

Students define conditionals as statements that only run a command if a specific condition is met. They examine sensing blocks in Scratch to detect interactions among organisms. Finally, they modify their simulation to account for the interactions of their organisms.

6

Share your simulation

Students revisit variables to add variety to their projects. Students then add constraints to their simulations, which users can set. In pairs, students then record their chosen constraints, make a prediction, and run an experiment. To conclude the unit, students reflect on their learning and share with a peer.