Oklahoma Science 7.LS2.3

Science7th GradeEcosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

The Standard

Develop or modify a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science (2026)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students draw or revise a diagram showing how matter moves among organisms, air, water, and soil. They trace energy from sunlight through living things and show it leaving as heat.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can show matter returning to air and soil when organisms respire or decompose. Their diagram shows energy entering as sunlight and leaving as heat, not cycling back.
Common Misconceptions: Students may draw energy cycling back to the sun. They may show dead organisms disappearing instead of returning matter to air and soil. Some think plants get all their mass from soil.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Draw arrows linking sun, grass, rabbit, fungi, soil, and air. Use blue for matter and red for energy, then label where energy leaves.

Lesson moves

Give groups sun, grass, rabbit, fungi, soil, and air cards; connect them with blue yarn for matter and red yarn for energy.
Show a compost bin photo and ask, 'Does the food scrap's matter disappear, and where does its energy go?'
Give pairs a pond diagram with sun, algae, fish, bacteria, and water; trace matter loops in blue and energy paths in red.
Bring in a fallen leaf; ask students to trace its carbon into air and its stored energy through fungi to heat.

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