Magnet Design & Ecosystems

Read Ravi's design problem. Use it and the table to answer questions 1 to 4.

1. 1.

   Write one criterion and one constraint from Ravi's problem.

   (2 pts)
2. 2.

   How should Ravi place the two magnets so the boats push apart? Use the word poles.

   (2 pts)
3. 3.

   Which design is the best one for Ravi to improve? Tell why the other two do not fit his rules.

   (3 pts)
4. 4.

   In Design B, the boats touched 3 times. What do engineers call the place or moment where a design stops working? Name one change Ravi could make and test next.

   (3 pts)

Read about Mila's investigation. Use the table to answer questions 5 to 10.

1. 5.

   What is the one thing Mila changes?

   (1 pt)
2. 6.

   List two things Mila must not change from one trial to the next.

   (2 pts)
3. 7.

   What is the middle value for 2 rubber bands?

   (1 pt)
4. 8.

   Make a bar graph of the middle value for each number of rubber bands. Give it a title and label both sides.

   (3 pts)
5. 9.

   Use the pattern to predict: about how far would the car roll with 4 rubber bands? Explain your prediction.

   (2 pts)
6. 10.

   Write Mila's conclusion. Does a stronger push make the car roll farther? Use two numbers from the table.

   (3 pts)

Read each question. Use the table for question 13.

1. 11.

   Write P for producer, C for consumer or D for decomposer. ___ a cattail plant ___ a heron ___ bacteria that break down dead leaves in the mud

   (2 pts)
2. 12.

   Which one can make more of its own kind?

   (1 pt)

   ○ an icicle○ a fern○ a cloud○ a toy robot
3. 13.

   In which place do these ferns survive well, survive less well and not survive at all? Make an argument. Claim: ____ Evidence: ____ Reasoning: ____

   (6 pts)
4. 14.

   Many desert snakes hide under rocks during the hottest part of the day. Is this a physical or a behavioral adaptation? How does it help them survive?

   (2 pts)
5. 15.

   An owl nests in a hollow tree. Which need does the hollow tree meet?

   (1 pt)

   ○ food○ water○ shelter○ space

Read the prairie food web. Each arrow points from the food to the eater.

1. 16.

   Use the prairie web. Write a food chain with 4 living things in it.

   (2 pts)
2. 17.

   A sickness kills most of the prairie dogs. Which two animals in the web lose some of their food? Name another food each one can still eat.

   (2 pts)
3. 18.

   A very dry summer kills half of the grass. Predict what happens to the grasshoppers and then to the meadowlarks. Use 'because.'

   (3 pts)
4. 19.

   A town is building houses on part of the prairie. Plan A: save a strip of prairie along the creek and plant prairie grasses. Plan B: plant a mowed lawn and put up birdhouses. Which plan would help more animals in this web? Make a claim and give a reason.

   (3 pts)