Unit 6 Subconcept 1 - A Child's Place in the Environment (ACPE)

TO THE TEACHER 

A CHILD’S PLACE IN THE ENVIRONMENT 

Introduction to the Assessment Questions for Subconcept 1 

Unit 6: Achieving a Sustainable Community 

GRADE SIX 

A variety of assessments can be used as informational tools to help a teacher determine whether 

instruction should be adjusted for students to achieve specific content standards or to show 

progress towards certain learning goals. 

This multiple choice assessment will provide some information to the teacher concerning 

students’ understandings of the first subconcept and the content addressed in the lessons from 

Unit 6: Achieving a Sustainable Community (A Child’s Place in the Environment series) as well 

as the corresponding content standards in science. 

The questions in this assessment focus on the six lessons that support Subconcept 1: Healthy 

Ecosystems Are Biologically Diverse, Have Complex Interrelationships, and Are Sustainable. 

• Lesson 3. What Are Some Components of an Ecosystem? 

• Lesson 4. What Role Does Diversity Play in an Ecosystem? 

• Lesson 5. How Does the Sun’s Energy Flow Through an Ecosystem? 

• Lesson 6. What Interrelationships and Niches Can Be Identified in an Ecosystem? 

• Lesson 7. What Cycles Exist in an Ecosystem and How Do They Sustain an Ecosystem? 

• Lesson 8. What Examples of Ecological Principles Can Be Observed in an Ecosystem? 

After students have completed this assessment, the teacher can identify what additional 

instruction might be necessary for students to master the required concepts and content. To 

acquire more reliable data concerning what students are actually learning, a variety of 

assessments should be used on a regular basis. Information on other types of assessments is 

provided at the end of this document. 

Instructions for the Test 

Review with students how to select an answer and fill in the bubble to indicate their answer by 

completing the practice questions 1, 2, and 3 as a class. 

Instead of marking their answers on the test, students can use the answer sheet. By using an 

answer sheet, the test can be kept and reused. 

An answer key is provided for the teacher. 

Correlations to Standards 

The Science Content Standards for California Public Schools listed below have been edited to 

save space. For the full description of each standard visit: http://www.cde.ca.gov/standards/ or 

www.cde.ca.gov/cdepress/downloads.html

Lessons 3 through 8 in Achieving a Sustainable Community address the following science 

content standards for California schools for grade six: 

5a – Energy entering ecosystems as sunlight transfers into chemical energy through 

photosynthesis; passes from organism to organism in food webs. 

5b – Matter transfers from one organism to another in the food web; also between organisms 

and physical environment. 

5c – Organisms can be categorized by functions served in ecosystem. 

5d – Different kinds of organisms may play similar ecological roles in similar biomes. 

5e – Number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support depend on resources 

available. 

7a – Develop a hypothesis. 

7b – Select, use appropriate tools, technology to perform tests, collect and display data. 

7c – Construct appropriate graphs from data and interpret data. 

7d – Communicate in writing and orally the steps, results from an investigation. 

7f – Read topographic, geologic maps. 

Other Types of Assessments 

This assessment should not be viewed as the only way to assess students. Using the constructive 

response method that has students write explanations, rationale, predictions, and experimental 

design is an effective way to determine what students are learning. Not only should questions be 

used to prompt learners to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding, but also a variety of 

tasks could show what skills students have learned. For example, performance-based tasks allow 

students to show what they understand by applying their knowledge to various situations. For 

information on various types of assessments, guidelines for using assessments, etc. visit the 

following websites: 

• “Assessment for Learning” from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in London 

(“Assessment for Learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by 

learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need 

to go and how best to get there.”) 

http://www.qca.org.uk/ca/5-14/afl/ 

• “Assessment for Learning: 10 Principles” from The Assessment Reform Group Institute of 

Education University of London (“The aim of the Assessment Reform Group is to ensure 

that public policy at all levels takes account of relevant research in assessment practice.”) 

http://www.assessment-reform-group.org.uk/principles.html 

• “Assessment” from WestEd in San Francisco (“Specialists at WestEd create resource 

materials in assessment design and provide services in the development, implementation, 

and evaluation of state and local assessments — tests that measure the performance of 

teachers as well as students.”) 

http://www.wested.org/

A Child’s Place in the Environment 

ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS FOR UNIT 6: 

Achieving a Sustainable Community 

GRADE SIX 

Subconcept 1: Healthy Ecosystems Are Biologically Diverse, Have 

Complex Interrelationships, and Are Sustainable (Lessons 3 to 8) 

Name: _____________________________________ Date:___________________ 

Complete the following two practice questions as a class: 

Animals can be grouped in different ways. Sixth-grade students at 

Lake Arrowhead Middle School recorded information regarding four 

animals on the following chart. 

Grasses 

Animal 1 X X 

Field 

mice 

Food Sources 

Decaying 

field mice 

Beetles 

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Wildflowers 

Jackrabbits 

Animal 2 X X 

Animal 3 X X X 

Animal 4 X X 


jackrabbits 

Earthworms 

1. Which does Animal 4 eat? 

! A. Field mice, decaying field mice, and jackrabbits 

! B. Grasses and wildflowers 

! C. Grasses, beetles, and earthworms 

! D. Decaying field mice and decaying jackrabbits 

2. Based on what it eats, which of the following might Animal 4 be? 

! A. An herbivore 

! B. A scavenger 

! C. A carnivore 

! D. An omnivore

Sixth-grade students at the Lakeport Elementary School made a solar 

still by: 

• digging a hole in the ground 

• placing a jar in the center of the bottom of the hole 

• draping a piece of plastic over the hole 

• shaping the plastic to form a funnel and resting the tip of the 

funnel-shaped plastic inside the container 

• securing the plastic with two rocks 

After two days the students observed water in the container. 

3. How did the water get into the container? 

! A. The sun evaporated the water from the soil. The water evaporated from 

the plastic and condensed inside the jar. 

! B. Heat from the sun evaporated the water from the soil. The water 

condensed on the plastic and ran down the funnel into the jar. 

! C. The sun conducted the water from the soil. The water condensed on the 

plastic and dried up before it could run down the funnel and into the jar. 

! D. The sun did not do anything to the water in the soil. A student came back 

at night when no one was around and filled the container with water. 

BEGIN TEST 

Questions for Lesson 3 

1. Which of the following are components of an ecosystem? 

! A. Only sunlight and no plants or animals 

! B. Only plants and animals and no water 

! C. Only nonliving things, like water, air, and soil 

! D. Living and nonliving things 

2. What is the primary source of energy in an ecosystem? 

! A. Plants 

! B. Sunlight 

! C. Animals 

! D. Natural cycles 

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3. How is soil important to an ecosystem? 

! A. Soil contains sand. 

! B. Soil provides nutrients to plants. 

! C. Soil is not important in an ecosystem. 

! D. Soil provides energy to the ecosystem. 

4. Which diagram below describes the flow of energy in a food chain in a grassland 

ecosystem? 

! A. Grain Mouse Snake Hawk 

! B. Hawk Mouse Snake Grain 

! C. Grain Hawk Snake Mouse 

! D. Grain Snake Mouse Hawk 

5. In a grassland ecosystem, a snake would be best adapted to eat which of the 

following? 

! A. Coyote ! B. Plant ! D. Butterfly ! D. Mouse 

6. Which diagram below describes the flow of energy in a food chain in an ocean 

ecosystem? 

! A. Sea urchin Sea otter Kelp 

! B. Kelp Sea otter Sea urchin 

! C. Kelp Sea urchin Sea otter 

! D. Sea otter Sea urchin Kelp 

7. In an ocean ecosystem, a pelican would be best adapted to eat which of the 

following? 

! A. Whales 

! B. Seagulls 

! C. Kelp 

! D. Fish 


8. What is biodiversity? 

! A. Many animals and plants of a few species 

! B. Many nonliving things 

! C. One type of plant or animal 

! D. Animals and plants of many species 

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9. Which of the following helps an ecosystem remain stable? 

! A. Habitat alteration 

! B. Pollution 

! C. Biodiversity 

! D. Human activities 

Peter and Rita caught a butterfly in a net and placed it in a jar. They 

observed the characteristics of the butterfly’s wings before letting it go. 

10. Which of the following is not an observation? 

! A. Pretty or not so pretty 

! B. Shape and color 

! C. Number of legs and wings 

! D. Design and size 


11. What role does sunlight play in photosynthesis? 

! A. It makes the plant warm. 

! B. It provides energy. 

! C. It provides oxygen. 

! D. It makes chlorophyll. 

12. What gas do plants give off during the process of photosynthesis that is used 

by animals? 

! A. Oxygen 

! B. Water 

! C. Carbon monoxide 

! D. Sugar 

Tara’s sixth-grade class was learning about photosynthesis. As part of 

their lesson, the class learned that CO 2 is the symbol for carbon 

dioxide and H 2 O is the symbol for water. 

13. During the process of photosynthesis: 

! A. sugar and water turn into CO 2 and H 2 O. 

! B. CO 2 and H 2 O are converted to oxygen and sugar. 

! C. pollinators are attracted to H 2 O. 

! D. oxygen and CO 2 are turned into H 2 O. 

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14. Matter is transferred in an ecosystem from: 

! A. sunlight to a producer. 

! B. a consumer to a producer. 

! C. sunlight to a consumer. 

! D. a producer to a consumer. 


15. What function does a scavenger serve in an ecosystem? 

! A. It saves parts of live organisms to eat at another time. 

! B. It eats only plants. 

! C. It eats parts of dead organisms. 

! D. It eats parts of live plants and animals. 

16. What is an omnivore? 

! A. An organism that eats only animals 

! B. An organism that eats only plants 

! C. An organism that eats only dead organisms 

! D. An organism that eats both plants and animals 

17. What is a producer? 

! A. An organism that eats only live plants 

! B. An organism that eats only dead things 

! C. An organism that decomposes things 

! D. An organism that makes its own food 

bird beetle coyote grass 

18. Put the organisms above in order to show the flow of energy in a food chain. 

! A. bird beetle coyote grass 

! B. coyote bird beetle grass 

! C. grass bird beetle coyote 

! D. grass beetle bird coyote 

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Animals can be grouped in different ways. Sixth-grade students 

at Lake Arrowhead Middle School recorded information regarding 

four animals on the following chart. 

Grasses 

Animal 1 X X 

Field 

mice 

Food Sources 


field mice 

Beetles 

-6- 

Wildflowers 

Jackrabbits 

Animal 2 X X 

Animal 3 X X X 

Animal 4 X X 

19. Which animal above is an omnivore? 

! A. Animal 1 

! B. Animal 2 

! C. Animal 3 

! D. Animal 4 

20. Which animal above is a carnivore? 

! A. Animal 1 

! B. Animal 2 

! C. Animal 3 

! D. Animal 4 

21. Which animal above is an herbivore? 

! A. Animal 1 

! B. Animal 2 

! C. Animal 3 

! D. Animal 4 


jackrabbits 

Earthworms 

22. In an ecosystem, some animals depend on other animals for: 

! A. protection from insects that eat plants. 

! B. food. 

! C. a source of water and oxygen. 

! D. dispersing seeds. 

23. What is a niche? 

! A. The role that an organism plays in an ecosystem 

! B. What organisms in an ecosystem eat 

! C. Something that is living outside an ecosystem 

! D. Organisms that make their own food


24. Which of the following describes the order of the stages of the water cycle? 

! A. Condensation, evaporation, precipitation 

! B. Evaporation, condensation, precipitation 

! C. Precipitation, condensation, evaporation 

! D. Evaporation, precipitation, condensation 

25. Why is the process of decomposition important in an ecosystem? 

! A. It causes the animals within an ecosystem to die. 

! B. It promotes metamorphosis among living things throughout an ecosystem. 

! C. It provides oxygen for the animal’s tissues. 

! D. It breaks down dead organisms to provide nutrients for living things. 

26. The sun’s energy reaches Earth through: 

! A. conduction. 

! B. radiation. 

! C. convection. 

! D. condensation. 

A group of sixth-grade students at the Shasta County Outdoor School 

were learning about the role of life cycles in an ecosystem. They were 

learning about the four stages of the life cycle of the butterfly. 

Caterpillar Butterfly Eggs Chrysalis 

27. Put the stages of the life cycle for the butterfly in order. 

! A. Butterfly, egg, chrysalis, caterpillar 

! B. Egg, chrysalis, caterpillar, butterfly 

! C. Chrysalis, egg, caterpillar, butterfly 

! D. Egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly 

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28. What rule is not important when exploring an ecosystem? 

! A. Treat all living things with respect. 

! B. Be safe. 

! C. Go wherever you want to go without telling anyone. 

! D. Do not litter. 

29. What is not evidence that wildlife lives in the area? 

! A. Hair on a tree. 

! B. Droppings of the ground. 

! C. Paw prints in the mud. 

! D. Tire tracks on the soil. 

30. Which of the following is not a component of soil? 

! A. Rock particles 

! B. Water 

! C. Paper 

! D. Organic matter 

31. Which change in an ecosystem is usually made only by nature? 

! A. Earthquake 

! B. Fire. 

! C. Clearing land for construction. 

! D. Cutting down trees for lumber and firewood. 

Mandy and Tiffany went on a field trip where they 

conducted an investigation of soil. 

32. What characteristics of the soil might they observe? 

! A. The color, texture, size, and shape of soil particles 

! B. The shapes in nature that soil particles look like 

! C. Whether the soil particles are pretty or not pretty 

! D. The containers that the soil was put into 

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Unit 6 Subconcept 1 - A Child's Place in the Environment (ACPE)

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