Clarification Statement - S.5.PS.3.1.CS:
Emphasis should be on plants converting light energy by photosynthesis into usable energy. Examples of models could include diagrams and flow charts.

Science and Engineering Practices - 3-5.SEP2.4:
Use models to describe phenomena

Disciplinary Core Ideas - S.5.PS.3.1.DCI:
PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life •The energy released [from] food was once energy from the sun that was captured by plants in the chemical process that forms plant matter (from air and water). LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms •Food provides animals with the materials they need for body repair and growth and the energy they need to maintain body warmth and for motion. (secondary to 5-PS3-1)

Crosscutting Concepts - CC5.3:
Energy can be transferred in various ways and between objects.

Clarification Statement - S.5.LS.1.1.CS:
Emphasis is on the idea that plant matter comes mostly from air and water, not from the soil.

Science and Engineering Practices - 3-5.SEP7.4:
Support an argument with evidence, data, or a model.

Disciplinary Core Ideas - S.5.LS.1.1.DCI:
LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms •Plants acquire their material for growth chiefly from air and water.

Crosscutting Concepts - CC5.4:
Matter is transported into, out of, and within systems.

Clarification Statement - S.5.LS.2.1.CS:
Emphasis is on the flow of energy and cycling of matter in systems such as organisms, ecosystems, and/or Earth.

Assessment Boundary - S.5.LS.2.1.AB:
Assessment does not include molecular explanations.

Science and Engineering Practices - 3-5.SEP2.1:
Develop models to describe phenomena

Disciplinary Core Ideas - S.5.LS.2.1.DCI:
LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems •The food of almost any kind of animal can be traced back to plants. Organisms are related in food webs in which some animals eat plants for food and other animals eat the animals that eat plants. Some organisms, such as fungi and bacteria, break down dead organisms (both plants or plants parts and animals) and therefore operate as “decomposers.” Decomposition eventually restores (recycles) some materials back to the soil. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their particular needs are met. A healthy ecosystem is one in which multiple species of different types are each able to meet their needs in a relatively stable web of life. Newly introduced species can damage the balance of an ecosystem. LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems •Matter cycles between the air and soil and among plants, animals, and microbes as these organisms live and die. Organisms obtain gases, and water, from the environment, and release waste matter (gas, liquid, or solid) back into the environment.

Crosscutting Concepts - CC3.2:
A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions.