Curriculum Alignment

EcoBalance curriculum alignment

This page maps the app to NGSS-relevant concepts and practices while keeping it connected to the broader evo-edu curriculum frame.

Open study guide Curriculum hub

Alignment Notes

NGSS HS-LS2-1: Use mathematical or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity.
NGSS HS-LS2-2: Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on ecosystem interactions.
Science and Engineering Practices: using models, analyzing and interpreting data, computational thinking.

Classroom and Independent Use

K-12 or workshop use

Use the app to make ecological feedback visible, then ask learners to defend their explanation from the system curves rather than from intuition alone.

Self-directed use

Use the guide as a structured ecology notebook: predict the system response, run the model, compare curves, and revise your interpretation when delayed effects or feedback complicate the first story.

Use in Sequence

Before the app

Introduce the ecological relationship and ask what balanced, oscillating, or collapsing dynamics should look like.

During the app

Change one ecological condition at a time and justify the system interpretation from the observed curves.

After the app

Connect the modeled dynamics to real predator-prey systems, interventions, or resource constraints.

Evidence of Alignment in Practice

What learners should produce

A prediction about how a changed ecological factor will alter the system.
A comparison of prey and predator behavior across at least two runs.
A revised explanation when the observed feedback differs from the original expectation.

What to listen for

Attention to feedback, delay, and changing constraint rather than only surface pattern names.
Claims tied to system behavior in the model output.
Readiness to distinguish temporary balance from longer-term instability.

Scientific Virtues in Use

Use this app to reinforce careful observation, source-aware explanation, and willingness to revise ecological claims when new runs or alternative parameters challenge the first interpretation. Broader guidance appears in the Scientific Virtues notes.