ENVIRONMENT

SETON HILL UNIVERSITY

Lesson Plan Template
TOPIC
Name
Subject
Grade Level
Date/Duration
Big Ideas

Essential
Questions

PA/Common
Core/Standards
Objective
Bloom's
Taxonomy
Webb's Depth of
Knowledge
(DOK)
Formative &
Summative
Assessment
Evidence

DETAILS
Katherine Kenzevich
Science
Third Grade
October 6, 2014
Organisms live differently depending on their
environment.
Some organisms can only live in one environment or
ecosystem.
What are some different environments that animals
could live in?
Why can some organisms only live in one environment
or ecosystem?
S3.B.2.1.3: Identify characteristics for plant and
animal survival in different environments (e.g., desert,
forest, ocean).
A class of twenty, third grade students will work in four
groups of five to identify two different animals for four
different environments 4 out of 4 times.

ISTE Standards
for Students
Framework for
21st Century
Learning

The teacher will ask relative questions about the

activity throughout the duration of the activity.
Throughout the activity the teacher will verbally prompt
students to explain their reasoning.
Throughout the duration of the lesson students will fill
out the premade science sheet that was provided by
the teacher.
Students will send one representative up to the board
to write down one animal in one environment.
Students will play a timed game at the end of the
lesson to identify the environment of the animal on the
screen.
2. Communication and collaboration Students use digital media and
environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at
a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the
learning of others.
o Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others
employing a variety of digital environments and media
o Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple

CK

ENVIRONMENT
audiences using a variety of media and formats
o Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by
engaging with learners of other cultures
o Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve
problem

Accommodation
s, Modifications

Students will work interactively with a smart board.

Low tables that are wheel chair accessible

Stools that are easily moved out of the way will be used
at the lab tables.
The pictures will be low on the screen of the white
board so all students will be able to reach it.

SUPERVISING
TEACHERS
SIGNATURE

Seton Hill University Lesson Plan Template Step-by-Step

Procedures
RATIONALE for
the Learning
Plan
Introduction

CK
Activating Prior Knowledge
Who can define in their own words what an environment
is?
o The surrounding influences or set of conditions
surrounding an object.
What are a few different types of environments?
o Desert, Ocean, City, Rainforest, Grasslands etc.
What is special about the animals that live in each of
those environments?
o Animals that live in the ocean can swim.
o Animals that live in the desert do not need a lot of
water.
o Animals that live in the rainforest can usually
climb trees.
o Animals that live in the city are usually scavengers
and have to be careful that they are not run over
by cars.
Hook/Lead-In/Anticipatory Set
The teacher will play a video that is 2 minutes and 24
seconds long fort he students to watch about animals
that live in different environments/habitats.
What were a few of the environments or habitats that we
saw in the video?
Today, our activity will be on these four environments.

Explicit
Instructions

ENVIRONMENT
o Desert
o Ocean
o Rainforest
o City
Big Idea Statement
Organisms live differently depending on their
environment and sometimes, they can only live in one
specific environment or ecosystem.
Essential Questions Statement
What are some different environments that animals
could live in?
Why can some organisms only live in one environment
or ecosystem?
Objective Statement (that the teacher would write on
the board)
At the lab tables, in your groups come up with two
animals that live in the environment assigned to the
table you are at and tell me why they can live in that
environment.
Transition
The teacher will point down the row of desks at each
student, and each student will say desert, ocean,
rainforest, or city in that order. Once all students have
an environment they will go back to the lab table with a
picture of their environment.
Students will move in a clockwise position to the next
lab table after spending two minutes at each table.
As one student from each group comes up to the smart
board the other students in the group will go back to
their seats and finish up their work
Key Vocabulary
Environment
o Surrounding influences: all the external factors

influencing the life and activities of people, plants,

and animals
o Set of conditions: a set of external conditions,
especially those affecting a particular activity
Habitat

Lesson
Procedure

o An animals natural environment.

Pre-Assessment of Students
Who can define in their own words what an environment
is?
o The surrounding influences or set of conditions
surrounding an object.
What are a few different types of environments?
o Desert, Ocean, City, Rainforest, Grasslands etc.
What is special about the animals that live in each of
those environments?

ENVIRONMENT
o Animals that live in the ocean can swim.
o Animals that live in the desert do not need a lot of
water.
o Animals that live in the rainforest can usually
climb trees.
o Animals that live in the city are usually scavengers
and have to be careful that they are not run over
by cars.
Modeling of the Concept
The teacher will warmly greet the class of third grade
students.
The teacher will ask the class questions to open up the
topic of the lesson.
o Who can define in their own words what an
environment is?
The surrounding influences or set of
conditions surrounding an object.
o What are a few different types of environments?
Desert, Ocean, City, Rainforest, Grasslands
etc.
o What is special about the animals that live in each
of those environments?
o The students may be prompted by the teacher to
answer these questions.
Animals that live in the ocean can swim.
Animals that live in the desert do not need a
lot of water.
Animals that live in the rainforest can
usually climb trees.
Animals that live in the city are usually
scavengers and have to be careful that they
are not run over by cars.
The teacher will explain to the class that they will be
watching a short video made by a student from another
school about animals in their natural habitat.
o http://www.bing.com/videos/search?
q=videos+of+animals+in+their+natural+habitat
&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=07B5315BE075
1887DEEE07B5315BE0751887DEEE
The teacher will play a video that is 2 minutes and 24
seconds long fort he students to watch about animals
that live in different environments/habitats.
The teacher will ask, What were a few of the
environments or habitats that we saw in the video?
o The students will have the opportunity to answer.
Today, our activity will be on these four environments.
o Desert
o Ocean

ENVIRONMENT
o Rainforest
o City
The teacher will go down the rows of desks and will
count the students off by fours by pointing to them and
saying desert, ocean, rainforest, city, desert, ocean etc.

The teacher will be passing out the lab sheet as she

counts off the students.
Each student will need to take a pencil back to the lab
tables with them.
The teacher will then send the desert students to the
table with the picture of a desert on it, the ocean
students to the table with the picture of the ocean on it
and so on for the other two lab tables.
The teacher will explain that the groups receive two
minutes at each table to identify two animals that live in
each environment or habitat and what makes them able
to live in that environment.
The teacher will set the timer for two minutes every time
the students switch tables. If the teacher finds that the
students are falling behind the teacher may extend the
time to three minutes.
After each group has visited each table the groups will
select one student from their groups to go up and write
one animal on the smart board for two different habitats.
As the four students write on the smart board, the rest
of the student will go back to their seats and complete
their lab sheets.
Once there are eight animals on the board the teacher
will ask each group to explain the two animals that they
put on the board.
The teacher will ask if other students had anything
different and will write them down in the appropriate
area.
The teacher will explain that they will be playing a
review game,
A photo of an animal will be put on the smart board for 5
seconds and the students will have to decide what
environment it would live in. Students have twenty
seconds between each photo to record their answers.
Whoever gets the most answers right will receive an
extra sticker on the classroom sticker chart. If there is a
tie the teacher will give a tiebreaker riddle.
o http://thirdgraderiddles.blogspot.com/2006/12/ani
mal-riddles.html
Guiding the Practice
The teacher will walk around the room and verbally
assess the students on their projects by asking pertinent

ENVIRONMENT
questions on what the students concluded and how they
came to their conclusions.
Teacher will ask the students questions to lead into the
lesson.
Providing the Independent Practice
In groups, the students will identify two animals for each
of the four environments end will explain on paper why
the animals can live in each environment.
Transition
As one student from each group comes up to the smart
board the other students in the group will go back to
their seats and finish up their work.
Reading
Smart board
Materials
4 lab tables
Technology
Twenty stools
Equipment
Premade science sheet
Supplies
Pencils
Large picture of
o Ocean
o Rainforest
o Desert
o City
Menu holders to hold pictures
Desks
Timer
Projector and screen
Animals in their environment video
o http://www.bing.com/videos/search?
q=videos+of+animals+in+their+natural+habitat
&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=07B5315BE075
1887DEEE07B5315BE0751887DEEE
Pictures of animals for wrap up game
Tiebreakers
o http://thirdgraderiddles.blogspot.com/2006/12/ani
mal-riddles.html
Classroom Sticker Chart
Stickers
Evaluation of
Formal Evaluation
the
Throughout the duration of the lesson students will fill
Learning/Master
out the premade science sheet that was provided by the
y of the
teacher.
Concept
Students will send one representative up to the board to
write down one animal in one environment.
The teacher will have each group explain their reasoning
for the two animals that they put on the board.
Informal Evaluation
The teacher will ask relative questions about the activity

Closure

Teacher
Self-reflection

ENVIRONMENT
throughout the duration of the activity.
Throughout the activity the teacher will verbally prompt
students to explain their reasoning.
Students will play a timed game at the end of the lesson
to identify the environment of the animal on the screen.
Summary & Review of the Learning
One student from each lab group will come up and write
one animal from two different environments on the
smart board next to the picture.
The teacher will ask if other students had anything
different and will write them down in the appropriate
area.
A photo of an animal will be put on the smart board for 5
seconds and the students will have to decide what
environment it would live in.
Homework/Assignments
Students will have three days to create an entry into
their science journals about the environment that they
live in and the animals that live in their environment.

ENVIRONMENT
SCEINCE

GRADE 3

NAME

DATE

Write down two different types of animals that one might see in this environment and
explain how it is possible for them to live there. If you need to, use the back of this paper
or staple a piece of notebook paper to this sheet.
OCEAN

DESERT

RAINFOREST

CITY