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Lesson Plan Design

Subject: Life Science Grade: 7 Lesson Topic: Ecology
Candidate’s Name: Brian Malfavon ID # 023896725
Site Supervisor: Jeremy Hurlbert NU Supervisor: Shirley Rehkopf
Date: December 6th 2016
1. Introduction: (Identify Grade Level K12 Academic Content Standard(s), rationale, focus learner,
create bridges from past learning, behavior expectations)
. Time: 10 minutes
NGSS: MS- LS2-A Rationale:
In any ecosystem, organisms and populations with similar Students have been introduced to
requirements for food, water, oxygen, or other resources may ecosystems and symbiotic relationships.
compete with each other for limited resources, access to
which consequently contrains their growth and reproduction. Students will reinforce their prior
knowledge of ecosystems as interactions
between abiotic and biotic things, and .
will understand how limited resources have
a big impact on organism and population
growth.

2. Learner Outcome(s)/Objective(s): (What will students learn from this lesson? How will you
measure mastery of the outcome?)
Time:
SWBAT: Rationale:
 Students will be able to explain how and why
Analzying and interpreting data is essential
competition takes place in ecosystems through to provide evidence for the effects of
activity.
resource availability on organisms and
 Students will be able to explain ‘How can change populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
in one part of an ecosystem affect change in other Furthermore, there will be an emphasis on
parts of the ecosystem?’ cause and effect relationships, where a
 Students will be able to give at least two examples change in one part of the ecosystem causes
of competition that takes place in a real world the change in other parts of the ecosystem.
ecosystem through activity.

Measuring Mastery of the Objectives:

Teacher will provide an exit slip at the end
 of the lesson, where students are required
to answer 2 questions.

3. Pre-assessment Activity: (Determine students’ abilities to achieve the learner outcome and
prescribe instruction accordingly. Consider: linguistic background, academic language abilities,
content knowledge, cultural and health considerations, interests and aspirations, physical
development, social development, emotional development. )
Time:
Students are asked view an image on the promethean board: it
shows a food web and I explain there is a decrease in the main plant
population due to a deadly fungus in a chaparral ecoasystem. They
are asked to analyze and interpret the scenario, and explain what
will happen to other populations of organisms.

ELL (Focus Student): Students will have charts with information
available for them to activitate prior knowledge. ELL studetns
will need teacher Modeling and guidance throughout the
activity in order for them to explain why competition happens,
and how a change in one part of an ecosystem can influence
other parts of that ecosystem. Teacher will lead a small group
combined with SPED students.
Learning Challenge (Focus Student) Students will have charts
with information available for them to activitate prior
knowledge. SPED studetns will need teacher Modeling and
guidance throughout the activity in order for them to explain
why competition happens, and how a change in one part of an
ecosystem can influence other parts of that ecosystem. Teacher
will lead a small group combined with ELL students.
Rationale: Modeling and guiding students can
help ease their thinking, and can direct them
towards the correct understanding. Checking in
on these students will faciliatate their confusion
and reduce the probability of disengagement.
Rationale: Modeling and guiding students can
help ease their thinking, and can direct them
towards the correct understanding. Checking in
on these students will faciliatate their confusion
and reduce the probability of disengagement

Upper 1/3 of Class Students need higher scaffolding and more Rationale: These student’s quickly analyze a
challenging questions. The teacher will undergo the I do, We situation and reach the correct conclusion. They
do, You do, system and relinquish them after the We do with need higher level questions that will push them
occasional check ins. to critically think.

Lower 1/3 of Class The teacher will undergo the I do, We do, Rationale: These students might have
You do, system and relinquish them after the We do with trouble staying on task or need little
occasional check ins. These students will be combined with the assistance to get them on the right track.
Upper 1/3.

4. Differentiation, Adaptation & Accommodation Strategies: (Based on the pre-assessments, modify

Learning Activities based on learner characteristics to meet the needs of ELL & special needs
students, highly achieving students and low achieving students)
ELL (Focus Student): Put students in a group and keep Co-
Teacher with them at all times. Use Modeling (I do, We do, You
do), Read alouds, and Maniupulatives.
Rationale: Prioritizing these students with the
Co-teacher gives them undivided attention,
and allows students to push towards the
lesson. In addition, using those SDAIE
strategies gives students the ability to apply
their prior knowledge to the new concept and
ultimately answer the objective.

Learning Challenge (Focus Student): Put students in a group with
ELL’s and keep Co-Teacher with them at all times. Use
Modeling (I do, We do, You do), Read alouds, and
Maniupulatives.
Rationale: Prioritizing these students with the
Co-teacher gives them undivided attention,
and allows students to push towards the
lesson. In addition, using those SDAIE
strategies gives students the ability to apply
their prior knowledge to the new concept and
ultimately answer the objective.

Rationale: Providing higher level questions

Upper 1/3 of Class: Provide scaffolding. Include higher level keeps these student’s engaged in the lesson,
questions. and allows them to grow at their own pace.

Lower 1/3 of Class: Provide students with opportunities to
interact with Upper 1/3. Provide more time for answering
questions.
Rationale: Providing opportunities to
interact with the upper third in search of
accomplishing a task can expand critical
thinking skills and create new social-
educational opportunities.

5. Resources: (Identify materials needed for this lesson accounting for varying degrees of skill level)

In order to successfully show students why introductions are Rationale:

important, I will need:
Technology: The promethan board will help me display
1. Promethean board the Prelude and guide students to the
Audio: lesson.
Visual: Prior information Charts The Fruit Loops and Sandwich Baggies
Kinesthetic: will be used to identify different abiotic
1. Fruit Loops Cereal and biotic resources in an ecosystem.
2. Brown paper lunch sack Students will record their observations
3. Small Sandwich Baggies from two different scenarios using the
4. Pencil and paper printed graph and a pencil. Lastly, students
will partner up to answer the final exit
ticket question.

6. Learning Activities: Explicit Teacher Instruction - (Explain, model, demonstrate, check for
understanding)

Teacher Will (TW):
Discuss the interdependency of Abioitic and Biotic things in
an ecosystem (as a class; students will be asked to Think,
Pair, Share)
Rationale:
Students are to understand the significance
of limited resources in an ecosystem, and
the effects of resource competition on
populations.

TW: Review Key Vocabulary Terms (as a class; students Students receive manipulatives and a
will be asked to Think, Pair, Share) printed out graph paper to help them
- Use slides to show the vocab. understand the types of resources available
TW: Ask students to choose an animal they want to be from in an ecosystem.
the set choices of: Deer, Rabbit, Elk, Fox, and Turkey
Vulture Student’s will personalize the activity by
- Use slides to show pictures of the animals with becoming one of the organisms in the
personal stats! ecosystem, and will see if they survive the
- Write the animal on a piece of tape and place it on hunger game.
their shirt.
TW: Explain Instructions (2 groups):
- Group 1: Students will grab a handful from a brown
lunch sack, and graph in the fruit loops. When done,
they are to silently read.
- Group 2: Student’s be going outside to a designated
area marked as an ecosystem. Teacher will explain
rules and procedures for being outside, and spread
the fruit loops from the brown lunch sack.
- Students will grab all the fruit loops and as many
fruit loops as they can (being cautious not to crush
them because the ones broken will not count).
- As soon as they are done, they will count the fruit
loops and graph them.
TW: Announce the HUNGER GAMES:
- If Deer, Elk, or Rabbit, they are to put away Orange
and Red because those are meat resources, and they
are herbivores and that resource is not useful to
them.
- If Turkey vulture, remove green and red. Red is for
a resource for predators, and they are scavengers.
- Purple is pollution. For every purple, students lose a
 water resource as it contaminates it.
- All organisms need 3 waters, 3 food, and 3 shelters
to survive one day of the hunger games. How many
days did you survive in this ecosystem???
- How many days could you have survived in this
ecosystem if you did not compete with others?

TW: Facilitate Exit Ticket Questions.

7. Learning Activities: Guided Practice/ Collaborative Practice (Check for understanding and
provide feedback and re-teaching)

Students Will (SW): Think, Pair, Share about previous
vocabulary.
SW: independently construct their own graphs based on the
two scenarios.
SW: Collect Fruit loops from the marked ecosystem outside.
Rationale:
Student’s read the graphs and reinforce
their understanding resources in an
ecosystem. Resources are limited, and thus
resource competition will ensue.

SW: will analyze and interpret their graphs and with their
I will also use this as a way to check for
table partners answer the questions.
their understanding.

8. Independent Practice: (Provide practice that supports the learning outcome. Note: Independent
activities are assigned assuming that students understand the concept well enough to work on their
own.)

Students will independently answer the Exit Ticket multiple Rationale:

choice questions. This will be another way for me to check
for their understanding, but also help them
improve by correcting their assignments
and returning it to them.

9. Assessment and Evaluation: (Describe how you will assess and/or evaluate the students’ learning.
Describe differentiating assessment strategies you will use for ELL, special needs students, highly
achieving students and low achieving students.)
Independent practice: Exit Ticket Rationale:
The questions will allow me to quickly see
what concepts the student’s understood,
and what I need to review the next day. It
will also shape the next day’s lesson.

ELL and SPED student’s have the ability

to choose from one of the answers
provided.

10. Closure: (Describe how students will reflect on what they have learned.)

During the last 20 minutes, there will be a teacher led Rationale:

discussion that overviews limited resources and resource
competition.
Student’s review what they know about
ecosystems, and will understand limted
resources.
This will help student’s identify resource
competition as a conquence of limited
resources.

11. Lesson Reflection/Assessment: (Collect student learning data to determine: What went well?
What needs to be changed? Were learning outcomes met? What activities will you add, change,
modify in the future? What can be done to follow up on the learning from this lesson? Who needs
additional help? Who needs enrichment or higher level work?)

Revised: 4/22/10
Note: An electronic copy of the Lesson Plan Design may be found on the Nu-Fast website:
http://www.nu-fast.com . Links: Browse Folders - SOE – TED – TED 629 – Student Resources Unit 4