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GENERAL INFORMATION Name: Gina Digiantonio Lesson Title: Environmental Science Grade level(s)/Course: 9th Grade Biology Date taught: Day 1 INFORMATION ABOUT THE LESSON Content Standards: Understand and apply knowledge of the interdependence of organisms Identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations Design and conduct scientific investigations Enduring Understanding and/or Essential Question: Organism interactions influence ecosystem stability. Humans modify ecosystems.

What connections exist within an ecosystem? How scientists use experiments to answer real-world questions? Instructional Objectives:

Prior Learning/Prior Thinking By living in the world, students have an inherent understanding that they are connected to other individuals and we will expand upon this. In addition, they have already had ecology and evolution which already talks about these concepts. The students have also had some experience with scientific experiments through science fairs or other science classes but they will need. LESSON IMPLEMENTATION

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Anticipatory Set/Elicit Prior Knowledge Students should have some exposure to experiments because we will have had labs before this part of the school year. Students understand the basic interactions between organisms from the ecology unit. Focus/Purpose Statement Scientists can test the types of interactions in an environment by running experiments. Procedures Clip photos from National Geographic magazines and put it on the board (7 minutes) Pre-assessment- When you look at the pictures, are those areas or species worth saving even if it costs time and money? Why or why not? (3 minutes) Talk about how each ecosystem is unique, beautiful, and valuable o What are things that are going on within the ecosystem o How the environment affects the species that live within it Connect to natural selection and evolution There will be some conditions that are ideal for growth (10 minutes) o A lot going on in the pictures so want to focus on only one aspect. Look at shrubs What factors are influencing the growth of the shrubs? Soil, air quality, amount of water, number of predators etc. Get with a partner and write a hypothesis for each one. Example: I think that plant with _______ soil will grow better than the one with _____ soil. o Have students share. If I gave you a plant, how could you manipulate the environment to see if your ideas are correct? o Run an experiment We are going to test one of your hypotheses regarding soil (20 minutes) o Pull out three beakers, each with a type of soil on top. One is loamy, one is clay, and the last is sandy. The students do not know what type of soil is one top of which beaker because it will be covered with paper. o The same amount of water will be measured into graduated cylinders for each one. Students volunteers will be asked to verify that there is the same amount in each (make sure they read from the bottom of the meniscus). o Pour the water over each and see that the amount of water at the bottom is the different for each Ask students what could make this occur. Type of soil varies What does that say about each type of soil Loamy soil can absorb the most water and sandy soil holds the least How could this one factor of the amount of absorption for different soils

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affect the ecosystem? Scaffolding question: What do you think would happen if we put plants in each of these? You are going to create plant experiments. What made the soil experiment a good experiment? (5 minutes) o Put the same amount in each o Measured accurately o Used equipment in a safe way o Repeatable How could we make the experiment better? (5 minutes) o Do more trials o Have a control

Differentiation Students are allowed to choose what aspect of the environment they are most interested in by letting them pick the photos they want to put on the board. Closure Students will be thinking of experiments at the end of the lesson and I would mention that I want to think about how they can test their own hypothesis about plant growth. Materials and Resources Three types of soil, beakers, graduate cylinders, water. National Geographic magazines Empty poster board, tape, scissors Classroom Management/Democratic Practices Students will ASSESSMENT Before the lesson Pre-assessment short answer essay about what makes things worth saving. Later they will say if they changed their minds.

During the lesson

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Informal Formative Assessment Based on student answers in the class discussion I should be able to see the amount of knowledge they have on experiments May need to add more scaffolding questions if they are not getting it

At the end of the lesson Summative- Part of plant experiment supplement