SINGLE SUBJECT CREDENTIAL PROGRAM

SCIENCE LESSON PLAN

TEMPLATE Revised 4.15
For directions on how to complete this form, see EDSC Lesson Plan Directions and Scoring Guide in the SSCP Handbook at
www.sscphandbook.org.

Name
Nothing Cooler than Absolute

CWID

Subject Area
Science

Zero
Class Title

Lesson Title

Biology

Energy

Unit Title

Total

Grade Levels

Energy in our
Ecosystems

Minutes

9th

90

STANDARDS AND LESSON OBJECTIVES

Next Generation Science Standards
HS-LS2-3. Construct and revise an explanation

WHST.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts,

based on evidence for the cycling of matter and flow

including the narration of historical events, scientific

of energy in aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

procedures/experiments, or technical processes.

Common Core State Standard Connections

WHST.9-10.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by

HS-PS4-4. Evaluate the validity and reliability of

planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new

claims in published materials of the effects that

approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant

different frequencies of electromagnetic radiation

for a specific purpose and audience

have when absorbed by matter.

HSN-Q.A.2 Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of

descriptive modeling

Lesson Objective(s)
Students will construct explanations of energy flow

Evidence
Students will build initial poster with one food chain labeling

through an ecosystem by gathering evidence from

sources of energy. Students will revise model with new

media and text sources provided in class.

Students will be able to mathematically understand

information through course of lesson.

Given an example of a food chain and quantity of energy in

the distribution of energy as it travels through a food

each, students should be able to calculate the amount of

chain.
STUDENT ASSESSMENT
Purpose/Fo

energy transfer between each trophic level

Type

cus of

Implementation

Feedback Strategy

Assessment
Diagnose

How Informs
Teaching

current
student
EL

understandin

Verbal questioning as class

Verbal feedback to class as whole

g of energy

discussion

based on student responses

Initial poster model

Verbal feedback as class, teacher

flow through

Where teacher
should begin and
focus lesson

an
PM

ecosystem
Assess
previous

wandering and questioning of

knowledge

group work during work time for

and skills

students

What
misconceptions
may be present,

what students
know well and
what needs
further
addressing
What knowledge
was gained from
Assess
PM

lecture, what

acquired

Guided notes with lecture

knowledge

Verbal class discussion will go

information still

over the notes as a class

needs to be

and skills

addressed to
reach learning

PM

Assess

Revision of model poster, Teacher

acquired

will prompt questions of

knowledge

explanation while students revise

and skills

models

Verbal feedback to groups of

goals
What knowledge

students working on models, use

was gained and

modeling rubric for continued

can be applied as

feedback (mastery grading over

evidence to reach

unit growth)

learning goals

Assess what
was gained

What knowledge

from the

was gained, what

lesson

misconceptions

towards
PM

student
understandin

Exit ticket 3 Ws

Students will turn in ticket at end

of class. Participation points

g, Allow

still exist, what

concepts should
be further
reviewed, What

students to

questions may be

identify their

present

own learning

progress
FOCUS OF INSTRUCTION
Instructional Strategies
Link new information and/or skills to prior knowledge, review/Check for prior knowledge, use graphic organizers,
small group instruction, individual instruction, Model desired skills and outcomes, reflective activities, Provide "wait
time", use questioning strategies that require learners to go deeper, student self-assess
Lesson Introduction/Anticipatory Set
Time
Teacher Does
Student Does
1. Students will attentively watch the trailer.
1. Show The Lion King trailer to students then lead
discussion regarding ecosystems, energy flow, etc. Ask

Students will participate in discussion about

10

guiding questions that lead to a deeper level of thinking

the ecosystem dynamics present when

min

about the ecosystem dynamics present in The Lion King.

prompted by the teacher asking leading

questions.

Link for Lion King movie trailer:

https://youtu.be/GibiNy4d4gc
Lesson Body
Time
Teacher Does
5 1. Make clear connection with discussion and the content
min

1.

Student Does
Students should be able to make the

that will be covered for the day by showing a short video

connection between the Lion King and

that introduces ecosystems and energy flow to students.

ecosystem videos to see how the two relate.

Link for ecosystem video:

2.

https://youtu.be/GlnFylwdYH4
2.

Students will work on an initial model of a

poster representing what they know about

Teacher will have students number off 1-4 to form groups

15

of 4 students and instruct students to grab butcher paper,

min

markers, and rulers to create a poster in which they

ecosystems in groups. They will focus on their

assigned level of the ecosystem only.

display their current knowledge of ecosystems. Students 3.

Students will take notes from lecture

will be assigned a role to draw either producers,

PowerPoint using the guided notes provided.

consumers, secondary consumer, or tertiary consumers.

When opportunities come to think/pair/share

and answer questions, students will participate

3.

and discuss content with one another.

Teacher will handout guided notes that correspond with

the powerpoint and lecture. The teacher will then lecture
4.

Students will revise models to reflect new

30

and guide students to help complete the guided notes.

min

The teacher will provide many opportunities for

content knowledge after the lecture. Students

think/pair/share and checkpoints for assessment.

will receive their expository texts to be read

over as homework to be discussed in class

4.

tomorrow. Students will use their epistemic

Teacher will instruct students to go and revise model. As

students are working on revising their models, expository
texts will be passed out to the groups to be done as

text assignment. If students finish their

revision early they may begin doing their

homework to be discussed in class the following day.

22

practice knowledge to complete the expository

homework.

min
Lesson Closure
Time
Teacher Does
1. Instruct students to go back to their seats and fill out an

Student Does

exit ticket with the three Ws: What,? So What?, Now

8

What?. What did we learn? So what is the

1.

mins

relevance/importance? Now what, where are we going

Students will share a half sheet of paper with a

neighbor and write their exit ticket.

next, how does it affect our thinking, or what is a

question you have?
Instructional Materials, Equipment, and Multimedia
butcher paper, markers, rulers, guided note handout, powerpoint projector
Co-Teaching Strategies
Team teaching
English

Striving Readers

Students with Special Needs

Advanced Students

Learners
English

Guided notes will be presented in

For the guided notes, students with

If there are multiple

learners will

clear language for all students to

special needs can be given printed

advanced students in

be paired

help accommodate for striving

versions of the PowerPoint slides to

the classroom they

with

readers. These notes should

follow along. Students with special

may be grouped

students that

help students sift through

needs will be grouped based on their

together to allow for

have

important information, and filter

specific needs with other students. In a

growth and

demonstrate

out the excess information that

case where a student is especially

development

d an

they may come across, making

antisocial, moderate personalities of

together through the

understandin

them more efficient in their

other students will be grouped together

analyzing and arguing

g of the

reading. The expository text

as to not cause the student any

process of the model

content.

assignment has also been

additional anxiety and stress on

building, so that they

They will be

designed with striving readers in

learning. Assigned roles will also be

do not carry a

allowed to

mind. The assignment will help

given during the group work as to limit

different grouping

work

all students, including striving

the feeling of being overwhelmed and

that allows other

together to

reader, to negotiate an

focus on a task. If needed the student

students to just follow

address

expository text, seeking out

may be given the questions to answer

along. The expository

minor

relevant questions and

for the expository text homework

text given to

misconceptio

information related to the

assignment to provide the best

advanced students

ns.

content based on a phenomena

learning opportunity for them.

may be at a higher

Additionally,

To accommodate striving

level of thinking that

the teacher

readers, they will be allowed

capitalizes on student

will provide

additional time to complete the

interests and inquiry.

English

expository text assignment if

learners with

needed. Depending on the level

key

of literacy development of the

vocabulary

student a simplified text may be

and

provided to the student.

definitions.
While they
are making
their posters,
the teacher
can walk
around to
answer any
questions
English
learners may
have. The
guided notes
for the
lecture will
be presented
in clear
language
that makes
sense to all
students. For
the exit
ticket,
English
learners will
be allowed to
write in their
native
language or

a bullet point
list
depending
on their
current level
of English
knowledge.
REFLECTION: SUMMARY, RATIONALE, AND IMPLEMENTATION
Overall, this lesson was designed keeping Universal Design in mind to benefit all students in the classroom.
Using an anchoring activity that is relatable to them, in this case The Lion King, can peak interest and provide a
common experience to discuss throughout the unit. Class discussions are used to allow students to express their
ideas about the topic, while informing the teacher of student content knowledge and presence of misconceptions.
Actively using think-pair-share and share-out-loud methods can provide students with the opportunity to think about
their own understanding of the content while actively listening to their peers. Students will be grouped in fours
during the modeling activity because it provides students with the opportunity to work on a team to negotiate the
model. If there are too many in a group, students can choose to participate or not and the work may still be done, if
there are not enough students in a group then they do not have the opportunity to argue and reason their
understanding of the model. The use of a continuously improved upon model allows the teacher to check for
understanding periodically. This way, the teacher can monitor progress throughout the entire unit, beginning from
day 1 of the lesson. The use of guided notes focuses student learning while keeping them engaged in the content. It
also provides them with a reference for studying later on in the unit. Guided notes assist students who face
challenges in the classroom for the same reasons. Finally, guided notes assist students in filtering out relevant
information from the abundance of text they may come across. Since students will already be familiar with the
negotiation of expository text, it is assigned as homework to continue the progress of the unit while exposing
students to additional information that will be discussed in the following lessons. The exit ticket is used to inform
the teacher of what the students learned from the lesson, what misconceptions may still be present or have arised,
and what students are predicting or questioning about the content. Again, this allows students to think of their own
understanding of the content and what they have gained from the lesson.

Name: _______________________
Ecosystems

Species: a group of ______________ that can mate & produce a ____________ offspring
Population: all the members of a _______________ that live in one place at one time.
Community: a collection of ________________ populations in an area
Ecosystem: includes all of the organisms & the ______________ environment.
Put the Order of Ecological
Organization from smallest to

1. _____________________

largest:

(smallest)

2. _____________________
3. _____________________
4. _____________________
5. _____________________

What does an ecosystem need to be self-sustaining?

1. A constant source of ___________ is supplied.
2. Living things use this energy and convert into _____________ molecules
3. A cycling of materials between organisms and their environment

(largest)

Resources
Organisms with similar needs may compete with each other for resources like:
Limiting Factors

1. ________________________
2. ________________________
3. _______________________
4. ________________________
Acclimation: when organisms _____________ to change
Range of Tolerance: the ability of an organism to withstand __________ in their
environment.
Biotic factors: Living Factors of the environment

Examples: _________________________________________________

Abiotic factors: the nonliving parts of an environment.

Examples: _________________________________________________

Nutritional Relationships
Two Types: Autotrophs and ___________________
1. _______________________ organisms that synthesize their own food (___________)
2. Heterotrophs: can _____ synthesize their own food & are dependent on other
______________ for their food.
Energy flows through Ecosystems
Producers = ______________________ and _____________________ = heterotrophs
Consumers:

Fungi & Bacteria

Herbivores: Eat Only Plants

Carnivores: Eat Only Other Animals
Omnivores: Eat Plants & Animals
Detritivores: Feed On Dead Plant & Animal Remains
Decomposers: Breaks down organic matter

Producers

Always the _______________ trophic level

How _________________ enters the system.
Herbivores

_______________ trophic level

Carnivores/Omnivores

Make up the _____________________ Trophic Levels

__________________ level depends on the one ______________ it for energy

If there are 10,000 kcal of energy

available at the primary producer
level, how much energy is available
at the other trophic levels?
Primary Consumers
_________________
Secondary Consumers
_______________
Tertiary Consumers
_________________