Lesson Plan

Day: Thursday Date: 16th March Time: 12.17pm Session 4 Year: 9

Learning Area: Science Topic: Ecosystems

Curriculum content description: (from ACARA)

Ecosystems consist of communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic components of

the environment; matter and energy flow through these systems. (ACSSU176)

Advances in scientific understanding often rely on developments in technology and

technological advances are often linked to scientific discoveries. (ACSHE158)

Students prior knowledge and experience:

Students have covered;

Previous years science curriculum
Ecosystem overview and hierarchy
Begun food webs and energy flow through ecosystem

Learning purpose:

To analyse how biological systems function and respond to external changes with reference
to interdependencies, energy transfers and flows of matter, and to become familiar with
trophic levels and photosynthesis.
Learning objectives: Evaluation:

On completion of this lesson, students Group discussion questions in

will be able to: reference to prac will be completed.
Verbal feedback to teacher.
Describe the process of
Extension worksheet (if completed)
photosynthesis
Recognise the functional differences
between photosynthesis and cellular
respiration
Describe the relevance of
photosynthetic organisms in energy
production
Use their knowledge of
photosynthesis to develop ideas on
its relevancy to climate change
Preparation and Resources:

Sufficient desks/seats for all students to sit in regular assigned seating

Pens and paper for labelling activity
Powerpoint hardware
Internet access for video

Catering for diversity

Extension worksheet provided in the event some students finish early

Visual cues and labelled diagrams for visual learners
Discussion component allows sharing of ideas with peers
Verbal and written provided
Staff assistance on-hand to provide direct instruction/clarification if required
Lesson does not require a prohibitive level of physicality, will be accessible to all
students regardless of physical ability.

Timing: Learning Experiences:

3 mins Introduction:

Students will be lined up, invited into class and asked to sit in assigned seating,
with hats and bags off.

Review of previous days topic; food webs & chains; first second and third order
3 mins consumers, and how energy is passed through an ecosystem. Ask for extensive
feedback from class regarding topics covered previous day. Prompt with key
words such as food pyramid and food web, producers vs consumers and
2 mins ask for examples.

Use one of the bean experiments in the class to ask hypothetical questions; if I
put the bean in darkness, would it sprout? So it needs sunlight to grow. What
else does it need?
3 mins
Body:

Begin powerpoint, introduce the topics to be covered; cellular respiration and

5 mins photosynthesis.

Describe respiration process using points on slideshow; including key points

such as energy, mitochondria and chemical equation.
4 mins
Describe photosynthesis process using points on slideshow. Balance the
equation using assistance from the class. Run through slide comparing
3 mins respiration to photosynthesis; differences and similarities and how the two
processes compliment one another

Photosynthesis video Simple story of photosynthesis and food-TED Ed

5 mins
Are all plants green? Cover wavelengths and light absorption, chlorophyll a,
chlorophyll b and beta carotene, including mention of alternative pigments
found in red algae, seagrass etc.

While showing map of the world, ask for feedback on where does
photosynthesis occur?

Show photosynthesis map, and highlight that much of the photosynthetic

10 mins process takes place in the oceans, in algae and bacteria. Compare vascular
plants to aquatic, in terms of lifespan, biomass etc.

5 mins
Activity:

Ask two students to hand out the activity sheets with photosynthesis labelling,
and Aquatic vs Terrestrial plants. Ask students to complete individually. Circle
round and assist as necessary.

5mins/5
mins
Stop activity sheet, and return to final slide covering Importance of
photosynthesis to life, early photosynthetic organisms and Stromatolites

Conclusion:

53 mins Why does photosynthesis matter? Does it affect me?

- Discuss two ideas as a class; connections between photosynthesis and

climate change,
and how photosynthesis affects our atmosphere. Could it be used to
build atmospheres on other planets?

Introduce the coming topic symbiotic and non-symbiotic relationships for next
lesson.

Hand over to Ms Mallon for agar plate photography for final 5 minutes.
Reflections:

This was a disappointing lesson; my presentation of the topic was flat, the structure of the
lesson was insufficient to retain student interest. After sitting in on another teachers class
(year 8 science), directly prior to conducting my lesson, it was glaringly apparent that my
lessons are not interactive, structured or diverse enough. In this other class, students were
given explicit and direct instructions from the moment they entered, the lesson included
some multiple-choice revision using whiteboards that students held up, which gave instant
feedback and was fast-paced enough to retain interest. It also included a short video, again
complemented with several questions using whiteboards, and prep for an experiment. This
got the kids moving briefly, and curbed any restless disruption. Even when doing the prep,
there where explicit instructions on where to stand, how and when to collect equipment etc.

By contrast, my lesson was basic presentation of a topic and a worksheet that loosely
complimented the topic but served no assessment purpose and was not assessable or really
useable for getting feedback on student comprehension. Discussion questions were
monopolised by a handful of students, and facilitated disruptive talking among the entire
class. Due to the disengagement of the students, there were several students drawing on
their hands and desk, while several more were using pens as pan-pipes. This curbed quickly
once I began timing the class for lunchtime detention, but two students were soon out of
their seats and being disruptive again.

It is becoming evident that the lack of activities, and my heavy reliance on presentations is
becoming tiresome to the students, and that attempts at facilitated discussion are met with
mixed success. Mentor feedback has encouraged me to revise several aspects of my
previous lesson plans, and future plans will include a greater emphasis on learning activities
and a more structured lesson plan, including greater attentiveness to both the progression
of students work throughout the lesson and the potential for disruption to occur.