Kaitlyn Lupro EDD 485 Unit Plan Kaitlyn Lupro EDD 485 Unit Plan April 18, 2012 Introduction Grade Level Content Expectations: K-7 Standard L.EC: Develop an understanding of the interdependence of the variety of populations, communities and ecosystems, including those in the Great Lakes region. Develop an understanding of different types of interdependence and that biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors affect the balance of an ecosystem. Understand that all organisms cause changes, some detrimental and others beneficial, in the environment where they live. L.EC.E.1 Interactions- Organisms interact in various ways including providing food and shelter to one another. Some interactions are helpful; others are harmful to the organism and other organisms. L.EC.04.11 Identify organisms as part of a food chain or food web. L.EC.E.2 Changed Environment Effects- When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive to reproduce; others die or move to new locations. L.EC.04.21 Explain how environmental changes can produce a change in the food web. For the purposes of this class, I have prepared a unit on ecosystems. I chose this topic because it is particularly interesting to me. It is important for students to understand how things in the world interact with each other and how these things rely on each other for survival. My five lessons are centered on the interconnectedness of things in nature. My first lesson introduces students to ecosystems by having them create a small ecosystem in the classroom. Students will be actively participating in adding each element to the ecosystem and then observing how these things work together. My second lesson has students creating observation journals in which they will visit a spot in the school ecosystem to observe what happens there. Students will further research the things they find in the ecosystem to further
37
Embed
Kaitlyn Lupro - University of Michigan · Concepts in Biology (14th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Kallen, S. A. (2004). Ecosystems: Life In a Pond. Kid Haven Press. Adapted from: Leager,
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Kaitlyn Lupro EDD 485 Unit Plan
Kaitlyn Lupro
EDD 485
Unit Plan
April 18, 2012
Introduction
Grade Level Content Expectations:
K-7 Standard L.EC: Develop an understanding of the interdependence of the variety of
populations, communities and ecosystems, including those in the Great Lakes region.
Develop an understanding of different types of interdependence and that biotic (living)
and abiotic (non-living) factors affect the balance of an ecosystem. Understand that all
organisms cause changes, some detrimental and others beneficial, in the environment
where they live.
L.EC.E.1 Interactions- Organisms interact in various ways including providing food and
shelter to one another. Some interactions are helpful; others are harmful to the
organism and other organisms.
L.EC.04.11 Identify organisms as part of a food chain or food web.
L.EC.E.2 Changed Environment Effects- When the environment changes, some plants
and animals survive to reproduce; others die or move to new locations.
L.EC.04.21 Explain how environmental changes can produce a change in the food web.
For the purposes of this class, I have prepared a unit on ecosystems. I chose this topic
because it is particularly interesting to me. It is important for students to understand how
things in the world interact with each other and how these things rely on each other for
survival. My five lessons are centered on the interconnectedness of things in nature. My first
lesson introduces students to ecosystems by having them create a small ecosystem in the
classroom. Students will be actively participating in adding each element to the ecosystem and
then observing how these things work together. My second lesson has students creating
observation journals in which they will visit a spot in the school ecosystem to observe what
happens there. Students will further research the things they find in the ecosystem to further
Kaitlyn Lupro EDD 485 Unit Plan
their understanding. My third lesson plan is about the flow of energy through an ecosystem. It
teachers students about how much energy is needed to sustain an ecosystem and then they
will create a food web to show how energy is moved throughout the ecosystem. My fourth
lesson plan builds off the third and has students look at a specific member of most local
ecosystems, the worm. Students will observe what worms do for the environment by creating a
compost box featuring the worms. My last lesson looks at the effects of prey/predator
relationships and the effects of those relationships on the ecosystem as a whole.
This unit would take approximately a month to complete. Each lesson requires 2-3 days
and some, like the observation journals and the compost box, will take the length of the unit.
These are only some of the lessons I would use in this unit. I would definitely need another
lesson on food webs/food chains because I don’t think I went into enough detail in the lessons I
have prepared. I would also like to do a lesson using the food pyramid that I touched on in the
observation journal lesson, because that is an important concept for students to learn. They
need to understand that one herbivore requires 10 (random number) plants to survive and
each carnivore requires 10 herbivores to survive. I would also do a lesson showing the energy
cycle in a food chain which is something that I did not focus on.
I wrote these lessons without thinking about limitations in terms of resources such as
technology and supplies. I also assumed students had the necessary vocabulary to understand
the lessons, such as ideas about photosynthesis, at least at the beginning of the unit. However, I
realize that this is generally unrealistic and that I would probably have to adapt these lessons to
use them in a real classroom which I something that I could do, given real parameters.
Kaitlyn Lupro EDD 485 Unit Plan
Kaitlyn Lupro EDD 485 Unit Plan
Ecosystem in a Jar
Grade Level: 4th Grade
Concept: Ecosystems
Objectives:
-Students will:
Create a mini ecosystem in the classroom
Observe the relationships between members of an ecosystem
Grade Level Content Expectations:
S.IP.04.11: Make purposeful observation of the natural world using the appropriate
senses.
S.IP.04.12: Generate questions based on observations.
S.IA.04.12: Share ideas about science through purposeful conversation in collaborative
groups.
S.IA.04.13: Communicate and present findings of observations and investigations.
S.RS.04.18: Describe the effect humans and other organisms have on the balance of the
natural world.
L.EC.E.1: Interactions- Organisms interact in various ways including providing food and
shelter to one another. Some interactions are helpful; others are harmful to the
organism and other organisms.
Materials:
1. A large (gallon sized or larger) container with lid. Lid needs to have holes in it.
2. Plastic spoons
3. Light source
4. Minnows
5. Elodea and duckweed or other water plants
6. Water snails
7. Water
8. Sand
9. Observation Journals
Safety: Animals should be treated with care and respect. Students should wash their hands
frequently when working with the animals and the final ecosystem as snails and fish may
harbor bacteria.
Kaitlyn Lupro EDD 485 Unit Plan
References:
Ecosystem. (2012). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://britannica.com
Friends of the Rouge. (n.d.). Friends of the Rouge: Rouge in the Classroom [Organization].
Retrieved from http://therouge.org
Enger, E. D., Ross, F. C., & Bailey, D. B. (2010). Concepts in Biology (14th ed.). New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Kallen, S. A. (2004). Ecosystems: Life In a Pond. Kid Haven Press.
Adapted from:
Leager, C. R. (2007). Ecosystem in a jar. Science and Children, 44(8), 56-58. Retrieved from
Engage: The lesson will begin with reading “Diary of a Worm.” The book is a fictional account of
the life of a worm and it discusses humorous events of a particular worm’s life. After reading
the story, I will ask students to think about what worms do for the earth, where they are found,
and what they have observed about worms. Students should think about worms in their natural
habitat and places they have seen worms before.
Explore:
1. Students will go outside to take a sample of local dirt. Each group of 4 students will dig
in an approximately 1 square foot area. They will count and record the number of
worms they find in their area.
2. We will return to the classroom and students will report the findings of their group.
Each student will then create a bar graph based on the data found by the whole class.
They should be instructed to think about how the number of worms in an area affects
the decomposition in that area.
3. Next, students will create a compost box for the classroom. They will be given soil or
sand for the first layer, then leaves or newspaper for the second layer. Then they should
add the worms into the box. They should record the number of worms that are added.
Next, the fruit and vegetable scraps should be added in around the perimeter of the box
and lastly, another layer of dirt/sand and leaves/newspaper should be added.
Kaitlyn Lupro EDD 485 Unit Plan
4. The compost box should have holes in the bottom so that it may drain. There should be
a bin or something underneath the box to catch the output from the worms.
5. Students should measure and record weekly the output from the compost box. They
should also make weekly entries in their observation journals about the state of the
compost box, such as the amount of food visible, what the worms are observed to be
doing, etc.
Explain: Worms are part of the food chain as decomposers. They break down dead and
decaying organic matter, such as plants and animals, in the ground and release nutrients into
the environment. Their food consists of decaying plants and other organisms; as they eat,
however, earthworms also ingest large amounts of soil, sand, and tiny pebbles. It has been
estimated that an earthworm ingests and disposes its own weight in food and soil every day.
“Earthworms occur in virtually all soils of the world in which the moisture and organic content
are sufficient to sustain them…Earthworms cannot see or hear, but they are sensitive to both
light and vibrations” (Earthworm, 2012).
Extend: However, most earthworms in the United States are invasive species, meaning they are
not native to the area. Earthworms were introduced to the land with the first European
Settlers. The first earthworms probably arrived with soils and plants brought from Europe.
Ships traveling to North America used rocks and soil as ballast which they dumped on shore as
they adjusted the ballast weight of the ship. During the late 1800's and early 1900's many
European settlers imported European plants that likely had earthworms or earthworm cocoons
in their soils. The Minnesota DNR states, “We have no evidence that earthworms ever
Kaitlyn Lupro EDD 485 Unit Plan
inhabited Minnesota before European settlement. Even if they did, the glaciers killed any native
North American earthworms in our region. For the last 11,000 years since the glaciers receded,
Minnesota ecosystems developed without earthworms.”
Because they are invasive species, the presence of earthworms has a serious effect on the
forest ecosystems found in states like Minnesota and Michigan. Earthworms are helpful to soil
health because they transport nutrients and minerals from below to the surface via their waste,
and their tunnels aerate the ground. However, “without worms, fallen leaves decompose
slowly, creating a spongy layer of organic "duff." This duff layer is the natural growing
environment for native woodland wildflowers. It also provides habitat for ground-dwelling
animals and helps prevent soil erosion.” The earthworms eat the “duff layer” and may get rid of
it completely. Some plants do not survive the invasion, while some may return some time later.
A heavy earthworm infestation may lead to soil erosion and degradation of nutrients.
Students will develop a plan to reduce the number of earthworms introduced to unnatural
environments. They will brainstorm ways worms may be brought into these environments, such
as fishing or dumping them or boats. They will then create a poster warning people of the
effects of earthworms and informing others of how earthworms have infiltrated into our
ecosystems. The posters should include data from the lesson, their observations, and the
compost box.
Evaluate: Earthworms provide food for a large variety of birds and other animals. Indirectly
they provide food for humans by assisting plant growth. Earthworms ventilate the soil,
stimulate drainage, and pull organic material into the ground, which accelerates the
Kaitlyn Lupro EDD 485 Unit Plan
decomposition of organic matter and produces more nutrition for growing plants. (Earthworms,
2012).
To assess their understanding, students should write an entry in the journals discussing what
would happen if worms were removed from an ecosystem. They should include both
advantages and disadvantages, as well as base their claims off data from the lesson.
Kaitlyn Lupro EDD 485 Unit Plan
Oh Deer
Grade Level: Fourth Grade
Concept: Ecosystems, Predator/Prey Relationships
Objectives:
Students will:
Use role-playing to understand the relationship between deer, their environment, and wolves
Create graphs based on their explorations
Observe the effects of an unbalanced ecosystem
GLCEs:
S.IA.04.11 Summarize information from charts and graphs to answer scientific questions.
S.RS.04.11 Demonstrate scientific concepts through various illustrations, performances, models, exhibits, and activities.
S.RS.04.15 Use evidence when communicating scientific ideas.
S.RS.04.18 Describe the effect humans and other organisms have on the balance of the natural world.
L.EC.E.1 Interactions- Organisms interact in various ways including providing food and shelter to one another. Some interactions are helpful; others are harmful to the organism and other organisms.
L.EC.04.21 Explain how environmental changes can produce a change in the food web.
Materials:
1. Paper 2. White boards and markers 3. Robin Hood story
Safety: None.
References:
Baldwin, J. (n.d.). A Story of Robin Hood. Retrieved from http://www.mainlesson.com/
Kaitlyn Lupro EDD 485 Unit Plan
display.php?author=baldwin&book=fifty&story=robin
Limiting Factors. (2012). Retrieved from New Hampshire Public Television website:
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwep12a.htm
Parker, C. (1999). Oh Deer! Game Directions [Activity]. Retrieved from