What a day! A few lessons learned:
1. I overplan. And by overplan I mean waaaaay overplan. I cut down today's lesson while I was preparing for it, but in teaching it found it was still too long. Everything takes longer than you think it will. I spent some time in the beginning going over some ground rules for the work we were doing. I'll take that out below hoping that without it, the full lesson could be used by a classroom teacher as is. Goal: Build flexibility in my lessons so I can remove or add actvities and still help students reach objectives.
2. Kids are smart. Really smart. One kid during the Questions from a Hat activity gave an amazingly accurate definition for photosynthesis.
3. Never assume. The teacher I'm working with asked me to review vocabulary. So I put on slips of paper terms from their text. The cards said, for example, "Define herbivore." When I read that, a student raised her hand and asked, "What does define mean?"
4. Students can have fun learning. As I was gathering my supplies to leave, a student turned around and said to me, "You're fun." I smiled and thought, "And you learned today."
Ecosystems Lesson
Name: Bridgid Thomas Date: April 1, 2010
Context-based Lesson
GENERAL TOPIC: Science GRADE: 4th
FOCUS QUESTIONS: What makes up an ecosystem? How do food chains and food webs work? How do humans affect the food chain and impact ecosystems?
STUDENT OBJECTIVES:
TEKS §112.6. Science, Grade 4.
(2) Scientific processes. The student uses scientific inquiry methods during field and laboratory investigations. The student is expected to: (C) analyze and interpret information to construct reasonable explanations from direct and indirect evidence.
(5) Science concepts. The student knows that complex systems may not work if some parts are removed. The student is expected to: A) identify and describe the roles of some organisms in living systems such as plants in a schoolyard, and parts in nonliving systems such as a light bulb in a circuit; and (B) predict and draw conclusions about what happens when part of a system is removed.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Poster paper- 1-2 pieces
Slips of paper or cards with questions about students
Slips of paper or cards with vocabulary words
Hat or bowl
Scarf
5 Strips of fabric or bandanas
Approximately 60 small colored cards
Open area, either outdoors or in the school gym
Cards with animals/plants for reviewing food chains/webs
LESSON:
Hello again! It was so great to meet you last week. I’m Miss Thomas, and I’m a drama specialist from UT. As Mrs. Barrett said, I’ll be here with you for the next few weeks during Science on Thursday mornings. I am so excited to be here with you today. I’m going to depend on you as my helpers to make sure that we all have a great time. For our first activity, we are going to need to move into a circle. Let’s gather around these few tables. We should be about elbows length from each other. (Another option is to move outside at this point).
ENGAGE:
Questions from a Hat
This will give us an opportunity to get to know each other a little better. Inside this hat are slips of paper with questions on them. I’ll start by picking one out of the hat without looking, say my name, then read the question out loud and answer it. Then I’ll return the question to the hat and pass it to the next person in the circle. Then they will do the same thing. Pick out a piece of paper, say their name, read the question out loud and answer it, return the question to the hat and pass it on to the next person. This will continue around the circle until we get back to where we started. It’s okay if you draw out a question that has already been read. What questions do you have before we start?
Alright. Are we ready? Pick out a question and answer it. Pass the hat around the circle. Great! Let’s send the hat around again and see if we can pass it around the circle, still answering the questions, in less than 2 minutes. What do you think we need to do in order to accomplish that? How can we help each other? These are some great ideas that will help us? Can I get a volunteer to time us? Are we ready? Draw a question out of the hat and continue around again. Great job! Now let’s see if we can pass it around in less than one minute! Ready…Go!
I am so impressed with how you worked together.
Let’s take a moment to reflect about what we just did. This is something we do often when we do drama work. It gives us a chance to talk about what we’ve done, what we’ve learned, and how we can use what we’ve learned.
REFLECT:
Describe: What did we do in this activity? What kinds of questions did we answer? What did we learn about each other?
Analyze: What common answers did we hear? What answers surprised you? How did this help us to learn more about each other? Why did it help us?
Relate: What else do you think we could learn about this way? How do you think this can help us?
TRANSITION: Thank you so much for sharing your ideas. Now we are going to change things up a little bit.
EXPLORE:
Questions from a Hat- To Review Vocabulary
I’m going to take out the questions that are in here now, and replace them with vocabulary terms and questions from what you have been studying in class. Now that we all know each other a little better, we won’t need to say our names this time. Taking that part out, what did we do before that will be the same? Begin activity again, this time with a new set of questions to review vocabulary terms.
SIDE-COACHING:
If a student has a difficult time remembering the answer or definition, they can raise their hand to ask a friend for help.
Encourage students to be careful not to drop the hat.
Add questions each time around if there are too many. Start with fill in the blanks, then add students providing definitions, and then giving examples.
REFLECT:
Describe: What did we do in this activity? What kinds of questions did we answer this time?
Analyze: How was this harder than the first set of questions? How was this easier? How did this help us to learn more about ecosystems? Why did it help us?
Relate: What else do you think we could learn about this way? How do you think this can help us prepare for tests?
TRANSITION: Thank you! It is great to see you helping each other in finding answers to difficult questions.
SHARE:
What you just did is a big part of what scientists do. Some are experts on soil, others the weather or the ocean or medicine. For example, they can be biologists who study living things, marine biologists who study living things in the ocean, physicists who study the physical world including energy and how things work, astrophysicists and study the nature of stars and planets, meteorologists who study the weather, or audiologists who study hearing. They depend on each other to share their knowledge, or what is called a specialty, to answer questions.
TRANSITION: You have all been really great so far, and we are now going to head outside for the next part of our lesson. As we go, think about what type of specialist you could be in studying part of an ecosystem. Take students outside to open area.
EXPLORE:
Data Processing/Teacher in Role
Enter in role. When the students reach the playground, put on scarf.
I am so glad you’re here. My name in Miss Marsh, and I really need your help. My boss asked me to gather information about food chains and food webs, and I don’t really know how they work. I’ve been told that you are some of the best scientists around. He left me these cards with names and pictures of animals on them, but I don’t know what order they go in. Can you help me? What are some things that go in order? You’re right. Thanks. Maybe you can show me an example. Let’s try something. Without talking, let’s stand in order from shortest to tallest. Ready…go! Thank you! That makes a little more sense. What about by birthday? Ah, I see! So how did you know what order to stand in? How did you work together to find out? That makes so much more sense to me now. Maybe you can help me with this part too. Pass out cards to students. Each student should have one that’s part of a food chain and one that is part of a food web. You should all have two cards now—one with a colored dot on it, and one without. Starting on the count of three, I invite you to get into groups based on what color dot you have. One…two…three. Thank you! I was told that each group is a food chain in a separate ecosystem. I’m not exactly sure what that is. Can anyone tell me what an ecosystem is? A food chain? Oh thank you. You are really helping me out. My boss is going to think I am so smart thanks to you. Alright. On the count of three, without talking, place yourselves in order within your ecosystem based on the food chain. One…two…three. Okay, great. I should probably write some of this down. Take a moment and look at your ecosystem. Is there anything you want to change about the order? You may take a few moments to talk with your group and make any changes now. Alright, on the count of three you may start making any changes…one…two…three. Great. This is just great. I’m going to take this back to my boss and let him know all I learned. Take off scarf and step out of role.
Thank you so much for helping out Miss Marsh. I heard she learned a lot from you. Don’t worry, she told her boss that you are great scientists, so you will be getting all the credit.
REFLECT:
Describe: What kind of information was on the cards? What did we do with that information? What kinds of plants and animals are in your ecosystem?
Analyze: Where do you think your ecosystem might be located? What about the pictures and words on your card helps show you that?
Relate: Why is it important to know about food chains? How are we connected to these ecosystems?
TRANSITION: Great! Now that we’ve started thinking about food chains in ecosystems, we’re going to connect these together more, and become part of the food chain!
Begin to set up temporary shelters, food tokens, and a line for primary shelter.
From our review, what is a consumer? A carnivore? What are some examples? An herbivore? Examples? Thank you.
ENGAGE:
Quick Frozen Critters
We are going to play a game that involves these animals in a predator/prey relationship. Let’s choose a carnivore that we’d like to be. Any suggestions? Use one of their suggestions. What herbivore might that animal consume? Choose an appropriate suggestion. What might they consume? Use for the food supply. Alright, to start we are going to begin to create our own ecosystem here in this area. On the north side, there should be about four or five predators. Are there four or five of you who would like to volunteer to start as predators? Thank you. If you would, please tie a bandana around your wrist and head toward your lair. Thank you. The rest will start as prey. Let’s move behind the line here that will be your primary shelter and place of safety. Alright. Point to safe areas. These are temporary shelters. Point to colored cards. These tokens are your food supply. Give a copy of instructions to both predators and prey. Which of the prey can read the first part of the instructions aloud for us? Thank you.
1. The goal of the prey is to move from the primary shelter to the food source and collect one food token. Then they must return to the primary shelter. To survive, each herbivore must collect 3 tokens safely. Prey have two means of protection — 1) they can freeze or 2) go to a temporary shelter. The only movement a frozen player can make is to blink eyes.
Thank you. What questions do you have about the first part? Which of the predators will read the second part for us? Thank you.
2. Predators start the game anywhere in the open area between the herbivore’s primary shelter and food supply. Each carnivore must tag or capture 2 moving prey to survive. When an herbivore is captured, s/he is taken to the sidelines by the carnivore and becomes a carnivore in the next round; predators that don’t get enough food become prey in the next round.
Thank you. What questions do you have about this last part of the instructions? What will count as a tag? How is it okay to tag other students (i.e. tap shoulders or arms)? Great. The round will end when you hear the bell. Let’s all take in a deep breath and close your eyes. Exhale. Continue to breathe in and out. Imagine you are the animal we chose. Think about how you might move. What do you need to do in order to survive? I am going to count down from three. When I reach zero, open your eyes and the battle for survival in the ecosystem will begin. Three…two…one…zero.
Allow students to play a few rounds as time permits.
SIDE-COACHING:
For a round, have students change to different predators’ prey.
Have students create images of predators and prey.
Have a round where some students are pollution and destroy parts of food supply.
Thank you. Let’s come have a seat in a circle over in the primary shelter.
REFLECT:
Describe: What did we do in this activity? Who or what did we get to be?
Analyze: What were some of the challenges the predators faced? The prey? What changed as fewer prey were left in the game? Was it harder to be the predators or the prey, and why?
Relate: For animals in the wild, what do you think would happen if the food supply for the prey were taken away? The predators? What if the predators were taken out? How does this relate to food chains?
TRANSITION: As we bring our time together to a close, let’s take a moment to review what we’ve done today.
REFLECTING ON THE LESSON:
Describe: What activities did we do? What did we review?
Analyze: How well do you think we did in meeting the goals we set at the beginning of class? How was it different when we put the food chain and food webs in order than when we got to be the predator and the prey?
Relate: In what ways do we depend on food chains? How do we affect ecosystems?
EVALUATING THE SESSION:
Were students able to define vocabulary terms? Were students able to have fun and treat each other with respect?
CONTENT APPENDIX:
Scott Foresman Science, Grade 4
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