Name

CWID

Subject Area
Science

Class Title

Lesson Title

Unit Title

Grade Levels

Biology

Energy

Energy in our Ecosystems

9th

Total
Minutes

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.

90

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

How Informs Teaching

Assessment
Diagnose
current
student
EL

understandin

Verbal questioning as class

g of energy

discussion

flow through

Verbal feedback to class as

whole based on student
responses

Where teacher should

begin and focus lesson

an
ecosystem
Assess
PM

previous
knowledge

Initial poster model

and skills

Verbal feedback as class,

What misconceptions may

teacher wandering and

be present, what students

questioning of group work

know well and what needs

during work time for students

further addressing
What knowledge was

Assess
PM

acquired
knowledge

Guided notes with lecture

Verbal class discussion will go

over the notes as a class

and skills
PM

gained from lecture, what

information still needs to
be addressed to reach

Assess

Revision of model poster,

Verbal feedback to groups of

learning goals
What knowledge was

acquired

Teacher will prompt

students working on models,

gained and can be applied

knowledge

questions of explanation

use modeling rubric for

as evidence to reach

and skills

while students revise models

continued feedback (mastery

learning goals

grading over unit growth)

Assess what
was gained
from the
lesson

What knowledge was

towards
PM

Students will turn in ticket at

student
understandin

Exit ticket 3 Ws

g, Allow

end of class. Participation

points

gained, what
misconceptions still exist,
what concepts should be
further reviewed, What

students to

questions may be present

identify their
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:

https://youtu.be/GlnFylwdYH4
2.
15 2.

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

min

of 4 students and instruct students to grab butcher paper,

markers, and rulers to create a poster in which they

Students will work on an initial model of a

poster representing what they know about
ecosystems in groups. They will focus on their
assigned level of the ecosystem only.

display their current knowledge of ecosystems. Students

will be assigned a role to draw either producers,
consumers, secondary consumer, or tertiary consumers. 3.

Students will take notes from lecture

PowerPoint using the guided notes provided.

3.
30
min

Teacher will handout guided notes that correspond with

When opportunities come to think/pair/share

the powerpoint and lecture. The teacher will then lecture

and answer questions, students will participate

and guide students to help complete the guided notes.

and discuss content with one another.

The teacher will provide many opportunities for

think/pair/share and checkpoints for assessment.

4.

Students will revise models to reflect new

content knowledge after the lecture. Students
will receive their expository texts to be read

4.

over as homework to be discussed in class

Teacher will instruct students to go and revise model. As

tomorrow. Students will use their epistemic

students are working on revising their models, expository

22

texts will be passed out to the groups to be done as

min

homework to be discussed in class the following day.

practice knowledge to complete the expository

text assignment. If students finish their revision
early they may begin doing their homework.

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

mins

relevance/importance? Now what, where are we going

1.

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 Learners

Striving Readers

Students with Special

Advanced

English learners will be

Guided notes will be presented in

Needs
For the guided notes,

Students
If there are

paired with students that

clear language for all students to

students with special needs

multiple advanced

have demonstrated an

help accommodate for striving

can be given printed

students in the

understanding of the

readers. These notes should help

versions of the PowerPoint

classroom they

content. They will be

students sift through important

slides to follow along.

may be grouped

allowed to work together to

information, and filter out the

Students with special needs

together to allow

address minor

excess information that they may

will be grouped based on

for growth and

misconceptions.

come across, making them more

their specific needs with

development

Additionally, the teacher

efficient in their reading. The

other students. In a case

together through

will provide English

expository text assignment has

where a student is

the analyzing and

learners with key

also been designed with striving

especially antisocial,

arguing process of

vocabulary and definitions.

readers in mind. The assignment

moderate personalities of

the model

While they are making

will help all students, including

other students will be

building, so that

their posters, the teacher

striving reader, to negotiate an

grouped together as to not

they do not carry

can walk around to answer

expository text, seeking out

cause the student any

a different

any questions English

relevant questions and

additional anxiety and

grouping that

learners may have. The

information related to the content

stress on learning. Assigned

allows other

guided notes for the

based on a phenomena To

roles will also be given

students to just

lecture will be presented in

accommodate striving readers,

during the group work as to

follow along. The

clear language that makes

they will be allowed additional

limit the feeling of being

expository text

sense to all students. For

time to complete the expository

overwhelmed and focus on

given to advanced

the exit ticket, English

text assignment if needed.

a task. If needed the

students may be

learners will be allowed to

Depending on the level of literacy

student may be given the

at a higher level of

write in their native

development of the student a

questions to answer for the

thinking that

language or a bullet point

expository text homework

list depending on their

simplified text may be provided to

assignment to provide the

current level of English

the student.

best learning opportunity

knowledge.
for them.
REFLECTION: SUMMARY, RATIONALE, AND IMPLEMENTATION

capitalizes on
student interests
and inquiry.

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 largest:

1. _____________________ (smallest)
2. _____________________
3. _____________________
4. _____________________
5. _____________________ (largest)

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
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 _________________