Seth Hardin

ELED 3221
3/16/15
edTPA Indirect Instruction Lesson Plan Template
Describing Organisms in Ecosystems
Elementary Science

Central Focus/Big Idea: Classifying organisms

Subject of this lesson: Learning the ecosystems that animals live in and what category
they go into.
Grade Level: 5th
NC Essential Standard(s): 5.L.2.2- Classify the organisms within an ecosystem
according to the function they serve: Producers, consumers, or decomposers (biotic
factors).
Next Generation Science Standard(s): 5-LS2-1. Develop a model to describe the
movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
21st Century Skills: Collaboration- Outcome for 8th grade addresses importance of
students working with others, either virtually or face-to-face, while participating in
science discussions. Social & Cross-Cultural Skills- Outcome for 8th grade addressed
importance of students structuring science discussions to allow differing opinions,
observations, experiences, and perspectives.
Academic Language Demand:
Language Function: Students are expected to categorize the different organisms
into a certain ecosystem.
Analyze
Interpret

Argue
Predict

Categorize
Question

Compare/Contrast
Retell

Describe
Summarize

Explain

Scientific Vocabulary: producers, consumers, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores,

decomposers

Instructional Objective: Students will be able to identify certain organisms that go into
different ecosystems. They will be able to successfully fill out a chart/worksheet given to

them in the evaluate phase to achieve mastery for this lesson. They will be able to
illustrate their understanding by doing a foldable during the lesson.
Prior Knowledge: Students should know most of the organisms mentioned in these
activities, like certain plants and animals.
Content Knowledge: Teacher should have already looked over the SMART Board
PowerPoint, website game, and video to make sure they understand the material and
knows what is expected of the students. Teacher needs to make sure the game and video
is also clean and short considering the time allotment and other activities that need to get
done.
Accommodation for Special Needs (individual and/or small group): I would make sure
that students with physical and visual disabilities are at the front of the room during
instruction and activities. I would observe them closely during the lesson to make sure
they are staying on task.
Materials and Technology Requirements:
SMART Board
Printer paper for foldable (1 per student)
Colored pencils/markers
Science EOG ready textbook
Table/Worksheet (1 per student)
Total Estimated Time: 1 class period
Source of your lesson:
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain/foodchain.
htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPZI2M1fDi8
Science EOG ready textbook
Safety Considerations: I will pass the paper out to the students so it will prevent paper
cuts and will have the pencils/markers passed out to prevent anybody from tripping and
falling on them going back and forth.

Seth Hardin
ELED 3221
3/16/15

Content and Strategies (Procedure)

Engage:
Have the students look up at the SMART Board at the video being played on YouTube.
Students will watch the video and pay attention, as three questions will be asked at the
end of this opening activity to introduce them to the lesson.
Have the students turn to a partner and talk about what they think the answer to these
questions are before the class comes back and talks about them together.
What do producers produce? (Answer: Food)
Most consumers consist of? (Answer: Animals)
Decomposers break down what? (Answer: Waste)
Explore:
Foldable Activity
Class, you have a piece of printer paper on youre desk and also some colored
pencils/markers to use with this activity as well. Teacher will say, Please listen and
follow directions please and holds up the printer paper sideways and will fold one side
to the middle of the paper and then do the same with the other side. The teacher will hold
the paper up and show the class that it should have 3 different sections, and then the
teacher will ask the students to draw down the two creases of the page with a pencil.
After this, the teacher will have them write producers on the left side, consumers in the
middle, and decomposers on the right side then draw a line underneath all the way across
the top of the page where those words are. Teacher will then explain that he wants the
students to be creative with the colored pencils and markers, to draw organisms that
illustrate each ecosystem. Teacher will then ask the following questions:
What is an example of an organism from the video earlier that I could put
under producers? (Answer: pumpkins)
What is an example of an organism from the video earlier that fits under
the consumers? (Answer: Koala bear)
What is an example of an organism from the video earlier that fits under
the decomposers side? (Answer: bacteria)
Tell students that they are on their own and need to be finished in 15 minutes. Teacher
will go around and scaffold.
Explanation:

After the students have done the Engage and Explore activity, they should have some
knowledge of a couple good examples of producers, consumers, and decomposers.
Teacher can now go into more detail about each of them by having students open their
EOG ready textbooks and open to page 95. Teacher tells students to follow along as
teacher reads to them on page 95-96. Ask the following questions after reading to check
for listening and understanding:
Carnivores, Herbivores, and Omnivores are all types of which ecosystem?
(Answer: Consumers)
A farmer is compared to this ecosystem? (Answer: Producer)
Open up the SMART Board PowerPoint to go through with the kids some in-depth
material that they need so it can help.
SMART BOARD LINK INSERTED HERE
Ask the students the following questions after going through the PowerPoint and learning
the new vocabulary information. Turn to a partner and tell them the answers to the
following questions:
What does herbivores eat? (Answer: plants)
All animals that eat meat are what? (Answer: Carnivores)
If these consumers eat both plants and animals then they must be what?
(Answer: Omnivores)
Elaborate:
Website Activity
Class, after learning more and more about these different ecosystems, I think we are
ready to put our knowledge to test by playing a little game. Teacher will open up the
website on the SMART Board in front of the class
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain/foodchain.
htm and will say an object will appear on the screen and you will raise youre hand to
come up and press what category you think it goes into. Teacher will express that the
object is either a producer, consumer, or decomposer. After the kids pick all of the
objects, teacher will ask the following questions:
What did you notice about this game that was kind of hard? (Answer:
grass and worms were kind of tough)
Did you notice any carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores in this activity?
(Answer: bird (crow))
Evaluate:
Teacher will pass out the worksheet to the students for them to complete individually and
will explain to them that you are to make up own organisms in the far left column, then
say what ecosystem it is in the middle of the chart, then write what foods it eats on the far
right of the chart. Students will achieve mastery for this lesson if they complete this
chart successfully.

Example of
Organism

Consumer?

Producer?

Decomposer?