EDG 644 Lesson Plan

Your Name: Jacqueline

Course Name:
Unit Name/Topic:
Lesson Number:
Length of Lesson:
Next Generation Standards
Addressed in this Lesson:
What standard(s) are most relevant
to the learning goals?
Living Environment
Evolution – Adaptation and Acclimatization
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45 minutes
HS-LS4-1. Communicate scientific information that common ancestry and
biological evolution are supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence.
HS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural
selection leads to adaptation of populations.
LS4.C Adaptation

NYS Science Standards: 3.1a, 3.1b, 3.1g, 3.1h

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis

of science and technical tests, attending to the precise details of explanations
or descriptions.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.2: Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a
text; trace the text’s explanation or description of a complex process,
phenomenon, or concept; provide accurate summary of the text.
HSN.Q.A.2: Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive
modeling

Instructional Context: What do you know about your students that will inform this lesson? What prior knowledge
or learning do they bring to this lesson? How does this lesson connect with previous ones? What personal,
cultural, or community assets do your students bring to this new learning? What are difficulties that you
anticipate for students’ understandings of concepts and skills?

● Evolution is Unit 7 of the Living Environment curriculum; therefore, the students have reviewed the unit on
genetics (Unit 6 of the curriculum). This lesson will refer to inheritance and DNA, thereby connecting this
lesson to the previous unit.
● It will also connect with Unit 5: reproduction and development: sexual reproduction is discussed in the
process of natural selection and adaptation over the course of time.
● Finally, the lesson will also refer to Unit 2: Ecology as we will discuss that organisms compete for natural
resources and the interdependence of organisms and their environment (NYS Science Standards 6.2b),
leading most organisms to adapt.

Disciplinary Rationale: What is the central focus and purpose for the content you will teach in this lesson? What
are some common errors or misunderstandings of students related to the central focus of the lesson? How do you
plan to build authentic disciplinary connections to integrate literacy into the development of content
understanding? PLEASE SEE NOTE AT END OF THIS TEMPLATE RE: CENTRAL FOCUS AND ADDRESS SUBJECT
SPECIFIC, GRADE LEVEL CENTRAL FOCUS HERE.

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 ● The central focus and purpose of the content is for the students to analyze the concepts of adaptation versus
acclimatization and the theory of Natural Selection. Students will also learn to evaluate these concepts within
the overall theory of Evolution.
● The concepts of adaptation, acclimatization and evolution are complex and may be difficult for some
students. Sometimes it is difficult for students to integrate these ideas because they occur over long period
of time and cannot be seen immediately in the classroom. In addition, the theory of evolution is in conflict
with certain religious beliefs and some students who adhere to their beliefs may have issues with this lesson
plan and the unit as a whole.
● I plan to integrate literacy by using an article on adaptation and acclimatization, I will also use several
activities and the lessons will culminate in the state lab on adaptation and the beaks of finches.

Theoretical Principles/and or Research-Based Practices: Identify theories, course readings, or readings from
professional journals that support your learning approach in this lesson.

Bell, Stephanie (2010). Project-Based Learning for the 21 st century: Skills for the future, the Clearing House, 83: 39-
43, Copyright C Taylor & Francis Group

Hattie, J.A. and Donoghue, G.M. (2016) Learning Strategies: a synthesis and conceptual model. NPJ Nature Partner
Journals Science of Learning

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design  .Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development.

Academic Language:

Identify the academic language function(s) in this lesson.

Identify the content language (vocabulary) that students need to know to support learning in this lesson.

● The academic language will focus on adaptation, acclimatization and natural selection.
● Students will have to be familiar with the following terms: natural selection, variation, competition, struggle
for survival, adaptation, environment, selection and differential reproductive success

The Big Ideas:

What is the course or unit- level big idea/enduring What is the essential question for the lesson?
understanding that this lesson helps students to
understand? Why do species change over time?

The enduring ideas / understanding that students will

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 have is that populations of organisms change over
time and the environment plays an essential role is the
course of evolution

Assessments: How will you determine if students understand what the lesson’s essential question and objectives
intend for them to understand?

Learning Goals/Objectives for this lesson (Students will
be able to …)
Describe and explain how organisms adapt to their
environment
Distinguish between the concepts of adaptation and
acclimatization
Analyze the important role that the environment has in
adaptation / acclimatization and natural selection.
How will you determine if these lesson goals and
objectives have been met? Specify the assessment,
whether it is informal or formal, and any
accommodations so that all students can demonstrate
learning.
Students will complete a graphic organizer that is based
on an article that they read on adaptations
Students will complete a short diagnostic on the size of
the finches’ beaks
Students will respond to various informal questions
from the teacher regarding the lesson

Materials:

What materials do you as the teacher need for this lesson?

● Article: https://www.zoosociety.org/pdf/GuidedTours/AnimalAdap.pdf: Section 2 only and

file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/adaptation_ws.pdf: worksheet

What materials do students need for this lesson?

● All materials will be provided by the teacher

Instructional Sequence:

Anticipatory set/hook: What will you do to engage students in developing understanding of the essential question
and lesson objectives?
● Discuss with the students how do they adapt (in terms of behavior) when they come to school as opposed to
when they are at home or in the park. Remind students that sometimes they have to adapt to different
situations and it can take a long period of time or a short period of time

Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks:

3
 Time Instructional Strategy/Task

5 minutes Do Now: How do you define the terms “adaptation” and “acclimatization”

25 minutes Students will read about how various animals adapt to their environment. The article provides 11
examples and students will volunteer to read out loud about each of the 11 different animals. The
teacher will also include informal questions about how this is an example of adaptation to the
environment to ensure student understanding
https://www.zoosociety.org/pdf/GuidedTours/AnimalAdap.pdf: Section 2 only

10 minutes Students work in pairs to complete this worksheet

file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/adaptation_ws.pdf: worksheet

5 minutes Review answers to the worksheet to ensure that students are comfortable with the distinction
between the terms “adaptation” and “acclimatization”.

Planning for Accommodations – How will you plan to meet the needs of all students based on their individual or
group needs.
Here are some individuals or groups of students you might address specifically: students with disabilities, scaffolds
for particularly struggling learners who do not have a documented disability, extensions for high achieving
learners, students with diverse learning styles, students with different levels of language learning associated with
ELLs.

Identify the individual or group Identify the specific accommodation you’ve planned
for in the sequence above
For students who struggle I will provide the article: Puffin’ Up, In Science World,
Current Science (March 24, 2014) 70 (10).
● This article is applicable for students who
struggle and for students who are ELLs because
the language is straightforward and has
pictures illustrating the concepts

For students who are advanced I will provide students will additional reading including
an article about how humans adapt:
http://www.anthropology.ua.edu/bindon/ant475/Read
ings/r3.pdf
● This article provides additional vocabulary and
the reference list has other articles the
students can follow on