Teacher Candidate: Damaris Aguila

Science LESSON PLANNER

Background Information:
Grade: 9 (majority) Content Area/Class Title: Introduction to Macromolecules/ Biology
Lesson Length: 40 minutes

How will the students be engaged in the 3 dimensions of NGSS? What DCI, SEP and CCC are
they being asked to perform during the lesson?

DCI: LS1.A Structure and Function

● Students will see the function of each of the four types of macromolecules. This is the first
hierarchical level of organization for living organisms that the students will learn.

SEP: Planning and Carrying out Investigations

● Students will investigate a murder mystery and have to analyze tests to figure out who the killer
was base on macromolcules present in the report tests.

CCC: Structure and Function

● Students should learn that each major group of macromolecules differs from each other and
they each serve a purpose based on its characteristics.

Key Content Standards:

Use Next Generation Science Standards Performance Expectations; and or Common Core ELA)

Standard that most closely aligns with this lesson & what students will be working towards:

HS-LS1-2: Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems
that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms.

Key ELD Standards (Only need to include if you have English language learners in your class):

Part I:
Collaborative: Exchange information and ideas with others through oral collaboration; Offering and
justifying opinions, negotiating with and persuading others in communicative exchanges
Productive: Justifying own arguments in writing

How does this lesson relate to the Big Ideas of the Unit?
A. Where is the lesson located in the Unit? What was taught before and what will be taught after to
give students a big picture idea?
 This lesson is the first of this new unit. This unit is about components of cells and moves onto
body systems later on. We start small in the body and move into larger components of the body.
Eventually the students will see how these components work together to maintain the body. After this
lesson about macromolecules we will move onto DNA/RNA and discuss what they are and what the
difference between the two is.

B. Essential Questions:
● What does (macromolecule group) do in the body/cell?
● How does the chemical structure support the function of each biological macromolecule?

C. What is the overarching goal of the unit?

The overarching goal of the unit is for students to see how the different components in the body
work together to maintain homeostasis and keep the body functioning properly. They’ll start small and
see how the small compliments make up the bigger components which is the focus of the first half of
the unit. Then they'll learn about the body systems and homeostasis and see how the body functions
with all of the systems to keep it working properly.

D. What observable real world phenomena is being used to engage students' curiosity and
understanding?

The real world phenomena that this lesson revolves around is a murder mystery. The lesson will
have students investigate the murder of a person that digeste poision. The students will have to figure
out what the last meal was of the victim and at each place that he could have gotten the meal there is a
different person with him, so the students can also discover who the killer is. They’re essentially
investigating macromolecules in meals which is relevant to the students since they eat. They will think
of eating in a new way.

Learning Outcomes/Objective (Refer to Depth of Knowledge handout for cognitive verbs to

include in your objective): Remember Objectives have Know, Do, and Assess components

A. Cognitive Task (Lesson objective - refer to “high quality tasks” from ED 143AW):

Students will be asked to create arguments as to who murdered the victim based on evidence
provided in the autopsy reports and connect it to the last meal that the victim had based on
macromolecule presence. They will have to identify which macromoles are present at the time of
death based on the autopsy report.

B. Understanding or Skill to be Enhanced: (What will students be able to do when class is over?)

● Students will be able to identify the four major categories of macromolecules and their
functions for living organisms.
 ● Students will be able to identify common foods that contain the four types of
macromolecules
● Students will be able to support their arguments/claim (who killed the victim) using
concrete evidence (the autopsy report)

C. Transfer Goal: (How will the student use this?)

Students will use the information that they learn about macromolecules to connect to DNA (which
is made up of one of the four categories)for the next section of the unit.

D. How will you uncover student thinking (what CCC questions will you ask?)

● Students will be asked for their knowledge about macromolecules prior to starting the activity.
● Students will be asked about the function of each macromolecule within the body.

E. How are students working as a scientist to uncover understanding?

● Students are investigating using information available to them and adjusting their
ideas/opinions based on new information that they gain.

1. Language Objective: Example: Students will be (reading, writing, speaking, or listening) in order
to describe, identify, explain, justify, interpret, analyze, construct, argue _____) Be explicit about
what strategy (give the strategy a name) you will use to get students engaged by using the language of
your content.

Students will be speaking to their partner in order to analyze evidence and construct an argument on
who poisoned the victim based on the macromolecules present in the meals and in the autopsy tests.
They should be able to include the specific macromolecules groups and be able to distinguish between
them.

Academic Vocabulary and Language Demands: What language demand (written or oral) do you
want your students to be able to use by the end of the lesson?
● Collaborative→ be able to work with their peers to conjure an argument and aid each other in
defending their arguments
● Interpretive→ be able to analyze written documents and use their analysis to support their own
claims/ideas

Syntax and or Discourse: How will you make sure that all students are accountable for engaging in
discourse or correct forms of scientific writing?
● I will make sure every student, while working with a peer, they still have to write on their own
assignments so that they are held accountable and don’t only depend on their peer to write
down their ideas and interpretations.
Describe additional strategies you will use in order to meet the needs of students with varying levels of
language proficiency.
● Emerging
o An organized table that separates each macromolecule group and asks for information
that is guided by column titles will be provided and worked through with the class. This
can be referred back to when mentioning evidence for their final claim on who the
murderer is in the activity. We’ll go over the term “function” which is a fundamental
part of what the students need to know to also understand fully what macromolecules do
for living multicellular organisms. Students will be working with peers so that they can
help each other.
● Expanding
o The tables that have the fundamental information are provided and organized so that the
students are guided with what information they need to know. Students will be working
in pairs.
● Bridging
o Students will be working in pairs so that they can help each other and bounce their ideas
off of each other.
● RFEP
o Students will be working in pairs so that they can help each other and bounce their ideas
off of each other.

2. Formative and Summative Assessments:

During (incorporate technology for formative assessment):
The teacher could ask them what macromolecules are present in the victim's report and then have them
connect it to food.

Closure (think about what student samples you want to collect for analysis):
Students will be given a Google Form exit ticket and asked the question “How does each category of
macromolecule help living organisms?”. Student responses should include each of the four categories
of macromolecules and should describe each function in their own words. For example “Carbohydrates
are important for living organisms because they help give them energy so that they can do other things
like running.”

Questions at different depths of knowledge:

Facts/Memorization Skills/Procedure Conceptual Application or
Relational Knowledge
What is a What does each Why do you think
macromolecule? macromolecule do in the macromolecules are
body/cell? important for living
things?
Prerequisite Skills and Knowledge:

Describe common scientific preconceptions, errors or misunderstandings with your lesson and how you
will address them. What can you anticipate your students struggling with in terms of content?

I anticipate that students will struggle with how lipids and nucleic acids are in food and will take more
explanation to understand their function since these are the lesser known macromolecules when
compared to protein and carbohydrates.

Where are your students in terms of what they already know about the concept(s) for this lesson?
What have they already learned at home or in their community as well as in previous classes?

Students should have some idea about what proteins and carbohydrates do since we have mentioned
them before in class, although it was mentioned briefly. Protein should be more well known since that
is more commonly used to reference foods that they eat.

What skills do your students bring to this learning?

Students in this class like to have discussions and share their initial thinking. I think students will bring
a lot of conversation with this lesson when talking to each other when they are investigating the murder
mystery.

Lesson Resources/Materials:
Provide hyperlinks that are SHARED

Slides: here
Worksheet: here
INSTRUCTIONAL SEQUENCE: ENGAGING STUDENTS IN THE LEARNING PROCESS

Introduction (5 minutes):

Time Teacher Actions and Questions Student Actions and Possible Responses to
Thinking
Teachers will have the students join Students will join the Peardeck session using
the Peardeck session. the code or the link that is provided by the
Teacher starts the activity by setting teacher.
the scene. Tells background of the
murder mystery.
The teacher will go over a brief
overview of the activity that they will
be working on.
The teacher will have students go to
Google Classroom and open the
assignment that they will be working Students will go to Google Classroom and
on. open the assignment that the teacher is
The teacher will show the students telling them to
the assignment and go over the
different parts. Students will listen to the teacher generally
Now the teacher will go to Part 1. explain the assignment.
Teacher will ask the whole class:
“What is a macromolecule?” and
have them type their answer on the Students will go to the Peardeck session
Peardeck session. and use the type box to add their
Teacher will give them a minute to responses based on what they know or
answer the question and then show what they think a macromolecule is.
responses and see what the class Example of student responses : “A
agreed on. macromolecule is a protein.” A
Teacher will then go over a general macromolecule is a big molecule in the
definition. body.”
Teacher will then ask the students
what the four categories of
macromolecules are and have them
answer in the Peardeck to see which
ones students know and which ones
they don't. The teacher will go over
them and ask students for the missing Students will answer the next question in
ones (if any) before showing them Peardeck listing the categories of a
the list of the categories. macromolecule that they know or what
they think the categories are. Example of
 student responses: “proteins, sugars”
“proteins”

Body of the Lesson (30 minutes):

Time Teacher Actions and Questions Student Actions and Possible Responses to
Thinking
Teacher will go over the next part of Students will look at the chart that the
the section and explain the table that teacher is explaining.
the students need to fill out. Teacher
explains that they need to think of
and find which types of food have
each type of macromolecule and
then note their function.
The teacher will give students time to
answer these on their own.
The teacher will then ask students
what functions they put for each
category by asking students to
volunteer and share via unmute or the Students will use the next few minutes to fill
chat out the table. They can use resources such
The teacher will then explain the rest as the internet to fill out the table.
of the assignment to the class. The
teacher will also explain that each Students will volunteer their answers if they
pair will have a different autopsy to want for the function of each category.
look at and will put the list of who Example of student responses: “A
looks at which autopsy report in the carbohydrate provides energy for the
chat. body”
The students will be sent to their
breakout rooms with a partner to
complete the assignment.
The teacher will go through breakout
rooms to check on each pair and ask
if they have any questions.

Students, once they are in breakout rooms

and can see which number room they
are, will see which autopsy they need to
open for part 3.

Closure (_5_minutes):
Time Teacher Actions and Questions
Students will be brought back to the
main session.
Teacher will ask students what they
found out: Who is the murderer?
Teachers will make sure students which
each different autopsy report will have
a chance to share.
The teacher will ask students how they
figured out who the murderer is, what is
the evidence?
Students with their pairs will fill out the rest
of the assignment together. However
each student fills out the assignment
individually.
Students can use the ask for help button
on Zoom to ask for the teacher to come
into the breakout room and help.
Student Actions and Possible Responses
to Thinking
Students will volunteer what they and
their partner decided. Students will start
which autopsy report they had (A-D) and
say who they think the murderer is.
Example: “I had autopsy B, and ___ is the
murderer”
Students will explain the evidence that
makes their suspect the actual murderer.
Example: “We saw that the victim had
lipids in their report and the only meal
that had lipids was___ and __ was with
them when the victim was eating. So ___
poisoned the victim and killed him.”