Millicent Atkins School of Education: Common Lesson Plan Template

Teacher Candidate Name: Gretchen Schmidt

Grade Level: Special Education (7th Grade)
Subject: Science
Date: 31 January 2022
PLANNING
List the Common Core/State Standard(s) to be addressed in this lesson.
 MS-LS2-2: Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across
multiple ecosystems.

List the Rationale (cite theories or theorists):

 Lev Vygotsky believes that children are curious and actively involved in their own learning and the
discovery and development of new understandings. He places a huge emphasis on social
contributions to the process of development.

List the learning objective(s) to be addressed in this lesson (specific, measurable, attainable, timebound).
Use the following format: “Students will be able to…”

 Students will be able to identify a specific organism and create a research project (habitat shoe box)
based on the ecosystem that the organism needs in order to survive. Students will choose their
own animals to research which in return will result in a variety of organisms and students will be
able to compare and contrast the adaptations to each ecosystem.

Describe how the learning objective(s) and the learning outcomes is/are appropriate for the
age/developmental level of the students.

 The learning objectives/outcomes are appropriate for this age and developmental level of the
students because children at this age and grade should be able to effectively explain the different
ecosystems and the organisms that live in them.

Describe the Classroom Demographics: (e.g., ethnicities; gender ratios; special needs, including those of
gifted students, those of students’ physical needs, and those due to cultural characteristics).

 There are a total of three students in this alternative science course.

 There are two girls and one boy.
 One of the students is on an IEP for autism.
 Another one of the students is on an IEP for SLD (specific learning disability).
 The third student is on an IEP for ID (intellectual disability).

Describe your Knowledge of Students: (in terms of the whole class and individual students)
(e.g., language needs; approaches to learning; prior learning and experiences; academic
proficiencies/behavioral differences; areas of interest).

 These three students are in the resource room for an alternative science course and are identified
 as high need. Their typically developing peers are currently working on science fair projects.
Therefore, this lesson is designed to be an alternative mode of science fair for these students
enrolled in the alternative science course.

List the materials/resources you will need to teach the lesson.

 Shoe boxes
 Animal figurines
 Construction paper
 Pom Poms
 Pipe cleaners
 Crayons/Markers
 Glue
 Scissors
 Habitat Book
 Animal Diagram Worksheet

Technology
Describe the instructional and/or assistive technology that you plan to incorporate into the lesson and explain how it
will enhance instruction and student learning.

 Chromebooks
 Smartboard
 Kahoot - https://create.kahoot.it/details/0788f8c2-0122-4c9e-846d-b95ca652cd77

Accommodations: Base this on the information you provided for Classroom Demographics and
Knowledge of Students above.
Describe the accommodations/differentiation/modifications you will use to meet the needs of all learners
and accommodate differences in students’ learning, culture, language, etc. *

 These students receive extended time to complete assignments/projects.

 These students receive additional one-on-one support from the resource room.
 These students are allowed modified assignments when necessary. (ex. science fair).

Pre-Assessment: Describe the instrument or process you will use to measure students’ level of
understanding toward the learning objective(s) prior to teaching the lesson.

 Students will complete a pre-assessment through the app Kahoot based on the different
habitats/ecosystems. Students will be assessed on whether they are able to match the animals to
the correct habitats.

Pre-Assessment: Describe how the results of the pre-assessment (what the students have demonstrated
they know) will be used to design the lesson objectives, instruction, and post-assessment. (Include charts,
graphs if applicable)

 The results of the pre-assessment will help myself as the teacher guide instruction to better meet
the needs of these students. I will take into consideration what they know and what they don’t
 know. In return, I will be able to emphasize instruction based towards their needs related to the
objective of this lesson.

Classroom Management
Identify the management and motivational strategies you will use to meet student behavioral/developmental needs
in order to keep students on task and actively engaged throughout the lesson.

 When these students stay on track and complete their work, they are able to play a game or do an
activity on their Chromebook.

Implementation
“I Do”
(Teacher introduces lesson and models expected outcome(s) of learning objectives)
Describe what instructional strategies you will use to model/explain/demonstrate the knowledge and skills
required of the objective.

 I will introduce the shoe box habitat project to the three students by showing the following habitat
video from Generation Genius: https://www.generationgenius.com/videolessons/habitats-video-
for-kids/
 I will tell the students that they are going to pick their favorite animal and complete a project on it
based off of that animal’s habitat/ecosystem.
 I will also inform the students that they are going to create shoe box habitats for their Science Fair
Project.
 Once students pick the animals for their project, I will play informational videos about each of the
animals for the students to review and learn more about their own animal as well as the animals
that their classmates chose.
 I will lead a discussion about the different animals and their habitats/ecosystems and we will
compare and contrast the differences between them.

“We Do”
(Teacher engages students in guided practice)
Describe the learning activities you will use to provide students multiple opportunities to practice the skills and
content needed to meet the learning objective(s).

 We will work together to make habitat books and complete animal worksheets.
 The habitat book consists of four different habitats and eight different photos of animal pictures.
 Students are expected to cut and paste two animals on each habitat page. I will be helping students
when needed to identify where the animals are supposed to be pasted.
 Once students have completed the cutting and pasting portion of the book, they will have the
opportunity to color their habitat book.
 The animal worksheet consists of a large diagram of the students’ chosen animal. Students will cut
out the names of body parts.
 Together, we will discuss the different body parts that their animals portray and then we will decide
the correct spot to place them.

“You Do”
(Students engage in independent practice)
Describe what the students will do to independently practice the knowledge and skills required by the lesson
objectives?

 Students will create their presentations and habitat boxes independently.

 Students will be given a shoe box with several supplies including pipe cleaners, tissue paper, pom
poms, crayons, glue, scissors, and toy figurines.
 Students will be able to decorate their boxes however they want as long as it is in a way that
resembles their chosen animal’s habitat/ecosystem.
 Students will also be expected to create a Google Slides with fun facts about their animal and its
habitat.

Lesson Closing
Describe how you will reemphasize the lesson objective(s) and any skills/content that were taught in an
interactive manner (whole/small group, etc.).

 To close out the lesson, students will share their presentations and habitat boxes with their
classmates and their teachers in a mock science fair.
 There will be an opportunity for questions and the students will get to answer with facts that they
have learned about their animals throughout this research process.

Post-Assessment: APPENDIX: Include a blank copy of the lesson post-assessment you will use to measure
students’ level of understanding toward the learning objectives after teaching the lesson.
 Analyze
Post Assessment: Based on the results of the Pre and Post-Assessment, to what extent did students achieve the
learning goals/objective of the lesson? Cite examples from the lesson plan, assessments, and/or video.
If applicable, insert a table/chart/graph before your explanation.

 Based on the results of the post-assessment, pre-assessment scores to post-assessment scores

improved by both students. Tavin’s overall score started at an 80% in the pre-assessment and
improved to 100% in the post-assessment. Stella’s overall score started at a 40% in the pre-
assessment and improved to a 60% in the post-assessment. Both students’ scores improved by
20%. Although this is an improvement, there is still room for growth in Stella’s ability to identify
what animals live in which habitats.

Reflect
Reflect on your instructional strategies, interactions with students, and classroom management strategies. Describe
what went well and what areas you need to revise in the future. Cite examples (from video) that support your
conclusions.
Describe revisions that you could make if you were to teach this lesson again. Why would you make each revision?
Cite examples from the lesson plan, video and/or student work that would prompt revisions.

 Overall, I am extremely happy with how this lesson went. Students were engaged and seemed
really excited about creating their own science fair projects. Both students worked really hard when
it came to finding information about the animal that they chose. The students were also very
precise when it came to decorating their habitat shoe boxes. They picked out their own props that
matched their chosen habitat and paid close attention to detail. Students also decorated their very
own science boards with worksheets and a PowerPoint presentation centered around their animal.
The students expressed excitement thinking about presenting their boards at the science fair and
helping their peers, teachers, and parents gain a better understanding of their chosen animal.
 In the future, I would implement more habitat activities as well as more habitat videos to reiterate
the main objective of the lesson. I feel as though this would have helped students like Stella to
better grasp the main idea of the lesson.
 *** Side Note: Student #3 was absent today, but this is a lesson/project that we will continue to
work on in the near future and have also began introducing and working towards in previous class
sessions. She will get caught back up when she returns. 