This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes.

Your lesson plan should be typed directly into this MS Word document. Boxes will expand to fit the
amount of text in your plan.

**This lesson plan demonstrates the following elements for Assignment #2:

- Student IEP or ELL needs

- Developmentally appropriate instruction

- Classroom and behavior management

blue - assessment strategy

yellow - cooperative learning

purple - instructional strategy

pink - classroom management

Level II - Teacher Ed Lesson Plan Template (UED Courses)

Teacher (Candidate): Cora Houseworth Grade-Level: 3rd Lesson Date: February 1, 2023

Title of Lesson: Ecosystems: Population vs. Community Cooperating Teacher: Mrs. Jennifer Fernandez

Core Components

Subject, Content Area, or Topic

- Science (Ecosystems Unit)

Student Population
Class 1:
- General Education Class
- 15 students in total
- 1 student with a 504 plan for ADHD
- One ESL student (**parents declined plan)
- 10 female students
- 5 male students
- There are seven Caucasian students, five African American students, two Hispanic students, and one multiracial student
Class 2:
- Inclusion Class
- 13 students in total
- 4 IEPs (all reading), 2 504s (ADHD), and 1 speech IEP
- 6 female students
- 7 male students
- There are four African American students, one multiracial student, one Hispanic student, one African American/Hispanic student, and eight Caucasian students

Learning Objectives
-
The student will investigate and understand that ecosystems support a diversity of plants and animals that share limited resources.
-
The students will be able to define aquatic ecosystem and name certain animals in that ecosystem
-
The student will be able to define terrestrial ecosystems and name certain animals in those ecosystems
-
The student will be able to differentiate between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
-
The student will be able to recognize and explain the difference between populations and communities

Virginia Standards of Learning

SC.3.6
The student will investigate and understand that ecosystems support a diversity of plants and animals that share limited resources. Key concepts include

SC.3.6.a
aquatic ecosystems;

SC.3.6.b
terrestrial ecosystems;

SC.3.6.c

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson plan should be typed directly into this MS Word document. Boxes will expand to fit the
amount of text in your plan.

populations and communities; and

Materials/Resources
-
whiteboard (individual and class)
-
markers/dry erase markers
-
ecosystems PowerPoint
-
ecosystems anchor chart
-
fake microphone (or something that can act as a microphone)
-
animal name tag
-
animal bio
-
6 anchor charts (3 for each class)
-
markers/colored pencils

High Yield Instructional Strategies Used (Marzano, 2001)

Check if Used Strategy Return

X Identifying Similarities & Differences 45%

Summarizing & Note Taking 34%

X Reinforcing Efforts & Providing Recognition 29%

Homework & Practice 28%

X Nonlinguistic Representations 27%

X Cooperative Learning 23%

Setting Goals & Providing Feedback 23%

Generating & Testing Hypothesis 23%

X Questions, Cues, & Advanced Organizers 22%

Does your instructional input & modeling yield the positive returns you want for your students?
Check if Used Strategy Return
X Teach Others/Immediate Use of Learning 95%

X Practice by Doing 75%

X Discussion 50%

X Demonstration 30%

X Audio Visual 20%

X Reading 10%

Lecture 05%

Safety Considerations
N/A.

Time
Process Components
(min.)

5 min *Anticipatory Set

 The teacher will begin by completing a quick whiteboard wipeout review from the previous day’s lesson on ecosystems

 The teacher will ask the students

 What is an ecosystem?

 Can you give me an example of an ecosystem? (if yes, is that ecosystem terrestrial or aquatic)

 The teacher will refer to the pre-made anchor chart on ecosystems when completing this review

 The teacher will then introduce the topic of population vs community

 The teacher will put up two pictures on the board, one of a group of lions, and one of a group of animals (lions, zebras, elephants, etc.)

 The students will complete a variation on see, think, wonder looking especially for similarities and differences

 The teacher will ask the students if they can tell him/her what the difference is between the two pictures

 The teacher will have a discussion with the students before explaining that one picture shows one species, while the other picture shows multiple

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson plan should be typed directly into this MS Word document. Boxes will expand to fit the
amount of text in your plan.

species

 This should then lead into a discussion on the difference between population vs community

*State the Objectives (grade-level terms)

 I can…investigate and understand that ecosystems support a diversity of plants and animals that share limited resources.

 I can…define aquatic ecosystem and name certain animals in that ecosystem

 I can…define terrestrial ecosystems and name certain animals in those ecosystems

 I can…differentiate between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems

 I can…recognize and explain the difference between populations and communities.

3-5 min *Instructional Input, Modeling, or Procedures

 The teacher will go through two slides to quickly define a population versus a community (see attached slides)

 Populations and communities are groups of organisms. A population is a group of the same species living in the same area. A community is a

group of different species living in the same area.

 The teacher will have the students repeat after him/her population and community

 population - one type of animal

 community - two or more types of animals

 If the teacher would like to, he/she may also play this video on populations vs. communities (https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=U7ClcRJ7GGA)

 If the students have any questions the teacher may pause when going through the slides

*Check for Understanding

 The teacher and students will say shortened definitions of population and community together to practice (population equals same species,

community equals different species in same area); the teacher may use hand motions to help the students learn this

 When grouping themselves, the teacher will ask the students who they are looking for if he/she tells them to find their population (same thing

for when he/she asks them to find their community)

 When creating their ecosystems, the teacher will ask the students what other organisms the students could place in their ecosystem to create a

community

 The teacher will ask the students to circle and label one population in their created ecosystem in order to gauge their understanding of the

difference between population and community

5 min *Guided Practice

 The teacher will display five pictures on one slide after defining both population and community

 The teacher will ask the students which picture does not fit in the group

 The students should discuss either with a partner or group of three

 The teacher should do this twice, one slide contains more pictures of communities, and one slide contains more pictures of populations

 The students should work together to find the picture that does not fit with the rest of them

 This is a good time for the teacher to ask the students what type of ecosystems are seen in the pictures, and what other organisms could be part

of these ecosystems

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson plan should be typed directly into this MS Word document. Boxes will expand to fit the
amount of text in your plan.

10/15 min *Independent Practice

**The whole independent practice is an example of cooperative learning, but I came up with the idea on my own, so it does not have an official name

 The students were all given an animal “name tag” (see attached pictures) at the beginning of the lesson

 After guided practice the teacher will tell the students that for the remainder of the lesson, they are no longer humans, they are whatever animal

has been placed at their desk

 At this time, the students may name their animals whatever name they would like (as long as it is appropriate; the teacher should stress this

when giving directions)

 After the students have named their animals, the teacher will say, “we are now going to build populations and communities. If I ask you to build

your population, what other types of animals are you looking for?” (The student should respond, the same animal as the one I have)

 Once the students have acknowledged that they are looking for their animal match, the teacher will release the students from their seat to find

their animal buddy

 After all of the students have paired up (or found their group of three), the teacher will explain that they are now going to build communities

 The teacher will ask “What other animals are you and your partner(s) looking for if you want to build a community?” (The student should

respond with some version of “other animals that live in the same ecosystem”)

 The teacher will explain that there are three different communities; he/she will explain that the students each have bios about their animals at

their desks; the students need to read the highlighted parts on the bio to figure out what type of ecosystem their animals lives in

 Once the students have found their communities (they may need help from the teacher), the teacher will have the groups spread out throughout

the classroom

 The teacher will explain that they are now going to create their ecosystems on anchor paper using markers

 The students will be required to draw what their ecosystem looks like, including all of their populations (with other populations added in if they

would like)

 Once the students have completed their drawings, the teacher will ask them to circle one population and label it

 The teacher will individually release groups back to their original tables, asking them to drop off their ecosystem on the carpet before they

return to their seats

 The teacher will explain to the students that he/she will be hosting a press conference now that they are all finished with their ecosystems

 The teacher will call up each group (ecosystem) and ask them to explain their ecosystem, community, and population using interview style

questions

 The teacher will say “(name of student) tell me about your ecosystem, what is its name?” Move on to a different student: “(name of student) can

you tell me what populations live in your ecosystem?” Move on to a different student: “Can you tell me about a few other organisms that make
up your community?”

 After each ecosystem presentation, the teacher will ask the students to give their classmates a round of applause (the teacher should demonstrate

clapping in a circle)

3-5 min Assessment

 The teacher will have the students complete an exit ticket that asks them to each name first an ecosystem, then a population within that

ecosystem, and then a community in the same ecosystem

o The teacher should collect the exit ticket data and record it on his/her data sheet for the unit

1 min *Closure

 The teacher will end the science time period by thanking the class for their attention and telling them that the next time they have science they

will be talking about predator vs prey, and they will be completing a fun project!

Differentiation Strategies (e.g. enrichment, accommodations, remediation, learning style, multi-cultural).

 Students who require additional accommodations, specifically writing or reading accommodations that are outlined for those with a writing IEP or ELL

students, will be given a modified animal bio that is more on their reading level; the teacher may also write for them when necessary

 This lesson has been created to engage multiple learning styles with the use of movement, audio/visual, and reading/writing

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson plan should be typed directly into this MS Word document. Boxes will expand to fit the
amount of text in your plan.

Classroom Management Strategies (To ensure a positive learning environment).

 If students are struggling to find their groups and being too loud during small group activity, the teacher may ask all of the students to freeze in their favorite

animal impression in order to have quiet to reiterate instructions and to allow a moment for the students to get back on task

 The teacher may use a doorbell clicker to get the students’ attention after they have found their original animal partners to continue giving directions; the

doorbell may be used throughout instruction to get the students’ attention, as the class understands that when they hear the sound, they should be quiet and face
the teacher

 If students need to use the restroom, they place a small green cone on their desk and leave, as long as it is not during whole group time or when directions are

being given

 Students were given tickets or punches on their cards (this is used schoolwide) if their table/group was remaining especially on task during rotations

Lesson Reflection. To be completed following the lesson. Did your students meet the objective(s)? What parts of the lesson would you change? Why? (Professor will
determine if reflection goes here or in a written report).
- See reflection following the pictures of materials.
*Denotes Madeline Hunter lesson plan elements.
Cora Houseworth Jennifer Fernandez Feb 1, 2023
Candidate Signature Cooperating Teacher Signature Date

Reflection
This lesson began the second half of our unit on ecosystems. I noticed during the first part of our ecosystems unit that the students often remembered material

more accurately when they had hands-on activities. Because of this, I designed a lesson that focused on student-led learning, with very little teacher lecture or involvement.

This lesson also incorporated frequent hands-on learning with the use of manipulatives. According to author Kaltman, designing hands-on learning experiences begins with

first “thinking of an object or material the children can observe, handle, and explore” (Kaltman, 2010, para. 6). Once an object or material is found, then the teacher may

develop an experience. This is what I tried to do after I developed my “name tags” for the students.

I have been working with the students on peer interactions, specifically the ability to communicate with their peers regarding academic material. I wanted this lesson to

allow the students to interact with one another and make decisions together. Many of my students seem to be visual learners, which is why most of my modeling and

instructional input used images instead of lecture slides. The students were able to visually see what I was saying, as opposed to just looking at words that they might not

even know how to pronounce. Additionally, I designed the lesson to incorporate drawing as a part of learning. Using multiple experiments, researchers have confirmed

“drawing to be a ‘reliable, replicable means of boosting performance’—it provided a significant boost to student’s ability to remember what they were learning” (Terada

2019, para. 4). Not only is drawing fun and engaging, but it is also a quality instructional tool.

As I designed this lesson, I did my best to accommodate diverse learner needs. I created different versions of animal bios for different levels of readers, and I

incorporated very little writing and more drawing for my students who struggle with writing. My data from the previous unit suggested that students understood the material

being taught and presented generally, but struggled when it came to giving a specific definition. Because of this, I added verbal repetition of definitions to the modeling and

guided practice. In previous lessons, repetition was helpful for students who may not remember the first time they are told or even the second time.

One of the reasons that I believe group work and cooperative learning is so important stems from my personal teaching philosophy. My motivation to teach comes from a

desire to guide the formation of a student in both mind and character. If students only complete work individually, they are not learning important interpersonal skills. They

are not able to develop leadership skills or work through conflict in a healthy way. I want the students to learn to respond in love and interact with one another in love. Love

is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of

wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 New International Version). While I will not specifically repeat this verse to my class, I will do my best to model these things for them, and to

create academic activities which allow them to grow in these attributes. Also, research indicates that children in “structured groups [obtain] a significantly higher

performance” of comprehension than students learning individually (Gillies & Ashman, 2000, p. 21).

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson plan should be typed directly into this MS Word document. Boxes will expand to fit the
amount of text in your plan.

In the future, I would give more specific instructions while the students are still in the whole group before releasing them to find their populations and communities. Once

the students were grouped up, it was harder for me to make sure that I had their attention before giving further directions for the activity. I had to repeat myself a few times

to make sure that the students knew how to label their ecosystems properly. Overall, however, I was happy with how the lesson went, and I would not change any of the

larger parts. Perhaps in the future, I would add different animals if I came across more interesting ones.

References
Gillies, R. M., & Ashman, A. F. (2000). The effects of cooperative learning on students with

learning difficulties in the lower elementary school. The Journal of Special Education, 34(1), 19-27.

Kaltman, G. S. (2010). Hands-on learning. Childhood Education, 87(2), S7-S7.

New International Version. (2011). BibleGateway.com. http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/

New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/#booklist

Terada, Y. (2019, March 14). The Science of Drawing and Memory. Edutopia. Retrieved February

9, 2023, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/science-drawing-and-memory

Materials and Pictures from Lesson:

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson plan should be typed directly into this MS Word document. Boxes will expand to fit the
amount of text in your plan.

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson plan should be typed directly into this MS Word document. Boxes will expand to fit the
amount of text in your plan.

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson plan should be typed directly into this MS Word document. Boxes will expand to fit the
amount of text in your plan.

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson plan should be typed directly into this MS Word document. Boxes will expand to fit the
amount of text in your plan.

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021