Lesson Plan Description

Students learn about how ecosystems support living organisms.

Students will be engaged in hands-on activities to answer a comparative question regarding: will different living organisms be more likely to be located on a mountain or in a valley? They will analyze their findings and present to the class. The project will link IBL with traditional teaching by giving teachers options to best suit the needs of the class. More questions will emerge to continue scientific investigations and further the learning process.

Toad in habitat

Grade Level

K, 1

Time Requirement

30-45 minutes each

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Practical Application

This experiment allows students to understand what living organisms need to survive as well as how different environments support different organisms. Each student will have practice with the scientific process, including documenting and interpreting data.

Objectives

  1. Incorporate the process of inquiry-based learning into a traditional direct instruction classroom setting.
  2. Students will be able to identify living things in a model ecosystem.
  3. Students will be able to label parts of an animal and create a visual of the habitat the animal
    lives in.
  4. Students will be able to identify where an animal would be most likely to live.
  5. Students will be able to collect data about where different organisms are located on a model
    ecosystem.
  6. Students will be able to uncover additional questions and think critically about the data found.

Educational Standards

Scientific inquiry – Students develop scientific habits of mind as they use the processes of scientific inquiry to ask valid questions, and to gather and analyze information. They understand how to develop hypotheses and make predictions. They can reflect on scientific practices as they develop plans of action to create and evaluate a variety of conclusions. Students are also able to demonstrate the ability to communicate their findings to others. Life Science (Topic: Species and Reproduction)

K.LS.1: Living things have specific characteristics and traits.
K.LS.2: Living things have physical traits and behaviors, which influence their survival.
1.LS.2: Living things survive only in environments that meet their needs.
1.LS.1: Living things have basic needs, which are met by obtaining materials from the physical
environment.