Exploring Ecosystems Lesson Plan

CONTEXT

Grade(s): 6

Subject(s): Science

Long-Term / Big Existing knowledge:

Picture - Students have learned about how plants and animals
Sequencing and respond to stimuli in their environments in order to
survive
Scaffolding:
- Students have learned about the classifications within
the food chain, such as carnivores, herbivores, and
omnivores and can represent food chains in local and
other Canadian environments.
- Students have learned that interconnections exist
within environments (E.g. How plants depend on
animals and animals depend on plants)
- Students explore external structures of plants and
animals in relation to their function
Larger goal/ how to prepare student for future learning
experiences:
- By diving into the concepts of interactions between
species, students will develop a deeper understanding
of the living systems on earth
- Provides students with opportunities to demonstrate
their knowledge of the complexity of ecosystems
Scaffolding: Identify ecosystems and components of an
ecosystem as a class first on a SMART board to get students
engaged.

GOALS

Curricular Explicit Curriculum

Expectations: - Learning outcome: students investigate the
characteristics of ecosystems and the interactions
within ecosystems
- Knowledge:
- Many types of ecosystems
- Desert
- Arctic
- Grassland
- Wetland

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- Forest
- Characteristics of ecosystems
- Climate patterns
- Size
- Vegetation structure
- Animal populations
- Geographic location
- Characteristics of ecosystems that affect
diversity of organisms
- Geographic location, climate patterns,
landforms, water sources
- Size
- Complexity of number and types of
plants and animals
- Understanding
- Components and characteristics of an
ecosystem affect the diversity of the organisms
that live in it
- Identify abiotic and biotic components of
ecosystems.
- Skills and procedures:
- Create a model/ simulate a chosen ecosystem
and its characteristics
- Locate and responsibly examine a local
ecosystem in nature using appropriate
materials and tools
- Compare the characteristics of two ecosystems

Reference:
Government of Alberta. (2023). Science. Learnalberta
curriculum. https://curriculum.learnalberta.ca/home/en.

Implicit Learning: - Inquiry and interpretation abilities

- Collaboration skills
- Social interaction and communication skills through
working in a group
- Leadership and teamwork

MATERIALS & RESOURCES

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- Who needs a …? Ecosystem book series (4 books) by Karen Patkau +
What is a Forest by Bobbie Kalman
- Who needs an Iceberg?
- Who needs a Prairie?
- Who needs a Swamp?
- Who needs a Desert?
-
- SMART board
- White board
- White board markers
- Blank Sheets of paper
- Pens/pencils
- Computers (1 per group)
- Coloured poster paper
- Construction paper
- Crayons
- Markers
- Pipe Cleaners
- Popsicle sticks
- Pompoms
- Additional craft supplies
- Small paper for exit slips

OVERALL INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES & LEARNING ACTIVITIES

- Group discussions regarding ecosystems

- Whiteboard “quiz”
- Exit slip to clarify questions
- Create a model ecosystem
- Students need to create a list of characteristics for the model
- Model ecosystem displayed on a poster
- Gallery walk of ecosystems

TIMING, SEQUENCING, TRANSITIONS OF LESSON

KEY PROMPTS & INSTRUCTIONS

Introduction / - To introduce the topic and the multi-lesson project,

Hook Day 1 (15 start off by gathering all the students at a carpet where
mins) there is a SMART board available.
- Introduce the students to ecosystems of earth through
Google Earth.
- Go to different places on the globe and allow for open
conversations regarding the environments. Use
following prompt questions
- What kind of animals do you think live here?
- What do you think the weather is like here?

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- How does this environment compare to our
environment?
- Use remaining time to guide students towards what
they should be looking for in different environments.
- Geographic location, climate patterns,
vegetation structures, animal populations
- Make sure to briefly describe each of the following
ecosystems while you do this.
- Desert
- Arctic
- Grassland
- Wetland
- Forest
- Write the types of ecosystems on the whiteboard
nearby if possible (Great opportunity to get a student
volunteer to do it)

Whiteboard - Hand out mini whiteboards and whiteboard markers to

Activity Day 1 (10 each student.
mins) - While the students are still on the carpet, informally
quiz the students on different ecosystems.
- Tell the students that you will go to different places on
the globe, give them one or two characteristics of the
environment and ask students to individually identify
the ecosystem by writing it down on their whiteboard.
- Once they all have them written out get them to point
them up and towards you
- After each one, get a volunteer to say in one sentence
what made them think it is the type of environment
they have written down.
- Go through a few examples to gauge where the
students are at.

Transition / - Introduce students to the ecosystem project.

Activity Set up - Explain to them that they will get one of 6 books which
Day 1 (5 mins) describes an ecosystem.
- They must find a quiet spot in the class with
their group and make a list on paper of all the
characteristics which describe their ecosystem
- Inform students that they will later have to
create a model of their ecosystem and do a
gallery walk to explore other student’s
ecosystems, therefore they must be attentive to
what makes their ecosystem unique. The
gallery walk is not part of this lesson plan.
- Tell students to make a list which must be

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handed in at the end of class of what they want
to include in their mini ecosystems and what
materials they would use
- (E.g. Little animals out of paper, scissors
to cut them, Tissue paper for trees,
etc…)
- Create groups of 3-4 by numbering students
- Once groups have been created and whiteboards
have been returned to proper spot, give the students
one of the ecosystems (not optional). Make sure that
each ecosystem type is well represented.

Ecosystem - Once students are sitting or standing in their groups

Activity Day 1 (30 with their books, let them go find a quiet spot to read
mins) through their ecosystem book.
- Encourage students to write down notes for their list
throughout the reading. Circulate through the groups
and ask them how they are doing, guide them towards
some key things they may be missing through prompt
questions.
- Have you considered what plants and animals
can be found in this ecosystem?
- Where on earth could this ecosystem be found?
- What characteristics have you found through
your reading which are unique to this
ecosystem?
- Give the students warnings at the halfway point (15
minutes), 10 and 5 minutes left that they must have
their list completed or close to done by the end of the
class.

Conclusion / - To conclude the lesson, ask the students if they have

Wrap up Day 1(5 any questions about ecosystems. They will write their
mins) responses on cue cards (exit slip) and questions will
be addressed on day 2
- Example prompts if they don’t know what to write
- Is/are … important when considering an
ecosystem?
- How do I identify … in ecosystems?

Introduction / - To begin the lesson, instruct the students to sit with

Hook Day 2 (20 their groups for the ecosystem activity.
mins) - Give students in each group a number from 1-4.
These will be used to create larger groups. In these
groups there should be at least one member from
each ecosystem type.

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- Once the groups have been created, have the
students sit as by their numbered groups in a position
that will allow them to discuss as a group.
- Go through the cue card questions and ask the
students to discuss the question amongst their group
for a few minutes (Maximum 3).
- When the allocated time has passed, give students
the opportunity to share what their group has talked
about with the entire class.
- Take this opportunity to ask students further questions
to guide them towards the answer if there are any
misconceptions and emphasize the correct answers.

Transition / - After the questions have been addressed, clearly

Activity Set up explain to them what the next goal of the lesson is.
Day 2 (10 mins) They must build the ecosystem represented in the
books that were given to their groups from Day 1.
Using the craft supplies listed in the materials section,
students will make a poster model of the ecosystem
which will be used for a gallery walk in a succeeding
lesson.
- Warn students that they will have 10 minutes to go
over their lists, and modify it if needed, followed by 30
minutes to work on their ecosystem models.
- Students may return to their groups and collect their
lists from the teacher.
- Each group will then get a computer during the 10
minutes to print images for their ecosystem models.

Ecosystem - When students are done modifying their lists and have
Activity Day 2 (30 collected their images from the printer, they can get a
min) poster paper sheet and craft supplies and begin
assembling their ecosystem.
- During this time, circulate to ensure students'
concerns are addressed.
- Give students warnings at the halfway point (15
minutes), 10 and 5 minutes.

Conclusion / - To conclude the lesson, gather students in a circle (or

Wrap up (5 mins) at desks).
- Ask students to share one new thing they learned
about ecosystems.

ASSESSMENT(S)

1. Formative assessment: using the mini whiteboards, students will be

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assessed on the different ecosystems that exist around the world, using
google earth to assist open-ended questions. Each student will have their
own mini whiteboard and marker to write down the different animals and
weather within that ecosystem. No grade is provided to the student, but this
is rather used as an opportunity for the teacher to gauge where the students
are at and what information to clarify for the remainder of the lesson.

Students will have an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the

first day through exit slips. The teacher will then have the chance to go
through these questions and generate prompts for the group discussions
which take place during the introduction of Day 2. This will allow the teacher
to address any misunderstandings from Day 1.

2. Summative assessment: the model created through the group project.

During the gallery walk and teacher assessment, the students will be
evaluated on their models and the teacher will look at what organisms and
landforms are included in their ecosystems. The list will also assist this
group project in helping the students prepare what their model will look like
and what it needs. The specific characteristics included in the student’s
ecosystem will demonstrate how unique and different it is compared to their
peers' ecosystem. This will be evaluated through the use of a rubric (part of
gallery walk lesson) so that the teacher can gauge what and how much the
students understand about ecosystems and the relationships between
organisms.

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Written Statement

Explicit curriculum includes what students will learn as a direct result of the government
mandated curriculum and the specific learning outcomes which examine concepts that are
required for each student to learn and explore. Our lesson fits in explicitly by introducing
ecosystems to grade 6 students. In this lesson, students will expand their understanding of
animals, plants and their interactions in their interconnections. Under the “Goals” tab of our
lesson plan, it states that our learning outcome is “students investigate the characteristics of and
interactions within ecosystems”. Students will learn to identify abiotic and biotic components
ecosystems, compare the characteristics of various ecosystems, and identify what makes them
unique. This includes examining the climate patterns, number and type of animals and plants,
and geographic locations of the ecosystems. A comprehensive list of the aspects of an ecosystem
to consider can be found in table 1.

Table 1

Ecosystem Characteristics for Students to Consider

Type of Ecosystems Characteristics of Characteristics of
Ecosystems Ecosystems that Affect
Diversity of Ecosystems

- Desert - Climate patterns - Geographic location

- Arctic - Size - Climate patterns
- Grassland - Vegetation structure - Landforms
- Wetland - Animal populations - Water sources
- Forest - Geographic location - Size
- Freshwater - Complexity of number
and types of plants
and animals

These ecosystem aspects are examined through our learning activities. Our first learning activity
involves a whiteboard style quiz, where the students answer questions after reflecting on google
earth environments around the globe. The teacher guides the students through multiple questions,
giving them time to think about the animals, climate and types of environment that is being
prompted. In this formative assessment activity, students have opportunities to explore the
specific learning outcome from the curriculum of the characteristics and relationships between
organisms within the ecosystem. Additionally, students will complete exit slips the first day,
which gives them opportunities to ask any questions. These questions will be used the following
day in group discussions, which will give the teacher a chance to clarify any questions about the

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project, before the students start to create their ecosystem models. In our second activity,
students determine the characteristics of a more specific ecosystem based on the group they are
assigned. Students dig deeper into what makes their ecosystem unique and different from other
groups, and this opportunity for inquiry and investigation directly relates to the main goals of the
learning outcome and explicit curriculum.

Through the activities planned for this lesson, students will get an implicit understanding as to
how to make interpretations. They will learn to look for unique characteristics of a general
ecosystem in order to identify it. Further, through the assessment done with the whiteboards at
the carpet they will have to state what those unique aspects are and justify their knowledge.
Ultimately, the students will have an opportunity to work on their collaboration skills. In groups
they will need to decide what aspects of an ecosystem they need to include in their plan. Some
implicit knowledge they will gain through this group work are social interaction and
communication skills. Students have opportunities to interact with their peers, and they develop
valuable cooperation and discussion skills. Furthermore, students may learn about leadership and
teamwork, as they work together to develop their ecosystems in activity 2. Some students may
feel more inclined to make a plan of what the ecosystem will look like, whereas others may feel
more comfortable putting the physical ecosystem together. This collaborative process
demonstrates implicit learning as these skills are not directly communicated from the teacher, but
students will learn them along the way as a result of their educational experiences.

The null curriculum for this lesson includes human impact and conservation. Humans have a
great impact on ecosystems in numerous ways. To keep the lesson simple and focused on
defining and comparing ecosystems, the larger human impact is omitted. However,
anthropogenic influences and natural disasters due to climate change directly impact these
ecosystems. This may cause students to think about how we can move towards sustainability and
conserving natural resources within our ecosystems. Protecting these resources connects to
developing a greater environmental and social responsibility, such as what humans can do to
keep these ecosystems viable and safe for future generations. In our lesson, we do not mention
how these ecosystems have changed overtime as a result of these human impacts. Since it is not
directly stated in the lesson, it could be considered under the null curriculum. Additionally, this
lesson does not mention conservation efforts and the role that humans and organizations play in
protecting the environment. It does not consider what humans have already done to make steps
towards a more environmentally sustainable future, such as the transition to cleaner energy, and
composting and recycling. Conservation programs have been created all around the world, and
there have been efforts to create national parks to protect organisms and species within valuable
ecosystems. Lastly, there are other ecosystems that the Alberta curriculum does not include
within its learning outcomes. For example, marine (saltwater) ecosystems and savannas are not a
focus of this lesson and therefore could also be considered part of the null curriculum. Although
freshwater ecosystems are mentioned within the curriculum, we did not find an equivalent
resource.