Lesson Plan

Day: Thursday Date: 2nd March Time: 12.17pm (Session 4) Year: 9

Learning Area: Science Topic: Biology Reflex Arc

Curriculum content description:

Multi-cellular organisms rely on coordinated and interdependent internal systems to respond

to changes to their environment. (ACSSU175).

Advances in scientific understanding often rely on technological advances and are often
linked to scientific discoveries (ACSHE158).

People use scientific knowledge to evaluate whether they accept claims, explanations or
predictions, and advances in science can affect peoples lives, including generating new
career opportunities (ACSHE160).
Students prior knowledge and experience:

Students have covered;

Central nervous system
The endocrine system
Thermoregulation feedback system and homeostasis
Previous years science curriculum

Learning purpose: (May refer to the Elaborations of the curriculum content description
here)

To assist students in analysing how biological systems function and respond to external
changes, particularly how negative feedback systems function within the human body with
regard to blood glucose levels. To develop an understanding of

Learning objectives: Evaluation:

On completion of this lesson, students Written feedback from students (filled

will be able to: out worksheets).
Group discussion notes refering to
Define key terms
storyboard, with verbal feedback
Describe the feedback loop
from each pair.
controlling blood sugar
Verbal feedback to teacher.
Broadly explain diabetes, causes and
Visual/written feedback (answers
symptoms
displayed by students on small
Identify the role of the liver and
whiteboards.)
pancreas in the regulation
Preparation and Resources:

Desks to seat pairs.

Worksheets (2 of)
Note-taking paper (prepared)
Powerpoint presentation hardware

Catering for diversity (detail any adjustments considerations for educational/resource

adjustments)

Visual cues and labelled diagrams for visual learners

Groupwork and individual components, high level of student feedback
Verbal and written instructions provided
Staff assistance on-hand to provide direct instruction/clarification if required
Lesson does not require a prohibitive level of physicality, will be accessible to all
students regardless of physical ability.

Timing: Learning Experiences:

1. Introduction:
I will introduce the class to the lesson. Begin powerpoint and explain the
objectives.
5 mins Class will be asked to pair up, to discuss and fill out worksheets together at pause
points in the powerpoint.

Quick verbal re-cap of previous lessons, inc. theory of homeostasis, and

explanation of blood sugar levels.

2. Sequence of learning experiences:

Students will be taken through a slide show and storyboard explaining regulation
of blood glucose.
30
mins They will then be put in pairs, given blank sheets corresponding to the storyboard
and asked to discuss and explain in their own words each step (16 steps) (10
mins). Each group will verbalise one step to the class. They will then be given a
10 worksheet (10 questions) to complete individually (15 mins, timed)
mins Continuing the powerpoint, students will be taken through a 6-step storyboard of
diabetes. This will stay displayed for reference while they complete
accompanying worksheet. (10 mins, timed)
5 mins
Final slides are three treatments for diabetes, insulin injections, exercise and diet.
Discuss with class the science behind each; i.e. exercise consuming sugars for
energy, lowering blood sugar levels.
 3. Lesson conclusion:
Re-cap using 1 whiteboard per pair, ask for the hormone and two organs involved
5 mins in blood sugar regulation, one-sentence cause for diabetes and one treatment for
diabetes. Visually check answers.

Lesson Evaluation:

The lesson began well, with desks pre-arranged, and students settling quickly and quietly
into pairs. The first section of the slideshow went well, with students requiring only
moderate prompting to stay on task and some help interpreting the questions and
understanding the information on the slides. Issues arose when moving onto the second
section (diabetes) and the accompanying worksheet, as some students finished faster than
others and were at a loose end for several minutes, and others were unfinished when we
moved onto the second section.

Timing each section had mixed results; on one hand we stayed on my planned timeline
(give or take several mins) but using 2 min intervals written on the board to give students
an indication of their progress and motivation to stay on-topic was not so successful. Multi-
talking between assisting students and circling to keep an eye on disruptive pairs meant I
was not striking numbers of at regular intervals, so students did not realise the time left for
each task and it failed as a motivator.

Visual diagrams on the powerpoint, as well as key words and a graph on the board, seemed
to work well. If nothing else, it helped me when explaining the concepts and allowed me to
prompt students without either giving them answers or confusing them too much. I would
like to think that easy visuals and prompts helped keep the students engaged, but without
having taught a similar topic in a different way, I cant know for sure.

I felt comfortable handling the class, responding to students and overall conducting the
lesson. In terms of discipline I failed to take affirmative action early enough on several
students. One behaved well for a time after being warned he was going to be moved, but
once he started being disruptive again I did not follow through swiftly and it felt like a small
group of students saw that, and used it to their advantage.

The class in general began to become distracted in the last 10 mins or so, and so rather
than pulling them back to the powerpoint, discussing diabetes treatments (which had
accompanying slides with too much text) and having them write examples on the
whiteboard, I skimmed over the main points of the topic verbally, which helped draw their
attention back to me. We then had a quick call-and-response to get feedback and gauge
understanding from the students, which most responded well too. The lesson finished
approx. 3 mins early, which was an oversight on my part in not tracking session finishing
times appropriately.

Points to improve on:

- Time management and tracking

- Taking affirmative/pre-emptive disciplinary action where required
- Effective worksheet distribution

Positive points (personal opinion):

- Presentation
- Topic comprehension and communication
- Reading the room and adjusting activities accordingly