PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY LESSON PLAN

Name: Katharine Soper Grade: 5

Lesson #1 Gardner: Bloom:

__X__ Visual ___X_ Knowledge
__X__ Kinesthetic __X__ Comprehension
__X__ Verbal __X__ Application
____ Logical ____ Analysis
____ Rhythmic ____ Synthesis
__X__ Interpersonal ____ Evaluation
____ Intrapersonal
____ Naturalist
Strategy: Understanding the Biosphere and its ecosystems through partner work and whole-
class notes

Subject Area: Science

Teacher Performance Expectation Addressed: TPE 1A, TPE 2, TPE 4, TPE 5, TPE 6B, TPE
11

Common Core Standards: CCSS RI 5.9 - Integrate information from several texts on the same
topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Objective: SWBAT understand the biosphere and its ecosystems and the role they play in the
larger earth system.

Personnel: Teacher and students

Instructional Materials: (Technology): Food chain information, earth subsystem questions,

food web cards

Lesson Length: 45 minutes

Preparation: Previous three lessons, powerpoint on the four subsystems, food chain
information, food web cards

Anticipatory Set: Yesterday, we discussed planet earth as a system. We decided that planet
earth is a system, with four unique subsystems. These subsystems play an important role in our
planet. Today, we are going to explore one of these four systems, the Biosphere, and the
important role it plays on earth.

Methodology:
1. Yesterday, we discussed planet earth as a system. We decided that planet earth is a system,
with four unique subsystems. These subsystems play an important role in our planet. Today,
we are going to explore one of these four systems, the Biosphere, and the important role it
plays on earth.
2. When I say go, pull out your reading from yesterday (Is Earth a System?) and discuss the
questions at the end of the text with your groups. You will have four minutes. Go!
3. Teacher will pull popsicle sticks to have students share whole-class to answer the questions:
what are the parts of the biosphere subsystem, and how do they work together to make the
biosphere?
4. Thank you for your answers. What do you think, is the biosphere a subsystem? Why or why
not?
5. The biosphere is made up of ecosystems. Remember, communities of organisms make up our
ecosystems. There are thousands of living and nonliving species in our ecosystem. Living
things are plants, animals, bacteria, etc. Nonliving things are physical conditions,
temperature, wind, moisture, etc. The nonliving factors of our ecosystem provide for the
needs of all living things. There are many different types of ecosystems on earth, including
our own Chaparral ecosystem.
6. Lets look at some organisms that live in different ecosystems. Teacher will pull out
ecosystem cards describing one organism that live in different ecosystems. Teacher will
spread out the cards so that each student has 5 to study.
7. You will spend the next 10 minutes studying these cards with your table partner. You will
match cards with similar characteristics and ecosystem habitats. Go!
8. Notice that each card list the organisms food and predators. Food is a list of what that
organism eats, and the predator section is a list of what other organisms eat that organism. We
can set these up in a food chain to link the predators and the prey (the organisms getting
eaten). A food chain shows the path that food takes from one organism to another.
9. Teacher will pull up food chain to show the students
10. Tomorrow, we will finish up our discussion of food chains and introduce Producers,
Consumers, and Decomposers.

Model: Teacher will ensure students are actively thinking about the biosphere and its
ecosystems as she goes through the biosphere/food web notes.

Guided Practice: Teacher will ensure that students are working in partners to answer questions
about the biosphere - students should be activating prior knowledge from yesterdays lesson and
synthesizing information about what they already know about subsystems.

Independent Practice:Teacher will check for knowledge as she walks around to see students
work with the food chain cards. She will answer any questions as necessary.

Closure: Discussion of predators and prey, set up for food chain tomorrow.

Differentiated Learning Activities

Gate: Match cards that eat each other or are eaten by each other
Learning Difficulties: Work in groups with the teacher, sit at the front of the room, draw
pictures of animals
Disabilities: See IEP, work one-on-one with teacher, sit close to teacher