Instructors: Leah Poirier and Mark Gaynik

Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: Earth's Life Support Systems & Entropy Macro-Model Grade:12
Subject: Environment and Resource Management Time: 150 minutes

Description: The first part of this lesson is a power point, filled with a lot of in depth discussion of the content. The
following day the class will be brought outside to participate in an embodied experience, representing entropy. The
"macro-model" shows all of the energy lost by eating meat compared to plants. The water loss represents the amount
of energy lost. Students will not be told what they are representing until after the activity, and will be
given/encouraged to guess.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
Ontario Curricular Overall Expectations
A1. Geographic Inquiry: use the geographic inquiry process and the concepts of geographic thinking when
investigating issues related to the environment and the management of natural resources;

B1. Protecting Species and Spaces: assess various strategies used for protecting natural spaces and species,
locally, nationally, and globally

B2. Human Impacts: assess impacts of human population settlement on natural spaces and species

B3. The Earth’s Ecosystems: analyse relationships between the spheres of the earth and the characteristics of
ecosystems

Ontario Curricular Specific Expectations

A1.1 formulate different types of questions to guide investigations into issues related to the environment and natural
resource management

B1.2 assess the role and effectiveness of various strategies for protecting plant and animal species

B2.2 describe ways in which human settlement and modifications of the natural landscape affect the environment

B2.3 identify factors that contribute to the survival of a species within an ecosystem

B3.1 describe the characteristics of the earth’s spheres

B3.2 explain the influence of physical factors

B3.3 explain how interactions between the components of an ecosystem

B3.4 explain how and why ecosystems change over time

Learning Goals
I have recorded and have a good idea of Earth's life support systems (the spheres, ecosystems, habitats, niches,
energy, entropy, matter cycles, ect)
I can understand the lost of solar meat to produce meat compared to plants
I understand the two laws of energy
I am aware of entropy and trophic levels
ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION
Success Criteria
- How invested they are in the lesson and activity
- What they respond and contribute to class discussion and debrief
- Their notes they should be recording from the power point

Assessment
Achievement Chart Categories: Understanding and application
Assessment Tool: Student participation, and group discussion

CONSIDERATIONS FOR PLANNING

Prior Learning: Prior to this lesson
- Prepare the buckets and holes
- Go across the street to assess the water source area
- Warn class we will be going outside, and there is a very high possibility of getting wet
Differentiation: Content, Process, Product, Assessment/ Accommodations, Modifications
- Content remains the same and no modifications
- Assessment may change depending on weather (if it is thunder storming we will have to wait for another
day, if it is really cold and harsh; students will be assessment more soft to take their comfort into account)
- Product expectations may alter depending on what students can physically and intellectually provide
- Alterations may include (but are not limited to) changing dates, student; bucket ratio, and/or moving to a
nearby stream
- Process will be modified considering weather (thunderstorm or heavy rain may result in changing dates)

Resources and Materials

 20-24 yogurt containers (half with a hole)
 4 medium buckets with one hole drilled on the side
 1 medium bucket with ten holes
 Overhead for power point

Learning Environment
- Enviro portable and little pond across the street from the school

Lesson – Delivery Format

What teacher does: What students do:

Minds on: Motivational Hook/ Engagement/ Introduction 75 mins (first class) 15 min (second class)
- Go through the power point with lots of - Listen
discussion. (first class) - Participate in class discussion
- Get students to take notes - Ask any questions/ add comments
- Start second class with an overview of the - Prepare to go outside
power point, guiding the discussion towards - Walk across the street to the water source
energy. - Help carry supplies
- Explain to students we will be going outside, - Separate into two different groups
across the street for an activity (no more
details!)
- Get students to follow you across the street
- After setting up the buckets split the class into
two groups and explain what they will need to
do (instructions attached)
Action: During / Working on it
- Run round one; say some facts about energy
- Get class to guess what they think they are
representing
- Get groups to switch lanes, and run round two
- Clean up the activity and walk back to class
45 mins
- Participate in activity (instructions connected)
- Walk back to classroom
- Help clean up and carry things back

Consolidation & Connection(Reflect and Connect) 15 mins

- Get class to keep guessing what they think they were representing
- Say some facts and hints until they get the correct answer
- Write facts on the board based on what the macro-model represented

Debrief Questions:
What does the main body of water represent?
- the sun
The water itself represent energy, the waterlost through the holes represents entropy

Based on the second law of energy, where might some of the energy (represented by
water) be going? Think trophic levels.

- allowing the animal to live, transportation, packaging,

- show students diagram to give them a visual

Reference:
Puk, T. (2016), Healing the Ecological Self: Stop peeing into the drinking water.