MS 2017-2018 UCI LESSON PLANNER

Part 1: Classroom Information

Grade: 5th Content Area: Science

Group Size: 35 students Lesson Length: 70 minutes

Part 1: Planning for the Lesson

A: Standards

i. Performance Expectation (key content standard):

● 5-P3.1: Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, and
motion and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.

ii. NGSS Science and Engineering Practices (select 1 or 2 to focus on):

● Science and Engineering Practice 7: Engaging in Argument from Evidence
● Students will construct an argument that energy in animals’ food was once energy from the sun,
using evidence from resources

iii. NGSS Cross-cutting Standards:

● Energy and matter- energy can be transferred in various ways and between objects (5-PS3-1)

iv. Related ELD Standard (think about academic vocabulary):

● 5.B.6: Explain ideas, phenomena, processes, and text relationships (e.g., compare/ contrast, cause/
effect, problem/solution) based on close reading of a variety of grade-level texts and viewing of
multimedia, with light support

B. Objectives
i. Learning Objective/Goal: The students will (DO __) to (LEARN ___).
● Students will explain how the energy in an animal's food was once energy from the sun by reading
research articles and creating posters about specific ecosystems.

ii.Language Objective (transfer this from "Incorporating Academic Language"):

○ The students will explain that the energy from food comes from the sun using
sentences, pictures, and explanations on a poster.
C. Assessments:

i. Informal assessment strategies you will use during class (What informal assessment strategies
will you use, what specific evidence will you see and/or hear and how will you note it?)
Assessment Strategy Evidence of Student Learning

Conversations with students about their

Monitor discussion progress and the work they are doing/ what
they are learning from their research
 Each student will write in a different color on
the poster to indicate which ideas belong to
Writing on posters
each student. This will hopefully ensure that
each student is participating equally.
Each student will write one or two sentences
Exit ticket with something they learned during today’s
lesson and turn it in at the end of the activity.

ii. Written assessment you will use to determine, for each individual student, to what extent
they have met your learning objectives. (What specific evidence will you collect?)
○ I will have groups present their posters in a gallery walk, then turn them in. I will
grade the presentations with a specific rubric to make sure they have met the
learning objectives

D. Lesson Resources/Materials (e.g., student handouts, manipulatives, PPTs, text pages, special
supplies) Attach copies of any student handouts or worksheets:
● 11 Poster boards
● Markers
● Glue
● Scissors
● Decorations for posters
● 11 Chromebooks (1 per group)

Part 2: Instructional Sequence - Engaging Students in the Learning Process

Introduction ( 10 min.): Describe how you will 1) make connections to prior knowledge, tap into their
experiences and interests or use a “hook”, AND 2) let students know what the objective of the lesson is.
● Bring students together for a whole class discussion
● Discuss the importance of safety in science
● Explain that we will be working with scissors today and the rules of using scissors:
○ No running with scissors
○ Carry them sharp side down
○ No playing with scissors
● Explain that we will also be working on research on the Internet and remind students of the
Internet safety/ integrity
○ Only look at the pre-approved sites
○ No searching for inappropriate things
○ No commenting/ chatting with anyone online
○ No bullying
● Introduce the learning objective
○ I will be able to:
■ Explain how the energy in an animal’s food was once energy from the sun
● Review the terms biotic and abiotic in an ecosystem
○ Biotic= living things
 ○ Abiotic= nonliving things
● Review:
○ All organisms in the food chain need the sun’s energy to survive
○ Plants, grass, etc. get the sun’s energy through photosynthesis
○ Animals receive this same energy when they eat the plants or consume other animals that
have eaten the plants
● Explain that we will be looking further into how animals get their energy from research articles
that discuss the roles of organisms within different ecosystem
● Write the main idea on the board: “The energy in animal’s food was once energy from the sun”
● Explain that groups will be working together to research and create a poster.
● Explain the requirements of the poster
○ At least 3 facts
○ At least 3 pictures
○ At least 2 examples
● Research should be to find evidence that supports the main idea and is specific to their assigned
ecosystem
● Ask students who the audience for the poster will be
○ Answer: the class/ the teacher
● Tell the students to plan their posters and presentations appropriately by anticipating the questions
that might be asked and considering the information that needs to be given

Body of the Lesson ( 40 minutes): Describe step-by-step what the teacher and the students will be doing
during the lesson.

Science: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate

● Tell students they will be working in groups to create a poster

● Tell students they are to use multiple resources (pre-chosen and posted to Google Classroom)
● Tell students their goal is to find evidence that supports our main idea which is written on the
board (Explore)
● Display the groups under the document camera
○ Dessert, arctic, rain forest, grassland, and freshwater
● Instruct them to quickly find their group and a space to work in
● Invite one student from each group to get a Chromebook, one student from each group to get a
poster board, one student from each group to get markers/glue/scissors/etc.
● Instruct each student to write their name and all work in a different color on the poster board to
indicate who did what
● Explain that all resources that they are allowed to use are on Google Classroom and they can
only access the articles/ pictures posted there (No Google, Wikipedia, etc.)
● Allow students to begin working (Explore)
● Set a timer under the document camera for 25 minutes
● Monitor each group and discuss their plan of action for the poster
● Ask guiding questions if they are stuck such as:
○ How can you take notes about key ideas in the article to include on your poster?
○ What articles do you think you will start with?
○ Who will be in charge of what?
● Ask questions to groups who have already begun researching: (Explain)
○ Do you agree with that?
 ○ What is most important?
○ Were you surprised by anything?
○ How has this text changed your thinking?
○ Does this remind you of anything? (Elaborate)
● While students are researching, some evidence they should be coming up with are:
○ Plants use photosynthesis to get energy from the sun
○ A food chain is a model that shows how energy and nutrients flow from one organism to
another
○ Sun → plant → bunny → snake → eagle
○ When an animal eats the plant, the plant passes on the sun’s stored energy
○ Plants and animals that are specific to their ecosystem
● Allow students to work, giving reminder of where they should be at in terms of work done
throughout the lesson:
○ 5 minutes- roles assigned
○ 10 minutes- most research articles skimmed
○ 15 minutes- a few research articles read with main ideas pulled
○ 20 minutes- begin getting ideas on paper
● After the 25 minutes run out on the timer, ask students to show the amount of minutes their group
needs using their fingers
● Adjust the time accordingly and allow students to continue working
● Remind students that they will be doing a gallery walk at the end and need to have a finished
product by the time the poster runs out (Explore) (Evaluate)
● Allow students to continue working on and finishing up their posters
● Call the class together and tell them to clean up their workstations

Closure ( 20 minutes): Describe how you will prompt the students to summarize the lesson and restate
the learning objective.
● Review the gallery walk procedures with the class
○ Half the groups will walk around and half the groups will present
○ Groups are to be polite and courteous when others are presenting
○ Make sure to ask questions if something is unclear:
■ “I am a little confused about this part, can you explain what you meant?”
■ “Can you explain more about this ideas?”
■ “Can you help me understand what you meant when you said ___?”
○ If you agree or disagree with something, make sure to say:
■ “I agree with ___ because ___.”
■ “I also found ___ and I agree.”
■ “I disagree with ___ because ___.”
○ Make sure to think of some good higher-level thinking questions:
■ “What would it be like it ___?”
■ “Why do you think ___?”
○ Tell students that each group will have 2-3 minutes to present their posters and answer
questions
○ When they hear the timer, move clockwise to the next group
○ Begin the gallery walk (Explore) (Evaluate)
○ Teacher monitors group presentations and sits in on a few that might have struggling
students to help ask questions to elicit thinking
 ○ End gallery walk
○ Tell students to put their posters on the back table and return to their seats
○ Ask students to Think Pair Share about their biggest takeaway from this activity
○ Draw student sticks to have 2-3 students share out loud
○ Have students complete an exit ticket
■ Each student writes one or two sentences about something they learned from
today’s activity and turns it in on their way out.

Part 3: Incorporating Academic Language

(to be completed after you have planned the content part of your lesson plan)

1. Describe the rich learning task(s) related to the content learning objective.
● Students will be researching to provide evidence that energy from food comes from the sun. They
are explaining the reasons they know this is true on their posters and presenting them to the class
in a gallery walk.

2. Language Function: How will students be communicating in relation to the content in the learning
task(s)? Identify the specific function (purpose or genre) you want to systematically address in your
lesson plan that will scaffold students to stronger disciplinary discourse. The language function will
always be a verb. Some examples are: describe, identify, explain, justify, analyze, construct, compare,
or argue.
○ Explain

3. Language Demands: Looking at the specific function (purpose or genre) your students will be using,
what are the language demands that you will systematically address in this lesson?
Vocabulary:
Key to this lesson: biotic, abiotic, ecosystem, energy,

4. Language Objective: What is/are the language objective(s) for your lesson? (The students will
(FUNCTION) (LANGUAGE RELATED TO CONTENT) (SYNTAX AND/OR DISCOURSE)
For example: The students will compare different types of parallelograms using transition words such
as similarly, different from or by contrast. Note: be sure to copy and paste this into the top of the
lesson planner.
● The students will explain that the energy from food comes from the sun using sentences, pictures,
and explanations on a poster.

5. What does your language objective sound like/look like for different levels of language learners? Ask
yourself, “What would the students say/write when using the language function.” Remember to
consider the language demands while creating sample language that the students might use.

Emerging Expanding Bridging

“Energy comes from the sun” “The energy comes from the “I know that energy from food
sun because ___” comes from the sun because
___”
6. Language Support: What instructional strategies will you use during your lesson to teach the
specific language skill and provide support and opportunities for guided and independent practice?

Instruction Guided Practice Independent Practice

-Giving students questions to -Having students work together -Students writing ideas down
work from in the introduction to research and find evidence on the poster
of the lesson that energy from food comes
from the sun

*This lesson plan has been adapted from betterlesson.com