Laura Berkey

Template for Science Lesson Plan

Benchmark Assignment

Title of Lesson:​ ​Relaciones​ simbióticas.

Grade Level:​ 4to Grado
Time Needed:​ 45 minutos
Lesson Overview
This lesson addresses fourth grade standards, but is not integrated into a specific unit. The
students will be discussing in small groups, synthesizing date as a whole group, and writing
individually. This is a bilingual group of students that spends half of the day in English and
half of the day in Spanish. This lesson will take place in Spanish class, but some English
support will be provided, as there are a few students who are not conversationally proficient
in Spanish.
Driving Question:​ ¿​Cómo se relacionan los animales y las especies en la naturaleza?
Ideal Response:​ A través de relaciones simbióticas, como el mutualismo, el comensalismo y el
parasitismo.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
4.L4U1.11 ​Analyze and interpret environmental data demonstrates that species either adapt
and survive, or go extinct over time.
NGSS:
4-LS1-1 ​Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures
that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. [​Assessment Boundary:
Assessment is limited to macroscopic structures within plant and animal systems.​]

Learning Goals
• KNOWING (main idea): What science content do you want your students to learn? Ex:
Students will know that…..
1. Species relate to each other in a variety of ways. We call the relationship between two
(or more) different species “symbiosis.” There are three types of symbiotic relationships.
2. Mutualism: when two species benefit from each other.
3. Commensalism: when one species benefits while the other one is not affected.
4. Parasitism: when one species benefits by harming another one.
• DOING: What do you want your students to be able to ​do​ as a result of engaging in your
lesson. Ex: Students will be able to….
1. Discuss the meaning of symbiosis and its three different types.
2. Provide examples of mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism found in nature.
3. Create a letter from the perspective of one species to another, that demonstrates their
knowledge of that symbiotic relationship in a creative manner.
Language Learning Goals
·​ ​Goals for speaking, reading, and writing in science:
- SWBAT share verbally with their small group, and with the group as a whole.
- SWBAT write an original letter that demonstrates their knowledge of symbiosis.
- SWBAT use the vocabulary words covered in the lesson in their own writing.
·​ ​Considerations/Accommodations for English learners at various proficiency levels:
- Refer to “Accommodations” section in the different activities of the lesson.
Student Science Toolkits
·​ ​Describe how your lesson connects to and builds on students’ initial ideas about the science
topic:
- At a fourth grade level, students have a basic understanding of the interconnected and
cyclical elements of nature. This lesson will expand on that knowledge, specifically in
how species relate to each other.
·​ ​Describe how your lesson connects to and builds on students’ funds of knowledge:
- Many students have animals in their own homes, and have observed their interactions.
Additionally, these students have been able to observe the interactions between species
in nature, no matter what kind of environment they were raised in. This lesson will use
these experiences as a foundation to be built upon.
·​ ​Describe how your lesson connects to Indigenous Ways of Knowing:
- In the examples of symbiotic relationships, the teacher should use animals that are
familiar to the Native American groups of the geographic area. For example, the Pascua
Yaqui people are familiar the Sonoran Desert, and have a deep spiritual connection with
animals such as the deer.

Materials
Materials teacher will need:
- Access to computer/projector.
- Powerpoint presentation with images of animals and species, as well as vocabulary
words.
Materials students will need:
- Sheets of paper for letters (20)
- Pencils (20)
- Resources for writing provided in the classroom: adjectives word bank, dictionaries.

Preparation
The students will be sitting at the classroom desks. I will have passed out the animal pictures
to student groups. On the board I will have pulled up my powerpoint with the images of the
different animals, as well as important vocabulary words. The students will engage in
classroom conversation from their desks. Then, a student volunteer will pass out the sheets of
paper for their poems, and they will work on them from their desks.
Safety
Regular classroom safety rules will be applied.
Lesson Outline

1 Title: I-AIM Stage & Function

Small Group Brainstorm: How do these Explorar e Investigar: Explorar
animals relate? fenómenos para obtener patrones.

Step-by-step directions for teaching. Include what students do and what the
teacher says/does.
1. The student will be sitting at their desks, and the teacher will divide students into
groups of three.
2. The driving question, “¿Cómo se relacionan los animales y las especies?” will be
put forth. As well as, “¿Cómo se ayudan los animales, o cómo se dañan los
animales entre sí?” The students will not answer the question yet.
3. The teacher will hand out a picture of a symbiotic relationship to each group. The
pictures will show two species interacting through mutualism, commensalism, or
parasitism, the three types of symbiotic relationships. (See ​Lesson Artifacts
section for photo examples.)
4. The student will have 3-5 minutes to discuss the images with their group, and will
then rotate their images with the other groups.
5. Once the students are on their last rotation of pictures, they will share their
responses to the initial questions: “¿Cómo se relacionan los animales y las
especies?” and “¿Cómo se ayudan los animales, o cómo se dañan los animales
entre sí?”
6. Finally, the teacher will ask, “¿Cuáles patrónes notaron?” and students will
verbally share 3-4 connections they have made so far.

Assessment:
What will you look for in student talk/writing/activity that will tell you what students are
thinking? Be sure to align with your knowings and doings.
● Students should be able to draw upon their own experiences and observations of
species’ interactions, and apply this knowledge to their group discussion.
● Teacher will assess student participation through observing small group dialogue.
Accommodations/Adaptations:
What accommodations are necessary for students with special needs? How will you
support students who at various levels of English language development?
Accommodations for Language Learners / IEP students:​ The students will be allowed to
talk with their group in whichever language they are most comfortable in. Because this
activity revolves around photographs, the lesson will be accessible to students of all
linguistic backgrounds, as well as learning levels.

2 Title: I-AIM Stage & Function

Teaching Portion, and Introduction of Explicar: Comparar ideas
Vocabulary estudiantiles y científicas

Step-by-step directions for teaching. Include what students do and what the
teacher says/does.
1. Still in their groups, the students will turn their attention towards the teacher.
2. Along with an anchor chart (example shown below), the teacher will explain: “Lo
que ustedes acaban de observar en sus imágenes son ejemplos de relaciones
simbióticas. Hay tres tipos de relaciones simbióticas.” As as class, the teacher
and students will define the three types together.
Relaciones simbióticas
Mutualismo Cuando dos (o más) especies [BLANK for now].
se benefician entre sí.
+ y +

Comensalismo Cuando una especie se [BLANK for now].

beneficia y la otra no es
afectada.
+ y N

Parasitismo Cuando una especie se [BLANK for now].

beneficia a través de dañar a
otro.
+ y -
Assessment:
What will you look for in student talk/writing/activity that will tell you what students are
thinking? Be sure to align with your knowings and doings.
● Students should be able to listen attentively and participate in a constructive
manner.

Accommodations/Adaptations:
What accommodations are necessary for students with special needs? How will you
support students who at various levels of English language development?
Accommodations for Language Learners / IEP students:​ The use of an anchor chart
provides an added visual aid for students that need additional support in both language
and retention.

3 Title: I-AIM Stage & Function

Classifying Species Explorar e Investigar: Identificar
los patrones.

Step-by-step directions for teaching. Include what students do and what the
teacher says/does.
1. The teacher will now ask one student from each group to bring their photo to the
front of the class.
2. The whole class will decide if the relationship is mutualism, commensalism, or
parasitism. Then, the student will stick the image onto the anchor chart in the
corresponding category.
3. To support student thinking, the teacher can ask, “¿Están estas dos especies
compartiendo refugio, comida o protección? ¿Cómo? ¿De qué forma?”
Relaciones simbióticas
Mutualismo Cuando dos (o más) especies [Imágenes de animales puestas
se benefician entre sí. por los estudiantes].
+ y +

Comensalismo Cuando una especie se [Imágenes de animales puestas

beneficia y la otra no es por los estudiantes].
afectada.
+ y N

Parasitismo Cuando una especie se [Imágenes de animales puestas

 beneficia a través de dañar a por los estudiantes].
otro.
+ y -

Assessment:
What will you look for in student talk/writing/activity that will tell you what students are
thinking? Be sure to align with your knowings and doings.
● Students should be able to synthesize the main ideas that arose in their small
group discussions, and provide a summary of their findings to the whole class.
● Then, students should be able to work collaboratively to come to a conclusion
about which type of symbiosis the photographs demonstrate.

Accommodations/Adaptations:
What accommodations are necessary for students with special needs? How will you
support students who at various levels of English language development?
Accommodations for Language Learners/ IEP students:​ All insights regarding the
classification of the images will be discussed. This will give a space to language learners
and IEP students to be able to participate verbally, since there are many “right” answers
to this activity.

4 Title: I-AIM Stage & Function

Language Arts Follow-up Activity: Symbiotic Aplicar: Aplicar a contextos
Letters similares con apoyo.

Step-by-step directions for teaching. Include what students do and what the
teacher says/does.
1. At this point, the students will work individually at their desks. The teacher will be
pacing the room and assisting students individually as needed.
2. The teacher will hand out sheets to paper to students with a template of a letter.
3. Each student will choose one of the three types of symbiotic relationships, and
write a letter from the perspective of one species to another species. For
example, a letter from a flower to a bee. The students should choose their
animals from the examples on the anchor chart, unless if they want to think of
another relationship on their own.
 4. The teacher should clarify the guidelines for this writing assignment by reviewing
the points that should be addressed in the letter:
a. Imaginate come el animal (o especie) que escogiste se siente hacia el
otro animal. ¿Qué tipo de carta le escribiría? ¿Una carta de amor,
amistad, enojo, or indiferencia?
b. Menciona la información que discutimos como clase. Por ejemplo, el rol
del refugio, la comida y la protección en esta relación simbiótica.
5. Finally, the students should read their letter out loud to their “shoulder buddy” (the
student sitting next to them) to proofread and get some feedback for final
revisions.

Assessment:
What will you look for in student talk/writing/activity that will tell you what students are
thinking? Be sure to align with your knowings and doings.
● Students should be able to write a complete letter from the perspective of one
species to another. They should demonstrate their understanding of how the
species relate, and how they benefit and/or harm each other. This is also an
opportunity to express a creative understanding of symbiosis, through assigning
emotions (such as love, anger, indifference, frustration) to the different species.

Accommodations/Adaptations:
What accommodations are necessary for students with special needs? How will you
support students who at various levels of English language development?
Accommodations for Language Learners/ IEP students:​ This is an activity with a lot of
possibilities for accommodations. The letter can be shortened for some students with
shorter attention spans, or a word bank can be provided for language learners to refer to.
Additionally, a teacher could even create a fill-in-the-blank template, to give students
more guidance.
Lesson Artifacts
Attach copies of any handouts, activity sheets, overheads, etc. (These may be turned in as hard
copies in class).
Bibliography/ Sources
What sources did you use in the creation of this lesson plan? Did you build from any existing
materials? If so, list them here. Please include URLs for websites if applicable.

Images for Symbiotic Relationships:

https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/symbiotic-relationship?mediatype=photography&phrase=s
ymbiotic%20relationship&sort=mostpopular

Animal Symbiosis Lesson Outline: ​https://www.education.com/lesson-plan/animal-symbiosis/

Additional Lesson Plan: ​http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceLesson/Preview/131012