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Anna Gallacher Grade Level: 5th Grade Inclusion Time Frame: One and a half class periods Unit:

: Ecosystems Topic: Predators vs. Prey Purpose (Essential Questions): 1. What is the importance of competition in ecosystems? 2. How do animals survive while competing in ecosystems? Objectives: 1. Students will be able to explain the term competition in their own words. 2. Students will be able to pair an animals defensive trait with that specific animal. 3. Students will be able to articulate why competition takes place in ecosystems. 4. Students will be able to create a prey animal and describe the adaptations it has in order to survive. Vocabulary: Predator- an animal that kills and eats other animals Prey- an animal that is killed by a predator. Competition- an event or contest in, which people compete, expecting to win or gain something. New York State Learning Standards: Standard 1: Analysis, Inquiry, and Design - Key Idea 1: o The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations or natural phenomena in a continuing, creative process. S1.1. Ask why questions in attempts to seek greater understanding concerning objects and events they have observed and heard about. S1.3. Develop relationships among observations to construct descriptions of objects and events and to form their own tentative explanations of what they have observed. Standard 6: Systems Thinking - Key Idea 1: o Through systems thinking, people, can recognize commonalities that exist among all systems and how parts of a system interrelate and combine to perform specific functions. Observe and describe interactions among components of simple systems. Identify common things that can be considered to be systems.

Pre-Assessment/Do Now (5 minutes): Choose one ecosystem that we previous learned and choose three living things and three nonliving things that exist in that ecosystem. Please record your answers in your science notebooks. Set Induction (5 minutes): Have you ever played in a sporting event or a game? Why types of sports or games have you played? Have you ever challenged your siblings or cousins to a race or basketball game? o I challenged my cousin to a game of ping-pong on Thanksgiving. If you have participated in any of the things I just mentioned, then you have participated in a competition. o Competition is when you compete in an event or a contest expecting to win or gain something. Lesson Presentation: Time 10-15 minutes Procedure Introduction - Organisms are constantly competing with one another to survive in ecosystems. Many animals have special body parts and engage in different behaviors to survive. - There are two types of organisms competing in an ecosystem. o Have you heard of the terms predator and prey? Does anyone know what these terms mean? (The teacher will write the definitions on the board) o Predators: animals that kill and eat other animals. o Prey: animals that are killed and eaten by predators. Matching Activity - We are going to play a quick matching game to show how animals protect themselves from their predators. - The students will be asked to get into their science groups. (They contain 4-5 students) - The teacher will pass out cards with pictures of animals and cards with defense mechanisms on them. The students will have to match the animals with its survival tactic. - We will go over the matches one by one and the teacher will put the animals in a chart on a piece of chart paper. - As a class we will go over why these survival tactics are important. o Why are these survival tactics to critical to the animals survival? o What would happen if these animals didnt have these

30 minutes

traits? Each student will be given a copy of On Defense to refer back to during the unit.

10 minutes

Creating an Organism - All of the special body features and behaviors that we just observed are very important in helping an organism stay alive. - Students will be asked to break up into pairs from their science groups. They will be given a creating an organism worksheet. - Each pair will then be given a worksheet appropriate for their level and coloring utensils. o On the back they will draw their organism and on the front they will complete the worksheet. - They will be asked to come up with an animal that is either a real life animal or an animal that is completely made up. - They are responsible for coming up with an animal, determining what habitat it lives in, drawing that animal with its special features, and then determining three adaptations that the animals has to survive in its environment. - After creating their animals, they will have to complete the creating and organism worksheet, determining the importance of their animals defensive traits. Then they will be asked to include what would happen if their animal didnt have these special body parts or behaviors. Closure - The students will have the opportunity to share their organisms and engage in a grand conversation about their survival techniques. o What is the name of your organism? What type of habitat does it survive in? o What type of animals prey on your organism? o What three adaptations allow this organism to survive in its environment? o What would happen if your animals didnt have those special body parts or behaviors?

Materials: - Science notebooks - Pencils - Colored Pencils - Markers - Crayons - Animal Cards - Animal Survival Tactic Cards - On Defense Worksheet

Creating an Organism Worksheet

Differentiation: - Matching Activity: o Students have predetermined science groups that consist of different leveled students. The students will be able to help each other complete the task. The higher leveled students will be able to guide and support the lower leveled students. Creating and Organism Activity: o Advanced Students: These students will have write and describe, in a page, the three adaptations on their creating organisms worksheet. They will then be asked to determine which animals would prey on this animal in their habitat. Their worksheet will have the details that they will have to include but they will have to formulate and organize their ideas in their own way. o On grade level: The students on grade level will have to write and describe their animals but these students will be prompted by questions to help guide them in writing. o Below grade level: These students will be asked to list their adaptations and then write a brief sentence on why they are important to their animals survival. Resources: - NYS Learning Standards: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/pub/elecoresci.pdf Activity: http://cnx.org/content/m19964/latest/ On Defense Worksheet: http://printables.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/00/SPB00_099. pdf

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