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L.Yearta
Lesson Plan Form

Teacher: Roger Turner
Unit Name: Life Science
Lesson Title: Place that Animal Where it Belongs
Grade Level: Fourth Grade

Standards Objective(s) Assessment
CCSS:
4-2.2 Explain how the
characteristics of
distinct environments
(including swamps,
rivers and streams,
tropical rain forests,
deserts, and the polar
regions) influence the
variety of organisms
in each.


The student will be
able to discuss how
the characteristics of
their distinct
environment will
influence the survival
of a new animal.



Students will become
ecologists who have
discovered a new
animal. Based on the
adaptations of this
newly discovered
animal, students in
groups of four to five
need to persuade
members of BEANS
(Biome Ecologists for
the Advancement of
New Species) by
writing at least two
complete sentences
that include
characteristics that
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makes their biome the
right fit for this new
animal to survive.
Students will then use
their knowledge of the
climate and common
animal characteristics
of a biome to argue
that your groups
biome is the best
chance of survival for
the new animal.

Materials and Resources: (1) Chart of Characteristics of Distinct
Environments (2) Paper (3) Pencils
Lesson Introduction
*How will you engage
your students in the
topic?
The teacher will remind the students of the
material theyve been covering over the past
week. The teacher will show the students a
chart that describes the characteristics of the
environments they have learned. After
reviewing, the teacher will place the students
into five groups assigning each group an
environment. The teacher will tell the students
to begin thinking about the characteristics that
make their environment appropriate for the
survival for the animals that live there. After
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students formulate this information, the
teacher will inform the students that what they
did was discuss how the characteristics of their
distinct environment will influence the survival
of a new animal. Today, were debate why our
assigned environment will best support a
newly discovered animal.

Procedure
*Be specific give
step-by-step
instructions
First, the teacher will connect the review to the
objective for the day. We used information
from the chart to help refresh our knowledge of
the characteristics of these five different
environments. (Example: The polar regions
temperature is consistently cold.) Just like you
used information from the chart youll use
information to discuss how the characteristics
of a distinct environment will influence the
survival of a new animal. We can debate why
this specific environment is the best fit for the
animal when we use understandings from our
readings and activate our learned knowledge.
Second, the teacher will divide the students
into five groups and assign each group an
environment. The teacher will direct the
students to gather information that will help
support their argument as to why their
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environment is best suited for the survival of a
newly discovered animal. The teacher will
explain, Based on the adaptations of this
newly discovered animal, your group needs to
persuade members of BEANS (Biome
Ecologists for the Advancement of New
Species) that your biome or environment is the
right fit for this new animal to survive. This
newly discovered animal is cold blooded, has
white fur, breathes with gills and lungs,
primary prey is lizards and scorpions, lives in
trees or under water, and lays eggs who design
resembles water lilies. The animal is called a
Yeartamus. After this information is given the
students will gather their information for
debate. The teacher will monitor the groups to
see if they are coming up with supported facts
of information to add to the debate. The
students should come up with at least two
reasons that convey how the characteristics of
their distinct environment will influence the
survival of the new animal. The teacher will be
walking around and taking notice of who is
contributing to the group discussion. The
groups that need the most support will be
assisted by the teacher.
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The teacher will finish by allowing the
students to take turns and share their
reasonings as why their environment is the
best. The teacher will formally assess the
responses looking for correct statements of
how the characteristics of their distinct
environment will influence the survival of a
new animal.
**Students who were struggling in the lesson
will be pulled to a small group so that the
teacher can give more individualized attention.


Lesson Closure
*How will you
summarize the lesson?
Students that want to create their own animals
may write in their journals and share how the
characteristics of an environment will
influence the survival this new animal. The
teacher will wrap up by reminding students
that the characteristics of an environment will
influence the survival of the animal.
Differentiation
How else could your students demonstrate proficiency? What other
products could they create?

Differentiation (A)

What intelligences
are met?
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What level of
Blooms is expected?
Include the verbs
that indicate the
level of Blooms.

Differentiation (B)


What intelligences
are met?

What level of
Blooms is expected?
Include the verbs
that indicate the
level of Blooms.


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Summary of Characteristics of Distinct Environments

Swamps
Rivers and
Streams
Tropical
rainforests
Deserts Polar regions
Temperature

Warm-hot Varies Hot Hot-cold Cold
Water
Abundant Water
environment
Humid Dry Dry/
Frozen
Plant life
(examples)
Cypress
trees,
Ferns,
Water lilies
Bushes/Trees
on banks,
Water plants
Abundant
Trees, vines,
Lush growth
Scarce
Cactus
Mostly
Lichens, mosses
Animal life
(examples)
Alligators
Water birds
Turtles
Fish, Crayfish
Snakes
Insects
Birds,
Frogs,
Monkeys
Lizards,
Scorpions,
Rabbits
Seals
Polar bears
Penguins