Name: Monique Czaczkowski

Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: Ecosystems of the World
Subject: Science- Biology

Grade: 9 Academic
Date: October 6, 2014

Time: 75 minutes

Description:
This is an introductory unit lesson plan for Grade 9 Biology: Sustainable Ecosystems.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
Ontario Curricular Overall Expectations (numbers from documents and details)
B3. Demonstrate an understanding of the dynamic nature of ecosystems, particularly in terms of
ecological balance and the impact of human activity on the sustainability of terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems.
Ontario Curricular Specific Expectations (numbers from documents and details) selected & listed from
the Ont. Curriculum, refined when necessary, has verbs that are observable & measureable, has realistic number of
expectations (1to 3), have expectations that match assessment

B2.1. Use appropriate terminology related to sustainable ecosystems, including but not limited to:
bioaccumulation, biosphere, diversity, ecosystem, equilibrium, sustainability, sustainable use,
protection, and watershed.
B3.1. Compare and contrast biotic and abiotic characteristics of sustainable and unsustainable
terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Learning Goals Discuss with students: What will I be learning today? (Clearly identify what students are expected
to know and be able to do, in language that students can really understand)

The learning goal for this period is to be able to define, classify, and provide examples of
ecosystem terminology and relate this knowledge to understand how abiotic and biotic factors
interact in a biological network.
Today we will learn...
Ecosystem terminology
Connections between biotic and abiotic factors
Roles of biotic factors in food webs
ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION
Success Criteria Discuss with students: How will I know I have learned what I need to learn? (Clearly identify
the criteria to assess students learning, as well as what evidence of learning students will provide to demonstrate
their knowledge, skills and thinking, in language that students can readily understand, what learning skills/work habits
will students demonstrate)

I can: define and provide examples of components in an ecosystem

I can: define and provide examples of abiotic and biotic factors
I can: produce an ecosystem food web and understand the connections
Assessment How will I know students have learned what I intended?

Achievement Chart Categories (highlight/circle the ones that apply): Knowledge and Understanding;
Thinking; Communications; Application

Assessment For:
Assessment AS: Self-Evaluation
Assessment OF:
Assessment Mode: Oral and Written
Assessment Strategy: Group Activity and Class Discussion
Assessment Tool: Observational- Fist of Five
CONSIDERATIONS FOR PLANNING
Prior Learning: Prior to this lesson, students will have
Basic knowledge and understanding of ecosystems
Basic knowledge and understanding of biotic and abiotic factors
Basic knowledge and understanding of food webs
Differentiation: Content, Process, Product, Assessment/Accommodations, Modifications
Vocabulary (for word wall and/or to develop schema)
Ecosystem, abiotic, biotic, producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer,
scavenger, predator, prey, food web
Resources and Materials
I will be using the SmartBoard to develop the Ecosystem bubble map, write down important
terms, and to display the triangle food web template. One food web template will be provided to
each group and one textbook section handout will be provided to each student. (From the
Investigating SCIENCE 9 textbook by Pearson- page 30)
Learning Environment (grouping, transitions; physical set up)
At each table, 4-5 students will be seated during the lesson in preparation for the group activity.
Cross Curricular Links
This lesson plan is for Grade 9 Academic Science but can also be applicable to Grade 9 Applied
Science.
Lesson Delivery Format
Write the lesson description with enough detail that another teacher could replicate the lesson without a personal discussion.

What teacher does:

What students do:
Minds on: Motivational Hook/ Engagement/ Introduction (5-15 min) establishing a positive learning
environment, connecting to prior learning, setting the connect for learning, key question to guide lesson

On the board, outline the schedule for the class.

Ask students to engage in a classroom
discussion on what they know about
ecosystems. As a teacher, develop a bubble
map on the board.

The students will be engaged in the discussion,

sharing their previous knowledge of
ecosystems. This will also introduce the DI
technique Bubble Map for students to
eventually make one on their own.

Action: During / Working on it (35-40 min) introducing new learning or extending/reinforcing prior learning,

providing opportunities for practice &application of learning

On the board, define the terms ecosystem,

abiotic, biotic, predator, and prey. Ask the class
to suggest examples for each term.

The students will be copying down the

information on the board for their own notes.
They will also be contributing to these notes by
suggesting examples.

Play the video tilted Bill Nye The Science Guy

on the Food Web (Full Clip).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YwW-iWxLr4
Provide each student a photocopy of the section
from textbook (page 30 in Investigating
SCIENCE 9 textbook by Pearson) and each
group one triangle food web template. Choose
one student to be the writer and ask them as a
group to fill in the food web based on prior
knowledge and the information from the
textbook section.

Students will work together to identify key

words and phrases in the reading section, and
transfer it to the appropriate area of the
triangle.

After sufficient time is given, discuss the

findings of each group as a class.

They will use others notes to add to or refine

their own as a group. Display the food webs
around the class to allow the students to refer
back to them if needed.
Consolidation & Connection (Reflect and Connect) (10-15 min) helping students demonstrate what
they have learned, providing opportunities for consolidation and reflection

Ask students to reflect on the key components

of the lesson: important concept terms,
connections between biotic and abiotic factors,
and the roles of biotic factors in food webs. Go
over any concepts that need further clarification.

The students will show their level of

understanding for each concept through the
differentiated instruction technique known as
Fist of Five where students use their fingers
as a scale of one to five to express their
understanding.

If time permits, identify some factors related to Students will retrieve their prior knowledge of
human activity that have an impact on
how human activities affect the environment.
ecosystems and write them on the SmartBoard. This will prep them for the next lesson.
Refer to this list during the next lesson.

Extension Activities/ Next Steps (where will this lesson lead to next)
During the next lesson, each student will be provided an article on the impacts of human pollution
on coral reefs. As a class, read the article and discuss the importance of ecosystem balance and
how human activities impact the environment. The follow-up activity will require students to write a
one-paragraph reflection on possible solutions that can help modify human activity to reduce the
negative effects on the environment and promote sustainable ecosystems.
Personal Reflection (what went well, what would I change, what will I have to consider in my next lesson for this

subject/topic)

The Lesson:
The PowerPoint, triangle food web template, textbook section handout, and YouTube video
provided the students with a variety of visual aids and learning techniques to engage all types of
learners. The lesson also incorporates individual learning as well as group work and class
discussions to keep the students focused and engaged. For future lessons, I could ask students
to make a food web based on the food items they have ate in the last week to help apply the
concepts to daily life.
The Teacher:
For the group activity involving the food web, I only had one student per group writing down the
information. It may be more valuable to have all students in the group writing down the
information on their own triangle food web that way they can include it as part of their study notes
for tests and wont have to refer to the templates displayed around the class.

Board Notes:
Todays Schedule:
-Ecosystem Bubble Map
-Lecture/Notes
-Video
-Food Web Activity
-Review
Important Ecosystem Terms for Todays Class:
Ecosystem: Complex, self-regulating system in which living things
interact with each other and with nonliving things
Abiotic: Non-living; physical things, such as rocks, air, and water, or
things that are measured, such as air temperature, hours of daylight,
and salt concentration in seawater
Biotic: Living, biotic factors are organisms such as animals, plants,
mushrooms, bacteria, and algae
Predator: Animal that catches and feeds on other live animals
Prey: Animals that predators hunt and catch
Food web: a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains

Food Chain Activity

After reading the section Producers and Consumers, place any word or
phrase that represents the appropriate term in the triangle (I.e. definitions,
examples, etc.)

Sc
av
en
ge
rs
Tertiary
Consumer

Secondary Consumer

Primary Consumer

Producer

Coral Reefs
An Ocean of Trouble
By L. Jeremy Richardson and Stuart Thornton
Coral reefs are important ocean
habitats and offer a compelling case of
the risks of climate change. Reefs
provide a large fraction of Earths
biodiversitythey have been called
the rain forests of the
seas. Scientists
estimate that 25 percent
of all marine species
live in and around coral
reefs, making them one
of the most diverse
habitats in the world.
Paulo Maurin,
education and fellowship coordinator
for NOAAs Coral Reef Conservation
Program, says the reefs are
invaluable to our planets biodiversity.
They act as productive nurseries to
many fish species, giving the small
fish a home and a chance to grow, he
says. Coral reefs diversity is so rich
that we do not have a firm count on all
the species that live within it and every
year discover new species.
Reefs provide a variety of economic
benefits, including recreational
activities, tourism, coastal protection,
habitat for commercial fisheries, and
preservation of marine ecosystems.
Corals are important to us for many
reasons, Maurin says. From a
practical point of view, they can help
protect coastlines from storm events,
for instance, and help maintain
fisheries that are essential to a lot of
people. And complex compounds

found in coral reefs hold promises in

modern medicine. These are what we
call ecosystem services that would be
very difficult and expensive to replace.
They also have a
unique ability to
inspire us to explore
and visit the ocean.
Can you think of any
other invertebrate
that people would
come from afar just
to see?
Corals live with algae in a type of
relationship called symbiosis. This
means the organisms cooperate with
each other. The algae, called
zooxanthellae, live inside the corals,
which provide a tough outer shell
made from calcium carbonate. In
return for that protection, the algae
provide their host with food produced
through photosynthesis.
Zooxanthellae also provide corals with
their striking colors.
This symbiotic relationship is strongly
dependent on the temperature of the
surrounding water. As the water
warms, zooxanthellae are expelled
from a corals tissue, causing it to lose
its color and a major source of food.
This process is known as coral
bleaching.
Coral bleaching does not always
mean the death of a coral reef. Corals
can recover their zooxanthellae in
time, but the process requires cooler
temperatures.

Warmer ocean water also becomes

more acidic. Ocean acidification is
making it more difficult for corals to
build their hard exoskeletons. In
Australias Great Barrier Reef, coral
calcification has declined 14.2 percent
since 1990a large, rapid decline that
hasnt been seen for 400 years.
Ocean acidification also occurs
because of rising carbon dioxide
(CO2) levels. The ocean absorbs
carbon dioxide released into the
atmosphere. Carbon dioxide alters the
chemistry of seawater by reducing pH,
a measure of acidity. Water that has a
lower pH is more acidic.
When the pH of seawater is lowered
as a result of CO2, the availability of
carbonate ionsone of the main
building blocks in their calciumcarbonate skeletonsis reduced, and
corals have a tougher time building
up, or even maintaining, their
skeleton, Maurin says.
The combination of rising ocean
temperatures and increased acidity
will likely cause major changes to
coral reefs over the next few decades
and centuries. New research suggests
that corals may begin to dissolve at
atmospheric CO2 concentrations as
low as 560 parts per million, which
could be reached by the middle of this
century if emissions are not curbed. In

2010, atmospheric carbon dioxide

levels were around 390 parts per
million.
Maurin believes there are several
ways people can help preserve these
valuable resources.
Over the long term, we need to
reduce the amount of CO2 that is up
in the atmosphere that is causing both
increased bleaching and acidification,
he says. But in the more immediate
time, there are other ways to help. By
understanding that bleaching and
acidification stress corals, we can help
by building up what we call reef
resiliency. That is, making sure that
reefs have this capacity to bounce
back.
For instance, ensuring that there is
less pollution entering the ocean can
help far-away corals. Also, people can
help by making sure that the seafood
consumed is sustainable and not
contributing to a depletion of fish
species that keep algae in check,
following fishing regulations when
fishing, as well as supporting marine
protected areas in key conservation
sites.

http://education.nationalgeographic
.com/education/news/coral-reefs/?
ar_a=1#page=1