Ecosystems Project Lesson Plan (2/23)

Total Time: 70 minutes

Lesson Objectives:
- Reinforce grammar skills (compound/complex sentences, proper nouns, adjectives, and
adverbs)
- Let students discover how their Ecosystems project in Science is organized like an
essay in English
- Provide students with a concrete tool to help them write for their Ecosystems project
(graphic organizer with space for notes)
- Provide students with adequate work time and support to complete at least two of the
introductory paragraph sections of their Ecosystems project

Lesson Goals:
- Students will practice writing compound sentences and properly including proper nouns,
adjectives, and adverbs in their sentences.
- Students will make connections between our work on essays in English and the writing
portion of their Ecosystems project in Science.
- Students will use a graphic organizer to take notes and revise their work on the
introductory paragraph sections of their Ecosystems project.

Lesson Products:
- Relay sentences (formatively checked, not collected)
- Hamburger sort (formatively checked, not collected)
- Graphic organizer (each section formatively checked, to be collected at the end of the
project for a Conventions and Expository grade)

Learning Target (LT):

- LT 8: I can identify connections between essay writing and my Ecosystem project.
- LT 8: I can write/revise at least two sections of my Ecosystem Project.

Overarching Goals:
- Through this collaborative project, students will see connections between content areas.
- At the end of this project, students will be able to show what they know for LT 5:
CONVENTIONS and LT 8: EXPOSITORY WRITING, two long-term Learning Targets.
- This work reinforces the work of essay writing that students have been practicing all
year, a very valuable skill for their education moving forward.

Colorado Academic Standards:

- 1. Oral Expression and Listening 1. Communication skills and interviewing techniques
are required to gather information and to develop and deliver oral presentations a.
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
 teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on
others ideas and expressing their own clearly. (CCSS: SL.8.1)
- 3. Writing and Composition 2. Ideas and supporting details in informational and
persuasive texts are organized for a variety of audiences and purposes and evaluated
for quality b. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas,
concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant
content. (CCSS: W.8.2) i. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize
ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g.,
headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding
comprehension. (CCSS: W.8.2a) ii. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts,
definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. (CCSS:
W.8.2b) iii. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the
relationships among ideas and concepts. (CCSS: W.8.2c) iv. Use precise language and
domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. (CCSS: W.8.2d) v.
Establish and maintain a formal style. (CCSS: W.8.2e) vi. Provide a concluding
statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation
presented. (CCSS: W.8.2f) vii. Elaborate to give detail, add depth, and continue the flow
of an idea

Learning Styles Engaged:

- Visual-spatial because students will be working with graphic organizers, and they will be
able to see the written agenda, learning target, and instructions
- Verbal-linguistic because students will be listening to verbal instructions and contributing
to group discussion
- Logical-mathematical because students will be sequencing the parts of their project
- Bodily-kinesthetic because students will get up to relay, move around slips of paper, go
to the SmartBoard, and get out of their seats for Story Time
- Interpersonal because students will be contributing to group discussion
- Intrapersonal because students will have independent work time between tip sessions

Differentiation:
- Students on specific learning plans are able to use tools such as talk-to-text and typing
helpers.

Minute-by-Minute Post-Lesson Reflection

(2 min.) Welcome!
- Reminder: Intensive Essay Extension due today on
Classroom
- Reminder: Final Chapter 3 due next Friday, March 3rd
- Yesterday we gave support for Chapter 3 via:
- Individualized Screencasts
 - Sense of Place Workshop
- Use this to work at home: 20 min. Per night will keep
you in good shape!
- We will be having some in-class work time, but we will
additionally be helping you with Kevin and Allens
class

(5 min.) Grammar Warm-Up: Sticky-note table relay!

Instructions on the SmartBoard. Write a compound-sentence
that includes a:
- Proper noun
- Adjective
- Adverb
The entire table needs to be checked off to win, so ask peers
for help. You know the drill!

(2 min.) The rest of class will be dedicated to your Ecosystem

Story Map project.
- Who can give me a quick summary of what this
project is about?
- Does this project require writing to convey information
and ideas?

(1 min.) Address first LT. The writing portion of your

Ecosystems project is a lot like an essay; it just looks
different. We have used this hamburger to think about essay
structure before.
- What does each section represent in an essay?

(2 min.) I am handing each table one of these hamburgers

and some slips of paper. The slips of paper have all of the
different written components that go into the sidebar of your
Ecosystems project. When I say (magic word), your tables
job is to figure out where each part would go if this were an
essay. This task is harder than it seems, so it is especially
important that every table member is involved and on task so
we can have plenty of work time today. Questions? (Magic
word!)

(5 min.) Hamburger Sort!

BE: All students participate and are on-task. Not following
this expectation will lead to a refocus, 3 of which will lead to a
hall conference.
AE: Students should show that they can think critically about
where each part might go, and that they can work
collaboratively.
TE: I will be wandering the room, checking for on-task
behavior and understanding. I will give students who need
some extra support through targeted questioning.

(5 min.) Once most tables have the hamburger sorted, call on I need to get better at
individual students to drag pieces into the hamburger on the holding students accountable
SmartBoard so that we can make connections as a class. for all participating. Most
- Which part is like a factual overview? students took an active role,
- Where does the thesis go? but how do I address the few
- Why should you avoid talking about impacts in the who do not in the future?
factual overview? - Catch phrase (get
- What are the so whats? your head in the
- Why are the final elements fitting for a conclusion? game)
- Refocus
(1 min.) Self assess first LT 1-5 on hand. - Hall conference

(1 min.) You all are familiar with writing essays, so our hope
is that by thinking about your project this way, the writing
expectations begin to make more sense as you can make
these connections.
- What kind of tool do we always give you when we
assign an essay?

(5 min.) Graphic organizer: Pull up on SmartBoard, Story

Time seating
- Explain the format
- Explain that we want students working in this
organizer, checking off sections with us, and THEN
copying them to their project (Matt and I are here to
help with the words, not the other bells and whistles
on your project--we will also be assessing you on the
words under Conventions and Expository Writing)
- This means that today, when I say (magic word), you
will go back to your seats, pull up your project, and
copy and paste each section into the g.o. (then you
will CLOSE your project)
- We will be going over each section as a class
step-by-step so that we can go over some helpful tips
with you (there is a spot to take notes about these tips
on the organizer!) and provide focused work time on
each section
- Address second LT.
- Questions?
- You have three minutes! [Silent transition]
- (Magic word!)

(4 min.) Move to seats, copy and paste time Ill keep track
of time
(34 min.) Once most students have finished copying and
pasting, pull up graphic organizer with notes
- Review title tips, provide a fun example
like...Canadas Embarrassment Justin Bieber Breaks
Hearts Around the Globe or...Lady Gaga: Superstar
and Super Far Out
- Instruct students to revise their titles, and raise their
hand to checked off by Matt or I
- Next, review Home Slide tips, provide work time,
check off students
- Continue moving through this process
Differentiation:
- Fast students: Help peers revise, or make other Students were at different
revisions where they know they need to points in their project, so
- Slow students: They can work at their own pace on going through it together was
each section, as long as they pause revisions to write not effective. Instead,
down notes about each section to refer to when they students working where they
are ready to move on needed to fit best.

(2 min.) Check in with LT: Who completed one? Two? More? Using a printed checklist to
We will continue to work on this with you throughout the check students off was
project. Time for LNT. helpful. The problem was that
students who were very far
along took longer to meet
with, taking away time from
others. Maybe a peer check
would be better?