STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Teacher: Ms. Acacia Chacon

School: Boltz Middle School
Social Studies

Date: 4/27/15
Grade Level: 7th

Title: Discovering New Species

Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson:

directly from the standard)

Content Area:
Lesson #:__ of __

(Write Content Standards

7th Grade Social Studies Standard 2: Geography

Concept 2: Regions have different issues and perspectives
Evidence Outcome A: Classify data to construct thematic maps and make
inferences (DOK 1-3)
Evidence Outcome D: Explain how the physical environment of a place influences its
economy, culture
and trade relations.

Understandings: Students will understand the complex geographic conditions that

divide Southeast Asia and influence native people, plants and wildlife in the area.

Inquiry Questions:
What is the importance in exploring undiscovered areas of Southeast Asia?
Is it important to discover new plant and animal species? Why or why not?
How do geographic conditions affect people, plants and animals in a certain area?

Evidence Outcomes:
Every student will be able to: State the characteristics of one newly discovered
species from Southeast Asia and explain the geographic reason why these species
have never made contact with humans.
I can: Explain why the mountain chain in New Guinea is isolated as well as describe
the characteristics of one newly discovered species from this area.
This means: I will be able to conceptualize the geographic barriers humans have to
overcome to discover new areas of the Earth and explain a new species of animal
discovered in the region being studied, Southeast Asia.

Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences

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STEPP Lesson Plan Form

List of Assessments:
Students will collaboratively complete a worksheet with various species
characteristics. The students will be assessed on their answer to the question Is it
important to discover new plants and animals? Why or Why not? Found on the
worksheet as well as report to the class their specific species characteristics tailored
to the environment and why the species is isolated from human contact.

Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences

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STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Planned Lesson Activities

Name and Purpose of Lesson
Should be a creative title for you and the
students to associate with the activity.
Think of the purpose as the mini-rationale
for what you are trying to accomplish
through this lesson.

Approx. Time and Materials

How long do you expect the activity to
last and what materials will you need?

Anticipatory Set
The hook to grab students attention.
These are actions and statements by the
teacher to relate the experiences of the
students to the objectives of the lesson,
To put students into a receptive frame of
mind.
To focus student attention on the
lesson.
To create an organizing framework
for the ideas, principles, or
information that is to follow
(advanced organizers)
An anticipatory set is used any time a
different activity or new concept is to be
introduced.
How do you intend to engage your
students in thinking during the
Anticipatory Set?
Why are you using it at this point in
your lesson?

Discovering New Species. As part of our unit on South and East Asia we
will analyze the importance of examining and researching unexplored
areas of South and East Asia as well as the importance of studying
unidentified species.

50 Minutes. SmartBoard and internet access for video

Worksheets for each group of 2
Articles to go with worksheet
-Attendance Question: Name a unique or obscure animal
Begin class with a 3 minute discussion on discovering animals from
previous units
Introduce NatGeo video about Kristofer Helgens exploration in South
Asia
Use 4 minute video as tool go gain students interest and attention and
provide context

The strategy I intend to use is: Personal connection to the material

I am using this strategy here because: This group of students loves
animals and have often chosen animals as a subject of study in past
units so I will lead a discussion on unique animals to frame the lesson in
terms that the students will relate to.

Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences

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STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Procedures
(Include a play-by-play account of what
students and teacher will do from the
minute they arrive to the minute they
leave your classroom. Indicate the length
of each segment of the lesson. List actual
minutes.)
Indicate whether each is:
-teacher input
-modeling
-questioning strategies
-guided/unguided:
-whole-class practice
-group practice
-individual practice
-check for understanding
-other

How do you intend to engage your

students in thinking during the
PROCEDURE?
Why are you using it at this point in
your lesson?

00:00-00:05 Settling into class and asking attendance question

00:05-00:10 Lead brief discussion on our fondness for animals and
naming animals common to South Asia (Whole Class Practice)
00:10-00:13 Introduce Kristofer Helgen and a background of his
explorations (Teacher Input)
00:13-00:17 Kristofer Helgen video
00:17-00:27 Debrief video and introduce worksheet (Teacher Input)
Lead example of pulling out key points from an article
(Modeling)
Break off into groups of 2, chosen by me
00:27-00:42 Students work in groups of 2 to read brief article on
species assigned and fill out corresponding section on worksheet.
(Group Practice)
-Ill circulate to aid in annotating or pulling relevant info out
from article
00:42-00:52 Regroup students and direct a brief description of each
groups species for other students to fill in their worksheet as well as
any questions (Whole class practice and questioning strategies)
00:52:1:00 Discuss and come to a collective answer for Inquiry
Question on worksheet What is the importance of exploring
undiscovered areas of Southeast Asia? Is it important to discover new
plant and animal species, why or why not?

The strategy I intend to use is: circulating and grouping

I am using this strategy here because: I know the students
personalities well enough to know how to group the students in groups
of 2 which will challenge some students and allow groups to use diverse
personalities to think of different answers for the worksheet. I will
circulate, not to help fill in the worksheet, but to offer tips on pulling out
important information from the articles to support the literacy
standards

Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences

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STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Closure
Those actions or statements by a teacher
that are designed to bring a lesson
presentation to an appropriate conclusion.
Used to help students bring things
together in their own minds, to make
sense out of what has just been taught.
Any Questions? No. OK, lets move on is
not closure. Closure is used:
To cue students to the fact that
they have arrived at an important
point in the lesson or the end of a
lesson.
To help organize student learning
To help form a coherent picture and to
consolidate.
two

Discuss and come to a collective answer for Inquiry Question on

worksheet What is the importance of exploring undiscovered areas of
Southeast Asia? Is it important to discover new plant and animal
species, why or why not?

The strategy I intend to use is Exit Ticket

I am using this strategy here because: We will have been working on
the worksheet for the majority of class but the only question I find to be
essential is the last question which we answer together so telling
students that that portion must be filled in before they can leave will
allow for engaged discussion in the last 5 minutes of class

Differentiation
To modify: If the activity is too advanced
for a child, how will you modify it so that
they can be successful?
To extend: If the activity is too easy for a
child, how will you extend it to develop
their emerging skills?

Assessment
How will you know if students met the
learning targets? Write a description of

My differentiation will be based in my purposeful grouping. I know

which students will accomplish the worksheet without a problem and
will pair them with the students who either: struggle to focus, are slow
to process or otherwise need a little support. This allows the advanced
students to teach or aid in the assignment which supports their own
understanding and gives the students who lack focus a chance to be
engaged in the material because their partner is focused.
My assessment will be two-pronged. First, I will evaluate the students
ability to pull out relevant information from a text by analyzing their

Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences

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STEPP Lesson Plan Form

what you were looking for in each
assessment.

species descriptions to the class. Second, I will evaluate the group

discussion on the final question to gauge an understanding of
conservation and ecological exploration as it ties into our unit

Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences

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STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Post Lesson Reflection

1. To what extent were lesson objectives achieved? (Utilize
assessment data to justify your level of achievement)
a. The students did very well in critically responding to the question
Is it important to study new species? They gave answers
which demonstrated deep thought and connections to the real
world
i. An example of this is when Carissa answered yes, it is
important to study new animal and plant species because
the discovery of these species could lead the discovery of
new disease, cures to illnesses or sources of food.

2. What changes, omissions, or additions to the lesson would

you make if you were to teach again?
a. If I were to teach this lesson again I would provide
supplemental/anecdotal images or videos of the species we
examined to add interest to the lesson.

3. What do you envision for the next lesson? (Continued practice,

reteach content, etc.)
The next lesson after this one would probably focus more on the
interconnection of people in this region and the land they inhabit.
Why dont people inhabit this area? Their population is large,
does this affect the pressure on the land? Questions like these
relate to the lesson while supporting the standard addressed.

Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences

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