Developmental Lesson Plan

All equal
Teacher Candidate: Nicole Tener, Devyn Grube, Leslie Montero Date: 9/2518

Group Size: 22 students Allotted Time: 45 minutes Grade Level: 3

Subject or Topic: Environment and Ecology: Lesson 5

Common Core/PA Standards:

Standard Area - 4.1: Ecology
Standard - 4.1.3.E Identify changes in the environment over time
Standard - 3.1.3.A1 Describe characteristics of living things that help to identify and classify
them.

Learning Targets/Objectives:
The students will be able to identify the different plants, animals, and human resources that
populate the deciduous forest by creating a diorama of the deciduous forest environment.

Assessment Approaches: Evidence:

1. The teacher will do a quick 1. The teacher will take anecdotal notes.
review on the students will do 2. While the students are working on the
thumbs up and down if they worksheet, the teacher will take anecdotal
understand and can explain the notes and the teacher will collect the
different plants activity.
2. The students will circle the 3. The teacher will have the graded rubric for
correct animal in a deciduous the diorama.
forest.
3. The students will create a
diorama of an animal and plant of
their choosing and the
environment.

Assessment Scale:
5 - Proficient
¾ - Basic understanding
2 and below - Needs more information on content
Subject Matter/Content:
Prerequisites: The students know the difference between nonliving and living organisms.
The students will know about each of the different ecosystems and what plants, animals, and
human resources populate it.

Key Vocabulary:
● Ecosystems: An ecosystem is a large community of living organisms (plants, animals
and microbes) in a particular area
● Habitat: A habitat is a place that an animal lives. It provides the animal with food, water
and shelter
● Biomes: A biome is a large region of Earth that has a certain climate and certain types
of living things
● Biotic: The living things in an ecosystem
● Abiotic: The nonliving parts of an ecosystem
● Community: a natural group (as of kinds of plants and animals) living together and
depending on one another for various necessities of life (as food or shelter)
● Population: a group of people or animals living in a certain place
● Characteristics of Animals in deciduous forest: Animals in temperate deciduous forests
have to adapt to changing seasons. They must be able to cope with cold winters and hot
summers. Some animals hibernate or migrate during the winter to escape the cold.
● Characteristics of Plants in a deciduous forest: Trees and plants in deciduous forests
have special adaptations to survive in this biome.Deciduous trees are trees with leaves
rather than pine needles, and they dominate temperate forests
● Resources: materials someone needs for daily living or an activity.

Content/Facts:
● Ecosystems examples:
○ Desert
○ Forest
○ Wetlands
○ Caves
○ Swamp
○ River
○ Rainforest
○ Shoreline
○ Coral reefs
○ Tundra
○ Freshwater
○ Grassland
○ Terrestrial
○ Woodlands
○ Pennsylvania ecosystem is the deciduous forest
● Habitat examples:
 ○ Grasslands
○ Temperate forest
○ Tropical rainforest
○ Desert
○ Polar ice
○ Tidepools
● Biome examples:
○ Forest
○ Grassland
○ Freshwater
○ Marine
○ Desert
○ Tundra
● Animals examples:
○ Mammals
■ White-tailed deer
■ Raccoon
■ Opossum
■ Porcupine
■ Red foxes
■ Bear
■ Chickens
○ Insects
■ Ladybugs
■ Beetles
■ Praying mantises
■ Spiders
■ Lantern flies
■ Bees

○ Reptiles and amphibians

■ Gopher tortoise
■ Turtles
■ Frogs
■ Snakes
■ Skunks
○ Birds
■ Herons
■ Woodpeckers
■ Cardinals

● Plants
○ Lichen
 ○ Fern
○ Maple
○ Oak
○ Birch
○ Magnolia
● content/ facts

Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies:
● *Teacher will bring in recycled boxes, sticks, rocks, leaves, sand, and grass*
● The materials will be displayed on a tray in the middle of each table.
● Teacher: “Good morning! Please do not touch the materials that are placed in the middle
of your table yet”.
● Teacher: “Today we are going to use what we learned about ecosystems to gain
knowledge about the plants, animals, and other human resources that populate
Pennsylvania’s deciduous forest ecosystem”.
● Teacher: “At this time, turn to a friend and discuss what kind of animals you see here in
the deciduous forest”.
● Teacher will listen for students to say animals, such as deer, bears, squirrels, rabbits,
birds, foxes, owls etc.
● Teacher: “After your discussion, please join me on the rug for a story”.
● Once all students are seated on the rug,
○ *Teacher will read Deciduous Forest Biomes by Shirley Duke*
● After reading the book, the teacher will have a discussion with the students.
● The teacher will ask questions such as, “What kind of outdoor things do you like to do?”
○ Teacher will looking for answers, such as hiking, camping, and fishing.
● After discussion, teacher: “Please return to your seats, where you will find an inquiry
sheet”.
● Teacher: “Take 10 minutes to fill out the inquiry sheet” *Teacher will set timer*
 ○ The inquiry sheet is based off of information that was in the book, such as
animals, plants, and human resources that populate the deciduous forest.
● After 10 minutes, the timer will buzz, getting the student’s attention.
● Teacher: “Please place your inquiry sheets at the end of your table, I will be around to
collect it”.

Development/Teaching Approaches
● After collecting the inquiry sheets, teacher: “As I call your table, please come up and
select a recycled box and take it back to your seat”.
● *Teacher calls each table one by one*
● Teacher: “You are all probably wondering what we are going to do with this box and all
the materials that are in front of you”.
● Teacher: “We are going to use our knowledge to create our own deciduous forest habitat
for an animal of your choice”.
● Teacher: “The only rule is, the animal must live in the deciduous forest”.
● Teacher: “Here is some perfect examples of a diorama of a deciduous forest”
○ *Teacher will pull up pinterest page of examples of dioramas*
■ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/158611218103068824/?lp=true
● Teacher: “Please use the materials that are provided on your table to create your own
deciduous forest diorama”
● Teacher: “You will have 25 minutes to work, you may begin” *Teacher will set a timer*
● As students are working, the teacher will walk around the room taking anecdotal notes
on each student’s progress, answering questions, and giving feedback.
 Closure/Summarizing Strategies:
● After 25 minutes the timer will buzz, getting the student’s attention.
● Teacher: “At this time, put the final touches on your dioramas”.
● Teacher: “Show me a thumbs up when you are finished”
● Once all students show a thumbs up, teacher: “Leave your diorama at your table, we will
be doing a gallery walk to view your peers creations”.
● Teacher: “As you walk around and look at your peers work, please do not touch, you all
worked very hard on this”.
● *Teacher will walk around the classroom with students, talking about the dioramas with
some students*
● Teacher: “I will be displaying these dioramas outside of our classroom, so your other
peers can become informed on ecosystems”.

Accommodations/Differentiation:
● Student J group will work near the teachers desk to avoid distraction from windows and
door
● Teacher will also be making sure student J is involved
● Teacher will make sure student J is on task and helping his group members

Materials/Resources:
● Recycled Boxes
● Sticks
● Rocks
● Leaves
● Sand
● Grass
● Glue
● Construction Paper
● Scissors
● Markers, Crayons
● Paint/Paint Brushes
● Worksheet for the students to cut out (22)
● Poster (7)
● Collection of books about each of the ecosystems for research
● Ipads
http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/temperateforest.html
https://www.treefarmsystem.org/wildlifehabitat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY-Ch2ktM90
Reflective Response:
Report of Student Learning Target/Objectives Proficiency Levels
● 20 out of 22 students showed proficient work on their inquiry sheets
● 22 out of 22 students created a diorama of an ecosystem

Remediation Plan (if applicable)

N/A

Personal Reflection Questions

1. How was the overall all pacing of the lesson? Was it too fast, too slow, or just right?
2. Was the class able to recall the information that was presented in the lesson in the
assessment?

Additional reflection/thoughts

Name:

Animals of the Deciduous Forest

Directions: Please circle the animals that you find in a Deciduous
Forest.
 Deciduous Forest Diorama Rubric
Name:

● Diorama shows knowledge of

5 the animal and its habitat
● Diorama is neat and creative

● Diorama shows some

4 knowledge of the animal and its
habitat
● Diorama is neat and creative

● Diorama shows very little

3 knowledge of the animal and its
habitat
● Diorama is neat and creative
 ● Diorama shows very little
2 knowledge of the animal and its
habitat
● Diorama is unneat and
unorganized

● Diorama does not show any

1 knowledge of the animal and its
habitat