Carrying Capacity Lesson

Lesson Plan (with descriptors) Rev. 8-20-18

Grade Level / Subject Area (Discipline) Teacher Candidate Name Date of Lesson
9th/ Biology Ronald Pinto 11/15/18

Common Core State Standards and/or State of Michigan GLCEs and/or HSCEs (InTASC 1 - Learner Development)
HS-LS2-1 Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that
affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales.
HS-LS2-2: Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about
factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.
Important Concepts (InTASC 4 - Content Knowledge)
Carrying Capacity, Population, density-dependent factors, Population growth, Ecosystems

Learning Outcomes (InTASC 1 – Learner Development)

● Students will be able to explain how logistic growth rates affect population size.
● Students will be able to predict how density-dependent factors like competition for resources control population growth

Assessment Summary (InTASC 6 - Assessment)

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS: There will be a few analysis questions to do during and after the activity

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Students will have questions on unit test that will ask what will happen when population hits carrying
capacity and to calculate the growth rate between two generations.
Prerequisite Relationships to New Learning (InTASC 4 -Content Knowledge)
● Safety Rules
● Population of a Species
Flexibility and Responsiveness to Students’ Learning Needs (InTASC 2 - Learning Differences)
Describe how the lesson will be adjusted for:
1. Students who do not have the prerequisite relationships will go over concepts with teacher or student.
2. Students who show evidence of lack of understanding during the lesson will have one on one with teacher explaining concepts
and overview of lesson
3. Students who understand or master the lesson concepts more quickly than expected can help students who lack prerequisite
skills
Instructional Procedures (InTASC 2 – Learning Differences / InTASC 6 – Assessment / InTASC 7 – Planning for Instruction / INTASC 8
– Teacher Input)

Assessing Prior Knowledge (Anticipatory Set)

Teacher will ask the students what they know about the carrying capacity of a population. The teacher will then give an explanation of
carrying capacity and how it will affect the species population.

Direct Instruction ( “I” Learning Phase)

Set Up:
Give each student a plastic spoon and cup. Place 50 jelly beans on a cookie sheet. 2x
Procedure:
1. Tell all the students to get in a circle around the cookie sheet about 15-20 feet away.
2. Choose one student to start, he/she has 15 seconds to run to the center with their spoon, trying to pick up as many jelly beans as
possible and put them in their cup. If student drops beans, they have to go back and grab more jelly beans.
3. If the student has 5 or more beans then they survive and reproduce.
4. Students put their jelly beans back on the cookie sheet.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 but now two students go. Keep repeating until there are no more jelly beans on the cookie sheet.
6. When there are not anymore jelly beans left, the goal of the activity is accomplished
7. Data will be recorded on a spreadsheet and then graphed

Interaction (Guided Practice - “We” and “With You” Learning Phase)

There will be an analysis section on worksheet to go along with this activity, which will have questions summarizing the lab, putting the
concept in a real world example, and calculating growth rate

Closure ( “By You Learning Phase)

When students complete the analysis portion of worksheet, the teacher will summarize what happened in this activity and how it
correlates with carrying capacity.
Independent Practice (Optional)
None
P
Start of the Lesson Mid-Lesson Activities End of Lesson Activities
● Ask students about Carrying Capacity ● Start Activity ● Complete Worksheet
● Teacher Summarizes

Texts, Materials, and Supplies (InTASC 8 Planning for Instruction)

Carrying Capacity worksheet, Jelly Beans, Spoons, Styrofoam cups, cookie sheet

Additional Information Required by Individual Course Instructor: Specialized Pedagogy