Lesson Plan

Grade Level: 5th grade

Six Major Biomes

Lesson Topic: The six major biomes of Earth

Instructional Techniques: Lecture, discussion, individual work, and group work

Instructional Materials: interactivesites.weebly.com/science.html, textbook, introductory activity handout, website handout, poster paper, colored pencils, markers, notecards with animals, computers, and PowerPoint slides.

Theoretical Perspective: It is important for students to learn about the six major biomes in order to build a solid foundation for future lessons on how and why organisms interact and how their behavior is influenced by their environment.

Objectives:

• Students will understand and demonstrate their understanding of the characteristics that define the six main biomes explored during class.

• Students will think about, determine, and record ten characteristics that define their own biome.

• Students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the different plants, animals, temperatures, and precipitation patterns that each biome has by successfully completing the online module and accompanying handout.

• Students will be able to draw a biome, with the appropriate plants, temperature, and precipitation, based on a given animal.

• Students will be able to determine, based on their list of ten characteristics that describe their location, which biome they live in.

Procedure:

1. Introductory Activity:

Students will work in small groups of 4-6. They will discuss the various elements that make their location on Earth unique. They will be asked to think about and list, on a handout, the climate, vegetation, animal life, and other information they find applies. Once each group has 10 or more items listed, the class will reconvene and discuss the results. The teacher will ask students to raise their hands and share what their groups listed. The teacher will create a comprehensive list on the board in order to be used later on in the lesson.

    B. Step by step

1. Students will begin by silently reading the chapter about the six major biomes of the world. This will be done individually.

2. Once all of the students have read the appropriate information, the teacher will lecture briefly. He or she will provide an overview of the information both orally and with the assistance of Powerpoint slides. This portion will be brief due to the fact that the following parts of the lesson will go more in depth.

3. Students will be instructed to grab a computer, bring it back to their desk, and log on.

4. While the students are setting up the computers, the teacher will distribute the handout that will be used for the lesson.

5. After the students have successfully logged on, they will be instructed to click on the google chrome icon and type in the web address that is listed on their handout. interactivesites.weebly.com/science.html

6. After arriving at the website, students will begin to follow the directions as outlined in their handout. They will work individually. During this activity, the teacher will check in with each student and track their progress.

7. The students will hand in their worksheets, log off, and put away their computers.

8. The teacher will place the students into six groups of four. The groups will be randomly assigned.

9. After all of the groups have been made, the teacher will instruct the students to collect any drawing materials that they may need. These can found in the back of the room in their designated spot.

10. Once they have collected the necessary materials, each group will be given a card. On the card will be an animal that lives in one of the six main biomes, as mentioned by the module they just completed. They will work together and determine which of the six biomes their animal fits into.

11. The students will be responsible for drawing, on poster board, the biome in which their animal lives. They will include plants, the animal, and appropriate climatic details, such as temperature and precipitation. They will be required to label all important elements of the biome. Additionally, they will provide a written list of these characteristics due to the fact that something such as temperature is not easily drawn. This should be done on the back of the poster.

12. All names will be written on the back of the posters and will be hung up on the wall once finished.

C. Closure

The students will return to their seats for the conclusion of the lesson. The teacher will direct their attention back to the list on the board. He or she will ask the students to review the list and determine which biome they live in. The teacher will ask for volunteers to answer and explain why they believe they live in a certain biome, based on what they learned during the lesson.

D. Adaptations

English language learners or students with learning disabilities will be given the opportunity to read or work in a small group led by the teacher during the individual activities. They will be responsible for answering the questions as a group but the teacher will ensure that they are successfully completing their work. For those with learning disabilities, this could include having the chapter and questions read aloud to them. The teacher will also read the material alongside English language learners in order to increase their comprehension of the material. Finally, during the group activities, the students will be mixed up with the other students in the class. This will allow them to use their peers as an important resource.

E. Homework

At the conclusion of the lesson, the students will not be assigned any new homework. They will, however, be advised to reread the chapter. This will ensure that they are prepared for the biome aspect of the upcoming test.

Evaluation:

1. Students will be evaluated in a variety of ways based on several objectives. The first one is broad and generalizes all of the objectives into one category.

• Students will understand and demonstrate their understanding of the characteristics that define the six main biomes explored during class.

• This objective will be evaluated through the successful completion of all of the other objectives and an upcoming test.

• Students will think about, determine, and record ten characteristics that define their biome.

• The first handout used at the beginning of the lesson will be used to gauge if the students have successfully completed this objective. If so, the students will have each listed ten, accurate, characteristics that define their biome.

• Students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the different plants, animals, temperatures, and precipitation patterns that each biome has by successfully completing the online module and accompanying handout.

• The students will be evaluated on this objective by their completion of the accompanying worksheet. The objective will be completed only if the students have finished the handout with minimal errors.

• Students will be able to draw a biome, with the appropriate plants, temperature, and precipitation, based on a given animal.

• The students will be evaluated as a group. They will be deemed successful if they have completed the project. More importantly, they will be evaluated on the accuracy of their biome. If too many elements do not fit within the biome, the students will not be able to achieve this objective.

• Students will be able to determine, based on their list of ten characteristics that describe their location, which biome they live in.

• This objective will be evaluated informally. The teacher will determine whether students have both correctly identified their biome and have accurately supported their claim with evidence.

B. Questions and Concerns:

The biggest concern that arises with this lesson is that not enough time will be allotted for each activity. Some students work faster than others,  therefore, it is difficult to gauge whether or not all of the students will complete the activities in a timely manner. This is especially concerning when considering the group poster work, which will certainly take the most amount of time. That being said, if needed, the lesson can be extended into more than one day. This will ensure that all activities are completed and all objectives are reached.