Phase 1: Lesson Plan Overview

OVERVIEW

Grade Level: 1st Grade

Subject: Science

Topic of Study: Ecosystems

Time Allotment: 30 minutes

Standards: Strand 4: Life Science, Concept 3: Organisms and Environment
                  PO 1. Identify some plants and animals that exist in the local environment
                  PO 2. Compare habitats in which plants and animals live

Objectives:

• Students will be able to compare and contrast two different environments and the animals                     and plants that live within them.
• Students will be able to create either a desert habitat using Pixie and have at least 2 correct                   plants and 2 correct animals within that ecosystem.

Assessing Prior Knowledge: 

When I begin my lesson, I will ask students if they have ever been to the desert.  I will ask what they see when they go to the desert and how it is different from a forest (what types of animals and plants do they see when they are in either ecosystem).  My students do not need to know much before the lesson because my books will cover the information they will need to know.  The students will also know how to use Pixie from a previous lesson, so only a brief overview of the program will be needed.

Planning Instruction:

This content should be taught at the first grade level because it is the basic introduction to different environments and the types of plants and animals that are in each.  My objectives align with my standards because I am looking at the local environment that we live in now (the forest) and comparing it to another type of ecosystem that is in Arizona (the desert) that many of my students have been to.  I will teach this lesson towards the beginning to middle of the school year, because this is the beginning introduction to ecosystems that can be expanded on later in the school year.