5E Lesson Template

Name(s): Amy Chang

Title of lesson: Ecological Niche: How do animals survive?

Date of lesson:

Length of lesson: 60-70 min

Description of the class: Middle School Science

Name of course: General Science

Grade level: 6th

-8th

Honors or regular: Honors/ Regulars

Source of the lesson:

Textbook: Glencoe Chapter 20, 21, and 22.

Websites:

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/index.php

http://www.vtaide.com/png/foodchains.htm

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/

http://www.activescience-gsk.com/home.html

TEKS addressed:

7.12 The student knows that there is a relationship between organism and the

environment.

7.8 The student knows that complex interaction occur between matter and

energy.

8 C Describe energy flow in living systems including food chains and food

webs.

I. Overview

Students will be able to understand the concept of ecological niche and their

components. Students will be able to apply these components and concepts onto

their final project.

II. Performance or learner outcomes

Students will be able to:

Identify components of an ecosystem.

Describe how different environments support different varieties of organism.

Describe how energy is transferred between organisms.

-Observe and describe how producers, consumers, and decomposers live together.

II. Resources, materials and supplies needed

A pack of sticky notes, 1 pack of poster paper, 1 pack of index cards with

organisms pictures (4 per group), 10 packs of marker, computers with internet

access

A pack of sticky notes, poster paper, marker, computers

IV. Supplementary materials, handouts. (Also address any safety issues

Concerning equipment used)

See attachment

V. Safety Issues Be nice to the technology.

VI. Accommodations for learners with special needs (ELLs, Special Ed, 504,

G&T)

-Students in ELL will have other students who can translate for them near by.

-With ELL students a list of translated scientific terms will be given to them for

assistance on the class assignment.

-Students with special need will have teacher and peer assistance.

Formatted: Indent: Left: 0.33"

Five-E Organization Teacher Does Probing Questions Student Does

Engage: -In beginning of the class,

teacher will ask the

students to take out a sheet

of paper and write down

the kinds of food they ate

the day before.

-Teacher will then ask the

student to write down an

example of food on a sticky

note and make a bar graph

on a poster paper for

students to evaluate the

type of food consumers they

are.

-Then the teacher will be

asking the students to write

down the type of

construction they live in

(i.e.brick, wood,

metal,etc…)

-Then the teacher will ask

the students to write down

the type of climate in their

living environment (i.e. hot,

cold, dry, wet…)

Approx.

Time__10___mins

Each student will take out a

piece of paper and write

down all the food you have

ate yesterday. This includes

breakfast, lunch, and

dinner.

Then on the same paper you

will need to write down the

type of construction

building you live in. For

example brick house or

wood, etc…

With the same paper write

down the climate of Austin

and Texas climate. Such as

the kinds of climate we have

here in Texas.

Does anyone know why we

have houses mostly made of

bricks and woods?

What if we are living in an

area where there are

tornadoes such as in the

mid-west of US?

Then on a sticky note write

down one type of food you

ate this morning.

Does it have to be all the

food we ate?

Do candies count?

What does that mean?

What if we don’t know if our

home is made of?

What is climate?

Dry, very hot, rainy, cold.

Not sure.

Because they are sturdy,

cheaper to use?

Brick houses?

Can it be anything?

Evaluation(Decision Point

Assessment):

Teacher will then ask the

student if humans can make

their own food in their

body.

So now looking at your list

of foods, are there any

particular type of food that

you think humans can make

from their body directly

without the use of other

resources?

Are there any types of

organisms you know that

No

Not sure

We can make our own food,

we can cook.

Yes, plants

No

does make their own food?

Explain:

Teacher will underline the

objectives for the day’s

lesson on the classroom

board.

Teacher will hand out a list

of vocabulary words with

Spanish translation for ELL

students.

Teacher will then pass out

a work sheet with

definitions with follow up

questions for students to

follow.

Teachers will then ask

students to write down what

they would do when the

environment/climate

changes or how do students

prevent danger.

Approx.

Time__20___mins

I am handing out a power

point work sheet for you

guys to fill in as you follow

along with the presentation.

The information in this

sheet will be part of your

resource for your activity

that we will do later as well

as for your final project.

Questions for the exam may

also include some of these

terms.

Today we will be talking

about ecological niches.

Does anyone know what

niches mean?

The ecological niche

involves both the place

where an organism lives

and the roles that an

organism does in its habitat.

So does anyone know what

a habitat is?

A habitat is environment

where the organism inhibits.

For humans habitat not only

includes where we live but

also where we work, play,

and move about.

So where iswhat are some

of our habitat?

On a larger scale there are

actually six different kinds

of bigger kinds of habitats

that organisms live around

the world. These are:

freshwater, marine, desert,

forest, grassland, tundra.

No

Not sure

Sounds familiar

It’s how the organism

interacts with their

environment.

What is a habitat?

Not sure

It’s where you live.

Houses, apartments

School, Grocery store, play

ground, city, country

These large habitats are

actually called biomes.

Biomes are defined as "the

world's major communities,

classified according to the

predominant vegetation and

characterized by

adaptations of organisms to

that particular environment.

So what kinds of climate

and environment does Texas

normally have?

So what kinds of biome does

Texas belong?

Does the type of biomes and

habitat affect the kinds of

food that is available for the

organisms living there?

So if there is an area where

there is no food available,

are there any organisms

that can make their own

food? If so, what are they?

There are different types of

consumers.

The two big groups are

autotrophs and

heterotrophy. Does anyone

know what is the difference

between these two

groupsthe difference

between these two groups

is? Does anyone know what

“auto” means?

“Auto” means self and if

“troph” mean nourishment.

Then what do you think an

autotroph organism does to

gain energy?

Autotrophs are the kind of

Hot, dry, grassy

Grassland, wet lands, piney

woods, prairies, Gulf coast,

hill country, Big Bend

country, Panhandle

Yes, No, Maybe

Yes, Plants

No

No,

One eats meat and the other

does not?

Self? Me? Not sure

They can generate it

themselves?

organisms that can make

their own food by using the

suns energy.

Heterotrophs can not make

their own food and requires

outside resources.

So which one are we?

Now within heterotrophs

there are also different

groups or kinds of

heterotrophs.

What is a herb?

If herb is a plant then

organism whothat eats

plants are called

Herbivores.

Herbivores (eat plants),

Can anyone tell me what

“carne” means in Spanish?

If Carne means meat then

organisms that eat meat are

called Carnivores.

Carnivores (eat meat),

If “Omni” means all then

why types of food would an

omnivore eatan omnivore

eats?

Omnivores (eat both plant

and meat).

Now looking at the class

bar graph of the kinds of

breakfast you have this

morning. What kinds of

heterotrophs are we?

Who would be a herbivore?

Heterotrophs.

A type of plant?

Food?

Meat

Anything

Meat and Plants

Omnivores, Carnivores,

herbiovores

Vegetarian

Evaluation(Decision Point

Assessment)

Look at Explanation. Look at Explanation.

Evaluation is made through

out the power point.

Explore:

Teacher will pass out an

index card with a name of

an animal and their picture

for each student to

research.

Teacher will list the

requirements for the kinds

of information they will be

researching. Teacher will

also provide the websites

that students can visit.

Teacher will then ask the

students to combine the

animals and plants within

their group and create a

food web along with all the

individual and group

information for their

organisms.

Teacher will tell the

students to write down their

results on a poster board

and present it to the class.

Approx.

Time___20__mins

What I am handing out is a

piece of index card with a

particular animal that you

would need to research

about.

The type of research

requirement you should

focus includes: habitat, kind

of food it eats, their

potential prey and/or

predator, ways of

adaptation, and the overall

biomes for your group. You

will write the information

down on the back of index

card.

Prey: one that is targeted

for attack. (victim)

Predator: One that

victimizes, plunders, or

destroys, especially for

one's own gain.

After you have finish

researching all the required

information for your

organism (animal/ plant)

you will be working within

your group to create a food

web.

You will then gluethen glue

your cards onto a poster

board and connect the

organisms with lines and a

description of their

relationship with each

other. At the end of class

your group will present this

to the class.

What is a prey or predator?

What is a food web? What

do we need to put on the

poster?

What animals eat?

They would run away from

their prey. They would fight

with them.

Does anyone know what a

food web is? How do the

animals adapt do their

environment and how to

they protect themselves

from their predators? (may

think about incorporating

the natural selection lab)

A food chain shows how

each living thing gets its

food. Some animals eat

plants and some animals eat

other animals. A food web it

the combination of each

animals food chain.

A poster will be given for

your group to draw your

food web on. Each group

will also need to write down

the types of biomes they

reside in. At the end of class

each group will be

presenting their final

product.

What does it include?

Evaluation(Decision Point

Assessment):

Teacher will have a rubric

for the presentation.

Your group will be graded

based on the correct order

of your food web and the

kinds of biome they resides.

A rubric will be given to

each group and you will

need to use that rubric to

assist you developing your

presentation.

What do we need to prepare

and present for the

presentation?

Extend / Elaborate:

Teacher will give each

group some time to work on

their final project using the

materials that they have

learned for the day.

Now form with your final

project group and you guys

will be working on the

ecological niche for your

particular planet and your

alien organism.

Make sure you have all the

Do we have to use the same

requirements for our final

project?

How many organisms do we

have to create?

Approx.

Time__10___mins

requirements that are listed

on your rubric.

The same requirements for

today’s research and

presentation are also

applied to your final

project.

Evaluation(Decision Point

Assessment):

Teacher will ask the

students to turn in a

proposal of their planet’s

possible types of ecological

niche and develop a food

web for the organisms

found on the planet.

You will be turning in your

initial sketch of your

organisms and their

ecological niche and a food

chain in your data journal.

Evaluate: Group presentation

Approx.

Time__15___mins

The group presentation will

be your assessment of the

day.

Name:

Date:

Class Period:

Power point Worksheet

Direction: Fill in the blank as you follow along the power point presentation.

1. _____________________ involves both the place where an organism lives and

the roles that an organism does in its habitat.

2. _____________________ Where the organism lives, works, plays, and conduct

their daily activity.

1.3.Where is your habitat?

2.4._____________________ The world's major communities, classified according

to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to

that particular environment.

3.5.List and describe the 6 types of biomes.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

6. What kinds of biomes does Texas belong to?

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Formatted: Font: Bold, Underline

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7. ______________ organisms that can produce their own food.

Give an example:

8. ______________ organisms that require intake of outside resources.

Give an example:

9. List and describe the 3 types of heterotrophs.

1.

2.

3.

10. What is a food web?

11. What is a predator? Give an example.

12. What is a prey? Give an example.

Important Terms for ELL Spanish speaking students:

Climate- Clima

Biomes- Biomios

Habitat- hábitat

Autotrophs- Autótrofo

Heterotrophs-Heterótrofo

Herbivores-herbívoro

Carnivores-carnívoro

Omnivores-omnívoro

Biomes project:

Research your given organism (animal or plant) indicate:

1. Where it lives, the type of environment it lives in (biomes)

2. Who are their preys?

3. Who are their predators?

4. How do they adapt to their environment?

1. Texas Gulf Coast Animals and plants:

Diatoms (phytoplankton)

Krill

Red Fish

Egrets

2. The North American Desert

Cactus

Rodents Kangaroo

Rattle Snakes

Hawks

3. Alaska

Birch

Ptarmigan

Caribou

Red Fox

4 Sierra Navada

Black Bears

California Mule Deer

Sagebrush

Cottontail Rabbits

Northern Pacific Rattle Snake

World’s Biomes

Formatted: Centered

Sample Food Chain

Texas Food Chain

Formatted: Centered