YourName:NicoleBrooks

TitleofLesson:Whatisanecosystem?
Grade:Fourth

LESSONPLANTEMPLATE

STANDARDS
Strand4:LifeScience,Concept3:OrganismsandEnvironmentsPO3.Analyzetheeffectthatlimitedresources
(e.g.,naturalgas,minerals)mayhaveonanenvironment.
2.InfluenceofEngineering,Technology,andScienceonSocietyandtheNaturalWorld,Allhumanactivity
drawsonnaturalresourcesandhasbothshortandlongtermconsequences,positiveaswellasnegative,forthe
healthofpeopleandthenaturalenvironment.
LESSONSUMMARY/OVERVIEW
Inthislessonwewillbegoingoverwhatecosystemsareand8specifictypesofecosystems.
OBJECTIVES
Studentswillknowandbeabletoexplainwhatanecosystemisand8typesofecosystems

ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION
StudentswillbeabletofilloutEcosystemworksheetwithecosystemsdefinitionandleastthreefactsineachbox
PREREQUISITEKNOWLEDGE
StudentswillneedtoknowwhataBiomeis.
Biomesareregionsoftheworldwithsimilarclimate(weather,temperature)animalsandplants.Thereare
terrestrialbiomes(land)andaquaticbiomes,bothfreshwaterandmarine.

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MATERIALS
Youtubevideo:WhatisanEcosystem
Ecosystemworksheets(notesandhomework)
EcosystemPowerPoint

VOCABULARY/KEYWORDS
Ecosystemabiologicalcommunityofinteractingorganismsandtheirphysicalenvironment
Biomeamajorecologicalcommunitytype(astropicalrainforest,grassland,ordesert)
Tundraalargeareaofflatlandinnorthernpartsoftheworldwheretherearenotreesandthegroundis
alwaysfrozen
TropicalRainforestatropicalforestthatreceivesalotofrainandthathasverytalltrees
SavannaalargeflatareaoflandwithgrassandveryfewtreesespeciallyinAfricaandSouthAmerica
Temperategrasslandlandcoveredwithgrassesandothersoftplantsbutnotwithbushesandtrees
Deciduousforesthasfourdistinctseasons,spring,summer,autumn,andwinter.Intheautumntheleaves
changecolor.Duringthewintermonthsthetreeslosetheirleaves
Coniferousforestvegetationcomposedprimarilyofconebearing,needleleaved,orscaleleaved
evergreentrees,foundinregionsoftheworldthathavelongwintersandmoderatetohighannual
precipitation
Tundraalargeareaofflatlandinnorthernpartsoftheworldwheretherearenotreesandthegroundis
alwaysfrozen
TEACHINGPROCEDURES

Engagementstrategy:ShowstudentsWhatisanEcosystemvideo
DiscussdifferenttypesofEcosystems.IwilltakethestudentsthroughaPowerPointpresentationabout
whatecosystemsareand8differenttypesofecosystems.ThePowerPointisprovidedat
http://ecosystems8257.weebly.comundertheDay1tab.
Studentswilltakenotes.Worksheetoneachtypeofecosystemisprovidedat
http://ecosystems8257.weebly.comundertheDay1tab.
Afterthelectureisthroughbreakthestudentsupinto8groups.Havethestudentscount1to8to
decidetheirgroups.
Studentswillchoosetheirecosystems.Studentswillpickagroupleadertoselecttheirecosystem.The
studentswillselecttheirsystemsbytheinstructorplacingtheirnamesinahat.Theorderthegroupswillbe
chosenwithPopsiclenamesticks.
Handouthomework.Homeworkisprovidedathttp://ecosystems8257.weebly.comundertheDay1tab
RESOURCES
Coniferousforest.(n.d.).RetrievedApril23,2015,from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/132754/coniferousforest
BluePlanetBiomesWorldBiomes.(n.d.).RetrievedApril23,2015,from
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm
Ecosystems.(n.d.).RetrievedApril23,2015,fromhttp://www.neok12.com/Ecosystems.htm
(n.d.).RetrievedApril23,2015,fromhttp://www.merriamwebster.com/
TypesofEcosystems.(n.d.).RetrievedApril13,2015,from
http://chsweb.lr.k12.nj.us/mstanley/outlines/ecology/ecotypes/ecotypes.htm
WorldBiomesandEcosystems.(n.d.).RetrievedApril23,2015,from
http://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/world_biomes.php
WhatisanEcosystem?(n.d.).RetrievedApril23,2015,fromhttps://youtu.be/O3CZFfyed3M
WAYSOFTHINKINGCONNECTION

This lesson represents Systems thinking because all of these systems

work together to make up the world that we live in. Later in the unit we will
get into values thinking and futures thinking in that students will really start
to see how humans have affected the planet and they will start to question
what they value, in how they will change their lives so we have a brighter
future.