Teacher:

Mrs. Gardner

Ecosystem Services Unit Lesson Plan: Day Three

Content & Title:
Abiotic and Biotic
Factors in an
environment

Grade Level:
7th grade

Standards:
L S2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems.
o Organisms, and populations of organisms, ore dependent on their environmental interactions
both with other living things and with nonliving factors.
Objectives (Explicit & Measurable):
Students will be able to identify the difference between abiotic and biotic influences in an ecosystem
and their effect on the organisms within that ecosystem.
Evidence of Mastery (Measurable Assessment: formative and summative):
Formative
Creating a graphic organizer separating the biotic influences from the abiotic influences.
Creating a study foldable.
Summative (At the end of the unit)
Give the students a broken ecosystem
o Have the students get into groups and create a 2D or 3D model (at home) modeling their
broken ecosystem.
Students will identify and discuss the broken pieces and as a group and discuss
possible solutions
Broken pieces (human/natural disturbances) need to be pointed out (with flags and
maybe a brief explanations)
o Have the students individually write a paper on their own solution to fix the ecosystem

Broken Ecosystems
o Lightning strike/natural fire
o Human started wildfire
o Flooding
o Drought
o Putting in a playground
o Human displacement
o Putting in a highway where a neighborhood exists
Sub-objectives, SWBAT (steps that lead to completion of objective; sequence from simple to more
complex):
Students will be able to understand the difference between biotic and abiotic factors.
Students will be able to identify biotic and abiotic factors in a given environment.
Lesson Summary and Justification:
It should matter for my students because we should all be working together to create a more sustainable world
to live in. It is relevant to teach because it is something that is all around the students regardless of
socioeconomic status or amount of privileges they have. Nature is everywhere ad something that everyone can
relate to. In order to help preserve our environment we must explore how it works. For elementary students,
they are just being introduced to the world as explained by science. As they grew up they experienced the
environment and probably began to form connections on how things work in our ecosystem. School is where
they really start putting all the pieces together and can explore safely. Obviously this topic relates to science
because it is all about nature and the ecosystem, it can relate to history because there are so many different
sustainability efforts that have occurred in the course of history. It relates to math a logical thinking because he
students will be making connections and working with numbers to determine population growth/loss or
percentages of change in the environment. It relates to language arts in a way because students will be working
with new vocabulary.

Background Knowledge:
Students will need an understanding that everything in the environment interacts with each other in
order to create balance.
Students will know the basic and specific needs of organisms in an environment.
Misconception:
Humans do not count as part of the environment.
Plants do not compete for resources like animals do.
Process Skills: (what skills are you introducing or reinforcing)
Create
Identify
Four Ways of Thinking connection:
Futures Thinking
o Looking at the different factors that come together in the environment is an important piece to
futures thinking. In order to identify possible issues and solutions to the issues we must
understand how everything works in the now. Then we can factor in the new technologies and
prevent possible hiccups in the steps leading towards the solution
Systems Thinking
o This whole unit is all about understanding how our ecosystem functions. The specific lesson is
about how the biotic and abiotic pieces of the system interact together to form a balance within
the ecosystem. It also looks at the different pieces of the ecosystem and how they fit into the
whole.
Strategic Thinking
o For the summative assessment at the end of the unit the students are asked to take a broken
ecosystem and brainstorm ways to fix it. They then have to create a model of these solutions so
they will be able to identify issues in their plan and modify their solutions as necessary.
Values Thinking
o Everyone views the environment differently and as the students work on their research and their
broken ecosystem solutions there could be different religious and moral views on how to go
about the issues and how they understand the content as a whole. They all will have their own
different viewpoints and points of reference from the context of their daily lives and they must
communicate these differences in order to effectively come to a consensus.
Safety: (what safety rules and items need to be addressed?)
1. Safety when using the tape (sharp edges can cut).
2. General respect of the resources and materials provided.
3. General safety and respect while working as a group in a classroom or outside classroom environment.
Inquiry Questions: (testable in the here and now.)
1. What is the difference between biotic and abiotic factors?
2. How do these factors affect each other to create balance within the ecosystem?

Key vocabulary:
1. Biotic: A living factor within the environment
2. Abiotic: A non-living factor within the environment

Materials: (list item and possible quantity)

1. Create a set of flashcards for each Biome
(Include a flashcard for Biotic and
Abiotic and the biome name, in each set:
Should be 11 cards total for each biome)
2. Bee Movie video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=99fDBasFpt8
3. Abiotic Factor article:
http://sciencebitz.com/?page_id=23
4. Powerpoint on biotic and abiotic factors:
file:///C:/Users/Hallie/Documents/ASU/Clas
s/2016-2017/SCN%20400/Final
%20Project/Biotic%20and%20Abiotic
%20factors%20Presentation.pdf
5. Foldable template:
file:///C:/Users/Hallie/Documents/ASU/Clas
s/2016-2017/SCN%20400/Final
%20Project/PDF%20files/Biotic%20and
%20Abiotic%20factors%20foldable
%20template.pdf
6. Image for exit ticket:
(http://mchipman.pbworks.com/w/page/7004
9601/ECOSYSTEMS)

Engage
Teacher Will:
The teacher begins the lesson by showing a clip from
Bee Movie.

The teacher will talk about Bee Movie

and its significance to the lesson (Bees
depend on honey and the flowers depend on
the bees. Humans came in and took all of
the honey. The bees didnt have any honey
for food and in turn they didnt need to
pollinate the flowers to get the honey. Then
all of the flowers died and the world was
drab and grey).

Students Will:
Watch the clip from the Bee Movie and look for
the importance of the bees to the environment.
Listen as the teacher explains the significance of the
video clip.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

There is a video visual and a discussion for students who are visual learners or have a hard time understanding
what they are seeing in the video.
Explore Inquiry Question #1: What is the difference between biotic and abiotic factors?
Teacher Will:
Students Will: (list all steps)
The students are then instructed to get into groups of 4 Divide into groups or 4 and classify their set of
flashcards.
and passes each group a set of flashcards.

The teacher instructs the students to

categorize their flashcards.

The students will then discuss how they categorized

Present and discuss the process of categorization that

their list of factors.

they used.

At the completion of the discussion students will then

Popcorn read article as a class and annotate.
be given an article to popcorn read as a group.
(http://sciencebitz.com/?page_id=23)
As they read they should annotate the article
(words that are unfamiliar, notes, something
they learned)
The students will then engage in a discussion about
Discuss the information in the article.
what they learned and the teacher will take time to
define any unknown terms.
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
The students are physically manipulating and classifying the cards.
There is plenty of discussion for the students that may struggle to understand what is going on.
There are visuals for the students that may struggle to understand what is being said.
The students are leading the presentation and discussion of the information.
Explain
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Proceeding the discussion the teacher will then go over Take notes as the teacher gives examples of different
biotic and abiotic factors in a powerpoint
a power point giving examples of how biotic and
presentation.
abiotic factors interact in the different ecosystems.
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
The students have a visual and verbal presentation of the information.
Elaborate Inquiry Question #2: How do these factors affect each other to create balance within the
ecosystem?
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
The students will be asked to go back to their
Make revisions to their original classifications.
flashcards and categorize them as either biotic or
abiotic and tape them onto pieces of construction paper.
The students will discuss their revisions and the
reasons behind the revisions with the class.

Discuss what they changed in their classifications

and why.

Begin thinking about how these factors work

together to create a balance in the ecosystem.
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
The students are leading the presentation and discussion of the information.
Evaluate
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Pass out the foldable template and instruct the
Create their own foldable according to the instructions
given by the teacher
students on the information that they need to input.
1. For each flap include a list of biotic and
abiotic factors (i.e High tornado
prevelance or heavy rainfall, not just
weather).
2. For the center take 4 pairs of one abiotic
factor and one biotic factor (that is on

their flaps) and illustrate or write how

they interact with one another in an
environment.
Closure: Exit ticket
The teacher will project an image of an environment onto the screen and students will write down on a piece of
paper what they think are the abiotic and biotic factors are a part of that environment. They must also include at
least one example of an interaction between an abiotic and a biotic factor.
Biome Flashcards:
Biome 1: Tundra
Abiotic factors:
Biotic factors:
Sand
Snowy owls
Intense heat
Birds
Little to no water
Mosquitoes
Biome 4: Savannah
Blackflies
Biotic factors:
Polar bears
Giraffes
Abiotic factors:
Elephants
Permafrost
Lions
Harsh winters
Jackalberry tree
Strong winds
Whistling thorn
Biome 2: Rainforest
Abiotic factors:
Biotic factors:
Humid and wet summers
Ferns
Dry and cool winters
Coffee plants
Plentiful water in the summer
Mosses
Biome 5: Coral Reef
Tree frogs
Biotic factors:
Exotic birds
Sea turtles
Abiotic factors:
Fish
High temperatures
Sea urchins
Heavy Rainfall
Bacteria
Limited ground level sunlight
Plankton, algae, and seaweed
Biome 3: Hot Desert
Abiotic factors:
Biotic factors:
Light only reaches 20 meters
Scorpions
down
Snakes
High salt content
Lizards
Buoyancy and Viscosity
Cacti
Temperature
Aloe Vera
Sources:
Misconceptions: http://gtmmedia.discoveryeducation.com/videos/dsc/data/G8_TX_BioticAndAbioticFactors_GTK.pdf
NGSS Science Standard: http://www.nextgenscience.org/msls2-ecosystems-interactions-energydynamics
Bee movie clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99fDBasFpt8
Exit ticket image: http://mchipman.pbworks.com/w/page/70049601/ECOSYSTEMS
Article: http://sciencebitz.com/?page_id=23

Abiotic and Biotic factor flashcard information:

http://www.answers.com/Q/What_are_5_biotic_and_5_abiotic_factors_of_desert_ecosystem
http://oildrillingh.tripod.com/id14.html
http://www.ask.com/science/abiotic-factors-tropical-rainforest-a102b2fe58b495e5#full-answer
https://tropicalgrassland.wordpress.com/biotic-factors/
https://tropicalgrassland.wordpress.com/abiotic-factors/
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/major-biotic-abiotic-components-ecosystem-great-barrierreef-31685.html