SETON HILL UNIVERSITY

TOPIC
Name
Subject
Grade Level
Date/Duration
Big Ideas

Essential
Questions

PA/Common
Core/Standards

Objective
Bloom's
Taxonomy
Webb's Depth of
Knowledge
(DOK)
Formative &
Summative
Assessment
Evidence

Lesson Plan
Coral Reef Creatures and Coral Reef Enemies
Mrs. Chonko
Science
4th Grade
Two Weeks
There are different types of creatures that live in and
around the coral reefs.
There are different natural threats that affect the coral
reefs.
What types of creatures live in and around the coral
reefs?
How do those creatures adapt to live off of the coral
reefs?
Why are coral reefs dying or being damaged?
How would you predict the existence of coral reefs in
the future?
What are the two natural threats of the coral reefs?
S4.A.1.3.4 Explain what happens to a living organism
when its food supply, access to water, shelter, or space
is changed.
S4.A.1.3.5 Provide examples, predict, or describe how
everyday human activities (e.g., solid waste production,
food production and consumption, transportation, water
consumption, energy production and use) may change
the environment.
S4.B.2.1.1 Identify characteristics for plant and animal
survival in different environments.
S4.B.2.1.2 Explain how specific adaptations can help a
living organism survive (e.g., protective coloration,
mimicry, leaf sizes and shapes, ability to catch or retain
water).
S4.A.3.3.2 Predict future conditions/events based on
observable patterns.
S4.B.1.1.3 Describe basic needs of plants and animals
Students will demonstrate their knowledge by listing
different creatures that live in and off of the coral reefs
on an exam with 100% accuracy.
Students will show their knowledge to why coral reefs
are dying or being damaged by writing a short essay to
attest to their knowledge of this topic with at least 80%
accuracy.

Students will show their understanding of the creatures

that live in and around the coral reefs by question and
answer form.
Students will show understanding of their knowledge of
coral reefs by the end-of-unit test.

ISTE Standards
for Students

Framework for
21st Century
Learning

Accommodation
s, Modifications

Students will show understanding of their predictions of

the existence of coral reefs by doing a presentation to
go along with their argument.
Students will provide a project to show their knowledge
of why coral reefs are dying or being damaged by
knowing what their enemies are how they are harming
them.
Engage students in exploring real-world issues and
solving authentic problems using digital tools and
resources.
Collaborate with students, peers, parents and
community members using digital tools and resources
to support student success and innovation.
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the
environment and the circumstances and conditions
affecting it, particularly as relates to air, climate, land,
food, energy, water and ecosystems.

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of societys

impact on the natural world.

Investigate and analyze environmental issues, and

make accurate conclusions about effective solutions.

Take individual and collective action towards addressing

environmental challenges (e.g., participating in global
actions, designing solutions that inspire action on
environmental issues).

There will be a handicapped accessible desk for the

student as the student cannot sit at the average small
desks.
The teacher will provide the handicapped accessible
desk at the entrance of the classroom as it is too
difficult for the student to walk in and around the rows
of desks.
The student will use her assistive technology and the
teacher will wear a microphone that is synced to the
students technology due to the students speech
impairment.
The student is permitted to leave class a few minutes
early to arrive to her next class on time as mobility is
difficult for the student.

SUPERVISING
TEACHERS
SIGNATURE

Seton Hill University Lesson Plan Template Step-by-Step

Procedures

RATIONALE for
the Learning
Plan

Introduction

Explicit
Instructions

Students will have prior knowledge of coral reefs and the

different types of reefs found in the oceans from the previous
lesson plan. Students will also have previous knowledge of
what oceans coral reefs are located in and why. The students
will also have previous knowledge from the previous lesson
plan about the environment that coral reefs grow in. The
students will learn the concept of how coral reefs are in
danger and what their enemies are. This lesson will
incorporate the PA Standards by teaching students the basic
needs of plants and animals, adaptations of living organisms
surviving, and describe how everyday human activities change
the environment.
Activating Prior Knowledge
Ask students if they know the difference between
human-caused and weather related damage
Ask students if they can name some creatures that live
in and around the coral reefs.
Hook/Lead-In/Anticipatory Set
The teacher will engage the students in the lesson by
reading the book What Do You Find in a Coral Reef? by
Megan Kopp.
The teacher will engage students by also reviewing their
knowledge of previous lesson plan of types of coral reefs
and types of reefs.
Big Idea Statement
There are different types of creatures that live in and
around the coral reefs.
There are different natural threats that affect the coral
reefs
Essential Questions Statement
What types of creatures live in and around the coral
reefs?
How do those creatures adapt to live off of the coral
reefs?
Why are coral reefs dying or being damaged?
How would you predict the existence of coral reefs in the
future?
Objective Statement
The students will list the different reefs that exist.
Students will list different characteristics of the different
reefs.
Students will list different creatures that live in and off of
the coral reefs.
Students will discuss why coral reefs are dying or being
damaged.
Transition
After reading the book What Do You Find in a Coral
Reef? by Megan Kopp, the students will transition by
moving like a fish back to their seats to begin the lesson

Lesson
Procedure

Reading
Materials
Technology
Equipment
Supplies

on coral reefs.
Key Vocabulary
Phytoplankton
Zooplankton
Zooxanthellae
Sea Anemone
Algae
Cleaner Wrasse
Hermit Crab
Cleaner Shrimp
Potato Bass
Clown Fish
Human-caused damage
Weather-related damage
Natural threats
Pollution
Anchor Damage
Climate Change
Pre-Assessment of Students
During a group discussion the students will show their
knowledge of coral reef creatures and coral reef enemies
by including a whiteboard as the students will come and
write a piece of knowledge that they know about coral
reef creatures and coral reef enemies.
Modeling of the Concept
The teacher will first write their knowledge on the
whiteboard to begin the discussion and have the
students start to brainstorm.
Guiding the Practice
The teacher will circulate around the room as the
students work on the objectives in the lesson plan.
Teacher will write down questions the students ask
during the pre-assessment of students.
Providing the Independent Practice
Students will provide the teacher with an in-class
fictional story showing what their comprehension of the
coral reef creatures and coral reef enemies are.
Transition
During periods of transition, students will move their
limbs like a jellyfish. This allows the students to engage
in movement while learning how a jellyfish moves its
tentacles.
Designing a Coral Reef WebQuest
Disney Pixar Nemos Reef App
The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor by Joanna
Cole
The Magic School Bus Presents Sea Creatures by
Joanna Cole

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

Show Primary Source: Mapping the Ocean Floor by
Danna Bell with projector
Show Primary Source: Chart of the Pacific Ocean by
Henry Tanner Schenck with projector
Index cards for exit tickets
Notebook paper
Pencils
Pictures of various creatures in accordance with
vocabulary words.
Coral reef environment photos provided over projector.
Evaluation of
Formal Evaluation
the
An end-of-the-lesson quiz will be given to the students.
Learning/Master
An end-of-the-unit test will be given to the students.
y of the
Informal Evaluation
Concept
Presentations will be a way of grading the students via a
provided rubric as to what the students will be graded
on.
Students will provide predictions of the coral reefs along
with their arguments to this manner by doing a research
paper that will be due by the end of the entire unit on
oceans. This will be put into the students academic
profile to reflect their knowledge and understanding of
the subject.
Closure
Summary & Review of the Learning
Students will demonstrate their knowledge of coral reef
creatures and enemies by completing an exit ticket with
examples of some coral reef creatures as well as
explaining what the enemies are of the coral reef and
why.
Students will be called to the white board one at a time
to demonstrate their knowledge of the lesson.
Students were asked to freely discuss the roadblocks of
this lesson and the students listed some of them to the
teacher. The teacher will adjust the unit accordingly.
Homework/Assignments
Name the creatures that live in and around the coral
reefs.
End-of-the-unit test will be given after unit of the ocean
is complete.
Presentations will be given to show students
understanding of the existence of coral reefs.
Presentations will be due at the end of the unit a week
before the unit test. This will also serve as a review to
the students.
The project to show the students understanding of their
knowledge as to why coral reefs are dying or being
damaged by knowing what their enemies are and how
they are harming the coral reefs will be due within two


Teacher
Self-reflection

weeks of the given date of the assignment.

A rubric will be provided for the presentations and
project.
I know what the students have learned by providing exit
tickets, white board discussions, an end-of-the-lesson
test, an end-of-the-unit test, presentations of the
students, and their research paper.
Students would have benefited from more visuals of the
coral reefs damage that is a current issue.
Students would have benefited from having more time
to grasp the understanding of the entire lesson.
I know that the next time I teach this lesson, I will
provide the students with more time to gather
information for their research paper and presentations.
The young student with a physical disability would have
benefited more from more time of the presentations.
This student would have also benefited from less of a
work load than this lesson provided.
Kaylee said that this lesson was fun to learn about the
coral reef creatures and enemies, but I wish we had
more time to do our project and presentation.