Inquiry Lesson Plan Template (with Four Ways of Thinking connection)

Teacher:
Content & Title:
Grade Level:
Allison Bramanti
Population Growth on
3rd
EarthHow does the
human population
influence the Earth both
positively and
negatively?
Standards:
These will be addressed over the course of the entire 5-day Unit.
Concept 1: Changes in Environments
Describe the interactions between human populations, natural hazards, and the environment.
PO 1. Describe the major factors that could impact a human population (e.g., famine, drought, disease,
improved transportation, medical breakthroughs).
PO 2. Describe the beneficial and harmful impacts of natural events and human activities on the environment
(e.g., forest fires, flooding, pesticides).
Concept 2: Science and Technology in Society Understand the impact of technology.
PO 1. Identify ways that people use tools and techniques to solve problems.
PO 2. Describe the development of different technologies (e.g., communication, entertainment,
transportation, medicine) in response to resources, needs, and values.
Objectives (Explicit & Measurable):
Students should be able to identify ways that they, and the population as a whole, impact the Earth
and its resources both positively and negatively by calculating their Ecological Footprint and
determing one realistic way they could reduce their footprint.
Evidence of Mastery (Measurable Assessment: formative and summative):

(formative) Students will be assessed through formative assessments during this lesson that include
class participation, partner participation, share alouds, the completion of their Ecological Footprint
calculation, and their letter writing. Students must actively engage in each of these activities by
participating at least once within the class and partner discussions. More participation will show the
student exceeds expectations while no participation will suggest the student fails to meet
expectations. Each of these outcomes will reflect in the students grade. Students must also complete
their Ecological Footprint calculation and letter to receive full points. Completion of each of these
assessments will receive full points. Students who do not complete the assessments will have grades
that reflect their incompletion (wont receive the points).

(summative) To be given at the end of the unit.

Sub-objectives, SWBAT (steps that lead to completion of objective; sequence from simple to more
complex):

Define an Ecological Footprint

Determine at least three realistic steps they can take to help reduce their Ecological Footprint

Lesson Summary and Justification: (summary gives detailed information about what students are
doing. Justification why is this lesson being taught)

Population growth on Earth should be taught to students because it impacts nearly every other sustainability
topic. Students need to understand population, what influences the population, and how the population
influences the Earth and its resources so that they can then understand why its so important to think about
sustainability. Its imperative that our young generations of students are learning about population and its
constant growth and impact so that they can begin using futures thinking to create sustainable solutions to
this problem.
Through this lesson students learn about how their actions impact the Earth and its resources both positively
and negatively. On a larger scale, students begin to think about how the entire population impacts the Earth
and its resources positively and negatively. By engaging students in the learning of this material, teachers
can create informed, innovative and sustainable thinkers that will be able to lead our world in the future.
Background Knowledge: (What do students need to know prior to completing this lesson)
Students should know what population growth is based on what they learned on the first day of this unit.
Students should know what factors cause the population to grow and decline based on what they learned on
the second day of this unit.
Students should know how to write a letter utilizing proper formatting for the genre of letter writing.
Misconception: (what possible misleading thoughts might students have?)
Students might believe that the Earth can sustain a continually increasing population.
Students might think that population growth is only positive and will not personally affect them in any
negative ways.
Students might believe that they cannot make a difference when it comes to finding sustainable solutions to
the problem of population growth on Earth in consideration of Earths limited resources.
Process Skills: (what skills are you introducing or reinforcing)
Critical thinking skills
Listening skills
Collaboration Skills
Writing skills
Four Ways of Thinking connection: (Provide a complete explanation of how your lesson plan connects
to futures, system, strategic, or values thinking. Define the way of thinking you selected and used in
this lesson plan. Remember, this should be included meaningfully in the lesson plan.)
Futures thinking requires an individual to make decisions by taking into consideration the potential outcomes
those decisions may create and cause. By teaching individuals to use the concept of futures thinking, they
will be more aware of their impact on the world around them. This type of thinking is especially useful when
attempting to find solutions to sustainability challenges because it requires individuals to think about the
impact their solution might have and plan for that impact. This type of thinking allows for creativity and
innovation to occur that might help solve challenges that were originally only confronted with a mindset to
focus on a present solution, not a long-lasting solution.
This lesson plan connects to Futures Thinking because it requires students to think about how population
affects the Earth and its limited natural resources, while encouraging students to consider how they could
make changes to their own personal life in order to help alleviate the negative affects of population growth
that the planet experiences.
Safety: (what safety rules and items need to be addressed?) No safety concerns.
Inquiry Questions: (testable in the here and now.)

1. (to explore) How does the human population influence the Earth and its resources both positively
and negatively?
2. (to elaborate) How can you, through futures thinking and a sustainability mindset, make a change in
your own life to help alleviate the negative affects of population on the Earth and its resources?
Key vocabulary: (list and define)
Materials: (list item and possible quantity)
1. Ecological Footprint: compares the rate at
1. Video: https://youtu.be/eRLJscAlk1M
2. Ecological Footprint Calculator:
which an individual consumes natural resources
http://meetthegreens.pbskids.org/features/
and creates waste to the rate at which the Earth
carbon-calculator.html
can replenish those natural resources and absorb
3. Computer, one for every student
the waste created
4. Paper for every student
5. Pencil or another writing utensil for every
student
Engage - In this section you should activate prior knowledge, hook student attention, pose a question
(IQ#1) based on your lesson objective that students will seek to answer in Explore.
Teacher Will: (hook)
Students Will:
Play this video: https://youtu.be/eRLJscAlk1M
Watch the video and think critically about
to spark students thoughts on how population
what the message of the video is
impacts the Earth and its resources
Share aloud their thoughts about the
Ask students to think about what the message of
meaning and message of the video with the
the video is as they watch it
class
After watching the video have students share
out loud what they took away from the video
and what they believe the message of the video
was
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
The teacher can provide students with a transcript of the video in English or another language if necessary in
order to help students better understand the video.
By using technology as an additional form of media within the classroom the teacher is implementing a best
practice. Technology helps to further promote learning and various forms of media can help reach different
types of learners.
Explore - In this section students should take the lead and actively use materials to discover information
that will help them answer the question posed in Engage. Teachers may choose to give steps to follow,
especially for younger students, but the goal is for students to discover some or all of the sub-objectives of
the lesson.
Teacher Will: (pose IQ #1)
Students Will: (list all steps)
Ask students to share aloud all the different
Share aloud all the different products and
products and resources they noticed they used
resources that they noticed they used in
in their everyday life since last class period (as
their everyday life since the last class
they were asked to take note of in the closing
period
segment of the previous lesson)
Think about if the products and resources
Ask students if they think that the products and
they used affect the Earth positively or
resources they used within the last day affect
negatively and discuss this question with a
the Earth positively or negatively? Have them
partner
discuss the question with a partner sitting next
Ask the teacher if they do not understand
to them
what an ecological footprint is after it has
Tell students what an Ecological (or Carbon)
been defined

Footprint is: compares the rate at which an

individual consumes natural resources and
creates waste to the rate at which the Earth can
replenish those natural resources and absorb the
waste created
Instruct every student to go to the following
link so that they can determine their Ecological
(Carbon) Footprint:
http://meetthegreens.pbskids.org/features/carb
on-calculator.html
Tell students to answer every question to the
best of their ability and to raise their hand if
they are confused or do not know how to
answer a question

Go to the Youth Footprint Calculator

website and determine their individual
footprint
Raise their hand and ask if they have a
question or do not know how to answer any
of the questions on the survey

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

The teacher can assign students who struggle with reading comprehension, English, or technology to a
partner in order to help them complete the Ecological Footprint survey. The teacher could also pull students
who might struggle aside and work with them in a small group to complete one survey as a group. The
teacher could additionally print out the survey so that students could look back at the various information
shared throughout the survey and not have to remember it all. For students that excel, the teacher could ask
them to walk around and help other students after they complete their own footprint calculation.
By allowing the students to complete a hands-on activity, the teacher is utilizing a best practice. The students
have the opportunity to learn and discover the objectives and sub-objectives of the lesson on their own.
Explain In this section students share what they discovered, teacher connects student discoveries to
correct content terms/explanations, students articulate/demonstrate a clear and correct understanding of the
lesson sub-objectives by answering the question from Engage before moving on.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Ask students how many Earths the calculator
Share aloud how many Earths the
determined that they used
calculator determined that they used
State that according to the calculator, the
Share aloud the potential reduction options
average person uses 2.17 Earths and that the
that they read about during their survey
United States uses around 8 Earths
Ask students to share some of the potential
reduction options that the calculator suggested
to them throughout the survey
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
The teacher could have students print their results page and turn it in if they are uncomfortable sharing in
front of the class. The teacher can also write all of the questions he/she asks on the whiteboard so that
students who need more time to process the questions still have the opportunity to answer them.
Providing time within the lesson for a class discussion is a best practice. The discussion time allows the
teacher to determine where each of the students are at as an informal assessment so that he/she can scaffold
their learning before moving onto the next part of the lesson that usually requires higher level thinking from
the student.

Elaborate In this section students take the basic learning gained from Explore and clarified in Explain
and apply it to a new circumstance or explore a particular aspect of this learning at a deeper level. Students
should be using higher order thinking in this stage. A common practice in this section is to ask a What If?
question. IQ #2
Teacher Will: (pose IQ #2)
Students Will:
Tell students to consider their ecological
Pick one recommended reduciton option
footprint and the recommended reduction
that they think they could realistically
options
implement within their personal lives that
would help to conserve Earths limited
Ask students to pick one recommended
resources and make a positive impact on
reduction option that they could realistically
the planet and population by reducing their
implement within their own daily life/family
ecological footprint
that would help to conserve Earths limited
resources and make a positive impact on the
planet and population
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
As previously mentioned, the teacher can have printed out copies of the survey that include all of the
recommended reduction options so that students have the chance to go back and read about each option in
detail before choosing one. The teacher can additionally have versions in another language besides English
for ELL students. For students that excel, the teacher can ask them to choose two or more options that they
believe they could realistically implement in their own life.
Providing students with options to make their own choices in the classroom is a best teaching strategy.
Students should have the freedom to make decisions within their learning in order to help engage them in the
tasks they must complete and continue to hold their interest.
Evaluate In this section every student demonstrates mastery of the lesson objective (though perhaps not
mastery of the elaborate content). Because this also serves as a closing, students should also have a chance
to summarize the big concepts they learned outside of the assessment.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Have students write a letter to their parents or
Write a letter to their parents or guardian
guardian explaining to them the reduction
explaining to them the reduction option that
option that they picked and then stating at
they picked and stating at least three realistic
least three realistic steps they can take to
steps they could take to achieve their
achieve their reduction goal
reduciton goal
Closure: (revisit objective, IQs and make real world connections)
The teacher will end the lesson by asking students to share what they found most surprising about the days
lesson. The teacher can prompt this discussion with questions such as: Were you surprised to see what your
ecological footprint was? Did you know that you personally can impact our planet and its resources? What
reduction option do you think would be the easiest to get your family to implement alongside you? The
teacher should have each student share one thing that they learned or were surprised by before leaving.
**Best Practices List the Best Teaching Practices you will use to enhance the learning outcomes. In
each section where prompted, list the best practice, how the practices will be used and the purpose.

Sources
Dear Future Generations: Sorry [Video file]. (2015). United States: YouTube. Retrieved from
https://youtu.be/eRLJscAlk1M.
The GREENS: What's Your Footprint? (2016). Retrieved December 04, 2016, from
http://meetthegreens.pbskids.org/features/carbon-calculator.html