Unit Plan Template Guide

Understanding By Design Framework

Course Science Grade Level 7

Unit A: Interactions and
Subject Time Frame 5 Weeks
Ecosystems
Developed by Kaitlyn Parks

Stage 1 Desired Results

Content Standard (s) (Front Matter)

Social and Environmental Contexts of Science emphasis on the human impact on the endangered species
Nature of Science emphasis on the role of environmental monitoring and research.

Enduring Understandings/Big Ideas: Essential Questions:

Students will understand that . . .
- The loss of a species can have astounding effects
on the environment
- Human interaction plays a large role in the
diversity of an ecosystem
- The applications of science often have ethical,
social, economic, and political implications
Related misconceptions . . .
- Losing a species does not affect humans or the
environment
- Species have always gone extinct, so we dont
have to worry about a few animals or plants
disappearing
- There is nothing I can do to protect
the worlds biodiversity
- All species have been discovered
Content specific . . .
- How do human activities affect ecosystems?
- How do animals and ecosystems interact?
- Why do environmental factors impact a species?
- Why do we want to conserve a species?
Prior Knowledge:
What do students already know . . .
- Grade 1: Needs of Animals and Plants
- Grade 3: Animal Life Cycles
- Grade 5: Wetland Ecosystems
Unit Emphasis: Social and Environmental Contexts of Science and
Technology

Knowledge objectives (general outcomes): Skills/Attitudes objectives (General outcomes):

Students will know . . . Students will be able to . . .

- Investigate and describe relationships between
humans and their environments, and identify
related issues and scientific questions
- Trace and interpret the flow of energy and
materials within an ecosystem
- Monitor a local environment, and assess the
impacts of environmental factors on the growth,
health and reproduction of organisms in that
environment
- Describe the relationships among knowledge,
decisions and actions in maintaining life-
supporting environments
- Ask questions about the relationships between and among
observable variables, and plan investigations to address those
questions
- Conduct investigations into the relationships between and
among observations, and gather and record qualitative and
quantitative data
- Analyze qualitative and quantitative data, and develop and
assess possible explanations
- Work collaboratively on problems; and use appropriate
language and formats to communicate ideas, procedures and
results

Stage 2 Assessment Evidence

Performance Task(s):
Students will be asked to research an endangered species in Alberta, the species they choose will be used throughout the
interdisciplinary unit as their research focus. In the science classroom, students will be tasked to compare ecosystems and how
the structure of them effect the animal they are researching. This data will be included in their final website of the animal
explaining their importance in the ecosystem, human impact of that ecosystem, and conservation efforts that are in place.
Students will need to display a vast understanding of the interconnectedness of ecosystems and how all moving parts affect
each other and the overall health of the environment.
Standards & Criteria for Attach rubric
Success
Please see attached rubric
Student Self-Assessments Other Evidence (assessments)
- Weekly Check-In while working through the - Weekly Journal Reflections
database - Think, Pair, Share
- Journal entry check-in - Class and Group Discussions
- Self/Peer Evaluations - Teacher Monitoring
- Exit Card
- T-Chart and Hexagonal Thinking
- Mini Presentations
Stage 3 Learning Plan
Learning Activities:
En = Engage Exr = Explore Exl = Explain El = Elaborate Ev = Evaluate
Key Materials
# Lesson Title Lesson Activity Key Outcomes Evidence
5E Resources
How Wolves Change Rivers video
- Think- Pair Share: Students will
How
investigate the impact animals have in
Wolves
regard to the environment and the
Investigate and describe Class Change
ecosystems seen in the video
relationships between Discussions Rivers
humans and their video link
Human Impact on Ecosystems video
Changing the environments, and Think Pair https://w
1 - Class Discussion on human impacts on En.
Landscape identify related issues Share ww.youtu
ecosystems
and scientific questions be.com/w
- What questions do students have?
Question atch?v=ys
Wall a5OBhXz-
Discuss: How do ecosystems support life?
Q
Create a Question Wall.
- Answer questions throughout unit.

Stranded on an Island Activity

- What do you need to survive?
- Group Work to make a list about what
you need to survive.
- As a class, review the lists each group
Analyze an ecosystem to
made. Group Work En.
identify biotic and abiotic
components, and
Explain: Abiotic and Biotic Factors. Use an Hit the
2 Staying Alive describe interactions
example on the board. Board
among these
components
Hit the Board Game Exl.
- Use abiotic, biotic, and habitat.
- Teacher calls out a word (e.g. Bird or
Temperature) and two students will
race to put it on the board under the
appropriate heading.
 Introduce Final Project
- Give list of endangered species
students can chose from.
- Ask for them to have a species in
mind for next class.

The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

Story
- Opening discussion to peak interest

Explain: Food Chains and flow of energy

Introduce words like consumers,
producers, and decomposers.
Analyze ecosystems to
- Use food web examples to explain
identify producers, The Old
these concepts.
consumers and Lady Who
- Further discuss examples of Skittles
decomposers; and Exr Swallowed
interactions and interdependency Activity
describe how energy is a Fly
within an ecosystem
supplied to and flows Story Book
Roles in an Collage
3 through a food web Exp by Childs
Ecosystem Skittles Activity
Play
- Students are to pick whether
Describe examples of
they want to be grass, a Teacher
interaction and Ev. Arts &
herbivore or a carnivore. Monitoring
interdependency within Craft
- Game is to show how energy
an ecosystem Supplies
moves up the food chain.

Food Chain Collage

- Students pick an ecosystem, and
make a food web based off of species
in that ecosystem.
- Show good and bad examples

Research Groups will be formed based on

interest on Alberta endangered species.
(groups of four or five)
Self-Made
Provide students with rubric and make Analyze ecosystems to
Rubric
changes to fit their needs and wants identify producers,
consumers and
Review Food Chains by relating to Animal decomposers; and
4 Research Food Chain El. Laptops
Game from gym class. describe how energy is
supplied to and flows
Students will begin to make food chain of through a food web
Journal
their chosen species.
Entry
Journal Response #1: How could food
chains be altered if one of your species
disappears?

Describe examples of Exr.

Story
Guest Speaker: An Elder interaction and
Telling
- Explain the importance of the buffalo interdependency within Exit Card
5 The Buffalo
and how it was used. an ecosystem Paper
Self-
- Identify impact Indigenous peoples
Reflection
had on the buffalo and the land. Identify examples of
 human impacts on Ev.
Exit Cards: Students are to reflect on what ecosystems, and
they learned and what further questions investigate and analyze
they may have. the link between these
impacts and the human
wants and needs that
give rise to them

Materials
for
Open with Human Impact Video stations

Scenarios Sticky
- Students will move from various Investigate and describe Notes
stations to understand how things like relationships between
global warming, deforestation, humans and their Human
pollution, and genetic medication environments, and Impact
affect ecosystems and a species in an identify related issues link
Teacher Exr.
ecosystem. and scientific questions https://w
Monitoring
Stations include: Arctic, Rainforest, ww.khana
Negative
Oceans, Farmers Field Identify examples of cademy.or
6 Impact of Hexagonal Exl.
human impacts on g/science/
Humans Thinking
Formative Assessment: Hexagonal ecosystems, and biology/cr
Thinking investigate and analyze ash-
El.
- Students will use sticky notes to show the link between course-
how all these major concepts are these impacts and the bio-
connected and the impacts they have human wants and needs ecology/cr
on the ecosystem. that give rise to them ash-
course-
Research: Negative Impacts Humans have ecology-
on their chosen species environment. 2/v/crash-
course-
ecology-
10
Schoolyard Clean Up
- Students will be assigned various
Investigate and describe
areas on the school grounds to clean
relationships between
up garbage that they find.
humans and their
- Bring the garbage back to the
environments, and
classroom. In their groupings,
identify related issues
students are to discuss how these Teacher
and scientific questions
items could have affected animals in Monitoring En.
the ecosystem.
Identify examples of Garbage
Positive Class
human impacts on Bags,
7 Impact of How could we re-use these materials? Discussions Exr.
ecosystems, and Gloves,
Humans - Students need to get creative in
investigate and analyze etc.
designing new uses for materials they Mini
the link between these
found Presentatio Exl.
impacts and the human
ns
wants and needs that
Class Discussion on positive impacts of
give rise to them
humans on ecosystems
- Use probing questions such as: How
do humans protect and save animals?
- Are there any initiatives in place?
 Springban
k example:
Group Discussion: Can you think of any
http://ww
examples in Calgary of how humans can
w.cbc.ca/n
impact an ecosystem? Analyze personal and
ews/canad
- Springbank off-stream Reservoir public decisions that
Group a/calgary/
- In your research groups, how could involve consideration of
Discussions Exr. springban
this affect your species? environmental impacts,
8 In the News k-
and identify needs for
4 Corner El. offstream-
4 Corners Activity. scientific knowledge that
Activity reservoir-
- Each student will make claims in can inform those
dam-
regard to building this reservoir and decisions
town-
the impacts on society and the
halls-
ecosystems affected
1.4267570

Spotting Fake News Activity

- Students will be shown images/videos
Fake News
of news posted online.
Activity
- Students will need to determine the
purpose of the news
Analyze qualitative and Class Exr.
quantitative data, and Discussion
How to Spot Class Discussion: Why do we need to be
9 develop and assess Exl. Laptops
Fake News aware of Fake News when we research?
possible explanations Teacher
Monitoring El.
Research: Human impacts that affects
their chosen species ecosystem.
Journal
Entry
Journal Entry #2: Why could humans
cause a species to disappear?
Design your own animal activity
Animal
- Create an animal out of supplies and
Adaptation
highlight where it fits in in the food
Describe examples of Activity
chain Exr.
interaction and
- Teacher will throw in challenges, and Animal
10 Adaptation interdependency within Teacher
then students need to see if their supplies
an ecosystem monitoring
animal can perform the challenge or if Exl.
they have to modify their animal
Class
Discussion
Explain Adaptations
What happens after a fire or flooding to
Teacher
the land and the animals?
Monitoring
- Discuss Fort McMurray and BC Fires Identify intended and
Assess
- Provide students images of the unintended
Environ- Class Images of
11 landscape and they are to discuss consequences of human Exr.
mental Discussion forest fires
what the animals would have done activities within local and
Factors
global environments
Journal
Journal Entry #3: How does changes in the
Entry
land impact animals?

Identify intended and

Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation unintended Group and
Wildlife
12 Educational Program: Wildlife Rescue consequences of human Class El.
Rescue
- Presentation activities within local and Discussions
global environments
 Investigate a variety of
habitats, and describe
and interpret distribution
patterns of living things
Collect Data from the school yard found in those habitats
- Students are to examine the Group Work
ecosystem surrounding the school. Analyze a local
- Take into account the animals and environmental issue or Teacher
plants the see problem based on Monitoring Data
Local evidence from a variety Exr. Charts
13
Environment Record observation and numbers in of sources, and identify Google
google docs possible actions and Docs Laptops
consequences Exl.
Class Discussion on what was discovered Class
at end of class Conduct investigations Discussion
into the relationships
between and among
observations, and gather
and record qualitative
and quantitative data

Interpret Data from schoolyard

- Research human impact on
ecosystems Think, Pair,
- Think, Pair, Share: Discuss ideas that Share
Describe and interpret
were found during research
examples of scientific Exr.
Group
14 investigations that serve Laptops
Journal Entry #4: Both animals and Discussions
to inform environmental Exl.
humans have an impact on ecosystems,
decision making
what are positive and negative ways they Journal
both impact the environment. Entry

Introduce Data Collection in field

State a prediction and a

Review field protocol
hypothesis based on
- Remind students what is expected of Class
15 background information Exl.
them in the field Discussion
or an observed pattern of
- Prepare data collection charts
events

Conduct investigations
into the relationships
between and among
Teacher
observations, and gather
Monitoring
and record qualitative
16 Gone Hiking Students are gone on the hike for 3 days. El.
and quantitative data
Journal
Entrys
Identify signs of
ecological succession in
local ecosystems

Review Data from field Analyze qualitative and El.

17 - Students are t work in their groups quantitative data, and Group
to input data onto google docs develop and assess Discussions
 - Compare the animals and plants possible explanations Exl.
Review Data they saw in the field to the Teacher
Collection schoolyard Monitoring

Group Discussion: How does hiking

impact the environment? What else did
you learn from the hike?
Final Project: Website Research

Day 1: Website components

- Describe the ecosystem
- Describe the food chain
- Describe human impact on the land
- Describe animal adaptations
Analyze a local
Teacher
Day Two: Further Research environmental issue or
Monitoring
- Rough Draft/outline needs to be problem based on
Piecing
submitted evidence from a variety
18 together the Small Group Laptops
- Groups will evaluate each others of sources, and identify
final project Pull Outs
plans. possible actions and
El.
consequences
T-Chart
Day Three: Putting it all together
- T Chart: Describes what is a
Peer
good website format and what is
Feedback
not.

Day Four: Final Touches and

Presentations

Considerations
Is there alignment between
the first 3 stages?
How has learner
differentiation been
addressed?
Stage 4 Reflection
Comments
Yes, the first 3 stages sequentially outline the progression of the unit. Through a backward
design process, the unit is thoughtfully created with the end assessment in mind during the
creation of the unit. This allows for students to be working towards an authentic goal, with a
purpose in mind. The backwards design process also assures that the curricular outcomes are
being met.
The concept of the unit was determined first which allowed for topics to be discussed which
lead to the determination of a grade 7 unit. The alignment between the three stages show that
students will gain a deep understanding of human impact on ecosystems and the effects of
this. The main outcomes addressed in this science unit are in regard to understanding
interactions within ecosystems. The interdisciplinary unit will help students gain a deeper
knowledge of these impacts and ultimately, it will help them to create a meaningful task that is
a relevant real world issue.
Throughout the unit, students are working in both small group, large group and individually to
accomplish certain tasks. They are also being assessed formatively throughout the unit, to
assess their understanding and to help them progress individually. Various formative
assessment techniques were used to engage students in the learning. A few examples include,
kinesthetic movement, visual representations, inquiry-based learning activities, etc. The
summative assessment was created with differentiation in mind. Students are able to
contribute their individual skills to the overall website creation, although a collaborative
project, each student is integral to the final product. There are different aspects required to
creating an informative website that analyzes the overall problem and discusses solutions,
therefore each student has an opportunity to engage in an aspect of the project. Additionally,
there is differentiation in terms of the learning environment. Students will get to experience
learning in the classroom, in the field, and in a specific research center. This allows students to

How does the unit design
include a variety of teaching
experiences that includes:
Indigenous, multicultural,
and interdisciplinary
activities?
Sources consulted (APA
format)
experience multiple modes of learning, and the instruction is also multiple modal to reach all
the learners in the classroom.
The project as a whole is interdisciplinary, various disciplines are required to provide an overall
understanding of the complex problem. Science is one perspective being investigated by the
student which will help the understand the logical reasoning of how human impacts effect
ecosystems. FNMI considerations are embedded throughout the project through the use of
learning from the land and through inviting an elder to provide deeper insight into the issue.
The unit itself, since it deals with understanding of animal interactions, can be attributed to
indigenous ways, as it is important to understand how to be an advocate for animals and
understand their purpose Big ideas like inquiry based learning, experiential learning, and the
integration of Aboriginal ways of knowing are underlying the overall curricular
outcomes. Additional learning experiences, as mentioned above include various learning
environments for the students. The real world extends well beyond the classroom, and it is
important for students to experience these interdisciplinary settings to gain a deeper
understanding.
Alberta Learning (2003). Science 7-9 [Program of Studies]. [Edmonton], Canada: Alberta
Learning

Holmes, S. (2009). The old lady who swallowed a fly. London: Red Kite Books.

Khan Academy. (n.d.). 5 human impacts on the environment. Retrieved from

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/crash-course-bio-ecology/crash-
course-ecology-2/v/crash-course-ecology-10

Lawrynuik, S. (2017). Alberta ends town halls on Springbank dam, pushing for 2019
construction start. Retrieved from:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/springbank-offstream-reservoir-dam-town-
halls-1.4267570

The Sustainable Man. (2014). How Wolves Change Rivers. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q

Adapted by Jeff Turner (2016) from:

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design. Alexander, Virginia: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development.

Llewellyn, D. (2013). Teaching high school science through inquiry and argumentation. Thousand Oaks, CA.
Website Rubric:

Category 4 3 2 1

The site has a The site has a The purpose and The site lacks a
Content well-stated clear clearly stated theme of the purpose and
purpose and purpose and site is somewhat theme.
theme that is theme, but may vague.
carried out have one or two
throughout the elements that
site. do not seem to
be related to it.

The Web site The Web pages The Web pages The Web pages
has an have an have a usable are cluttered
Layout exceptionally attractive and layout, but may looking or
attractive and usable layout. It appear busy or confusing. It is
usable layout. It is easy to locate boring. It is easy often difficult
is easy to locate all important to locate most of to locate
all important elements. the important important
elements. White elements. elements.
space, graphic
elements and/or
alignment are
used effectively
to organize
material.

Graphics are Graphics are Graphics are Graphics seem

related to the related to the related to the randomly
theme/purpose theme/purpose theme/purpose chosen, are of
Graphics / Fonts of the site, are of the site, are of the site, and low quality, OR
thoughtfully of good quality are of good distract the
cropped, are of and enhance quality. reader.
high quality and reader interest
enhance reader or The fonts are A wide variety
interest or understanding. consistent and of fonts, styles
understanding. point size varies and point sizes
The fonts are appropriately for was used.
The fonts are consistent, easy headings and
consistent, to read and text.
easy to read point size varies
and point size appropriately for
varies headings and
appropriately text.
for headings
and text. Use
of font styles is
used
consistently
and improves
readability.
Rough Draft / Outline and Outline and Outline and Only small
Outline rough draft are rough draft are rough draft are amount of
filled out mostly filled out partially filled outline and
completely and and show out and show rough draft are
show evidence evidence of some evidence completed.
of thorough research. of research.
planning and
research.

Spelling and There are no There are 1-3 There are 4-5 There are more
Grammar errors in spelling, errors in errors in than 5 errors in
punctuation or spelling, spelling, spelling,
grammar in the punctuation or punctuation or punctuation or
final draft of the grammar in the grammar in the grammar in the
Web site. final draft of the final draft of the final draft of
Web site. Web site. the Web site.

Content All information Almost all the Almost all of the There are several
Accuracy provided by the information information inaccuracies in
student on the provided by the provided by the the content
Web site is student on the student on the provided by the
accurate and all Web site is Web site is students OR
the requirements accurate and all accurate and many of the
of the assignment requirements of almost all of the requirements
have been met. the assignment requirements were not met.
have been met. have been met.

Links for Links for Links for Some links do

navigation are navigation are navigation take not take the
Navigation clearly labeled, clearly labeled, the reader where reader to the
consistently allow the reader s/he expects to sites described. A
placed, allow the to easily move go, but some user typically
reader to easily from a page to needed links seem feels lost. There
move from a page related pages to be missing. A is 1 or less links.
to related pages (forward and user sometimes
(forward and back), and internal gets lost. There
back), and take links take the are 2 links given.
the reader where reader where s/he
s/he expects to expects to go.
go. There are at There are less
least 3 links. than 3 links.