PROJECT PLANNER

1. Project Overview
Project Title Creating a Terrarium Public Product(s)
(Individual and Terrariums will be made by each student individually.
Team) When terrariums are finished, kindergarten classes will
Driving Question How do living things in an ecosystem interact with
come into the class to see the terrariums. The 4th grade
each other?
students will show the kindergartners their terrariums and
tell them about it.

Grade Level/ 4th - Science

Subject

Time Frame 1.5 hours

Project Summary After listening to a presentation by the Pittsburgh Zoo on ecosystems and how living organisms interact within different ecosystems,
students will create their own terrariums based on one of the ecosystems they learned about in the past week.

2. Learning Goals
Standards Literacy Skills
PA CORE STANDARDS ● Students will categorize factual information.
● 9.1.5.B. - Recognize, know, use and ● Students will research and present on a given
demonstrate a variety of appropriate arts topic.
elements and principles to produce, review and ● Students will collaborate in cooperative group
revise original works in the arts. Dance: move projects.
perform read and notate dance create and ● Students will create a graphic organizer.
choreograph improvise Music: sing play an
instrument read and notate music compose and
arrange improvise Theatre: stage productions
read and write scripts improvise interpret a role
design sets direct Visual Arts: paint draw craft

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 sculpt print design for environment,
communication, multi-media
● 4.1.4.A. - Explain how living things are
dependent upon other living and nonliving
things for survival. Explain what happens to an
organism when its food supply, access to water,
shelter or space (niche / habitat) is changed.
Identify similarities and differences between
living organisms, ranging from single-celled to
multi-cellular organisms through the use of
microscopes, video, and other media.
● 4.1.4.F. - Distinguish between scientific fact and
opinion. Ask questions about objects,
organisms and events. Understand that all
scientific investigations involve asking and
answering questions and comparing the answer
with what is already known. Plan and conduct a
simple investigation and understand that
different questions require different kinds of
investigations. Use simple equipment (tools and
other technologies) to gather data and
understand that this allows scientists to collect
more information than relying only on their
senses to gather information. Use data/evidence
to construct explanations and understand that
scientists develop explanations based on their
evidence and compare them with their current
scientific knowledge. Communicate procedures
and explanations giving priority to evidence and
understanding that scientists make their results
public, describe their investigations so they can
be reproduced and review and ask questions
about the work of other scientists.
● 4.2.4.C. - Explain how freshwater organisms are
adapted to their environment. Explain the life
cycles of organisms in a freshwater environment
SAS
● S4.A.3.1.1 - Categorize systems as either natural
or human-made (e.g., ballpoint pens, simple
electrical circuits, plant anatomy, water cycle).

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Key Vocabulary
Directions: Use this section to create a high-level overview of your project. Think of this as the broad outline of the story of your project, with the milestones
representing the significant ‘moments’ or ‘stages’ within the story. As you develop these, consider how the inquiry process is unfolding and what learning will
take place. The Project Calendar (Section 4) will allow you to build out the milestones in greater detail.
Milestone #1:
Desert Lesson
(Group work)
Students will be able to
identify and classify
characteristics of a
desert. Then, students
will be able to compare
and contrast two desert
animals in small groups
of four using a graphic
organizer.
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● S4.A.3.1.2 - Explain the relationship between
the living and nonliving components in a system
(e.g., food web, terrarium).
● S4.B.3.1.2 - Describe interactions between living
and nonliving components (e.g. plants – water,
soil, sunlight, carbon dioxide, temperature;
animals – food, water, shelter, oxygen,
temperature) of a local ecosystem.
Success Skills ● Students will be working in small groups and
learning about collaboration.
● Students will be encouraged to think critically
about the different ecosystems and how
organisms interact within them.
● Students will be learning how to research given
topics
● Terrarium Rubric(s) ● Building A Terrarium Rubric
● Nutrition
● Ecosystem
● Organism
3. Project Milestones
Milestone #2: Milestone #3 Milestone #4 Milestone #5: Milestone #6
Tundra Lesson Aquatic Lesson Rainforest Lesson Zoo Presentation Building Terrariums
(Group work) (Group work) (Group work) (Class Presentation) (Individual work)
The students will build a Students will be able to Students (A) will be able Students will be able to Students will be able to
hands on model of a demonstrate to create a PowerPoint understand different understand how
tundra ecosystem and knowledge of aquatic (B/D) by analyzing data ecosystem and living organisms in an
be able to name each ecosystems by writing about the rainforest (C). organisms interact with ecosystem coexist by
part of it. or drawing the them by listening to a creating a terrarium.
freshwater and marine presentation by the
water food chains Pittsburgh Zoo. Students will then share
their work with and
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Key Student Question
What are the
characteristics of a
desert? How do desert
plants and animals
depend on one another
for survival?
Formative
Assessment(s)
Classroom observation,
participation, the Venn
Diagram graphic
organizer, and the
summative Desert
graphic organizer.
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explain it to
kindergarten students.
Key Student Question Key Student Question Key Student Question Key Student Question Key Student Question
What is found in a How do organisms live, How and why do How and why do -What are the different
tundra ecosystem? grow, respond to their organisms interact with organisms interact with parts of the terrarium?
How do organisms environment, and their environment and their environment and -How do the living
interact with each other reproduce? what are the effects of what are the effects of organisms in the
within a tundra How do we impact these interactions? these interactions? terrarium interact with
ecosystem? ecosystems? each other?
-What is needed to
keep the terrarium
alive?
-What two ecosystems
would this terrarium
most likely fit into?
-If we chose a different
ecosystem, what would
that terrarium look like?
Formative Formative Formative Formative Summative
Assessment(s) Assessment(s) Assessment(s) Assessment(s) Assessment(s)
The formative Students will answer F - Students will Students will answer Students will be
assessment is observing questions throughout volunteer answers to questions during the evaluated through a
the students setting up class. complete the L section presentation, activating rubric based on their
their models. of the KWL chart, as a prior knowledge of terrarium.
They will be observed to Students will work in class. ecosystems.
see if they know where groups to complete an
everything goes in the activity of writing and
model. drawing about aquatic
ecosystems.
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 4. Project Calendar

Driving Question: How and why do organisms interact with their environment and what are the effects of these interactions?

Week: 9 Project Milestone: Organisms grow, reproduce, and perpetuate their species by obtaining necessary resources through
interdependent relationships with other organisms and the physical environment.

Key Student Question(s): What are the different parts of the terrarium?
● How do the living organisms in the terrarium interact with each other?
● What is needed to keep the terrarium alive?
● What two ecosystems would this terrarium most likely fit into?
● If we chose a different ecosystem, what would that terrarium look like?
Day 1: Desert Day 2: Tundra Day 3: Aquatic Day 4: Rainforest Day 5: Creating a terrarium
Students will be able to The students will build a Students will be able to Students (A) will be able to Students will be able to
identify and classify hands on model of a tundra demonstrate knowledge of create a PowerPoint (B/D) by understand how organisms in
characteristics of a desert. ecosystem and be able to aquatic ecosystems by analyzing data about the an ecosystem coexist by
Then, students will be able to name each part of it. writing or drawing the rainforest (C). creating a terrarium.
compare and contrast two freshwater and marine water
desert animals in small food chains.
groups of four using a graphic
organizer.
Notes: Pittsburgh Zoo will have a presentation on Day 5.

5. Lesson Planner (Supporting Resource)

How to use the document: This planner offers guidance on how you might plan your daily lessons in the project calendar. Pick and choose what feels necessary to achieve the
learning outcome and advance product development for all students.

I. CHECKING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE Identify how you will inventory student knowledge ahead of the task, lesson, or activity. (e.g., previous day’s exit tickets, warm-up
activity, need to know list review, quiz, class discussion, etc.)

II. LEARNING OUTCOME These can be related to success skills or standards. If your district uses a graduate profile or career pathway outcomes, include relevant
outcomes here as well.

III. KEY VOCABULARY Note which terms or academic vocabulary will be essential to this lesson. If you serve English language learners, consider what additional

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 vocabulary might be necessary for them to access the content/skills during the instructional activities.

IV. FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT For each lesson, consider which assessment type best measures the learning outcome. For example, a quiz may be the best way to check
for understanding of key terms while an annotated sketch might be best for determining student understanding of how the key terms fit together. In some cases, your
assessment may be informal, such as an exit ticket, or more formal, as in a rough draft. Finally, when planning your formative assessment, diversify who is doing the
assessment. Include self, peer, and teacher assessment opportunities, as appropriate for the age group. When possible, have external partners or end users provide
feedback to improve or guide the work.

V. MAJOR INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES This can include lessons, tasks, activities, or learning experiences. Choose the instructional method that will best help
students achieve the learning outcome. For example, a direct instruction lesson may be appropriate for introducing the key players in World War II while an artifact
inquiry activity during which students examine primary source documents would be better suited for them to understand the impact of those key players on the
pivotal events during the war. This would also be the space to include teaching and learning related to classroom culture, student collaboration, and/or project
management tools or skills, as appropriate for students or project milestone needs. Included links show examples of such activities.

VI. SCAFFOLDS Scaffolds are intended to be temporary supports that are removed when students no longer need them. These scaffolds can be used to support either
content or the project process (e.g., need to know questions). Leverage “checking prior knowledge” to ensure you are offering the right scaffolds to the students who
need them. Be sure to consider a wide range of needs, such as literacy skills, language acquisition levels, auditory/visual processing, building schema, learning style
preferences, academic performance levels, etc.

VII. REFLECTION How will students reflect on their thinking, process, or learning?

VIII. STUDENT NEED TO KNOW QUESTIONS ADDRESSED Which student questions will be answered, or are you aiming to answer, during this instructional activity?

IX. TOOLS/RESOURCES Student-facing tools, human resources such as experts or community members, teacher tools, equipment, etc.

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© 2019 Buck Institute for Education PBLWORKS.ORG