1

Sheltered Lesson Plan (includes mainstream & ELLs students)

TOPIC FOR THE LESSON: Biomes
Time in Minutes: 3 days, 175 minutes

Day Number: 1
Grade Level/Course: 7th grade

Standards
Pennsylvania (or National Standards/ Professional Standards)
4.1.7.A- Describe the relationships between biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem.
Compare and contrast different biomes and there characteristics. Describe symbiotic and
predator/prey relationships.

Common Core
CC.3.5.6-8.H.- Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and
speculation in a text.
CC.3.5.6-8.D.- Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words
and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 68
texts and topics.

WIDA Standard
English Language Development Standard 4: English language learners communicate
information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of
Science.

ELPs
Reading: Match pictures of scientific equipment with their uses.
Listening: Collect and prepare materials needed for scientific projects based on single
step oral directions.
Writing: Use drawings, words, and phrases to answer WH-questions on biome reports
through scientific research within a small group.
Speaking: Identify scientific issues from pictures and video.
Content Objectives/ Learning Outcomes

The students will be able to identify the

Earths biomes based on native
organisms and environmental factors.
The students will be able to identify the
location of the eight biomes on a world
map.
The students will be able to describe
the adaptations that allow organisms
to survive in the biome in which they
live.
The students will be able to explain the
similarities and differences between
the eight major biomes.

Language & Literacy Objectives:

The student will be able to match the

earths biomes by using pictures of
native organisms and environmental
factors.
The students will be able to collect and
prepare materials needed for biome

Assessment of Content:

Students create handouts/study guides

that identify and explain the
characteristics of their specific biome.
Quiz on all eight of the biomes
(geographic location, characteristics,
and wild life included).

Modified Assessment of Content for

ELLs
Oral quiz with a picture with each biome
up on the chalk board and I verbally ask
the question. He/she would then
identify the biome from the pictures and

locating on a world map based on

single step oral directions.
The students will be able to answer
animal adaptation questions using
drawings, words, and phrases based on
biome experiments within a small
group.
The students will be able to identify the
similarities and differences between
the eight major biomes from pictures
and videos.

say what the name of the biome is to

answer the question. W-H questions
could be used as well as simple yes/no
questions.
List the characteristics of the different
biomes to distinguish between their
similarities and differences. One word
answers.

Key Vocabulary for Lesson

Biome, ecosystem, habitat, construct.

http://prezi.com/7o7ip60htgu6/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share
Extra terms: Tundra, tropical forest, coniferous trees, deciduous trees, rainforest, taiga,
temperate, grasslands, and dessert.

Pre-Planning
Instructional Strategies to be Used:
X Discovery Learning
X Cooperative Learning
Debate
X Discussion
Questioning
Lecture
X Jigsaw
X Academic Word Exercise
___________________
___________________

Simulations
Concept Foundation
Inquiry
_________________
_________________

Multiple Intelligences
X Verbal/Linguistic
Logical/Mathematical
X Naturalist

Musical/Rhythmic
Intrapersonal
X Visual/Spatial

Interpersonal
Body/Kinesthetic

Delivery
X Traditional

On-Line

Simulations

Characteristics of Students:
I have 28 students in my classroom. Two of which are special needs, three are gifted, and one
is an English language learner. My ELL is Abigail. She is a seventh grade student in the
entering level of English language proficiency. Abigail has been living in America for 6 months
and her family doesnt use English at home. At this point, her English knowledge is very basic
and she doesnt socialize with the other students. Abigail seems eager to learn and make
friends, but as of now her English isnt improving as much as she and her teacher would like.
Modifications & Adaptations
Text Adaptations
I used an adapted text for my ESL student. Adaptations include working with worksheets
that have pictures on them so that the biomes are easier for my students, especially my ESL
student, to recognize the biome that is being researched. Questions on the worksheet will
consist of single word responses questions and simple WH-questions. Any resources that the
students gather from their biome research, I will revise and will replace certain words with
pictures and/or simplified sentences so that the text is easier to understand.

4
Assistive Technologies
I could use an Ipad to help my ELS students identify the biomes and get extra practice with
science specific terms related to those biomes. I could also use either audio recordings or an
educational video to supply any ESL student with extra visuals and opportunities to listen to
their presentation lines.
Materials/Resources
Camcorder VCR/DVD X Worksheets X Handouts X Computer Notes
X Internet
Approved Readings
X Academic Word Exercise
__________ ______________________
________________________

Activities
Advanced Organizer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIy0ZlyPPDg
To get the students in the environmental biology state of mind, this video about
biomes will be shown to them at the start of class. The teacher will tell the students
to be making mental notes about some of the similarities and difference that they
are seeing between the biomes. The images of the biomes that are within this video
are breathe taking and should inspire the students to want to learn more about these
different areas of our planet.

Time
4 min

Teachers Roles/Activities

Time

Jigsaw Activity Explanation

Explain Activity
~ In this cooperative learning/jigsaw
activity students will be researching one of
six biomes. Students will be separated into
groups of six where each student has a role
that they are responsible for as well as being
in charge of researching and mastering one
of the six biomes. This group is considered
their home group. Students will then break
off into their expert groups or the groups
where everyone has the same biome to
research. Within these groups students are
to research certain characteristics/topics for
their biome. The expert groups are also in
charge of making a handout/study guide that
they will give to their home groups after they
have finished teaching them about the
biome. The handouts should contain all of
the material that the students were required
to research and should be easy/fun to look at
and study from. The students are responsible
for teaching their home groups as well as
making sure that their group understands
and knows all the important information
about that biome.
Explain Expectations
~ You are responsible for your own
material materials
~ Be an active participant within both of
your groups

Students Roles/Activities

5
~ Support and encourage all group
members
~ Use inside voices while conversing
with each other. The group beside you
should not be able to hear everything
you are saying.
Explain Group Roles
~ Home Group:
1. Leader Tundra expert
a. The leader is in charge of making
sure that all group members know
what their role and assignments are
within the group. The group leader
should also make sure that their
group mates are completing their
assignments.
2. Manager Taiga expert
a. The manager is in charge of keeping
track of all the groups materials.
They should be the only person
from the group that picks up and
hands in the materials to the
teacher.
3. Timekeeper Grassland expert
a.
The timekeepers role is to
keep the group on track and should
make sure that all tasks are being
completed in a timely manner.
4. Questioner Desert expert
a. The questioner is in charge of
asking the teacher any questions
that the group might have
throughout the activity.
5. Peacekeeper Tropical rainforest
expert
a. The peacekeepers job is to make
sure that all students within the
group treat each other with
respect and help everyone
maintain a positive attitude.
Peacekeepers should lead the
group by example by being
respectful and encouraging o all
group members.
6. Role reliever Deciduous forest
expert
a. If a group member is absent, it is
the role relievers job to take on
their duties until they return. The
role reliever is only responsible for
taking that persons role not doing
the research for their biome. For
example if the timekeeper is
absent one day, the role reliever is
only in charge of keeping the
group on track and making sure
that the tasks are being

6
completed in a timely manner.
~ Expert Group:
1. Everyone within their expert groups
are researching the same biome.
Within this group the students should
be working as a team to research and
gather all the information they can
find on the assigned biome. Once
their group has all of the required and
necessary information, students
should all will be working together on
creating a worksheet/ study guide
that will be give to the home group
members after the experts have
taught about their biome. This
worksheet should not be given to the
home group members until after the
teaching of the biome is complete.
This worksheet/study guide should
not be used to teach the home group,
it is only to help their group members
study for the quiz.
Teacher will present the students with the
jigsaw activity and expectations.

Teacher will give students a brief lecture on

the eight biomes they will be researching.
Key characteristics and animals will be
mentioned. This is where the academic word
exercise will be used. The words that will be
presented in this exercise are construct,
biome, ecosystem, and habitat.

Teacher will instruct students to get

together within their home groups and
decide amongst each other who will be
taking what roles and biomes.

Students will listen, take notes,

and ask questions to clarify any
information that might be
misunderstood.

5min

Students will take notes on a

graphic organizer that will have
pictures of each biome in their
particular sections so that
students are taking notes in the
correct area. Students will be
able to point to the biome
pictures to identify their key
characteristics as well as to
identify the biome name with its
picture. The students will group
the biome visuals by their
common traits.

15min

5min
Students will be able to follow oral
directions to get within their home
groups. Students will need to
identify the biomes that were just
reviewed by identifying the places
and figures that were just
discussed in the lecture. Students
will then point to the biome that
they wish to complete their
research on. Once the biomes are
divided up amongst the group
members the group must signal to
the teacher that they are
prepared to move on by giving a
thumbs up.

Students will be able to follow oral

directions to begin the next task in the
lesson. Students will all give a thumbs

10min

30min

Teacher will instruct students to get with

their expert groups and have students
give a thumbs up when they are ready to
begin. Teacher will then pass out Ipads
and laptops for students to begin
researching their specific biome.

up sign when they are ready to move

forward onto the next task. Students
will start up technology and begin
research.

The students will complete the

worksheet by using books or the
internet to research their biome.
Students will be using pictures that are
on the worksheet to recognize what
information they are supposed to be
The teacher will supply the students with a
researching for. Questions or research
worksheet that has the main topics that the
topic on the worksheets will require
students need to identify in their research. To
help with the understanding of what exactly the single word responses to the WHquestions that are related to the
students need to be identifying, a picture
illustrated text. Students will also
dictionary will be given to each student.
match content related objects or
pictures to words.

The teacher will quickly review the resources

that the students are using and replace certain
words with images to make it easier for the
students to determine what those words are.
Specifically for ELL students in the class, the
teacher will have a few resources already
available where certain sections will have
pictures and simplified sentences.
Teacher will show students examples of past
posters/brochures and presentations so students
can get an idea what is expect out of them.

Teacher will assist groups with putting their

final products together. Will encourage
students to make lists of key points about their
biomes to present. Students may also include
drawings of their biomes and emphasize high
frequency words. *Also if extra help/guidance
is needed for my ELL student I can even
provide a base template or PowerPoint that
would allow for the students to fill in certain

Students will use the revised resources

to fill out the worksheet. Students will
associate letters with sounds and
objects as well as identify common
symbols, signs, and words within their
resources.

Students will view old biome

presentations and recognize the use of
drawings, lists, key words emphasized,
and graphs and pictures labeled.

15min

5min

30min

Students will create their PowerPoint or

Prezi along with their poster or
brochure. Students will draw content
related pictures of their biomes,
highlight high frequency words, and
label the pictures and graphs. Students
will also be creating lists from pretaught words and phrases that are
3min
associated with the specific biomes.

Students will be able to follow oral

8
areas and not become overwhelmed with all of
the extra content.

Will instruct students to get into their

home groups to prepare for their biome
presentations.

Will instruct students to take out their

biome pictorial support worksheets and
their presentation sentence prompt
worksheets.
Observe students giving their biome
presentations to their home groups.

Will ask student presenters simple yes or no

questions and some WH-questions regarding
their biomes?

directions to begin the next task

in the lesson. Students should all
be giving the thumbs up sign
when they are ready to move
forward onto the next task.

Students will follow oral directions

to take out their biome
presentation sentence prompts
and pictorial support worksheets.
Students will give their biome
presentations using the sentence
prompts. Students will use
general and high frequency
vocabulary that is related to their
specific biome. Students will also
use pictorial supports of their
biomes in order to inform their
home groups about specific
characteristics. Examples of
sentence prompts: A
(specific
animal) lives in the (name of
biome) . A meerkat lives in the
desert. The temperature in the
(biome name) is
(hot, warm,
or cold). The temperature in the
desert is hot.

3min

35min

10min

Students will answer yes or no

questions about their biomes. Students
will also answer who, what, when, and
where, questions about their biomes as
well. When students are answering the
questions they will be allowed to use
their given sentence prompts and
pictorial guide worksheets to help them
answer the questions.

Closure
Once students are finished with their quiz, the teacher should engage them into a
short class discussion about how they like this activity and why. The teacher should
also ask the class which biome they would want to live in and why. In the
explanations that the students give, their use of science specific vocabulary should
give a clear indication of whether or not they understand the terms that are related
to the biomes.

Post Analysis

Time
5min

9
Reflections/Notes:
1. I learned how to modify one of my existing lesson plans into a lesson that is appropriate
for all students while being able to specifically meet the needs of any ESL student that I
may have within my classroom one day.
2. I learned that adapting my lesson plans to accommodate any ELL is really not that
difficult. It just takes a little extra time and effort. Watching my classmates go through
these assignments with me and seeing them unwilling to do the small amount of extra
work has made me determined to never have that mindset within my classroom. I will
always put in the extra time an effort it takes to make sure that my students, including
my ESL students succeed in my science classroom.
3. I am proud of myself for how well this lesson plan came together. It was difficult
because I wanted to make it the best I possible could but the extra effort was definitely
worth it. I really hope that I will get to use this lesson in my future classroom one day.
4. The easiest part of making this lesson was how we broke down all of the sections. I
definitely feel that this lesson would have been significantly harder if we would not have
broken this lesson down into manageable sections. It just made putting the lesson
together more manageable. I will definitely have to remember this for when I have to
make adaptations to any of my lessons in the future so that I can refrain from getting
overwhelmed.
5. The most challenging part of making this lesson was sitting down and taking the time to
put it all together. Even though we already had all of the modifications planned out it
took a lot of thinking a planning to make the appropriate integrations of those
modifications. However with that being said, its that time and effort that I have put
into this lesson that makes me so proud of this final product.
I am really glad that we had to do this project because before this class I honestly had no
idea how to adapt a lesson plan for an ESL student. Now that I have completed this lesson I
feel that I will be able to make the appropriate modifications to help all of my students succeed
including any ESL students that I may have.