Ecosystems Lesson Plan

LESSON PLAN
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
LESSON ORGANISATION
Year Level: 9 Time: 12:30 1:25 pm Date: 02/06/17 Students Prior Knowledge:
Learning Area: Science Biology - Students are familiar with definitions and components
of an ecosystem.
Strand/Topic from the Australian Curriculum - Students are competent constructing food webs and
identifying producers and consumers.
Science Understand - Ecosystems consist of - Students have an understanding of energy input and
communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic output through a food web.
components of the environment; matter and energy flow - Students are experienced navigating computers and
through these systems (ACSSU176) are familiar with using the internet for research
purposes.
Elaboration - examining factors that affect population

sizes such as seasonal changes, destruction of habitats,
introduced species.
Science as a Human Endeavour- Scientific

understanding, including models and theories, is
contestable and is refined over time through a process of
review by the scientific community (ACSHE157)
General Capabilities (that may potentially be covered in the lesson)
Literacy Numeracy ICT Critical and Ethical Personal and Intercultural
competence creative behaviour Social understanding
thinking competence
Cross-curriculum priorities (may be addressed in the lesson)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Asia and Australias engagement with Sustainability
histories and cultures Asia
Lesson Objectives
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Describe the impact that natural factors such as fire, flood and drought, can have on population size within an
ecosystem.
2. Explain the influence of human activity on ecosystems, including destruction of habitat, introduction of a new
species and the use of pesticides.
3. Define the term biodiversity and explain its importance in ecosystem stability.
Teachers Prior Preparation/Organisation: Provision for students at educational risk:
- Create an Answer Garden, Padlet and Kahoot quiz to - Students with vision impairments will be seated
review definitions, photosynthesis, energy flow and towards the front of the class. They will be advised
impact to ecosystems. to zoom in on their computer documents.
- Design a Powtoon to introduce the topic. - Pictures and videos will be used to help students
- Research and obtain URLs for appropriate suggested that have reading difficulties or dyslexia.
sites for the group research activity. - Students who are unfamiliar with technology will be
- Design a Webquest page and embed / link the above as placed next to someone who is experienced.
well as the Youtube video. - For students who seem to be struggling, whilst
- Pre-enter all student names into the group generator, to walking around the classroom, check in more
create 6 groups. frequently.
- Ensure all ICT is working including projector, internet,
sound, and test all links.
- Ensure a device is available for each student.
LESSON EVALUATION (to be completed AFTER the lesson)
Assessment of Lesson Objective and Suggestions for Improvement:
- Did the lesson cater for multiple learning types?
- Were students provided adequate opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge? What other opportunities could
have been provided?
- Was the level of information provided appropriate for the class?
- Were the research suggested links appropriate?
- Did the ICT chosen enhance learning and engage students?
Teacher self-reflection and self-evaluation:

- Was enough time allocated to each part? How could time allocation have been improved?
- How could transition between activities have been made more efficient?
- Were the instructions provided clear? Did students require clarification and were activities completed correctly?
How could instructions have been improved?
- Was each students spoken to during the class? Were all students provided equal opportunity?
[OFFICIAL USE ONLY] Comments by classroom teacher, HOPP, supervisor:
LESSON DELIVERY (attach worksheets, examples, marking key, etc, as relevant)

Resources/
Time Motivation and Introduction:
References
10 min 1. Prior to the class entering the room, the WebQuest link is projected onto the
Projector, internet
(12:30) whiteboard, along with the instructions to select Lesson 3. Students were
told the lesson prior to bring their own device, and spare laptops are Link to WebQuest
available for students who do not have their own device.
Each student has

2. Once all students are on the WebQuest page, they will be introduce to the
access to a device
lesson objectives which are displaced at the top of the page. Students are
also able to watch a Powtoon video describing the lesson objectives,
designed to engage students. The WebQuest page is projected onto the
whiteboard at the front of the class to assist with directing students.
3. Students are then asked to brainstorm natural or human factors that may
Answer Garden
impact population within an ecosystem. They are directed to click onto the
Answer Garden link, where they can submit suggestions. The Answer
Garden page is projected onto the whiteboard at the front. The teacher
selects a few of the most common answers and asks the class how they
think that factor affects population, and askes for any examples they might
know.
Lesson Steps (Lesson content, structure, strategies & Key Questions):
4. Students are then introduced to the next activity, where each student will
30 min research and become an expert in one natural or human factor that can
(12:40) impact an ecosystem.

- The teacher will explain the activity, detailing that students will be
randomly allocated a group. Each group is preassigned to a topic; fire,
flood, drought, pollution, introduction of a new species or deforestation.
Padlet
Each student is to research their assigned topic, using suggested links
on the WebQuest or using other credible sources. Students are to find
information regarding positive and negative impacts, sustainability and
examples within Australia. Students are then to summaries their
Group Generator
research onto the Padlet page. The teacher highlights that all
instructions are written on the WebQuest page for them to refer to.
- The teacher opens the Padlet page, which is projected on to the
whiteboard, and shows students how to create a textbox.
- The teacher then asks specific students what each step is to ensure the
class understands what they are doing.
- Once the teacher is satisfied the class knows what they are doing, the
teacher opens the Group Generator, which is projected onto the
whiteboard, indicating which group students are in. Students are advised
to move to sit with their group members.
- Students are told they have 10 minutes to research their topic. Time
reminders are provided at 5, 2 and 1 minutes.
- On completion of the Padlet page, one student from each group

discusses their findings verbally to the class. The teacher prompts
students to think about examples they may have heard of or seen to
generate discussion.
5. The teacher will then introduce biodiversity. Students will be instructed to

watch the first 2:30 of the YouTube video Why is biodiversity so important?, YouTube video Why
is biodiversity so
embedded in the WebQuest. Students will be instructed to watch the video
important?
on the projector instead of their own devise and to take notes. Following the
video, the teacher generates a class discussion regarding how biodiversity
can assist with sustainability during the factors researched earlier in the
lesson.
Lesson Closure:(Review lesson objectives with students)
6. For the lesson closure, students will be directed to click on the link to
Kahoot Quiz
participate in the Kahoot Quiz. Students are told they can either use their
10 min
device, or their mobile phone to do the quiz. Students are prompted to enter
(1:10)
the PIN code, which the teacher has projected onto the whiteboard, and
enter their name, and wait for the test to begin. The Kahoot quiz will review
definitions, photosynthesis, and energy flow from the last three lessons.
7. Following the quiz, students will be directed to put away laptops if they
borrowed one, and pack up the classroom prior to leaving the room.
Students are reminded to bring their device to the next lesson.
Transition: (What needs to happen prior to the next lesson?)
- Ensure WebQuest Lesson 4 is active.

- Ensure assessment handout and rubric is available for students as the
assessment is introduced in the next class.
5 min
(1:20) Assessment: (Were the lesson objectives met? How will these be judged?)
- The Answer Garden and Padlet provide a formative assessment of students

knowledge of factors that can impact the population within an ecosystem.
- The Kahoot quiz completed at the end of the lesson provides a formative
assessment of photosynthesis, energy flow and definitions relating to
ecosystems.

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LESSON PLAN

communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic output through a food web.

Elaboration - examining factors that affect population

Science as a Human Endeavour- Scientific

As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:

Teachers Prior Preparation/Organisation: Provision for students at educational risk:

Teacher self-reflection and self-evaluation:

LESSON DELIVERY (attach worksheets, examples, marking key, etc, as relevant)

Each student has

Lesson Steps (Lesson content, structure, strategies & Key Questions):

(12:40) impact an ecosystem.

- On completion of the Padlet page, one student from each group

5. The teacher will then introduce biodiversity. Students will be instructed to

Lesson Closure:(Review lesson objectives with students)

Transition: (What needs to happen prior to the next lesson?)

- Ensure WebQuest Lesson 4 is active.

- The Answer Garden and Padlet provide a formative assessment of students

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