DIFFERENTIATED LESSON PLAN
Suggested Components
Name: Renee Smith
Subject: Science
Date(s): Jan 20, 2016
Lesson Topic: Ecosystems
Within Unit on: Relationships
Unit Essential Question(s): What is the relation between any system?
Time Frame for Lesson: 1 day
Lesson Generalization(s): Relationships can be positive or negative.
Lesson Essential Question(s): What are the positive or negative relations ecosystems have on
people?
CCSS/Objectives for the Lesson: Students will learn about ecosystems and the factors that
affect organisms that live within those ecosystems. Students will know factors that affect the
number and types of organisms and people an ecosystem can support.
Essential Standards: 6.L.2 Ecosystems
KNOW
UNDERSTAND
DO
Ecosystems
Understand the impact of
Collect, analyze, infer,
Energy
ecosystems on other systems
explain, draw conclusions
Environment
Systems
Interdisciplinary Connections:
In Math, students are learning to display numerical data in plots (number line, box and whisker
plots). I will incorporate an option on the choice board to allow students to represent data.
In LA, students are writing arguments to support claims with clear reason and relevant evidence.
I will incorporate literacy using CCSS argumentative tasks to promote writing arguments.
Students will also summarize and paraphrase information in texts.
In SS, they are studying the push/pull effect. Students explain the factors that influenced the
movement of people, goods, and ideas and the effects of that movement on societies and regions
over time. I will connect ecosystems in the regions discussed in SS.
Knowledge of Students:
There are 27 students in my class. 18/27 are predominantly visual, 6/27 are predominantly
kinesthetic, and 3 are auditory. The students enjoy videos for learning, using technology, 1/3 of
the students do not enjoy reading. 5/27 have 504 plans (enlarged notes, seating, extended time).
One student has an IEP for behavior. All but 2 kids play a musical instrument. Two students are
ELL. One student is homeless. (I have completed a student interest survey to get to know their
interests: sports, dance, art, music, and science)
Time
Activating Strategy/Link to Prior Knowledge/Warm-up:
15 min
Flower Activity: Students will be divided into 5 groups. Each group will receive
one of the petals to get into depth about ecosystems. This will be used as a front
loading strategy. The flower of detail will be revisited and new ideas learned will
be added.
Details: (Student’s Names: 1,2,3,4,5)
Value: (Students Names: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Purpose: (Students Names: 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
Conditions: (Students Names:17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
Function: (Students Names:23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
*Possible answers are on page 57 in the DA Binder.
Differentiated Activating Strategy
The petals are tiered based on ability. It is more difficult to think about the condition and
function than it is to think about the details, value, and purpose.
Time
Lesson/ Content/ Process Activity
15 min
The students will use the tiered cubing activity on pages 122-125 in the DA binder.
Homogenous groups are formed based on ability to complete the triangle, square,
circle, or star group activity.
10 min
The groups will then be jig-sawed to make them heterogeneous. The students
should check with these students to make sure their work is accurate.
20-25 min
New heterogeneous groups will be formed based on the ecosystem chosen (pond,
forest, ocean, etc…) from the triangle, square, circle, or star group activity. Have
the groups turn the classroom into various ecosystems, showing organisms that live
there the factors that affected their lives and the items needed to survive in their
ecosystem.
Differentiated Content
The content is differentiated through learning different ecosystems. A variety of texts (varied
reading abilities) and online resources for ecosystems are provided.
Differentiated Process
Flexible Grouping
Depth and Complexity Questions
Jigsaw
Ecosystem Choice
The cubed activity is tiered based on readiness of four groups: above grade, on grade, below
grade, and ELL students.
Additional help is offered to the ELL and below grade level group by teacher modeling in these
groups.
Adaptations for Inclusion:
Help each ELL student choose the activity that challenges his or her ability and offer additional
support needed.
Summarizing Activity/Closure (each day if lesson extends more than one day)
Time
20-25 min
Students will revisit their groups to add to the petal they started with. The students
will then use a gallery walk to read and learn about other attributes of ecosystems.
Students will take notes as they visit new petals. Some students will be given a
note taking guide to help take meaningful notes.
Differentiated Summarizing Activity/Closure
Guided notes will be provided for the lower leveled and ELL students. On grade and above level students
will be able to free lance their notes to promote organization and summarizing of the material.
Products/Assessment:
Students were given a tic-tac-toe choice board that is an extension of this unit. Students should
continue to work on these projects.
http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/18258_Gregory_ActDiffClssrm_Gr4_Pages_35_36.pdf
Differentiated Products
Students will all be assessed on ecosystems. A choice board with a rubric was given to the
students at the beginning of the lesson for scoring purposes but students can choose how to
present material based on their learning style.
A student does not have to use a computer to complete the assignments. However based on
KOS, the majority of them enjoy learning using technology and therefore can create products
using the computer.
The choices on the choice board reflect the students’ interests.
Materials and Resource:
Shell Education Lesson p.122-125
Planned groups
Varied Textbooks on ecosystems
Online resources/websites
Reflection/Notes:
Students did not have enough to take notes for all petals. Tomorrow, after we go over the petals
as a whole group, students will take notes on the information gathered from each petal. I need to
work with the Details group to solidify their understanding and provide extra support.