Unit 5 Lesson Plan – Biodiversity and Humans
Teacher: / Time Frame: / 22 days
Grade: / 3 / School:
Subject: / PSI Third Grade, Unit 5
NGSS/DCI / When the environment changes in ways that affect a place’s
physical characteristics, temperature, or availability of resources, some organisms survive and reproduce, others move to new locations, yet others move into the transformed environment, and some die. LS2.C
Some kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no longer found anywhere. LS2.C
Fossils provide evidence about the types of organisms that lived long ago and also about the nature of their environments. (3-LS4-1)
Sometimes the differences in characteristics between individuals of the same species provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing. (3-LS4-2)
For any particular environment, some kinds of organisms survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. (3-LS4-3)
Populations live in a variety of habitats, and change in those habitats affects the organisms living there. (3-LS4-4)
Instructional Objective:
(condition, behavior, standard) / SWBAT Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organism and the environments in which they lived long ago 3-LS4-1
Instructional Objective:
(condition, behavior, standard) / SWBAT Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing 3-LS4-2
Instructional Objective:
(condition, behavior, standard) / SWBAT Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. 3-LS4-3
Instructional Objective:
(condition, behavior, standard) / SWBAT Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change. 3-LS4-4

Essential Questions

(What questions will the student be able to answer as a result of the instruction?)
1.  How and why a habitat of an organism can affect its survival over time?
2.  What is the difference between biotic and abiotic factors?
3.  What are examples of adaptations to increase survival?
4.  What happens to a species if it cannot survive changes in the environment?
5.  How can we study extinct species?
6.  What information about the environment can we learn from fossils?
7.  What are examples of environmental disturbances?
8.  What are some positive and negative impacts humans have on the environment?

Knowledge & Skills

(What skills are needed to achieve the desired results?)
By the end of this unit, students will know:
·  Habitats include biotic and abiotic factors
·  Fossils indicate changes of environments on Earth
·  Adaptations help organisms survive.
·  Environmental changes affect an organism’s survival. / By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
·  Identify biotic and abiotic factors in the environment.
·  Analyze and interpret data to understand what has lived on Earth over time.
·  Identify and explain specific causes of environmental change; and the direct implications for species in that environment.
·  Define a problem and propose solutions for an environmental issue.

Assessment

(What is acceptable evidence to show desired results (rubrics, exam, etc.)? Attach Copy
During the Smart Notebook lesson designed to introduce concepts, students will be continually questioned on these concepts using a combination of class work/homework questions and the SMART Response system. Classwork and Homework questions will be discussed as a class and misconceptions will be addressed by the teacher prior to the formal evaluations listed below.
Camouflage Lab
Quiz 1: Habitats & Adaptations
Make a Fossil Activity
Fossilization Activity
Constructing a Fossil Map Activity
Quiz 2: Fossils
Small Change, Big Range Activity
Compost Time Capsule Activity
Unit Test
PBA
(What is the sequence of activities, learning experiences, etc, that will lead to desired results (the plan)?
Day / Topic / Classwork / Homework
1 / Habitats / Slide #4: Set up Compost Time Capsule
Slides #5-16 / N/A
2 / Habitats / Slides #17-29
Habitats Classwork / Habitats Homework
3 / Adaptations / Slides #30-47 / N/A
4 / Adaptations / Slides #48-50
Adaptations Classwork / Adaptations Homework
5-6 / Adaptations / Slide #51
Camouflage Lab / Study for quiz
7 / Habitats/Adaptations / Quiz / N/A
8 / Fossils / Slides #52-71 / N/A
9 / Fossils / Slide #72
Make a Fossil Activity / N/A
10 / Fossils / Slides #73-84
Fossils Classwork / Fossils Homework
11-12 / Fossils / Slide #85
Fossilization Activity / N/A
13 / How Fossils are Used / Slides #86-109
How Fossils are Used Classwork / How Fossils are Used Homework
14 / How Fossils are Used / Slide #110
Constructing a Fossil Map Activity / Finish Activity
15 / Disturbances / Slides #111-118
Dinosaur Extinction Handout / Study for quiz
16 / Fossils/ Disturbances / Fossils Quiz
Slides #119-123 / N/A
17 / Disturbances / Slides #124-132
Disturbances Classwork / Disturbances Homework
18-19 / Disturbances / Slide #133
Small Change, Big Range Activity / N/A
20 / Disturbances / Slide #134
Compost Time Capsule / N/A
21 / Unit Review / Unit Review
Study Guide / Study for Test
22 / Unit Test / Unit Test / N/A

*While there are many slides for each topic, several slides are interrelated and support each topic.

**HW Problems are currently not scaffolded from least to most difficult, but are instead listed in order of topic. Teacher should pay special attention at the end of each class period when assigning HW so that only problems related to the topic that was taught are being assigned.

www.njctl.org 3rd Grade PSI Biological Evolution