All lesson plans are based on Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). I’ve included the standards within the plans, so if you want to peruse a plan, you may wish to skip over the standards to look at the activities.
This first plan is based on a 4th-grade standard, but it covers an important concept that pops up throughout NGSS because it is crucial to understanding energy. The plan has many activities and could be spread across an entire quarter if you are short on science time. Or, you could pick and choose among activities. After the lesson plan are two slide shows which support the lesson, have speaker’s notes to help teach the concepts, and have instructions on how to do some of the activities. Click on “Transforming Energy -5E Lesson Plan” for the lesson itself. Links to some supporting slide shows are below the lesson.
Transforming Energy – 5 E Lesson Plan
Slideshow 1:
Slideshow 2:
The next plan, based on a 5th-grade standard, concerns energy and matter moving through ecosystems.
Modeling the Movement of Energy & Matter in Ecosystems – 5th Grade
This unit looks at Earth’s systems from the perspective of species-to-species interactions as well as species-to-ecosystem interactions. After exploring the importance of Delta tulles and grasses and phytoplankton as the foundation of countless food webs throughout the Pacific Ocean, and exploring the importance of salmon as recyclers of nutrients that wash into the ocean from upstream habitats, students will create a model of a food web in an ecosystem of their own choosing. Along the way, students will engage in an ongoing investigation of decomposition via composting, play and design food web games, and tackle an engineering design challenge. At the end, students will design and participate in a community awareness campaign to help preserve the Delta wetlands and their interconnected organisms. Students will conclude by participating in a short musical play as part of the public display of their work.
This next lesson, Plants and Animals in our Wetlands, together with Modeling the Movement of Energy and Matter in Ecosystems (above) could be part of a school-wide focus that would extend throughout the year and culminate with an invitation to the community to view student products and performances. See: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vR5q7jp63OkmzKMcLrho6DmYieXg64kxzwY6Pn-5xca0Thjnk8HemiuONBx5iV-nmxHYY6DER1WY8ZI/pub
Plants and animals in our Wetlands – 2nd grade
This PBL examines the needs of organisms in the wetlands around the San Francisco Bay and San Joaquin Delta (or your local wetlands), considers the problems that they face that interfere with meeting their needs, and considers ways to help these local organisms. Students conduct experiments to determine the needs of plants, growing grass under various conditions. Students raise salmon (from California Fish and Wildlife) from eggs, taking care of their needs before releasing them into the Delta. During both virtual and actual field trips, Students examine the biodiversity of plants and animals in the region’s wetlands and surrounding estuaries, taking note of organisms that are threatened or on the endangered species list. Students help plan and participate in a public awareness campaign to help protect local endangered animals.
Living things have needs: Growing Pumpkins – Kindergarten
Students compare living and nonliving things, then do a variety of activities to develop the big idea that all living things have needs. All living things need water, nutrients, and energy. Animals need food for energy. Plants need light for energy. Most living things need oxygen from air or water.
Properties of Matter: 2nd Grade
Students investigate the properties and states of matter through a variety of hands-on activities, build background via WebQuests, and collect data about the insulating properties of various substances in an experiment. Then, students use the engineering design process to design a device to keep a popsicle frozen, using the most appropriate material. Throughout the lesson, students take notes and reflect on their learning in science journals.
Functional Parts: 4th Grade
Students play games, guessing animals’ lifestyles based on their parts. Students explore animal adaptations. Students dissect owl pellets and a variety of foods (fish, mussels, squid), comparing their anatomy and considering how their parts help them live.
Big Idea: Organisms have external and internal structures that help them survive. Big Picture: Specialized parts allow organisms to live in the greatest number of places and obtain their needs in the greatest number of ways. This biodiversity maximizes life by reducing competition and increasing cooperation.
Here is a slide show that shows students enjoying this lesson. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1YTLMNTjAEEsC6mDHWGpnOEG68O0Af_9WClSi4k6LWsA/edit?slide=id.p#slide=id.p:~:text=https%3A//docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX%2D1vRfgkbSRRksVjwPN_ISGz_pn%2DQzZwnSiXhXqbM%2DnuJOwD6g1ULXlIkzFPeefvnTW20ccSQaZyr6nCQR/pub%3Fstart%3Dtrue%26loop%3Dfalse%26delayms%3D5000
Catching Nutria -6th or 7th Grade
Students explore the human causes for the invasive species nutria arriving in the delta, research the effects of this invasive species on the delta environment, and then use the engineering design cycle to design a humane trap to capture nutria in the delta. https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSDzLVA1yAT-623L1Nb3sy22HenjDeW0PxeNCTcIW_J-twoxUoktbdc2D7sLc-rSwh-FEgoEEjvSLUp/pub
Civilization and Human Impact on the Environment- 6th Grade
This science unit is a companion to the social studies unit Civilization and the Environment and should be done concurrently. Initially, students focus on salinization, a product of irrigation which is an indicator of civilization and believed to be the downfall of several civilizations. Students conduct experiments to determine which delta crops hold up best under growing salinity and design possible methods to monitor and prevent this growing global problem. Then students research and report on other human impacts such as global warming, air pollution, water pollution, microplastics in the ocean, loss of habitat and habitat fragmentation leading to species extinction, and light pollution. Students design campaigns or devices to help reduce these problems. https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQXTli5Qk7WlW4n1X_UHwSoKgLCSO5hBF40k3J2DbZQKr5tDxhdeKf9Kmo-Ec2Yeb2nMaXlh5OF6XwY/pub
Stem-Press 