LESSON PLAN

 

Author:  Tiffani Tran

 

Title of lesson:  WhatÕs Happening in the World Right Now?

 

Technology lesson:  Yes

 

Date of lesson:  Week 2, Day 3 and 4 

 

Length of lesson:  80 minutes

 

Name of course:  Project-Based Instruction

 

Grade level:  9th or 10th

 

Honors, regular, or magnet:  All levels

 

TEKS addressed: 

¤112.43. Biology

(2)  Scientific processes. The student uses scientific methods during field and laboratory investigations. The student is expected to:

(C)  organize, analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and predict trends from data; and

(D)  communicate valid conclusions.

(3)  Scientific processes. The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions. The student is expected to:

(C)  evaluate the impact of research on scientific thought, society, and the environment;

(D)  describe the connection between biology and future careers;

(E)  evaluate models according to their adequacy in representing biological objects or events;

 

 

 

¤112.44. Environmental Systems

 (4)  Science concepts. The student knows the relationships of biotic and abiotic factors within habitats, ecosystems, and biomes. The student is expected to:

(C)  evaluate the impact of human activity such as methods of pest control, hydroponics, organic gardening, or farming on ecosystems;

(D)  predict how the introduction, removal, or reintroduction of an organism may alter the food chain and affect existing populations

 (8)  Science concepts. The student knows that environments change. The student is expected to:

(A)  analyze and describe the effects on environments of events such as fires, hurricanes, deforestation, mining, population growth, and municipal development;

(B)  explain how regional changes in the environment may have a global effect;

 (D)  examine and describe a habitat restoration or protection program.

Concept(s):  Students will learn how to use the Internet to search for topics as they relate to the environment and evaluate the reliability of the sources they find.  Through this, they will grasp a better understanding of how humans affect the world they live in and attempt to find solutions to those problems. 

 

Performance Objectives:

Students will be able to:

 

 

Resources, materials and supplies needed

Computers with internet access

ÒResearching Your Environmental TopicÓ handout   

 

Safety Considerations

            None

 

Supplementary materials, handouts

ÒGlobal Warming and the Extinction of SpeciesÓ video created by Cambridge Educational and can be found at: http://www.films.com/landingpages/ScienCentralLanding/GlobalWarming.html?WT.mc_id=MRU&EXT=Y&WT.cg_n=ScienCentralLanding&WT.cg_s=GlobalWarming

 

 

 

 

    

What Teacher Does                  Probing Questions               Expected Student Response

Engage: (5 minutes)

 

Show a short video clip on how human activity is changing the environment (global warming, deforestation, oil spills, coral reef community)  to get students not only wondering about current ecological issues but to illustrate how these are very real concerns that continue to happen everyday.

 

Get students to see how the issues can involve them.  This activity can provide them with the opportunity to finally find passion for something that matters to them, which they can cultivate into a potential future job.

 

 

1.  Is global warming a real concern for us and why or why not?

 

2.  What other environmental issues concern you?  Why are they so important? 

 

3.  Have you ever imagined what it would be like for you to be credited for discovering an alternative to car gasoline?  For discovering/creating an even better way to record data without using paper?  To be able to supply food to everyone and resolve world hunger?  What kind of food would we have to eat then? 

 

 

1.  various answers

 

 

 

2.  pollution, deforestation, etc.  Natural resources are limited and the human population is growing.

 

Explore: (30 minutes)

 

Ask students to pair up in groups of 2 or 3.  Give students time to research a topic that interests them (from the video clip, something theyÕve heard from another class, something they saw on t.v. at home, something that affects their parentÕs job, etc.).  Pass handout to students so they know what sort of things to look for and .  Students should review at least 3 websites.  Then ask them to write a summary (at least 2 pages) of the event from 2 different perspectives and remind them to check for provenance.  Make sure they include the following things:  how humans have altered the environment and an analysis of how this local issue affects other parts of the world.

 

They are working on their research skills here and are learning to distinguish among the different sources: journals, newspapers, books, etc.  Since they had a lesson the day before showing them how to do this type of research, this should still be fresh in their minds. 

 

 

 

Is this author reliable?  What are his credentials?

 

Are there biases or exaggerated information pieces in the website?

 

Did you learn anything new, or did this research change anything you thought you knew?

 

 

 

 

 

Explain: (30 minutes)

 

The explaining portion will go over into the next day.  Ask students to post their 3 websites electronically to Nicenet and to give a brief description of each one, revealing what was useful and what was not.  Then ask students to review 2 other studentsÕ web postings and to answer these two questions electronically. 

 

 

 

1.  What is the issue and what are both sides of the controversy?

 

2.  What is your opinion of how this will change our world and what steps should you take to change this?

 

 

 

 

Elaborate: (15 minutes)

 

Ask students to look for restoration measures that we are currently taking to curb or stop the ecological problems.  If students cannot find anything that resolves the problem or feels the program being used is not adequate, ask students to design their own plan of action. 

 

 

1.  Is there anything you can do to change the way we operate?  How do we survive at the same time as conserving our natural resources? 

 

 

 

2.  Can there be a compromise?  What kind of plans can you create to show this?

 

 

 

1.  Variety of responses:  yes we can make more of an attempt to plant trees where we cut them down, we need to be wiser about the paper we use and remember to use both sides, turn off lights when not using them

 

2.  Yes, we can find a way to do things more efficientlyÉlike flushing the toilet only once a day, driving to the grocery store and school in one trip, etc.

 

 

 

Evaluate:

 

Teacher should be doing a formative assessment throughout the lesson to make sure students all have a topic and are on track for the presentation the next day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESEARCHING YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL TOPIC

 

 

 

1.  What is an ecological topic youÕve been interested in for a while but have not really had the chance to look up? 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  How have humans changed the environment?  What is the impact in our local area?

 

 

 

 

 

3.  What is being done about the problem?

 

 

 

 

 

4.  What are both sides of the controversy?

 

 

 

 

 

5.  What is your opinion on how that has influenced our society?  Our culture?

 

 

 

 

 

6.  Are we perpetuating these habits by expanding this type of change to other parts of the world, or is this really just a local issue?