DIXIE STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

ELED 4300 SCIENCE LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

(8/23/14)
Teacher Candidate _Paula Finlinson___ Grade Level __2_ Title ___Rainforest _____
CONTEXTUAL FACTORS (classroom factors)
Contextual Factors:
20 Students
10 Girls
10 Boys
1 Pacific Islander (Mesepa)
4 Hispanic (David, Ethan, Ruth, Aron)
2 Academic IEP (Ethan, Natalya)
3 Speech IEP (Aron, Natalya, Macy)
3 ELL (Aron, Ruth, David) WIDA levels are unknown
2 High Level Learners (Lachlan, Chloe)
2 SPED Students (Ruth, Natalya)
Classroom environment:

Large room. Multi colored rug at the front of the room. Students are organized in tables
of 4 with all students facing the front. The room has a promethean board, 4 iPads,
clickers, and projector. Large tiki reading hut in the corner of the room.
WALK-AWAY (As a result of this lesson, what do I want the students to know, understand, and be able to do?)
State Standard/Objective:
2nd Grade Standard 4 Objective 1.a Compare and contrast the characteristics of living things in different habitats.

Content Walk-Away:
I will write the characteristics of animals, plants, and weather in the rainforest.

Language Walk-Away:
I will write the characteristics of animals, plants, and weather in the rainforest.

Vocabulary:

Rainforest, characteristics, habitat

ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE (What evidence do I need to show the students have

learned the Walk-Away?)

Modifications/Accomodations (ELL, IEP, GATE, etc.)

Formative Evidence (checking for understanding throughout the lesson):

Students will be following along to the lesson and presentation. They will join in the
class discussion and questions. Students will make a biome in a bottle.

Content Walk-Away Evidence (Summative):

ELL: Allow the students

to write the name for
the animals in Spanish
next to the English
name.

Students will fill in their triorama accurately depicting the rainforest habitat.

High: Students will draw

1 additional animal (4
total) for both habitats.

Language Walk-Away Evidence (Summative):

SPED: Students will

draw 2 animals in both
habitats instead of 3.

Students will write which animals and plants live in the habitat they are depicting in
their triorama.

Approx
.
Time

Academic IEP: Students

will draw in 2 animals in
both habitats instead of
3.

ACTIVE LEARNING PLAN

Approximate length of entire lesson:_45__ minutes.
______

Teaching time: from _____to

Activate/Building Background Knowledge

Students are at their tables. Before we start lets watch this video. Based on that video can anyone guess what
well be learning about today? We are going to start a new science unit on animals. During the next few weeks
we will be learning about animal habitats, traits of living animals and physical characteristics of animals. Our
objective today is to learn about the characteristics of animals and plants that live in the rainforest. A place
where an animal lives is called a habitat. Say habitat. We will learn about the rainforest habitat today.
SIOP 1,2,3,7,8,9
Formative assessment: Students will be paying attention.
Learning Goal

Success Criteria

Assessment Strategy

Students will understand that

rainforest is a habitat.

Students will listen and pay

attention.

Students will watch attentively.

Modification/accommodations: (ELL, IEP, GATE, etc.)

ELL: Vocabulary words will be posted in the room. I will ask the Spanish speakers if they know how to say
rainforest in Spanish.
High: Ask if they know of another habitat.
Low: Be sure the students repeat the vocabulary words and use the in a sentence.
Focus Lesson (I do it)
I have some pictures and videos for us to look at of the animals and plants that live in the rainforest habitat.
Start slideshow.
Formative Assessment: Students will be watching, paying attention, and responding to questions.
Learning Goal
Students will observe some
animals and plants that live in the
rainforest habitat.

Success Criteria
Students will watch and
participate as we go through the
slideshow.

Assessment Strategy
Students will answer questions
and participate in the discussion.

Modification/accommodations:
ELL: Each slide has the vocabulary word that the slide is depicting.
High: At the end of the slideshow ask if they know of any other animals that live in the rainforest.
Low: Students graphic organizer will be partially filled in with everything except for the key word.
Guided Instruction (We do it)
While we go through the slideshow about the rainforest habitat, we need to fill in our graphic organizer.
Filling in the graphic organizer will help us remember what we have learned. Discuss what to write while
going through the slideshow.
SIOP 22,
Formative Assessment: Students will fill in their graphic organizers while we read through the power point
together.
Learning Goal
Recognize animals and plants
that grow in the rainforest
habitat.

Success Criteria
Students will correctly write down
the types of animals, plants, and
weather in the rainforest habitat.

Modification/accommodations:
ELL: Allow them to write the key word in Spanish and English.
High: At the end, ask them to fill in a few more things on their won.

Assessment Strategy
Students will fill in their graphic
organizers.

Low: Have organizer partially filled in for them.

Collaborative/Cooperative (You do it together)

Were going to build a rainforest habitat in our 2 liter bottles. Show picture of what it will look like. Why do
you think the rainforest rains so much? A tropical rainforest recycles its own water and creates its own rainy
climate. this process begins when water on the forest floor and in the leaves of plants and trees heats up and
changes from liquid water into a gas called water vapor. Does anyone know what special name we give to the
process of something turning from a liquid to a gas? If no one knows, tell students that this special name is
called evaporation. After the liquid water evaporates, it turns into water vapor. Water vapor travels higher
into the atmosphere to form clouds over the forest. With an average of 6 feet of rainfall per year, it is hard for
these clouds to hold all the moisture of the forest. When a cloud cannot hold anymore moisture, or water
vapor, it releases it, causing it to...ask students if they know what happens when the cloud can no longer hold
any more moisture. It rains! Explain to students that this process repeats over and over and over again,
causing it to rain every day in the rain forest, and in many cases more than once per day. After we put our
terrarium together well never have to water it. Just like the rainforest, the water will recycle and take care of
the whole thing for us.
SIOP 4,5,6, 13, 14, 15 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21
Formative Assessment: students will make terrarium.
Learning Goal

Success Criteria

Understand that the plants in the

rainforest grow from the large
amount of rain that is received.

Students will correctly assemble

their terrarium and will say what
enables it to not need to be
watered.

Assessment Strategy
Questioning and explanation.

Modification/accommodations:
ELL: Pre-teach the words water vapor, evaporation, and terrarium.
High: Ask the class if they think this water cycle happens everywhere or just in the rainforest?
Low: I will provide visual aids of what water vapor, evaporation, and a terrarium are.

Independent (You do it alone)

For the last part of our lesson you are going to draw and color in your triorama to depict the rainforest
habitat. Make sure that you draw at least 3 types of animals that grow in the habitat. Also, make sure that you
accurately draw the plants that grow in the rainforest. Remember, there are a lot of green plants with big
leaves, and many of the plants have bright flowers. Do your best work because when we are all finished, these
trioramas will hang in our classroom. Write your name on the back of the paper then make a stack at your
table.
SIOP 10,11, 12, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Summative Assessment: Students will fill in a paper of their triorama for both the ocean and rainforest
habitat. They need to accurately depict the habitat. They need to draw 2 animals with plants that
accurately depict the habitat.

Modification/accommodations:

ELL: Allow them to write the English and Spanish keywords on their triorama.
High: Have them draw in 4 animals and go into more detail about the plants that live in the rainforest.
Low: They only need to draw 2 animals and may use less detail in their drawing of the plants.

Closure/Review of walk-aways, vocabulary, and essential questions

(Note: Closure includes student interactions, reflection, and/or demonstrations.)

Great job today class. Today we learned about the plants and animals that
grow in the ocean and rainforest habitats. What is it like in the ocean habitat?
What kind of animals would we see if we took a field trip into the ocean habitat?
How about the rainforest, what kind of animals would we see there? What is the
weather like in the rainforest habitat? Great job class. On Wednesday we will
talk about the desert and tundra habitat.
SIOP Indicators
Preparation: 1-Content objectives, 2-Language objectives, 3-Content appropriate, 4-Supplementary
materials, 5-Adaptation of content, 6-Meaningful activities
Building Background: 7-Linked to background, 8-Linked to past learning, 9-Key vocabulary
Comprehensive Input: 10-Appropriate speech, 11-Clear explanation, 12-Variety of techniques
Strategies: 13-Students use learning strategies, 14-Scaffolding, 15-Higher-order thinking,
Interaction: 16-Opportunity for interaction, 17-Grouping supports objectives, 18-Wait time, 19Opportunity for L1 students
Practice/Application: 20-Hands-on materials, 21-Activities to apply content/language knowledge, 22Language skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking)
Lesson Delivery: 23-Content objective supported, 24-Language objective supported, 25-Students
engaged, 26-Pacing
Review/Assessment: 27-Review vocabulary, 28-Review concepts, 29-Feedback, 30-Assessment

TEACHING NOTES
What do I need to remember to do? What materials do I need to have ready? What is the approximate time needed for
this lesson?

Soil
Rocks
Bottles
Seeds
Moss
Starter plants

1 hour
REFLECTION AFTER LESSON
How can I use the assessment data to reflect on & evaluate the outcomes of teaching and learning? How can I transfer
what I learned from teaching this lesson to future teaching? What was effective and not effective? What goals can I set
to improve my practice and student learning?
After the lesson I looked at everyones trioramas. I was able to see which students listened to and followed directions,
learned some of the animals from the habitat, and took good notes on their graphic organizer to help them complete their
triorama. The majority of the students did very well. I noticed that a few students were only drawing one animal so I
reminded the entire class that they were to draw at least 3 animals. Many of them had also forgotten to write down the
animals at the bottom of the triorama; I reminded the class about that as well. I will be teaching a lesson very similar to
this in 2 days. I plan to make a completed triorama so that they are able to see how it will look when it is completed. This
will also help them understand the importance of filling it in entirely as well as using good handwriting and coloring. The
most effective part of the lesson was allowing the students to take notes on their graphic organizer throughout the
powerpoint. I had them do this to help them complete their triorama at the end of the lesson. As they were working on
their trioramas I had quite a few ask me what to draw and I was able to refer them back to the graphic organizer. The least
effective was parts of building their rainforest in a bottle. They were so excited about the project and it caused many of
them to not listen or follow direction. 3 students added too much water and put their lid on the bottle before I was able to
realize their mistake. Im sure that they drowned the seeds. Well have to redo their bottles during recess tomorrow. A goal
for future teaching would be to have the steps to a task written clearly for the students to look at. If I had the steps written
for the bottle, perhaps some of them would not have drowned their seeds.

Note: You must arrange to have at least 40 minutes to teach your lesson.