EDG 644 Lesson Plan
Your Name: Jacqueline
Course Name: Living Environment
Unit Name/Topic: Evolution – Adaptation and Acclimatization
Lesson Number: 2
Length of Lesson: 45 minutes
Next Generation Standards HS-LS4-2. Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of
Addressed in this Lesson: evolution primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential for a species to
What standard(s) are most relevant increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a
to the learning goals? species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited
resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to
survive and reproduce in the environment.
HS-LS4-3. Apply concepts of statistics and probability to support explanations
that organisms with an advantageous heritable trait tend to increase in
proportion to organisms lacking this trait.
HS-LS4-5. Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in
environmental conditions may result in (1) increases in the number of
individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and
(3) the extinction of other species.
NYS Science Standards 3.1g, 3.1h
RST.9-10.1
WHST.9-10.9
HSN.Q.A.1
HSN.Q.A.3
Instructional Context: What do you know about your students that will inform this lesson? What prior knowledge
or learning do they bring to this lesson? How does this lesson connect with previous ones? What personal,
cultural, or community assets do your students bring to this new learning? What are difficulties that you
anticipate for students’ understandings of concepts and skills?
● Students will be familiar with vocabulary terms that were discussed in the prior lesson
● The lesson will connect to the previous lesson because the pepper moths are an example of adaptation and
natural selection
● Students will also analyze an article that discusses scientific inquiry and the scientific method, which is part of
Unit 1
● The lab will also include creating and interpreting graphs which they cover in their math courses
Disciplinary Rationale: What is the central focus and purpose for the content you will teach in this lesson? What
are some common errors or misunderstandings of students related to the central focus of the lesson? How do you
plan to build authentic disciplinary connections to integrate literacy into the development of content
understanding? PLEASE SEE NOTE AT END OF THIS TEMPLATE RE: CENTRAL FOCUS AND ADDRESS SUBJECT
SPECIFIC, GRADE LEVEL CENTRAL FOCUS HERE.
● The central focus of the lesson is the real life and clear illustration of natural selection and adaptation at work.
● In addition, students will see how significant the environment is to evolution and natural selection
● Students may see that natural selection and adaptation is applicable to animals and simple organisms such as
the moth, but may not be able to apply it to human evolution
1
Theoretical Principles/and or Research-Based Practices: Identify theories, course readings, or readings from
professional journals that support your learning approach in this lesson.
Hattie, J.A. and Donoghue, G.M. (2016) Learning Strategies: a synthesis and conceptual model. NPJ Nature Partner
Journals Science of Learning
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design .Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development.
In addition to the references listed above, I used the June 2017 reagents exam to identify key concepts that my
students will need to know to do well on the exam
Academic Language:
Identify the academic language function(s) in this lesson.
● The academic language will focus on evolution, natural selection and the environment
Identify the content language (vocabulary) that students need to know to support learning in this lesson.
● Peppered moth, natural selection, evolution, adaptation, Industrial Melanism, camoflage
The Big Ideas:
What is the course or unit- level big idea/enduring What is the essential question for the lesson?
understanding that this lesson helps students to
understand? How do species change over time?
The enduring understanding for students is that the
environment has a significant effect on the genetics of
a population
Assessments: How will you determine if students understand what the lesson’s essential question and objectives
intend for them to understand?
Learning Goals/Objectives for this lesson (Students will How will you determine if these lesson goals and
be able to …) objectives have been met? Specify the assessment,
whether it is informal or formal, and any
accommodations so that all students can demonstrate
learning.
Students will analyze an article about natural selection, the Students will respond to informal questions from the
environment and how humans influence evolution teacher emphasizing the appropriate vocabulary
Students will apply their knowledge about adaptation from Students will complete a lab
2
the previous lesson to the example of the pepper moth
Students will evaluate the information and complete a lab
Materials:
What materials do you as the teacher need for this lesson?
● Article: [Link]
● Lab: [Link]
What materials do students need for this lesson?
● All materials will be provided by the teacher
Instructional Sequence:
Anticipatory set/hook: What will you do to engage students in developing understanding of the essential question
and lesson objectives?
I will place cutouts of butterflies of various colors around the classroom and ask students if they can find all of the
butterflies. Some will be obvious and others will camouflage into the background.
Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks:
Time Instructional Strategy/Task
5 minutes Do Now: Provide an example of adaptation and an example of acclimatization
15 minutes Students will read the article:
[Link]
20 minutes Students will work in pairs to complete this lab:
[Link]
Planning for Accommodations – How will you plan to meet the needs of all students based on their individual or
group needs.
Here are some individuals or groups of students you might address specifically: students with disabilities, scaffolds
for particularly struggling learners who do not have a documented disability, extensions for high achieving
learners, students with diverse learning styles, students with different levels of language learning associated with
ELLs.
Identify the individual or group Identify the specific accommodation you’ve planned
3
for in the sequence above
For students who struggle I will put students in heterogeneous groups so students
will be able to peer-teach
For advanced students Students can design their own experiment on
adaptation
Or students can research other examples of how
human behavior (i.e, pollution) has had an effect on the
evolution of other organisms – this can also relate to
the unit on Ecology