UBD Unit Plan
Topic: Ecosystems Grade Level: 4th
(Module 7)
Stage 1—Desired Results
Established Goals Transfer
VA SOL: Students will be able to independently use their learning to…
Science 4.5 Artistically depict a working ecosystem and identify the
The student will important elements through oral discussion
investigate and Accurately design a useful and realistic animal and plant
understand how plants adaptation and be able to justify/explain their reasoning.
and animals, including Pose an action plan for an endangered animal or plant- what
humans, in an have humans done to negatively affect this population and
ecosystem interact with what can we do to protect and re-establish it.
one another and with
the nonliving
Meaning
components in the
ecosystem. Key Understandings Essential Questions
concepts include Students will understand that… Students will keep considering…
a) plant and Living organisms are Describe how adaptations affect
animal organized into systems plants and how adaptations affect
such as populations, animals.
adaptations;
communities, and Why should we, as humans, be
b) organization cautious of our actions towards the
of populations, ecosystems
environment?
communities, Each ecosystem is placed
Compare and contrast the
and ecosystems within a habitat organization of populations and
and how they Each organism within an communities.
interrelate; ecosystem performs a What are the effects of a plant or
d) habitats and job (a niche) and that job animal failing to adapt?
niches; is essential for the
e) changes in an success of the ecosystem,
organism’s niche population, habitat, and
at various stages community.
in its life cycle; Plants and animals adapt
and to survive the changing
f) influences of environment.
human activity Humans play a role in
on ecosystems each ecosystem.
Acquisition of Knowledge and Skill
Students will know… Students will be skilled at…
The relationships Look at a given ecosystem and
between communities, identify different organisms and
populations, and the role that they play
ecosystems Identify differences in the
The difference between a organizational structures
habitat and a niche (populations, ecosystems,
How humans can impact communities)
an ecosystem Describe the relationship
The importance of between a community and its
animal and plant ecosystem
adaptations Understand the impacts that
The essential pieces for a humans can have on ecosystems
working ecosystem and the importance of
recognizing these impacts.
(Module 7)
Stage 2—Evidence
Checks for
Alignment Students will show their learning by…
Evaluative Criteria TRANSFER TASK(S):
Example is neat, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work(ing Ecosystem): The Second Graders are learning
creative, and about ecosystems. They are focusing on the importance and relationships
between all things (living and nonliving) within an ecosystem. Their teachers
4.5 a,d includes all have asked that we, the fourth graders, create examples of a real-life ecosystem.
elements listed I will split you into pairs so that you can work together to complete this
on the rubric important task. You can choose to create these examples any way you would
like; you can create a book, make a mural, create a poster, use magazine
clippings, or any other Idea you may have. If you and your partner come up with
a different idea, make sure you run it by me. After we have created these
examples that show a working ecosystem and include all items listed in the
rubric, we will be going to visit the Second Graders to present your work!
Model is neatly Adapt to Live: You are a scientist studying adaptation of plants and animals. You
4.5 a made, shows a have been researching the same ecosystem for years and you have just
discovered a new adaptation! To keep the specimen safe, you cannot remove it
realistic from its habitat; You must make a model to bring back to show your findings.
adaptation, and The model must show what the animal is and what the new adaptation that you
can provide have discovered is. You will need to create the model and prepare a presentation
reasoning in a of some kind for the National Science Foundation explaining the adaptation,
presentation. what it does, and how it benefits the animal.
Humans Did What?!: You are a wildlife activist. You have come across an
At least 2 effects endangered animal or plant that humans have influenced. It is up to you to
4.5 listed and a research the animal (or plant), gain an understanding of how humans have
b,d,e,f realistic influenced the population, the negative effects that their disappearance could
have on our ecosystems, and propose a way that humans can positively
conservation influence the population in efforts to restore it. You will be asked to share your
effort proposed findings in some way (writing, presentation, ect)
OTHER EVIDENCE:
Exit tickets
Additional writing prompt
Graphic organizer about the organization of ecosystems
(Module 8)
Stage 3—Learning Plan
Checks for Summary of Key Learning Events & Instruction
Alignment
1. Introduction: To introduce the unit, we, as a class will break down the structure of an
ecosystem. We will use the class and the school as a whole to make connections with the
important terms (population, community, ecosystem, niche). We will begin an interactive
notebook using the terms and a circle diagram. After that, the students will break into groups
and brainstorm their own examples for each of these terms.
2. Diving into Ecosystems: I will have pictures of different ecosystems placed around the room.
The students will be given 5 minutes to wander around the room and make observations about
each ecosystem. They will be looking for the organisms that are in each ecosystem, habitat
features, ect. Then, I will split the students into groups that will become “experts” on a certain
ecosystem. Each group member will have a role- much like a literature circle, we’ll call this our
“scientific think tank”. The groups will investigate their ecosystem and, using their roles, share
their ecosystem with their classmates. Each group will present, after one group presents, the
students will title a page in their interactive notebook with the habitat/ecosystem, draw a
picture of it, and write 3 important facts. This will be repeated for each group.
3. Second Grade: Today, we will review the important roles within a community. After a review,
the students will get their interactive notebooks out and I will split them into pairs. From there,
the students will create their example of a working ecosystem.
4. Adaptations: Today, students will use laptops/iPads/computer lab to research animal
adaptations. I will have created a text set of articles for the students to access on Newsela about
animal adaptations. The students will share their findings with a small group. Then, the
students will participate in an adaptation activity that places the students into the role of
adapting animals. After the activity, we will have a group discussion about the importance of
animal and plant adaptations and what happened when an organism fails to adapt. Students
will complete the adaptation assignment as homework (can be spanned for more than one
night).
5. Humans and the ecosystem: Students will return to a text set on Newsela to investigate the
human impact on ecosystems. They will fill out a graphic organizer on the positive and negative
effects that humans can have on an ecosystem. We will come together for a group discussion, I
will then pose the question of, “Is this okay? What can we do?” After a quick brainstorming
session, the students will break apart and complete the “Humans did what?!” assignment.
6. Interdependence: Today the students will complete a variety of tasks to showcase the
importance of interdependence within an ecosystem. Each student will be assigned a specific
role present within ecosystems. The students will wear “nametags” to identify each other.
Before beginning, the students will work together to break down each role and what role they
would play within our ecosystem. We will then begin the activities. After the activities, the
students will break into small groups to small groups and discuss their thoughts and findings
relating to the importance of interdependence within ecosystems. They will come up with one
main take away and write it down. Then, we will come together and each small group will
present their main point and we will create a chart on the board.
