7th Grade Ecosystems Ms-Ls2-1 Lesson Plan (Science)

Topic: Ecosystems and the relationships among organisms and their environment

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to describe the relationships among organisms and their environment in a given ecosystem.
• Students will be able to identify and explain how the availability of resources affects organisms and populations in an ecosystem.

Materials

• Images of different ecosystems (e.g. tropical rainforest, arctic tundra, coral reef)
• Handouts with information about different resources available in different ecosystems (e.g. sunlight, water, nutrients)
• Colored pencils or markers

Warm-Up

• Show the students the images of different ecosystems and ask them to observe the environments shown in the images.
• Then, ask them to think about how the resources in these environments might be different. For example, in the arctic tundra, there is less sunlight than in a tropical rainforest.

Direct Instruction

• Explain to the students that the availability of resources in an ecosystem can have a big impact on the organisms that live there.
• For example, in an ecosystem where there is a limited amount of water, organisms that need a lot of water, like plants, may not be able to survive.
• Similarly, in an ecosystem where there is a limited amount of food, organisms that need a lot of food may not be able to survive.
• Ask the students to think about how the availability of resources can affect the population size of organisms in an ecosystem. For example, in an ecosystem where there is a limited amount of food, the population size of organisms may be limited as well.
• Introduce the concept of limiting factors and explain that limiting factors are factors that limit the growth of a population or species in an ecosystem.

Guided Practice:

• Have the students work in pairs and provide each pair with a handout with information about two different species of plants.
• Have the students use the information on the handouts to identify which species of plants have a limited need for water and which have a limited need for food.
• Have the students explain why each species has a limited need for water or food.
• Have the students discuss how the limited need for water or food may affect the population size of each species.

Independent Practice:

• Have the students work in groups and choose two different species of plants to research.
• Have the students use information sources such as books, websites, and interviews with experts to gather information about the habitat and life cycle of each species, as well as its nutritional and water requirements.
• Have the students create a poster or presentation to share their findings with the class.
• Have the students discuss how the limited water and food requirements of each species may affect the population size of each species.

Closure

• Review the key concepts of the lesson, including the importance of water and food to the survival of organisms, the impact of limited resources on population size, and the role of energy flow in ecosystems.
• Have the students make a personal commitment to conserve water and energy at home and at school.
• Have the students share their plans for conserving water and energy with the class.

Assessment

• Observe the students during the independent practice activity to see if they are accurately applying the concepts of water and energy conservation.
• Collect and review the students' plans for water and energy conservation for evidence of understanding.
• Administer a quiz at a later date to assess the students' comprehension of the lesson material.