Michele Dixon
Fifth Grade
Penn Alexander School
Planned teaching dates: Week of March 6-10, 2006
1. Guiding Information:
a. Student and Classroom Characteristics
There are 18 students in my class. One of the students is a mainstreamed special
education student. One student is an ESOL (English is second language) student. The
other sixteen are regular education students. Three students are white, twelve students are
African American, one student is Egyptian, one student is Cambodian, and one student is
from Africa. Our school runs on a six-day cycle (A-F). I see these students on B day for
45 minutes, E day for 45 minutes, and F day for 90 minutes in a lab. The students work
better if I let them pick their own partner. I tried a few times to choose partners for them
and the students revolted. I find that because of the scheduling that this is a battle I don’t
want to fight. The students have mostly been engaged in testing experiments by changing
a variable. Mostly they are expected to do an activity following the scientific process and
draw conclusions from results after graphing. They have not been expected generally to
do an inquiry projects in which they come up with the driving question.
b. Prior Knowledge
Middle school students seem to know that some kind of cyclical process takes place in
ecosystems, (Smith & Anderson, 1986). Some students see only chains of events and pay
little attention to the matter involved in processes such as plant growth or animals eating
plants. They think the process involving creating and destroying matter rather than
transforming it from one substance to another. Other students recognize one form of
recycling through soil minerals but fail to incorporate water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide
into matter cycles, (Smith & Anderson, 1986). Students tend to use the term “food” in
ways that are consistent with the everyday meaning of the term not the biological
meaning. They see food as substances that organisms take directly from their
environment, ( Anderson, Sheldon, & Dubay, 1990). In addition, some students of all
ages think food is a requirement for growth, rather than a source of matter for growth.
They have little knowledge about food being transformed and made part of a growing
organism’s body, (Smith & Anderson, 1996). I found the students I work with have
misconceptions that generally matched other students their age. My students seem to
have difficulty understanding the concept that energy flows from one organism to
another. They understand that animals eat meat or plants. They also understand that
animals need non-living things like water, space, and shelter to survive. They seem to be
confused about the idea that when an organism dies, energy is transferred back to an
ecosystem. .
2. Purposes
a. Major Concepts
No organism on earth lives isolated, according to Bill W. Tillery, Eldon D. Enger, and
Fredrick C Ross in their book Integrated Science (2004) ecology is the branch of biology
that studies the relationships between organisms and their environment. An organism's
environment is made up of all of the living and non-living things that surround the
organism. All the living and nonliving things in an environment affect each other. The
nonliving factors, or abiotic factors are things such as temperature, water, light, minerals,
soil, and climate. The biotic factors are things such as plants, fungi, and animals.
Different organisms within an ecosystem compete for food, space, light, heat, water, air
and shelter. An ecosystem is any area in which energy is transferred as organisms interact
with each other and with nonliving things. Ecosystems, like other systems, follow the
physical principles of conservation of energy and matter. Materials move among living
things and between living things and the physical environment, often being transformed
in the process.. All organisms are producers, consumers, or decomposers. Energy is
transferred through an ecosystem by a series of steps known as a food chain. Overlapping
food chains form food webs. A food chain shows how each living thing gets it food.
Some animals called herbivores eat plants. Some animals called carnivores eat other
animals. A food chain starts with plant life and ends with an animal. Plants are called
producers because they are able to use light energy from the sun to produce food (sugar)
from carbon dioxide and water.. Animals cannot make their own food so must eat plants
and/or other animals. They are consumers. There is also decomposer who feed on
decaying matter. The further along the food chain you go the less food remains available.
There can’t be too many links in a single food chain because the animals at the end of the
chain would not get enough food. Most animals are part of more than one food chain and
eat more than one kind of food in order to meet their food energy requirements,
http://www.vtaide.com/Scilink. Students need to have an understanding how energy is
being transferred continually in the food chain. The owl’s system is a way for students to
experience. According to the teacher’s manual of the Carolina Biological Supply
Company scientist study pellets to discover any regional, seasonal, and habitat
differences in owl prey. Pellets reveal information about the relative numbers of small
animals found in an owl’s feeding area. Owls are essential in keeping the balance in their
ecosystem.
b. Learning Goals:
Students will discover many facts about an animal by examining their digestive
remains. Animal adaptations often include ways of handling their food-not only
externally, but also internally. The more observations that are made , the more useful
and valid are the data collected. Observing specific features of certain bones/or teeth
enables us to identify the animal’s species. Students learn about the bone structure of
an owl and how to identify various parts. They learn about the ecology and life
history of an owl and its role in the ecosystem. Students dissect “ Owl Pellets” to
identify, classify, measure, graph, and sketch the bones it contains. The students use
this prey species information to construct a diagram of an owl’s food chain
c. Objectives
1.To discover what an owl eats.
2.To learn about an owl’s digestive system.
3. To learn the value of dissecting the contents of an owl pellet.
4 .To make some inferences about the nature of the community in which the
owls live.
5. Students will create diagrams of food chains that identify the roles of
producers and consumers, displaying the transfer of energy throughout the
links of the chain.
d. Safety
Before beginning these lessons I need to check to see if any of your students is asthmatic
or strongly allergic to animal hair, which is a component of the pellets. Students with
allergy problems may have been excused from the room during the second lesson. Or
with permission from parents have students wear doctor’s masks. All students will be
wearing gloves for this activity. We will disinfect the desks and instruments after use.
The students will wash their hands after removing their gloves, then
Throw away the gloves after use (reuse is a source of contamination).
d. National Standards:
Students should understand that in the struggle for survival, plant and animal kingdoms
are interrelated by way of constant exchange of energy. The benchmarks I would like the
fifth grade students I’m working with to have an enduring understanding of is 5E Flow of
Matter and Energy (K-2)#2 Many materials can be recycled and used again, sometimes
in different forms. I also would like them to have an enduring understanding of 5E
Flow of Matter and Energy (3-5)#2 Some source of “energy” is needed for all organisms
to stay alive and grow. I think it is important that they know 5E Flow of Matter and
Energy (3-5)#3 Over the whole earth, organisms are growing, dying, and decaying, and
new organisms are being produced by the old ones. I also think it is important for them to
know 5E Flow of Matter and Energy (3-5)#1 Almost all kinds of animals’ food can be
traced back to plants. It would be useful for my students to be aware of 5E Flow of
Matter and Energy( K-2)#1 Plants and animals both need to take in water, and animals
need to take in food. In addition plants need light.
Other related Standards:
The Nature of Science
Section B: Scientific Inquiry
Grade K-2
Describing things as accurately as possible is important in science because it enables
people to compare their observations with those of others.
Grade 3-5
Scientific investigations may take many different forms, including observing what things
are like or what is happening somewhere, collecting specimens for analysis, and doing
experiments. Investigations can focus on physical, biological, and social questions.
The Living Environment
Section D: The Living Environment
Grade K-2
Animals eat plants or other animals for food and may also use plants (or even other
animals) for shelter and nesting.
Grade 3-5
Some source of “energy” is needed for all organisms to stay alive and grow.
Grades 6-8
Food provides molecules that serve as fuel and building materials for all organisms.
2. Rationale:
The topic I need to teach in the spring semester is Ecosystems. In order for students
to appreciate the intricate balance of life in an ecosystem, they must understand that
the forces acting on this balance can change the structure of the ecosystem rapidly or
over long periods of time. One of the ideas the School District of Philadelphia’s Core
Curriculum for fifth grade suggest, in order for students to appreciate the diversity of
living organisms and the delicate balance of life in an ecosystem, they must be able to
explain the structures, behaviors or physiology that enhances survival and
reproductive success in a particular environment. My students have studied plants and
have been introduced to the idea that plants make their own food. They investigated
solar energy in the Fall and believe that all energy comes from the sun, but their still
not sure how this is possible. This lesson will serve as proof that owls eat rodents and
use this energy to survive. I also thought the owl pellet activity would help my
students acquire the knowledge to understand the national science standard 5E Flow
of Matter and Energy (K-2), many materials can be recycled and used again,
sometimes in a different form. In this activity students develop their conceptual
knowledge. Which is the knowledge of the interrelationship principles, theories, and
models. I want my students to understand and define “flow of energy” in an
ecosystem. Concept maps are a way for students to do this. According to our
textbook, Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle Schools, (Krajcik, Czerniak, &
Berger, 2003) concept mapping empowers learners by making them aware of their
own thinking. By connecting or linking new ideas and experiences with existing ones,
concept maps help structure information into long term memory developing
meaningful understanding ( Eggan & Kauchak, 1982) . Each link in the network
increases the meaningfulness of the concept because it represents a connection to
another related topic. The last lesson in which the students create a food web gives
students this opportunity.
4. Classroom Preparation:
a. Instructional materials
1. Chart Paper for all days
2. Computer room scheduled for day one and web sites on their favorites so
students have easy access:
http://www.carolina.com/owls/guide/Owlpelletbonechartgrid.pdf
http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resourses/s0000148.shtml
http://nova.bsuvc.bsu.edu/home/smransom/owls.html
http://www.raptor.cvm.umn.edu/newwebdev/raptor/rfacts/rfacts.html
http://www.owlpage.com
3. Book Owl Moon by Jane Yolen for day one
4. Owl Pellets for day two
5. Dissecting Needle/toothpicks &tweezers for day two
6. Bone Chart for day two
7. Owl Research Notes student sheet for day one
8. Paper towels for day two
9. Construction Paper day two and three
10. Glue for day two
11. Gloves for day two
12. masks for dissecting for day two
5. Teaching methods, instructional procedures, and learning activities:
Day 1:
a. Phases of Inquiry
Engage: Students will be engaged in doing research on an owl to gain more
knowledge about them before they work with the owl pellets.
Explain: I will be using a KWL chart to activate prior knowledge and get students
thinking about questions they might have about owls.
b. Content
Day one will be the day in which students get introduced to owls. This lesson will
serve as a motivation to the next two lessons. Students will begin this as an inquiry
based project. They will come up with questions they have about owls and investigate
the animal thru different web sites made available to them.
c. Motivational Opening
Read the book Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Ask the class the following questions:
• Have you ever been camping at night?
• What sounds did you hear?
• Were you afraid?
• What do you know about owls?
Make a list on chart “ what we know about owls”. Then start another chart “ What
We want to know about owls?”
d. Core Learning Activities
Students will work with a partner and investigate questions the class created about
owls on us sites made available to them.
e. Critical Questions
1. Do you have owls living in your area? If so, do you know what
kinds? Have you seen any?
2. How does an owl catch its prey?
3. Is an owl harmful or helpful to humans? How?
f. Closure
Students will report orally on their research.
Day 2:
a. Phases of Inquiry
Explore: Today students will do an investigation on owl pellets. They will be asked
to compare, identify, and record the skeletal parts of small mammals digested by an
owl. The students will learn the value of dissecting and make inferences about nature
of the community in which the owl lives.
b. Content
This lesson will serve as proof that owls eat rodents and use this energy to survive.
Owls excrete the parts of the rodent that they are unable to digest, leading students to
infer that they are recycled in the soil. Students’ attention should be drawn to the
transfer of energy that occurs as one organism eats another. It is important students
learn the differences between how plants and animals obtain food from it the energy
they need.
c. Motivational Opening
Tell students that they will be dissecting owl pellets today. Explain to them what they
are: Owl pellets are compacted undigested parts in which the owl eats. The owl
regurgitates these compact pellets that contain, fur, bones, etc. of small rodents.
Ask the students “What kind of information do you think scientist can obtain
dissecting owl pellets?” “ Can you estimate the number of small mammals an owl
might eat in one day? How about one week?”
d. Core Learning Activities
Introduce the students to the study of owl pellets. Divide the students into partners.
Give each group a copy of bone sorting chart, tweezers, toothpick, Petri dish, paper
plate, gloves, ruler, and an owl pellet. The students measure the pellet and record that
information on their data sheets. Then they dissect the owl pellets, removing fur and
bones. They place the bones in a Petri dish. After done dissecting students use the
bone sorting sheet to classify the bones and sort them by type: skulls, femurs,
vertebrae, etc.
e. Critical Questions:
1.What do we know about the digestive system of an owl based upon the pellets?
2.What kinds of animals are found in the owl pellet ecosystem?
3. Other types of birds form pellets. What would you expect to find in the pellet of a
Hawk or Falcon?
f. Closure:
Discuss with students the importance of owls and how they are essential in keeping a
balance in their ecosystem. Owls are useful in controlling the rodent population.
Day 3
a. Phases of Inquiry
Elaborate: Today students will use everything they have learned so far and create
diagrams of owl food chains that identify the roles of producers and consumers. They
will elaborate on all the ideas they have about the transfer of energy through the links
of the chain and a descriptive paragraph.
Evaluate: Students will be evaluated on all the information they have learned. They
need to demonstrate understanding of the relationship between the sunlight, plant,
prey, and predator. Students need to correctly label energy transfer and correctly
label producers and consumers in their diagrams. Students need to use scientific
vocabulary in their descriptive paragraph.
b. Content
This lesson will allow students to take information from their previous pellet
investigation, along with information from articles and web sites and create diagrams
that represent the relationship found in an owl food chain. Students will have a better
understanding of the roles producers and consumers play in the balancing of nature
within an environment.
c. Motivational Opening
Students will be asked to use what they have learned about owls from the owl pellet
activity. Are Owls predators or prey? Students discuss the terms predator and prey
and brainstorm other examples of predators and prey in nature. What type of food
does predator eat? What does prey eat? If students mention plants ask where do the
plants get their food?
c. Core Learning Activities
In groups of four students read and discuss information on food chains. Each group
will define the words producer, consumer, predator, prey, energy and food chain. The
students turn this food chain information into a concept map that shows how energy is
transferred from the sun to plants to prey and to a predator. Students will label the
consumers and producers in their food chain. Students will each write a descriptive
paragraph to explain food chain.
The students will be given 30 minutes to work together and 15 minutes to writ their
descriptive paragraph. A good paper will be filling with all the vocabulary and a clear
understanding of energy transfer.
d. Critical Questions
1. What do you think would happen if an animal or plant in the food chain
were disturbed?
2. What does the food chain mean to the balance of nature?
3. How to you explain the transformation of energy in each link of the food
chain?
e. Closure
Teacher will collect and hang all the food chains around the room. Students will do a
museum walk (quietly) around the room for 5-10 minutes. Students will each share an
interesting thing they learned by starting a chain of verbal knowledge. This is where
students will each have opportunity to say something about what learned that day.
6.Evaluation Strategies;
A farmer in New Jersey is trying to control the number of mice in his barn by using
pesticide. He put four containers of pesticide in the corners of his barn. He waited one
month and did not notice a huge difference in the number of mice running around in his
barn. He gathered up the empty containers and disposed of them using a large black
plastic bag, which he tossed in the garbage pile behind the barn. He decided to purchase
two barn cats from the local pet rescue. His land borders on a local park, which is
protected by law as a wildlife refuge. How might the Barn Owls in this ecosystem be
effected over the next three months by the farmers attempt to solve his problem?
Concept Rubric
Performance Indicators:
•
•
•
•
Level 1 = student is performing below expected standard
Level 2 = student is performing in lower range of expected standard
Level 3 = student is performing in upper range of expected standard
Level 4 = student is performing beyond the expected standard
Performance Criteria Understanding
• Is aware of basic concepts and principles.
1-Student shows limited understanding, and many misconceptions.
2- Student shows some understanding, and minor misconceptions.
3- Student shows understanding, and few misconceptions.
4- Student has good understanding and no misconceptions.
Name __________________________
Date ___________________________
Owl Research Notes
Common Name of owl ______________________________________________
Scientific Name ____________________________________________________
Question one My partner and I have about Owls:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Our Answer:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Where we found our Answer:
_____________________________________________________________________
Question Two My partner and I have about Owls:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Our Answer:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Where we found our Answer:
_____________________________________________________________________
How we are going to share with class:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Record Findings:
Examine and Record
Length of Pellet
Width (at widest point)
Coloration
Visible Contents
Bones Found:
Bone
Skull
Jaw
Scapula
Forelimb
Hind limb
Pelvic Bone
Rib
Vertebrae
Unable to
identify
Type
Number
Identify the:
1. Producers
2. Primary Consumers
3. Secondary Consumers
4. Herbivores
5. Carnivores
6. Omnivores
7. What elements are missing from this food web?
On the back, construct a Food web using the following animals.
This ecosystem represents a farm area. The corn is the main
source of food for many of the herbivores in the area. You do not
have to draw pictures, you can just use the animal names and draw
arrows between them.
SNAKE, CORN , CATERPILLAR, DEER, CROW, MOUSE,
COUGAR, SQUIRREL, MICROORGANISMS (decomposers)
Food Web Rubric
Criteria
Level 1
Content
Content is
Level 2
Level 3
Content is
mechanical
and somewhat
detailed
Content is
appropriate,
logical and
detailed
Student shows
some
understanding
of food web
connections
Student shows
understanding
of food web
connections
Level 4
Content is
incomplete
appropriate
and lacks
complex,
detail
logical, and
detailed
Communication Communicates Communicates Communicates Consistently
understanding understanding understanding communicates
and
and
and
understanding
knowledge
knowledge
knowledge
and
with little
with some
with clarity
knowledge
clarity
clarity
with clarity
Application of
Understanding
Student shows
little
understanding
of food web
connections
Student
confidently
shows
understanding
of food web
connections
Resources:
http://naturalsciences.sdsu.edu/classes/lab2.2/lab2.2.html
http://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/owlpellets.html
http://learningathand.com/curriculum/veiw.php?c=19
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ScienceOwlPelletsSkeletalSystem58.htm
http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001418.shtml