Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 75612
Nitrogen - Good, Bad and Ugly
Students will explore the concept of the nitrogen cycle and its importance for living organisms by role playing and diagramming the paths nitrogen
takes within its renewable cycle.
Subject(s): Science
Grade Level(s): 6, 7, 8
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Document Camera,
Computer for Presenter, Internet Connection, LCD
Projector, Overhead Projector, Adobe Flash Player,
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Instructional Time: 4 Hour(s)
Resource supports reading in content area: Yes
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: nitrogen, nitrogen cycle, protein, decomposers, feces, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, bacteria, denitrifying
bacteria, nitrification, root nodules, nitrates, nitrites, mineralization, organic, inorganic, lightning fixation, reservoir(s)
Resource Collection: FCR-STEMLearn Earth Systems
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
1. Students will identify reasons why nitrogen is important and what it means to them as a living organism.
2. Students will identify key ideas and vocabulary from video and apply to concepts covered in class.
3. Students will demonstrate the various paths through which nitrogen can cycle between organisms and the physical environment through role playing in order to
construct a story board for a independent comic strip.
4. Students will construct a diagram of the nitrogen cycle with proper labels, proper sequence, proper terminology and explanation of the various factors in the cycle.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students should be familiar with:
partner and team involvement and responsibilities.
the concept that people need water, food, air, waste removal, and a particular range of temperatures in their environment, just as other animals do.
the concept of nonrenewable energy resources are widely available and easy to convert to energy. however using these resources can cause pollution and habitat
disruption resulting in safety concerns.
the concept that land, air and water are renewable energy resources and are widely available and easy to convert to energy, however using these resources can
cause pollution and habitat disruption resulting in safety concerns.
the water and carbon cycles and their importance to living organisms, as well as their recycling process. The water cycle is a 5th grade standard: SC.5.E.7.1:
Create a model to explain the parts of the water cycle. Water can be a gas, a liquid, or a solid and can go back and forth from one state to another. CPalms has
similar type of lesson plan Resource # 8488 called the Water Cycle Game that would be a good review for this lesson. The carbon cycle is a lesson that would need
to be taught before the nitrogen cycle.
the Earth's systems of the atmosphere, geosphere, hydosphere and biosphere.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
1. Why is the element nitrogen important and what does it mean to you?
2. What is the role of nitrogen within our Earth's systems of the atmosphere, geosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere?
page 1 of 4 3. How does the movement of nitrogen affect the living and nonliving factors in the environment?
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
Introduction:
Put a variety of items containing protein on display - protein bars, protein shakes, a bag of beans and/or peas,an egg , etc..
Do not tell the students why they are on display. Put a Think, Pair Share table on the board and write the word PROTEIN at the top.
Students can construct the Think, Pair, Share table in their science journal or give them their Note-taking Form.docx that they will be using for their nitrogen cycle
video following this introduction and have them use the back of the form. You can also give them a copy of their own to fill in as they work through the activity.
Ask the following probe: What do you know about PROTEINS?
Give students a 5 minute think and write time recording their ideas in the first column. Use a partner pairing technique (two students with the same card from a
deck of playing cards or shoulder partner).
The partners discuss his or her thoughts and write those ideas in the second column.
The partners will the record what they would like to share with the class.
The shared thoughts will be recorded on a sheet of chart paper or the board, then discussed and clarified for understanding that proteins are the building blocks for
cell development for living organisms. Teacher can use the article called "Learning About Proteins" as a reading text or as a guide for clarifying the what proteins
are and why their are important for growth and cell development.
Students will then make the connection to the items on display that contain protein by looking at the Nutrition Facts label on the packages and are asked if all these
items contain protein and proteins are the building blocks for our cell development, what do we have to do to get that protein in our bodies?
They should discover that the only way living organisms can get protein in their bodies is through what they eat and drink. What makes protein? Nitrogen.
They, then should be able to answer the question "Why is the element nitrogen important and what does it mean to you?" The students will now find out
how the nitrogen becomes part of what they eat and drink.
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
Students will view the Study Jams video "nitrogen cycle video" to assist them in answering the question " What is the role of nitrogen within our Earth's
systems of the atmosphere, geosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere?"
The video's purpose is to provide the students with background knowledge, a common vocabulary and the ability to synthesize the ideas and formulate their own
summary of the content.
Students will be prompted with questions throughout the video on the nitrogen cycle. The teacher will pause the video to reflect on what they observed and heard,
with key points and vocabulary discussion and note taking time.
The following prompt questions can be posted on the board:
1. What do plants and animals use to make protein? (Nitrogen)
2. What does protein do for living organisms? (Allows the organism to live and grow.)
3. What does the nitrogen cycle describe? (How nitrogen is continually recycled between organic (living) and non-organic (non-living) forms between the geosphere,
the hydrosphere and the atmosphere.)
4. What is the key component of the nitrogen cycle? (Bacteria)
5. What is the first step in nitrification? (Nitrogen gas travels from the atmosphere to the soil.)
6. How do nitrates turn back into nitrogen gas? (Plants and animals die and decompose and return nitrogen gas back into the atmosphere.)
Students will share their main ideas written in their notes. Word Wall cards will be made and displayed during vocabulary discussion.
Following the video, students will participate in a Fingers Up (1=A, B=2, 3=C and 4=D) multiple choice quiz to determine level of basic understanding of terminology
and concepts.
They will view the video a second time, improve their notes and then take the 10 question quiz as part of their summative assessment.
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
Students will participate in a role playing inquiry activity called the Nitrogen Cycle Trip Tic Journey. Students will be partnered up and receive an Itinerary for
demonstrating the various paths they could travel as a nitrogen atom using their Student Student Trip Tic Itinerary 2.docx to work their way through the possible
routes between organisms and their physical environment.
To begin the journey, they report to the RESERVOIR STATION CARDS.docx listed at the top of their itinerary strip and follow the itinerary that is listed on their
sheet. The partners will record their stops on the individual student's Nitrogen Cycle Trip-Tic Game Worksheet.docx, describing details of where they traveled to,
how they got there and what happened to them.
After they have completed the 12 reservoir stops, the partners should review their stops for details and pictures. Designate an amount of time for completion and
follow up with a "Favorite Share Time" picking their top 3 reservoirs as partners and explaining why these choices were their favorites. Record the choices on the
board to see which stops get the most votes.
Based upon their paths traveled through the nitrogen cycle, students will each receive a Student Nitrogen Cycle Diagram.doc to draw directional arrows indicating
paths taken by nitrogen throughout its cycle as partners.
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
Using the student diagram for the nitrogen cycle in a transparency form on an overhead or using a document camera, have different students, using a transparency
marker, draw in the directional arrows and explain how the arrows are indicating the path for nitrogen and what is happening to the nitrogen. Students may change
their diagrams based upon what they are hearing and agreeing to.
Once completed and agreed upon, pass out correction markers. Instruct the students that all pencils need to be down and not used. Place the The Nitrogen Cycle
teacher version.pdf of the diagram on the overhead. Students will use their markers to correctly draw arrows that match the teacher version. Discuss corrections
for understanding.
Using their Trip Tic write-ups, this will now assist them in constructing a step by step story board by taking a sheet of white drawing paper or copy paper and
folding in half width wise twice and twice up resulting in 16 boxes.
Students will have visited 12 reservoirs.
Have the students number their boxes in the right hand bottom corner. Box 1 - Title, Box 2 is their Introduction, then the 12 reservoir boxes, Box 15 for their
Conclusion and Box 16 is their Signature Box.
Drawings and color should be added for this to become their own comic strip.
You can leave the comic in one piece or cut the rows apart and tape into a long strip for display.
The story board could be used to cut apart for a mini-book, a sequence poster or a foldable instead of a comic strip.
Summative Assessment
1. The Nitrogen Cycle video quiz - 10 questions = 80% mastery required.
page 2 of 4 2. Students' storyboard worksheets and comic strip production will be graded using the Lab - Diagram Rubric.docx
3. Teacher will grade the students' note taking for correctness and completeness on a 1-5 scale.
4. Students' diagrams will be graded using the lab/diagram rubric.
Formative Assessment
During the introduction: in the Teaching Phase to this lesson, students will construct a Think-Pair-Share worksheet to establish prior knowledge and
understanding of what a protein is and why it is important to humans. Teachers can
use this article called "Learning About Proteins" at http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/protein.html# for background.
During this lesson's Guided Practice, students will view the Study Jam Nitrogen Cycle video for background knowledge, take video notes and participate in a
Fingers Up (1=A, B=2, 3=C and 4=D multiple choice quiz to determine level of basic understanding of terminology and concept.
For Independent Practice, students will actively participate in their role playing trip through the nitrogen cycle, complete their travel student storyboard
worksheet from one station to another and develop a comic strip depicting their various travels and experiences through the nitrogen cycle.
As a Closure activity, students will complete a cyclical pattern diagram depicting the movement of nitrogen from one reservoir to another in its cycle.
Feedback to Students
1. Following a Think-Pair-Share prompt about how important nitrogen is for making proteins in living organisms, the teacher will review what proteins are, how
proteins can be used by living things, and that nitrogen has a cycle similar to the water and carbon dioxide cycles.
2. The students will be paired up for an inquiry activity where they will become a nitrogen atom and following their paths through the nitrogen cycle discovering what
will happen to them along the way. Teacher feedback and facilitating will occur throughout the lesson as student complete their Trip Tik worksheet.
3. Students will be prompted throughout the video on the nitrogen cycle by a video pause. The teacher will assist the students to reflect on what they observed and
heard, with key points and vocabulary discussed and direct note taking. Students will share their main ideas written in their notes. They will review the video a
second time and then take the 10 question Fingers Up quiz.
4. During this team group activity, two partner pairs will be teamed up and assist one another in completing their nitrogen cycle diagrams, the teacher will circulate
and clarify when needed.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
Students with special needs should have feedback and assistance processing each activity from the teacher.
Students with special needs should be paired with a student that can assist with concepts and tasks.
Students with special needs should have extended amounts of time to complete the various activities, if needed.
Students with special needs can be grouped together and provided additional assistance completing their project with the teacher.
Extensions:
Time permitting, the teacher can expand the lesson to included a data collection table for every student voting on their most favorite in their science journal and
calculate the data. They then design a bar graph table with the independent variable on the X axis using the 12 reservoirs and the number of votes for each on the Y
axis on the left hand side. Students can then build their bar graph using their data, analyze what the data represents and draw their conclusion.
Suggested Technology: Document Camera, Computer for Presenter, Internet Connection, LCD Projector, Overhead Projector, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Acrobat
Reader
Special Materials Needed:
Computer/Projector/Screen
Overhead projector or document camera
Transparency markers
Student Handouts
Wall space for 12 reservoir stations
Colored pencils, crayons or non-bleed markers
Word Wall cards
Further Recommendations:
This benchmark is very broad in scope and must be broken down into small segments of learning. The water cycle, the carbon dioxide cycle and the whole concept of
energy resources should precede this lesson. This lesson plan is Part 1 of Nitrogen - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. It is covering the "good" of nitrogen. Part 2 will
present the negative human impact on nitrogen pollution involving nitrates that lead to eutrophication from leaching. Part 2 should involve an inquiry based lab
investigation using fertilizer's negative impact on the environment.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Irene Johannesen
Name of Author/Source: Irene Johannesen
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Columbia
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
page 3 of 4 Related Standards
Name
SC.7.E.6.6:
Description
Identify the impact that humans have had on Earth, such as deforestation, urbanization, desertification, erosion, air
and water quality, changing the flow of water.
page 4 of 4