Science Lesson Observation
Grade: 5th
Subject: Food Chain and Energy Pyramid
Essential Standard: 5.L.2 Understand the interdependence of plants and animals with their ecosystem.
The fifth grade classes have been learning about the interdependence of plants and animals with their ecosystem. The lesson I observed was particularly on the effects that may result from the interconnected relationship of these organisms. To start the lesson my teacher put up some review questions to engage the students on the promethean board. These were questions about ecosystems, abiotic and biotic factors, and the difference between food webs and food chains. After giving the students some time to record their answers, she would ask the questions and chose students to answer. The teacher and students discussed each question thoroughly and students had to really think to answer her questions. After the discussion, the teacher told the students they were going to go outside for the next activity and what they’re going to do.
For the explore part of the lesson, we went outside. The teacher had to take a few minutes to get all her materials in order before we started. While she was preparing the students just talked among themselves. She told the students that they were going to create an energy pyramid. Each student was given a card of an organism. They were grass, a grasshopper, mouse, snake, or hawk. The first thing they had to do was get in their population within the community. For example, all the grasshoppers got together. The most organisms were grass and the least were hawks; this was to show the relation of a real community. After they were in their population, the teacher asked them what a pyramid looked like (a triangle). Then, she asked questions to help them decide how they should get in the pyramid. The questions consisted of:
After they built the pyramid and understood it, they moved into the next activity. The teacher explained a game where they will be transferring energy with their same organism. Grass started out with seven unifix cubes. Then, when the grasshoppers came and ate it they took all but one cube from the grass. This continued until the hawk ate. The teacher explained that in life organisms need to eat more than one organism at a time. So students played the same game but this time they raced to get the most food or energy. For example, the grasses were at the end of the field and the teacher sent the grasshoppers to eat the grass, then the mice to eat the grasshoppers, and so on. This led to the students running to keep from getting eaten; kind of like real life.
After the game the teacher had a brief discussion with the students about food chains and their interdependency on energy within each other. She asked questions like:
After students answered these questions, we went inside. The teacher had students pull out their foldables that they have been using to gather information on ecosystems throughout the unit. They added the energy pyramid to it. The teacher asked what goes in each tier (producers, herbivores, carnivores, etc.). All the students filled out their pyramid, labeled it Energy Pyramid, and put the organism examples next to the tier (grass, grasshopper, mouse, etc.).
Lastly, the teacher passed out a study guide with questions for the test that they would be taking soon. They were also given homework based on the new information they learned. This was the end of the lesson.
Reflection:
I think this was a really good lesson and it gave the students a great opportunity to explore. I liked the outside activities because they were a good visual representation of what they energy pyramid is really like. I also thought the unit foldables were awesome. It’s a great tool to gather information and use to study all the information for the test. I would like to use this unit foldable activity for my own classroom someday because I think that it is very versatile and useful. I did not like how unprepared the teacher was for the outside activity. The fifth grade teacher’s group plan and she said she had received the lesson plan the night before. She apologized to me but I still felt that she could have asked me to help her prepare or used some of planning time to make the organism cards and read through the activities. Since she has been teaching for a while she knew the material well but she wasted a lot of useful time getting the materials ready. She’s a good teacher though and watching this lesson I learned a lot about what I’d like to do in my classroom. For instance, I liked doing the activity outside and the visual but I think I would want to give more directions to my students. Overall, I liked the lesson and I would like to teach it if I am ever a fifth grade teacher.
Subject: Food Chain and Energy Pyramid
Essential Standard: 5.L.2 Understand the interdependence of plants and animals with their ecosystem.
The fifth grade classes have been learning about the interdependence of plants and animals with their ecosystem. The lesson I observed was particularly on the effects that may result from the interconnected relationship of these organisms. To start the lesson my teacher put up some review questions to engage the students on the promethean board. These were questions about ecosystems, abiotic and biotic factors, and the difference between food webs and food chains. After giving the students some time to record their answers, she would ask the questions and chose students to answer. The teacher and students discussed each question thoroughly and students had to really think to answer her questions. After the discussion, the teacher told the students they were going to go outside for the next activity and what they’re going to do.
For the explore part of the lesson, we went outside. The teacher had to take a few minutes to get all her materials in order before we started. While she was preparing the students just talked among themselves. She told the students that they were going to create an energy pyramid. Each student was given a card of an organism. They were grass, a grasshopper, mouse, snake, or hawk. The first thing they had to do was get in their population within the community. For example, all the grasshoppers got together. The most organisms were grass and the least were hawks; this was to show the relation of a real community. After they were in their population, the teacher asked them what a pyramid looked like (a triangle). Then, she asked questions to help them decide how they should get in the pyramid. The questions consisted of:
- Who are the producers? (Answer: grass)
- What eats the grass or the producers? (Answers: grasshoppers, consumers, herbivores)
- What eats the grasshoppers or consumers? (Answers: mice, consumers, carnivores)
- What eats the mice or consumers? (Answers: snakes, consumers, carnivores)
- What eats the snakes or consumers? (Answers: hawk, consumers, carnivores)
- What is the hawk? (Answers: consumer, carnivore, top of the food chain)
After they built the pyramid and understood it, they moved into the next activity. The teacher explained a game where they will be transferring energy with their same organism. Grass started out with seven unifix cubes. Then, when the grasshoppers came and ate it they took all but one cube from the grass. This continued until the hawk ate. The teacher explained that in life organisms need to eat more than one organism at a time. So students played the same game but this time they raced to get the most food or energy. For example, the grasses were at the end of the field and the teacher sent the grasshoppers to eat the grass, then the mice to eat the grasshoppers, and so on. This led to the students running to keep from getting eaten; kind of like real life.
After the game the teacher had a brief discussion with the students about food chains and their interdependency on energy within each other. She asked questions like:
- What would happen if there were more than one hawk?
- What would be the effect if there were only a few mice?
After students answered these questions, we went inside. The teacher had students pull out their foldables that they have been using to gather information on ecosystems throughout the unit. They added the energy pyramid to it. The teacher asked what goes in each tier (producers, herbivores, carnivores, etc.). All the students filled out their pyramid, labeled it Energy Pyramid, and put the organism examples next to the tier (grass, grasshopper, mouse, etc.).
Lastly, the teacher passed out a study guide with questions for the test that they would be taking soon. They were also given homework based on the new information they learned. This was the end of the lesson.
Reflection:
I think this was a really good lesson and it gave the students a great opportunity to explore. I liked the outside activities because they were a good visual representation of what they energy pyramid is really like. I also thought the unit foldables were awesome. It’s a great tool to gather information and use to study all the information for the test. I would like to use this unit foldable activity for my own classroom someday because I think that it is very versatile and useful. I did not like how unprepared the teacher was for the outside activity. The fifth grade teacher’s group plan and she said she had received the lesson plan the night before. She apologized to me but I still felt that she could have asked me to help her prepare or used some of planning time to make the organism cards and read through the activities. Since she has been teaching for a while she knew the material well but she wasted a lot of useful time getting the materials ready. She’s a good teacher though and watching this lesson I learned a lot about what I’d like to do in my classroom. For instance, I liked doing the activity outside and the visual but I think I would want to give more directions to my students. Overall, I liked the lesson and I would like to teach it if I am ever a fifth grade teacher.