The objectives for this 5th grade science unit were to identify biotic and abiotic, communities and

populations; as well as terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, predators and prey, decomposers and parasites; food chains and food webs through various types of instruction and learning strategies. Students are taught through direct instruction and visual and kinesthetic learning styles: visual representations of all factors, Brain Pop videos, Streamline videos, students use themselves as deer and resources in the game Oh Deer. Students will also go outside to locate and record abiotic, biotic, communities, and populations in the school garden. This is another kinesthetic activity to give students the opportunity to put the information into a real world aspect.
The goal of this unit is to allow different instruction techniques for diverse learning levels. In this classroom there are three IEPs, eight GT students, and four ESOL students. All these students are obviously on different levels which will make it very important for this unit to reach each student in a way that they understand. Students are taught vocabulary that brings the unit together by building on itself with each new component thus allowing the students use what they know and apply it to new information.

Unit Objectives TSWBAT Summarize the composition of an ecosystem, considering both biotic factors (including populations, to the level of microorganisms, and communities) and abiotic factors.

Activities/ Instructional Strategies 1. Students will be introduced to ecosystems by completing a quick preassessment on living and nonliving things. This will give them the beginnings of biotic and abiotic factors. The students will continue through the first week learning and discussing biotic and abiotic factors as well as population and communities. 2. Students will identify abiotic, biotic, population, and communities when given a picture of an

Assessment of Objective

Accommodations Adaptations

Students will use a picture of a pond ecosystem to complete the quiz. They will locate abiotic/biotic factors, populations, and communities

Follow all IEPS/504 plans Provided students will study guides Provide students with visual representations during the lesson

SCI.5.5-2.2: Summarize the composition of an ecosystem, considering both biotic factors (including populations to the level of microorganisms and communities) and abiotic factors.

ecosystem. 3. Students will locate abiotic, biotic, populations, and communities when walking through the school garden.

TSWBAT Compare the characteristics of different ecosystems (including estuaries/salt marshes, oceans, lakes and ponds, forests, and grasslands).

SCI.5.5-2.3: Compare the characteristics of different ecosystems (including estuaries/ salt marshes, oceans, lakes and ponds, forest and grasslands)

TSWBAT Identify the roles of organisms as they interact and depend on one another through food chains and food webs in an ecosystem,

1. Students will describe and identify characteristics such as biotic and abiotic factors in Students will be terrestrial given a quiz ecosystems by adding identifying each information to the type of terrestrial corresponding terrestrial ecosystem as well ecosystems to a as defining biotic, chart. 2. Students will abiotic, describe and community, identify characteristics population, and such as biotic and microorganism abiotic factors in aquatic ecosystems by adding information to the corresponding aqua ecosystems to a chart. 1. Students will chart examples of producers, consumers Students will be (herbivores, assigned a Food omnivores, Chain Project. They carnivores), and will follow a rubric to

Follow all IEPS/504 plans Provided students will study guides Provide students with visual representations during the lesson Go over chart so that students have correct information to study

Follow all IEPS/504 plans Provided students

considering producers decomposers and consumers 2. Students will (herbivores, create a food carnivores, and chain in their omnivores), journals decomposers (microorganisms, termites, worms, and fungi), predators and prey, and parasites and hosts.
SCI.5.5-2.4 Identify the roles of organisms as they interact and depend on one another through food chains and food webs in an ecosystem, considering producers and consumers (herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores), decomposers (microorganisms, termites, worms, and fungi), predators and prey, and parasites and hosts

make sure all components are present.

will study guides Provide students with visual representations during the lesson

TSWBAT Explain how limiting factors (including food, water, space, and shelter) affect populations in Students will play a ecosystems. game of Oh Deer to get a representation of what happens when SCI.5.5-2.4 Identify the there are lots of deer and little resources or roles of organisms as they vice versa. interact and depend on one
another through food chains and food webs in an

Students will complete a journal entry on the game and how limiting factors affect ecosystems.

Follow all IEPS/504 plans Verbal directions of the game; followed by a practice run to make sure students have and understanding If playing overtakes the actual learning aspect then

ecosystem, considering producers and consumers (herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores), decomposers (microorganisms, termites, worms, and fungi), predators and prey, and parasites and hosts

students will go back inside and use there text books to answer the journal entry.

TSWBAT Students will demonstrate an 1. Students will play understanding of a review game of relationships among Jeopardy biotic and abiotic factors within 2. Students will be terrestrial and aquatic given the unit test ecosystems.
SCI.5.5-2.2: Summarize the composition of an ecosystem, considering both biotic factors (including populations to the level of microorganisms and communities) and abiotic factors.

Unit Test

Follow all IEPS/504 plans Provided students will study guides Provide extra time to complete the test