Inquiry Lesson Plan Template (with Four Ways of Thinking

connection)
Teacher: Ms. Cortez
Content & Title:
Grade Level: 6th
Harm on Marine Life Grade Science
and Ecosystems
Standards: Concept 1: Structure of the Earth: Describe the composition and
interactions between the structure of the Earth and its atmosphere.
o PO 3. Explain the composition, properties, and structures of the oceans
zones and layers.
o PO 4. Analyze the interactions between the Earths atmosphere and the
Earths bodies of water (water cycle).
o PO 5. Describe ways scientists explore the Earths atmosphere and bodies
of water.
Objectives (Explicit & Measurable):
By the end of the lesson, students will accurately describe the harmful effects of
plastics on marine life and ecosystems by participating in discussions and
building activity. Students will write a journal entry with 5-7 details on what they
learned throughout the lesson.
Evidence of Mastery (Measurable Assessment: formative and summative):
(Formative): Formative assessments will include walking around the classroom
and engaging students in discussions to assess their understanding of the
lesson. This will happen throughout the week, but will be especially important
during the building activity of day 4.
(Summative): A summative assessment will include a journal entry at the end
of the unit to ensure that students have learned the effects of plastic on marine
ecosystems. This will allow students to write their ideas and will provide
evidence of mastery for the teacher.
Sub-objectives, SWBAT (steps that lead to completion of objective; sequence from
simple to more complex):

Students will discuss the material learned

Students will build a prototype that can potentially clear debris from the ocean
Students will determine the level of importance of this lesson
Students will write a journal entry using 5-7 details on what was taught
throughout the lesson
Lesson Summary and Justification: (summary gives detailed information about what
students are doing. Justification why is this lesson being taught)

The lesson will include an overview of the harmful effects that plastic has on marine life and
ecosystems. Students will learn about imporper diposal of trash (plastic) and how it makes its
way into the ocean and other bodies of water. This will be useful for students as it will give
them a chance to see how humans have made a negative impact on the environment.
Students will learn topics of sustainability such as disposal, water, and ecosystems.

Background Knowledge: (What do students need to know prior to completing this

lesson)

Prior knowledge should include water systems, bodies of water, and the water cycle.

Misconception: (what possible misleading thoughts might students have?)

Students might have misconceptions about how the ocean really affects them. They might think that
these affects have no direct impact in their life, especially if they dont live near the ocean.

Process Skills: (what skills are you introducing or reinforcing)

Critical thinking skills
Team work skills
Listening skills
Participation skills
Communication skills
Building skills
Planning skills

Four Ways of Thinking connection: (Provide a complete explanation of how your

lesson plan connects to futures, system, strategic, or values thinking. Define the way of
thinking you selected and used in this lesson plan. Remember, this should be included
meaningfully in the lesson plan.)
This lesson will encorporate strategic, values, and futures thinking. Students will think of strategies that
will allow them to make a change on the current issue at hand. Futures thinking will allow them to
envision a future for the ocean systems if this issue remains the same. It will also provide them with a
glimpse of the future if this problem is solved. Values thinking will allow students to determine what is
important to their lives.
Safety: (what safety rules and items need to be addressed?)

No rules or safety precautions are needed for this lesson.

Inquiry Questions: (testable in the here and now.)

1. (to explore): How will the device used to clean the ocean of plastics and other trash avoid
harming marine life such as fish, jellyfish, dolphons, etc.

2. (to elaborate): Elaborate why plastic does not degrade in the water.
Key vocabulary: (list and define)
Materials: (list item and possible
1.
2.
3.
4.

Ecosystems
Pollutants
Disposal
Plastics

quantity)
1. Buckets
2. Big/small pieces of
plastic
3. Water
4. Paper
5. Pencils
6. Coffee Filters
7. Cups
8. String

Engage - In this section you should activate prior knowledge, hook student
attention, pose a question (IQ#1) based on your lesson objective that students
will seek to answer in Explore.
Teacher Will: (hook)
Students Will:
Teacher will introduce the topic by asking
students if they have ever visited the ocean.
(Expect both yes and no answers). Teacher will
then ask how students envison the perfect
beach. (Expect answers such as warm, sunny,
clean, and fun).

Students will actively listen and be

engaged in the discussion. They will
think of the times that they have seen
trash on the beach or outside of their
home.

Teacher will then ask students how many of

them have seen trash on the beach or even on
the street outside of their house.

Students will attentively watch the

videos introduced by the teacher.

After having students think about this

question, teacher will introduce the two videos
on pollutions and how they affect marine life
and ecosystems.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

In order to provide differentiation, teacher will provide a sheet of paper to those that
need it that includes some of the answers and senarios to the questions asked.
Explore - In this section students should take the lead and actively use materials
to discover information that will help them answer the question posed in
Engage. Teachers may choose to give steps to follow, especially for younger students,
but the goal is for students to discover some or all of the sub-objectives of the lesson.
Teacher Will: (pose IQ #1)
Students Will: (list all steps)
Teacher will intorduce the activity that
students will have to complete. Teacher will
say The activity that we are doing today will
be to create our own sytem of cleaning. We
will be using all of these materials in order to
create this project. Just remember that what
you make will be tested by how much trash
and debris it can pick up from the bucket of
water. So make sure that it is sturdy.
Teacher will make sure that students are
aware of their roles in the assignment.

Students will listen actively to the

directions expalined by the teacher.

Students will ask questions such as can

we use whatever materials to finish this
assignment.
Students will get into their groups and
begin to plan their project.
Students will gather materials and begin to
work

Teacher will ask any questions that arise such

as will this happen in groups or can we use all
any materials to complete the assignment.
Teacher will pair up students in group of 3 to
complete this assignment.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

For students who need differentiation, teacher will pair them with students
who clearly understand the material covered in class. These students will
have the oportunity to work in groups with other students who can provide
peer support.
Explain In this section students share what they discovered, teacher connects
student discoveries to correct content terms/explanations, students
articulate/demonstrate a clear and correct understanding of the lesson sub-objectives
by answering the question from Engage before moving on.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Teacher wil walk around the classroom and ask
students questions about their project. (ex.
Why did you choose to use paper and filters)
Teacher will hear rationale from all students in
order to check for evidence of mastery in
formative assessment form.
Teacher will engage students in further
discussion by having them try their project
before it is time to turn in. This will then give
students time to adjust their project and ideas.

Students will ask questions asked by

teacher.
Students will think of their rationale and
why they decided to complete the
structure that they did.
Students will then try out their cleaning
device and check if it worked as they
expected.
They will then have time to readjust things
that did not work and come up with a
different rationale.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

Teacher will have a one on one session with students who need it before the
introduction to the lesson for the whole class. Students will be prepared on

the topic before other students and will therefore be able to participate.
Elaborate In this section students take the basic learning gained from Explore and
clarified in Explain and apply it to a new circumstance or explore a particular aspect of
this learning at a deeper level. Students should be using higher order thinking in this
stage. A common practice in this section is to ask a What If? question. IQ #2
Teacher Will: (pose IQ #2)
Students Will:
Teacher will elaborate on why this assignments
and topic is important to students even if they
live far from the ocean.
Teacher will answer questions that arise, such
as ( why is it so hard to remove trash and
plastic from the ocean)
Teacher will show video to further explain the
idea.

Students will listen actively to rationale

behind this lesson.
Students will ask questions such as ( what
can we do to stop plastic pollution in the
oceans)
Students will watch the video.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

No differentiation is needed for this part of the assignment.
Evaluate In this section every student demonstrates mastery of the lesson
objective (though perhaps not mastery of the elaborate content). Because this also
serves as a closing, students should also have a chance to summarize the big
concepts they learned outside of the assessment.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Teacher will have students finish up their
cleaning project.

Students will finsih their project and get

ready for their presentation.

Teacher will then announce that they will be

checking to see which structure works best.

Students will present their structure and

explain their rationale and why they think
this is important to their learning.

Teacher will instruct students to explain

their rationale and why they think this
project is important.

Students will listen actively for intructions

on what to do next.

Teacher will grade the structures and

determine which one work best.

Students will write their journal entry will all

component required.

After the winning project is determined,

teacher will introduce the writing journal
assignment by saying
Now that we have finished thos portion,
you wil write a journal entry on why you
think this is important, make sure to write 57 details of this. You can then write how you
think pollution on marine life and
ecosystems is important to your life even if
you life far from the ocean.
Closure: (revisit objective, IQs and make real world connections)
For the closure of the unit, students will write a journal entry with 5-7 details on what they
learned throughout the lesson. Students will think of why these reasons are important and
also include how marine life and ecosystems can affect their lives even if they live far away
from the ocean. Students will determine what they can do in order to reduce pollution of the
ocean and other water systems.

**Best Practices List the Best Teaching Practices you will use to enhance
the learning outcomes. In each section where prompted, list the best
practice, how the practices will be used and the purpose.