Dakota State University

College of Education

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Name:​ Morgan Larson Date: ​10/25/17

Grade Level: ​1st Grade Time: ​2:10-3:00
School: ​Canistota Elementary

Reflection from the prior lesson:

Yesterday we discussed what a habitat was and the different kinds briefly. This lesson went well. The
students were engaged and had some background knowledge of habitats and could name some
different features/ animals in each. At the end, we colored a small booklet that talks about each habitat.

Lesson Goal(s)/ Standards:

1-LS1-1 ​Design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their
external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.

Lesson Objectives:
After discussing the ocean habitat, students will be able to answer 6 multiple choice questions about the
layers of the ocean with at least 5 correct.

Materials Needed:
● Corn syrup
● Rubbing alcohol
● Water
● Oil
● Dawn dish soap
● Food coloring
● Mason jar
● White paper
● Multiple choice paper

Contextual Factors/ Learner Characteristics:

There are 13 students in the class - 5 girls and 8 boys. Currently, one student is on an IEP for reading
fluency and reading comprehension. His strongest subject is math. There are 3 students who receive
Title I services in reading and 2 that receive Title services in math. I conducted a learning styles inventory
on students, and the top classes were self, nature, and body. This means that these students will work
best on their own work, naturalistic students will like to use their senses of touch and doing things
hands-on but preferably outdoors, and body (kinesthetic) are very similar to nature, but don’t need the
outdoor involvement. Math occurs after lunch and on Tuesday and Wednesday, after the music time.
This often results in students having less focus than they do during the morning reading time. Keeping
math interactive and hands on helps cut down on the behaviors.
A.The Lesson ​(​50 minutes​)
1. Introduction (​2 minutes​)
a. Getting attention ​“First graders, finish your snack and then come up to the carpet so we
can get started.”
b. Relating to past experience/ prior knowledge ​“Yesterday, we learned about what a
habitat is and the different ones. Who remembers what a habitat is? Yes, a habitat is
just the natural place an animal or plant lives in. Does anyone remember the different
types of habitats? Ocean, tundra, rainforest, desert, arctic, etc. Correct, we are going to
explore each of these places to learn more about their animals.”
c. Creating a need to know ​“We are learning the different habitats of our world because
we are going to use this information to talk about how animals adapt to survive within
their habitats.”
d. Sharing objective ​“Today, we are going to talk about the ocean habitat and the different
layers and animals within it.”

2. Content Delivery (​46 minutes​)

I. Layers of the Ocean in a Jar ​(​15 minutes​) ​- ​“First graders, I am going to show you an
experiment of the layers of the ocean, but using a jar. Then, we are going to talk about
what types of animals we find in each layer.” For each layer, I will add in the item,
cornstarch, dish soap, water, oil, and rubbing alcohol.
A. “The bottom layer is the Hadal Zone, also known as the trenches. Does anyone
have a guess why this might be called the trenches? This is the lowest spot in
the ocean depending on how deep down the ocean has been dug. There are
trenches that are deep in the ocean, which are found in this layer. Do you think
sunlight is found in this layer? No, right, there is no sunlight going into this layer.
In fact, it is so cold in this layer that it can’t even be explored by most
technology. There are a few invertebrates who live in this layer, like the starfish,
sea cucumbers, and sea anemone.
B. The next layer we are going to explore is the Abyssal Zone or the Abyss. The
abyss has no bottom because it flows directly into the dark hadal zone. Do you
think this zone gets any sunlight? No, we are still really deep in the ocean, so
this zone doesn’t get any sunlight either. Invertebrates also survive here
including see stars and squids.
C. The next layer is the Midnight Zone. This is the first layer that will see some
sunlight. Due to the low sunlight, most of these animals are black or red
including clams, bony fish, crustaceans, and whales.
D. As we get closer to the top, we have the Twilight Zone. We still only have faint
sun penetration at this point. It is said that some of the weirdest animals in the
whole ocean live in this layer. These animals include swordfish and wolf eels.
E. The last layer is known as the Sunlight Zone. Why do you think they called it
that? Right, this layer gets the most sunlight out of all of them. This is where the
coral reefs, fish, and most species of sharks and whales reside. This is also where
humans do most of their leisure activities.”
 II. Draw/ Label ​(​25 minutes​)​ - ​“I am going to give you a blank piece of paper. Your job is to
draw an animal on the paper with crayon. This animal should represent one layer of the
ocean. For example, if I was going to draw a squid, I would draw my squid large on my
page and any other details that might be found in that layer. Does anyone remember
what layer the squid was in? Right, the abyss, so there are minimal other creatures
around, so I will just leave the squid. Then, we are going to take our watercolors and
paint the ocean around it. For the abyss, do I want the water to be bright blue and
sunny? No, it is a dark area, so I will probably use my black watercolor to paint around it.
Does that make sense? The first thing I want you to do is create your animal on your
paper with only crayon.”
III. Multiple Choice Practice ​(​6 minutes​)​ - ​Students will complete a 6 question multiple
choice worksheet on the 5 layers of the ocean.

3. Closure (​2 minutes​)

“​Great work today first graders. You worked really hard learning about the ocean. Tomorrow,
we are going to continue on by talking about the rainforest.”

B. Assessments Used
● During the drawing/painting, I will see if students remember different animals that went in the
different layers.
● Students will have 6 multiple choice questions about the ocean habitat.

C. Differentiated Instruction
Lower level learners - These students may need some assistance reading the questions on the multiple
choice page, but otherwise these tasks will be very comprehensible for all levels.

D. Resources
https://www.icanteachmychild.com/make-ocean-zones-jar/

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-5-layers-of-the-ocean.html