Louisiana State University

Instructional Models

BENCHMARK LESSON
LSU Team: Courtnie Dicapo and Morgan Story Mentor Teacher: NA Course: Biology
Date to be Taught: TBD School: TBD Classroom Number: TBD
Time to be Taught: 60 Grade Level: High School Biology Lesson Topic: Abiotic and Biotic Factors

Title of Lesson:

How can local crop production be improved by eliminating or enhancing various abiotic and biotic factors?

Source of Lesson:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ecosystem

Description of Concepts to be Taught (include a brief summary of why the lesson is important to students):

The concepts covered in this lesson are important for students to review what they learned about ecosystems in the field trip and draw further connections between concepts.

Louisiana State Science Standards:

Ecosystems have carrying capacities, which are limits to the numbers of organisms and populations they can support. These limits result from such factors as the availability of
living and nonliving resources and from such challenges as predation, competition, and disease that affect biodiversity, including genetic diversity within a population and species
diversity within an ecosystem. Organisms would have the capacity to produce populations of great size were it not for the fact that environments and resources are finite. This
fundamental tension affects the abundance (number of individuals) of species in any given ecosystem. (HS.LS2A.a)

Human activity directly and indirectly affect biodiversity and ecosystem health (e.g., habitat fragmentation, introduction of nonnative or invasive species, overharvesting, pollution
and climate change). (HS.LS2A.b)

The dynamic interactions within an ecosystem can keep its numbers and types of organisms relatively constant over long periods of time under stable conditions. If a modest
biological or physical disturbance to an ecosystem occurs, it may return to its more or less original status (i.e., the ecosystem is resilient), as opposed to becoming a very different
ecosystem. Extreme fluctuations in conditions or the size of any population, however, can challenge the functioning of ecosystems in terms of resources and habitat availability and
may result in new ecosystems. (HS.LS2C.a)

When evaluating solutions it is important to take into account a range of constraints including cost, safety, reliability and aesthetics and to consider social, cultural and
environmental impacts. (HS.ETS1B.a)

Changes in the physical environment, whether naturally occurring or human induced, have thus contributed to the expansion of some species, the emergence of new distinct
species as populations diverge under different conditions, and the decline–and sometimes the extinction–of some species. (HS.LS4C.c)
Student Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to outline their progression through different factors that impact growth of crops.

Students will be able to explain their project ideas in a cohesive and simple explanation.

Students will be able to visualize human impact on crops.

Students will be able to identify and discuss abiotic and biotic factors.

Safety Precautions:

No running in the classroom

Advanced Preparations:

Unit covering the standard:The process of photosynthesis converts light energy to stored chemical energy by converting Carbon dioxide plus water into sugars plus released
oxygen (HS.LSC1C.a).

All safety lessons have been covered prior to this unit.

Extended time for groups with students with learning disabilities (less stations to visit). Large print or brail for individuals with visual impairments.

What the Teacher Will Do
Teacher will begin class at the front of the board and
outline a concept map with the students through a
question and answer dialogue.
This concept map will be similar to the concept map file
previously created for the lesson. (Under Unit, Plan
Concept Map Tab)
Break down factors discussed from the day before are
there other factors that you think. Recall factors
(main factors: abiotic-soil, water, chemical, climate;
biotic-human, weeds, and insects)
TRANSITION
Teacher will outline sections of great importance for the stations.
What the Teacher Will Do
Teacher will explain the rules and directions of the
stations and emphasize the importance of the
combination of factors that are important to consider
when growing crops. (Station Activity worksheet Under
unit plan with Benchmark lesson tab)
This activity will be designed for the students to
categorize different factors that impact crops and allow
them to consider possible ideas for their upcoming
project.
Teacher will keep track of time and keep the stations
moving and transitioning every five minutes. The
teacher can ask if the students need extra time at each
station one-minute prior to rotation. The teacher can
modify the time spent at each station when necessary.
Teacher will also monitor groups and make sure students
are on task and if they need to transition stations faster
ENGAGEMENT
Eliciting Questions and Student Responses
Teacher: What are some of the Abiotic and Biotic
factors that we witnessed yesterday during the field trip?
Student: Animals, insects, humans, climate, chemicals,
and soil. (student answers will vary)
Teacher: What about the soil makes it such an important
factor?
Student: The minerals and moisture impact the growth.
(student answers will vary)
EXPLORATION
Eliciting Questions and Student Responses
Also used later but to start student thinking about these
questions while they are working:
Teacher: What factors do you feel created the most
impact to your plant? Why?
Student: I lost two points from insect hybrid introduced
into the area and all my other factors were positive, so
the insects created the most impact.
Teacher: What are some possible solutions?
Student: Having a broad-spectrum pesticide that does
not harm the crops.
Teacher: Would you have changed any of the “Go to”
categories or point values?
Student: For my card “Two boys set half the field on
fire” should not have been -2 points because half the
field is fine so should it be -1. Shouldn’t it be
categorized as chemical if they used chemicals to start
the fire instead of Human?
Approximate Time: 10
What the Students Will Do
Students will be actively engaged in the discussion and
answer questions. Students will also have to go to the
board and implement their comments and factors.
Approximate Time: 20
What the Students Will Do
Directions for a class of twenty-four students:
At the six tables set up in the classroom, form groups of
four students. Each table will be labeled with either:
Human, Insect, Plant, Chemical, Water/Soil, or Climate.
Students will start at certain stations and fill out their
travel worksheet. The worksheet will ask the students to
fill out the Situation, Points gained or lost, Next station,
and answer: If you lost points how could you attempt to
fix the issue? After five minutes, the students will move
to their new stations and complete the same task. The
students will go through four rounds of stations.
Students will spend five minutes per station and will
have to speed up the completion of the worksheet or
slow down as the class goes through the stations.
or slower.
TRANSITION
The discussion will transition to discuss why the factors are important.
What the Teacher Will Do
Teachers will engage students in a class discussion about
their experience in the stations.
Break down factors discussed from the day before (on
the field trip) are there other factors that you think are
linked. Teachers will use a series of questions to guide
students along to path to connect various abiotic and
Teacher response: Well, if half the crops were affected is
that half of the profits the farmer could have made and
what if the fire also affected the tools and cost more to
repair. Also, what if the boys did it on purpose or did not
take care of the matches or chemicals they had.
EXPLANATION Approximate Time: 10
Eliciting Questions and Student Responses What the Students Will Do
Also used later but to start student thinking about these The students will have a class discussion on the health of
types of questions: their plant and possible solutions they considered.
Teacher: What factors do you feel created the most
impact to your plant? Why?
Student: I lost two points from insect hybrid introduced
into the area and all my other factors were positive, so
the insects created the most impact.
Teacher: What are some possible solutions?
Student: Having a broad-spectrum pesticide that does
not harm the crops.
Teacher: Would you have changed any of the “Go to”
categories or point values?
Student: For my card “Two boys set half the field on
fire” should not have been -2 points because half the
field is fine so should it be -1. Shouldn’t it be
categorized as chemical if they used chemicals to start
the fire instead of Human?
Teacher response: Well, if half the crops were affected is
that half of the profits the farmer could have made and
what if the fire also affected the tools and cost more to
repair. Also, what if the boys did it on purpose or did not
take care of the matches or chemicals they had.
Teacher: Yesterday, during the photo scavenger hunt The students will have a class discussion to further break
what factors did you find the most interesting? down the concepts they have covered so far. Students
Students: The caterpillars and how close the fields were will be required to contribute to the discussion by
to homes. proposing ways that the concepts could connect.
biotic factors.
Teacher: Would you consider the crop fields to be an
ecosystem?
Possible student answers: Yes, there are multiple living
and nonliving things in the same area. No, there are no
living moving organisms that are constantly moving?

Teacher: What is the definition of an ecosystem? What

does it contain? (will flow as discussion)
Possible student correct answer: “The complex of a
community of organisms and its environment
functioning as an ecological unit” (Merriam-Webster).
Non-living and living organisms.

Teacher: Are abiotic factors included in an ecosystem

even though they are not living? What about biotic
factors?
Student: Soil content, nitrogen, heavy metals, minerals,
sunlight, climate, and air quality are nonliving factors.
Living insects, parasites, humans, and animals.

TRANSITION
Transition to ecosystems variables and go back to the concept map from the Bell Ringer to broaden the branches and
implement descriptions and definitions.
ELABORATION Approximate Time: 10

What the Teacher Will Do
Group discussion based on standards and connecting the
concept map.
Interactive PowerPoint discussing content and teacher
will call on students to answer questions imbedded in the
PowerPoint and ask questions directly to the class along
the way.
Teacher will select names by pulling out of name sticks
if students do actively participate. (or whatever the
teacher uses to pull names.)
Eliciting Questions and Student Responses
Teacher: What should be added to the board after the
activity and our discussion?
Possible Student Answers: Temperature, rain, and
sunlight under climate. Pollution and physical damage
under humans. (answers will vary)
Teacher: What climate issues does Louisiana Face
regularly?
Student: Hot weather all year round and flooding?
Teacher: What type of factors are these and how could it
impact plants?
Student: These are abiotic factors that can cause plants
to dry out quicker or become overwatered.
What the Students Will Do
Students will review their worksheet from the activity
and think about the previous discussion and offer
suggestions of topics to implement on the board.
Students will go to the board and answer the puzzles
imbedded in the PowerPoint and answer teacher lead
questions.
Students will fill out google classroom note document
along the way.
 Teacher: What is another abiotic factor? And how could
it be combined with other factors like chemical and
human?
Possible Student Correct Answer: Water. Also thinking
about rain and chemical composition of acid rain could
be an abiotic factor that could be from human pollution.
(more questions may need to be asked to get the students
to this point)

TRANSITION

Teachers will ask the students how they feel about the numerous factors, and ask the students to comment on one
factor that is most interesting to them before passing out the (Exit Ticket).
EVALUATION Approximate Time: 10

What the Teacher Will Do Eliciting Questions and Student Responses What the Students Will Do

Teacher will be passing out the half-sheet exit ticket
question and monitoring students as they go through the
questions.
Question 1: Describe two factors to consider for the
proposal and then compare and contrast the two (select
one abiotic and one biotic) factors?
Answers will vary per student.
Question 2: Discuss a prediction on how the factor
affects the growth of a plant population.
Answers will vary per student.
This allows the students to brainstorm on the factors that
deal with plant production and this information can be
used to prepare the presenter for the potential topics for
the next day and for the teacher to create feedback for
Thursday if revisions are necessary.