Lesson Plan Template ED 3501 (Version C)

Lesson
Title/Focus

Pollution/Bioaccumulation

Date

Oct 5/15

Subject/Gra
de Level

Science- Grade 7

Time
Duratio
n

45 min

Unit

Unit A- Interactions and Ecosystems

Teacher

Julie Allred

OUTCOMES FROM ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES

General
Learning
Outcomes:
Specific
Learning
Outcomes:

2. Trace and interpret the flow of energy and materials within an ecosystem
4. Identify mechanisms by which pollutants enter and move through the environment,
and can become concentrated in some organisms

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will:
1. Explain how pollution enters and moves through a food chain

ASSESSMENTS
Observations:

Student involvement
Are students able to participate?
Can students make suggestions as to how pollution would affect an
ecosystem?

Key Questions:

How do pollutants affect an ecosystem?

Products/Performan
ces:

Participation
Notebook Entry

LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED

Alberta Program of Studies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTqd-7cQiAI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=9y4pMGN0GJw

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Markers
Notebook
Pennies
Exit Slips

PROCEDURE
Prior to lesson

Attention Grabber

Assessment of
Prior Knowledge
Expectations for
Learning and
Behaviour

-Collect pennies
-Make and print exit slips
Introduction
Ask the class as a whole to raise their hands: Who here has
eaten fish? Did you know that there is a good chance that the
fish you ate had high levels of toxins in them? Were going to
discuss why that is.
Get students to tell their partner what a food chain is.
-

Advance
Organizer/Agenda

Time
5

, I expect students to be aware of their surroundings so

as not to bump into other students or objects (students
will be moving around so, for safety, make sure there
are clear paths for which they can move)
I expects all students to participate in the simulation I
expect students to participate in discussion

Quiz
Notebook
Water Droplet

Adapted from a template created by Dr. K. Roscoe

Lesson Plan Template ED 3501 (Version C)

Transition to Body
Learning Activity
#1

Teacher Notes:
Assessments/
Differentiation

Learning Activity
#2

Teacher Notes:
Assessments/
Differentiation

Learning Activity
#3

Today we are going to learn about the Water Cycle

Body
Pollution
- Student PPT from the online sessions
Notebook
- Definition: the introduction of contaminants into the
natural environment that cause adverse change
1. Affects the whole ecosystem
2. Can be difficult to clean up
-

Time

10

Are students aware that human actions can have long

lasting affects on ecosystems?
Definitions and writing will be available on the board to
refer to

What is Bioaccumulation?
- explain to students that often pesticides will be sprayed
on plants and they make their ways into the water
systems. If you didnt know about bioaccumulation, you
might think that its okay because its just a small
amount of toxins. We will explain how a small amount of
toxins in one organism can turn into a large amount of
toxins in another.
- ask students if they have heard of the word
bioaccumulation
- look at the first slide of the word
- move to the second slide where the word is illustrated
- talk about that biology is the study of living things and
that magnification is the process of making something
larger/appear larger
- show first bioaccumulation diagram and explain the
increasing arrow and that the amount of toxins inside a
single organism increases as you move up the food
chain
- ask: Which organism is the highest on the food
chain in this example?
- Which organism would contain the highest toxin
amount in this example?
ask students to turn to their partner and explain what
bioaccumulation is
- Key Questions: Which organism would contain the
highest toxin amount in this example?
- Observations: Listen to students as they explain to
their peers about bioaccumulation
Acting out Bioaccumulation
- explain to students that we are going to act out
bioaccumulation. There will be pennies that will be
producers containing toxins. The zooplankton will eat
the producer. The small fish will eat the zooplankton.
The large fish will eat the small fish. Between each
round, you will record the number of toxins you have
consumed.
- split class so that there are 10 Zooplankton, 5 Small
Fish, and 2 Large Fish
- Scatter 30 pennies on the floor
- tell the zooplankton that they are now going about their

Adapted from a template created by Dr. K. Roscoe

15

15

Lesson Plan Template ED 3501 (Version C)

day eating some producers and ask them to pick up
pennies
- get the zooplankton to record the number of toxins they
consumed on the smart board
- now ask the small fish to eat the zooplankton. When the
zooplankton are eaten, they must sit down but give their
toxins (pennies) to the small fish
- small fish will record the number of toxins they have in
their body on the smart board
- ask large fish to now hunt the small fish
- same process applies
- when all three steps have finished
ask: Which organism contains the most toxin?
Student made video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=QTqd-7cQiAI
Teacher Notes:
Assessments/
Differentiation

Key Questions: Which organism would contain the highest

toxin amount in this example?

Consolidation of
Learning:

Closure
Because water is a basic need it is important to understand
how it is cycled so that we can insure that we are not affecting
the process negatively.

Time

Feedback From
Students:

Hold up your hand and use your fingers to represent your level
of understanding (0- no clue .. 5- could teach someone
else)

Feedback To
Students

During the presentations, the Teacher will add or clarify any

information that causes questions

Transition To Next
Lesson

Next class we will be reviewing for our test on Tuesday

Sponge
Activity/Activities

Peregrine Falcon- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y4pMGN0GJw

Reflections from the

lesson

Adapted from a template created by Dr. K. Roscoe