Summary and Reflection
Summary:
I taught a 5th grade Science lesson on ecosystems, specifically the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers within an ecosystem. I started the lesson by having the students identify certain organisms as either producers, consumers, or decomposers and why they were considered that. After identify and explaining producers, consumers and decomposers, we played a game outside. The game was called Producer/Consumer (similar to tag) and the students were assigned different roles at random. The idea of the game is for primary consumers (herbivores) to tag the grass to obtain a green card to signify they are alive. The secondary consumers (carnivores) are then able to tag the primary consumers and “consume” them by taking their green card. Then the top predators can tag the secondary consumers and “consume” them and take the green card. At this point the disaster dispensers can tag the top predators to “kill” them and bring the green card to the decomposers which in turn return the card to the grass. The students played the game twice. Once the games were finished, we went back to the classroom and had a discussion about how producers, consumers, and decomposers work together within an ecosystem. We also talked about what could happen to an ecosystem if it became unbalanced.
Reflection:
What did the students find out in the experience? Were there any surprises?
The students were able to figure out what would happen to an ecosystem if there were no more producers and no more primary consumers (herbivores). The students discussed the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers and were able to come up with ideas on what would happen if one was missing from an ecosystem. They were able to take what they learned during the activity and apply that knowledge to different types of ecosystems. There were a couple of things that I was surprised about. I was surprised at how excited the students were to get outside and play the game. Every student took what we had discussed in class and applied that knowledge to the game. They were also excited to talk about what happened during the game. The students were eager to go over the data that was collected after the game was finished and they even did some “trash talking” to each other. The consumers that were still alive at the end of the game were happy to talk about how they stayed alive. The quality of the conversation at the end of the lesson surprised me.
How did the students in each group work together? Were there any problems?
This activity was done as a whole class. The students worked well together and there was no pushing or rough-housing during the game. The students were excited to be outside during Science and to run around. At first some students were upset about the organism they were assigned but after they saw how much fun others were having, they adapted and played well. The students also helped each other during the game if someone had questions. After the activity, we went back to the classroom to have a discussion about what was happening during the game. When the students were instructed to talk within their table groups, each group member participated. They respected each other’s thoughts and opinions and allowed everyone to participate in the discussion. The only problem I experienced was trying to get the class lined up to go outside. They were very excited to be going outside and kept talking while I was trying to give directions. I was able to get them to stop talking and finished my directions. After a short time, the students were lined up and quiet and ready to walk through the school to the playground.
Was the activity open-ended enough, or did each group do more or less the same thing?
This activity was done as a whole class and they were able to figure out what was expected of them after they played for a few minutes and after a short discussion. We played the game for 2 minutes at first and I realized about half of students didn’t quite understand what they were supposed to do. There were secondary consumers (carnivores) trying to tag the grass and the primary consumers (herbivores) trying to tag the secondary consumers. Once I realized what was happening I stopped the game, called them over to me and went over who could tag who. This took just a few seconds because the students that did understand were able to help convey what was supposed to happen. The students played just long enough to be able to see the start of the decline of an ecosystem but not enough time to see the decomposers at work. However, they knew enough from previous lessons to know what decomposers do and how they contribute to an ecosystem.
How did the students extend the investigation?
Once the students played the game twice we returned to the classroom where the data was correlated. We discussed and interpreted the data and talked about what happened during the game (no more producers were left and all the primary consumers were “dead”). The students talked with their table groups to determine if what happened in the simulated ecosystem (game) could happen in real life. The student groups were assigned different ecosystems and tried to figure out what would happen in those ecosystems if all the producers were gone or if primary consumers were no longer living there. The students came to one conclusion per table and then reported their conclusions to the whole class. One member from each group stated what ecosystem they talked about, what their conclusions were, and how they came to that conclusion.
How did the students connect this experience to their daily lives?
At the beginning of the lesson, students were asked what ecosystem they live in (deciduous forest) and were assigned roles based on that ecosystem. During the whole class discussion after the activity, students were asked some questions that lead them to understand their impact on an ecosystem. They talked about the size of an ecosystem and what effects they have on ecosystems (hunting/construction/etc). The students were able to recognize their roles and the importance of protecting the organisms around them.
How did I accommodate students with learning and physical differences?
I had students that were not able to run and who didn’t want to run assume the role of decomposers in the game. The decomposers aren’t required to run around, they wait for the organism to “die” before they are needed. The organisms are brought to them so running isn’t necessary. There was one student that uses a wheelchair and she was happy to sit in the middle of everything while everyone ran up to her. I also used pictures as well as the name of the different roles students were playing (i.e.: picture of a hawk with HAWK written below the picture). This helped students identify what role everyone was playing without having to figure out the name of the organism by reading the cards.
Did I use technology effectively?
I used two Power Point slides during the lesson: one to help organize the data from the end of the Producer/Consumer game and one to display their final reflection question. I listed the starting number of “grass” (producers) and the names of all of the consumers (rabbit, fox, insect, hawk, etc) and how many stared the game. At the end of the game, I had the students that were still “alive” raise their green card and we counted how many of each was left at the end of the game. That information was added to the PPT using Smart board ink. I then had students talk about the data and asked several questions to get them thinking about the relationship between producers and consumers. The students were able to see what happens if there isn’t any grass for consumers and what would happen to the rest of the food chain. The PPT provided an excellent visual for students to refer to when having their table discussion as well as for me to use during whole class discussion. I also used a slide to post their final reflection question. This allowed students to copy the question if needed and others to just answer it.
Overall, what do I think the students got out of the experience?
I think the students were able to make deeper connections between producers, consumers, and decomposers after playing the game. The students were able to experience what could happen in an ecosystem and how one factor affects another. If there are no producers then primary consumers would die, if there are no primary consumers then secondary consumers would die. If any one part of an ecosystem were no longer functioning properly, then that ecosystem would not be able to survive. I think they were able to understand that they play a role in an ecosystem as well and that they need to protect the surrounding organisms.
What do I remember most about this science activity?
I remember how engaged the students were during the entire lesson. They knew we were going outside when I started the lesson and I believe this helped keep them on track. I told them that we would be going out to play only if we covered everything we needed to. I also made it clear that their behavior was a key to going outside. The students were so engaged that they couldn’t wait to play and even argued about “getting” each other and used the correct terminology (producer/consumer/decomposer) while “trash talking” each other. The students were excited to talk after the activity and really thought about what they did and related it to ecosystems in general. I was unsure about taking 23 5th graders outside to play a game of tag and was worried about losing control. I was most apprehensive about having to bring them back inside to have a class discussion. However, the students surprised me and couldn’t wait to talk about the game. The students were also able to use what they learned during the game a few days later while doing another assignment for Science.
Would I do it again? How would I plan differently the next time?
Yes, I would do this lesson and activity again. I would plan to have more students be primary consumers because after the end of 5 minutes, there were no more left alive in our simulation. I would also plan for a back up location in case of bad weather. The game really works well outside but if the weather is bad, you can’t go out. I’d like to have a large area lined up, possibly the school gym, in case we can’t go out. I would also make the animal cards larger so students could see them better. I would allow the herbivores to get only 1 green card (grass) instead of several. I never specified how many they could get and some students had 3 or 4 and others didn’t get any. I would make time to play the game after the whole class discussion, possibly on a different day, so students could make deeper connections. I would have students share their personal experiences from the game (what they were, how they played, strategies they used, etc.) and question them to find out if they think consumers in real life use some of the same strategies.
What did you learn about yourself as a learner and as a teacher during this lesson?
I thought I did a good job explaining the game and I answered questions thoroughly but the students still had a hard time understanding the game at first. I learned that I need to be explicit in my directions and to check for understanding more often, even if the students don’t have any more questions for me. I also learned that students love to be involved during a lesson. The students were excited to be doing something with the information they were learning about. I learned the importance of hands-on activities. The students were engaged throughout the entire lesson, even at the end when we were discussing what happened in our “ecosystem.” I also learned that time dictates almost everything. Time is a huge factor in a school day. I learned that I need to plan time to make sure students understand the concept, enough time for the activity to be useful and to reinforce concepts, time to put knowledge into practice, and time to discuss what was done and learned. I also learned that you need to have a strong plan in mind for the lesson. You need to fully understand the concepts yourself in order to help your students learn them. I need to be flexible with the plan and go where the students take me but also be able to stay on track. I also learned that no matter how well prepared I think I am, there will always be a question I am not prepared for. I learned that even if I think I’m not prepared, I still need to be confident. I learned some management techniques by watching my elementary teacher teach her lessons and I was able to implement those during my lesson. This provided consistency for the students. I learned that it takes some time to become proficient in teaching a lesson and to feel at ease in front of a class. I learned that the proportion of preparation and actual teaching is out of balance. The amount of preparation I did for this lesson seemed to be 4 times longer than the teaching of the actual lesson. This experience also taught me that teaching really is what I want to do. It reaffirmed my choice as teaching as my career and showed me that I can do it.
I taught a 5th grade Science lesson on ecosystems, specifically the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers within an ecosystem. I started the lesson by having the students identify certain organisms as either producers, consumers, or decomposers and why they were considered that. After identify and explaining producers, consumers and decomposers, we played a game outside. The game was called Producer/Consumer (similar to tag) and the students were assigned different roles at random. The idea of the game is for primary consumers (herbivores) to tag the grass to obtain a green card to signify they are alive. The secondary consumers (carnivores) are then able to tag the primary consumers and “consume” them by taking their green card. Then the top predators can tag the secondary consumers and “consume” them and take the green card. At this point the disaster dispensers can tag the top predators to “kill” them and bring the green card to the decomposers which in turn return the card to the grass. The students played the game twice. Once the games were finished, we went back to the classroom and had a discussion about how producers, consumers, and decomposers work together within an ecosystem. We also talked about what could happen to an ecosystem if it became unbalanced.
Reflection:
What did the students find out in the experience? Were there any surprises?
The students were able to figure out what would happen to an ecosystem if there were no more producers and no more primary consumers (herbivores). The students discussed the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers and were able to come up with ideas on what would happen if one was missing from an ecosystem. They were able to take what they learned during the activity and apply that knowledge to different types of ecosystems. There were a couple of things that I was surprised about. I was surprised at how excited the students were to get outside and play the game. Every student took what we had discussed in class and applied that knowledge to the game. They were also excited to talk about what happened during the game. The students were eager to go over the data that was collected after the game was finished and they even did some “trash talking” to each other. The consumers that were still alive at the end of the game were happy to talk about how they stayed alive. The quality of the conversation at the end of the lesson surprised me.
How did the students in each group work together? Were there any problems?
This activity was done as a whole class. The students worked well together and there was no pushing or rough-housing during the game. The students were excited to be outside during Science and to run around. At first some students were upset about the organism they were assigned but after they saw how much fun others were having, they adapted and played well. The students also helped each other during the game if someone had questions. After the activity, we went back to the classroom to have a discussion about what was happening during the game. When the students were instructed to talk within their table groups, each group member participated. They respected each other’s thoughts and opinions and allowed everyone to participate in the discussion. The only problem I experienced was trying to get the class lined up to go outside. They were very excited to be going outside and kept talking while I was trying to give directions. I was able to get them to stop talking and finished my directions. After a short time, the students were lined up and quiet and ready to walk through the school to the playground.
Was the activity open-ended enough, or did each group do more or less the same thing?
This activity was done as a whole class and they were able to figure out what was expected of them after they played for a few minutes and after a short discussion. We played the game for 2 minutes at first and I realized about half of students didn’t quite understand what they were supposed to do. There were secondary consumers (carnivores) trying to tag the grass and the primary consumers (herbivores) trying to tag the secondary consumers. Once I realized what was happening I stopped the game, called them over to me and went over who could tag who. This took just a few seconds because the students that did understand were able to help convey what was supposed to happen. The students played just long enough to be able to see the start of the decline of an ecosystem but not enough time to see the decomposers at work. However, they knew enough from previous lessons to know what decomposers do and how they contribute to an ecosystem.
How did the students extend the investigation?
Once the students played the game twice we returned to the classroom where the data was correlated. We discussed and interpreted the data and talked about what happened during the game (no more producers were left and all the primary consumers were “dead”). The students talked with their table groups to determine if what happened in the simulated ecosystem (game) could happen in real life. The student groups were assigned different ecosystems and tried to figure out what would happen in those ecosystems if all the producers were gone or if primary consumers were no longer living there. The students came to one conclusion per table and then reported their conclusions to the whole class. One member from each group stated what ecosystem they talked about, what their conclusions were, and how they came to that conclusion.
How did the students connect this experience to their daily lives?
At the beginning of the lesson, students were asked what ecosystem they live in (deciduous forest) and were assigned roles based on that ecosystem. During the whole class discussion after the activity, students were asked some questions that lead them to understand their impact on an ecosystem. They talked about the size of an ecosystem and what effects they have on ecosystems (hunting/construction/etc). The students were able to recognize their roles and the importance of protecting the organisms around them.
How did I accommodate students with learning and physical differences?
I had students that were not able to run and who didn’t want to run assume the role of decomposers in the game. The decomposers aren’t required to run around, they wait for the organism to “die” before they are needed. The organisms are brought to them so running isn’t necessary. There was one student that uses a wheelchair and she was happy to sit in the middle of everything while everyone ran up to her. I also used pictures as well as the name of the different roles students were playing (i.e.: picture of a hawk with HAWK written below the picture). This helped students identify what role everyone was playing without having to figure out the name of the organism by reading the cards.
Did I use technology effectively?
I used two Power Point slides during the lesson: one to help organize the data from the end of the Producer/Consumer game and one to display their final reflection question. I listed the starting number of “grass” (producers) and the names of all of the consumers (rabbit, fox, insect, hawk, etc) and how many stared the game. At the end of the game, I had the students that were still “alive” raise their green card and we counted how many of each was left at the end of the game. That information was added to the PPT using Smart board ink. I then had students talk about the data and asked several questions to get them thinking about the relationship between producers and consumers. The students were able to see what happens if there isn’t any grass for consumers and what would happen to the rest of the food chain. The PPT provided an excellent visual for students to refer to when having their table discussion as well as for me to use during whole class discussion. I also used a slide to post their final reflection question. This allowed students to copy the question if needed and others to just answer it.
Overall, what do I think the students got out of the experience?
I think the students were able to make deeper connections between producers, consumers, and decomposers after playing the game. The students were able to experience what could happen in an ecosystem and how one factor affects another. If there are no producers then primary consumers would die, if there are no primary consumers then secondary consumers would die. If any one part of an ecosystem were no longer functioning properly, then that ecosystem would not be able to survive. I think they were able to understand that they play a role in an ecosystem as well and that they need to protect the surrounding organisms.
What do I remember most about this science activity?
I remember how engaged the students were during the entire lesson. They knew we were going outside when I started the lesson and I believe this helped keep them on track. I told them that we would be going out to play only if we covered everything we needed to. I also made it clear that their behavior was a key to going outside. The students were so engaged that they couldn’t wait to play and even argued about “getting” each other and used the correct terminology (producer/consumer/decomposer) while “trash talking” each other. The students were excited to talk after the activity and really thought about what they did and related it to ecosystems in general. I was unsure about taking 23 5th graders outside to play a game of tag and was worried about losing control. I was most apprehensive about having to bring them back inside to have a class discussion. However, the students surprised me and couldn’t wait to talk about the game. The students were also able to use what they learned during the game a few days later while doing another assignment for Science.
Would I do it again? How would I plan differently the next time?
Yes, I would do this lesson and activity again. I would plan to have more students be primary consumers because after the end of 5 minutes, there were no more left alive in our simulation. I would also plan for a back up location in case of bad weather. The game really works well outside but if the weather is bad, you can’t go out. I’d like to have a large area lined up, possibly the school gym, in case we can’t go out. I would also make the animal cards larger so students could see them better. I would allow the herbivores to get only 1 green card (grass) instead of several. I never specified how many they could get and some students had 3 or 4 and others didn’t get any. I would make time to play the game after the whole class discussion, possibly on a different day, so students could make deeper connections. I would have students share their personal experiences from the game (what they were, how they played, strategies they used, etc.) and question them to find out if they think consumers in real life use some of the same strategies.
What did you learn about yourself as a learner and as a teacher during this lesson?
I thought I did a good job explaining the game and I answered questions thoroughly but the students still had a hard time understanding the game at first. I learned that I need to be explicit in my directions and to check for understanding more often, even if the students don’t have any more questions for me. I also learned that students love to be involved during a lesson. The students were excited to be doing something with the information they were learning about. I learned the importance of hands-on activities. The students were engaged throughout the entire lesson, even at the end when we were discussing what happened in our “ecosystem.” I also learned that time dictates almost everything. Time is a huge factor in a school day. I learned that I need to plan time to make sure students understand the concept, enough time for the activity to be useful and to reinforce concepts, time to put knowledge into practice, and time to discuss what was done and learned. I also learned that you need to have a strong plan in mind for the lesson. You need to fully understand the concepts yourself in order to help your students learn them. I need to be flexible with the plan and go where the students take me but also be able to stay on track. I also learned that no matter how well prepared I think I am, there will always be a question I am not prepared for. I learned that even if I think I’m not prepared, I still need to be confident. I learned some management techniques by watching my elementary teacher teach her lessons and I was able to implement those during my lesson. This provided consistency for the students. I learned that it takes some time to become proficient in teaching a lesson and to feel at ease in front of a class. I learned that the proportion of preparation and actual teaching is out of balance. The amount of preparation I did for this lesson seemed to be 4 times longer than the teaching of the actual lesson. This experience also taught me that teaching really is what I want to do. It reaffirmed my choice as teaching as my career and showed me that I can do it.