KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate:
Cooperating Teacher:
Group Size:

Amber Golembiewski
Dr. Varano

Date: ____10/02/14
Coop. Initials

24

Allotted Time 45 Minutes

Grade Level

Subject or Topic:

Forests Lesson 5: Conifers

Section

STANDARD:
S3.B.2.1.3: Identify characteristics for plant and animal survival in different
environments (e.g., desert, forest, ocean).
I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes):
A. The third grade students will investigate the adaptations of coniferous trees by
experimenting with pine cones and water.
B. The third grade students will differentiate coniferous and deciduous trees by
recognizing the differences between the trees.
II. Instructional Materials
A. Where Would I Be in an Evergreen Tree by Jennifer Blomgren
B. Trees PowerPoint
C. Notebook Observation Sheets
D. 5 Pinecones (1 per table)
E. Container filled with Water
F. Time Elapse Video
III. Subject Matter/Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea, outline of
additional content)
A. Prerequisite skills
1. The students should know what a forest is.
2. The students should know what a habitat is.
B. Key Vocabulary
1. Deciduous- trees that lose their leaves every year
2. Coniferous- trees with needle like leaves that stay year round
3. Adaptation- how an organism adapts to its environment
C. Big Idea
1. The Adaptations of Coniferous Trees

D. Additional content
1. None Needed
IV. Implementation
A. Introduction
1. The teacher will read the book Where Would I Be in an Evergreen
Tree to the students.
2. The teacher will ask the students what they will find on an evergreen
tree.
B. Development
1. The teacher will show a pine cone to the class and ask what they
think it is and where they are found.
2. The teacher will present the tree PowerPoint. (see attached)
3. The teacher will hand out the pine cones to each table. (1 per table)
4. The teacher will hand out a container filled with water to each table.
5. The teacher will ask the students if they know where the seeds are
located in a pine cone.
6. The teacher will have the students search for seeds in the pine cone
by breaking the scales open.
7. The teacher will ask why the seeds are hidden inside the pine cone or
protected and what might happen if we place the pine cones in water.
8. The teacher will have the students fill out their hypothesis in their
science notebooks.
9. The teacher will instruct the students to place the pine cones in the
water and draw a picture of what they can observe with the pine cone
while waiting 20 minutes while the pine cones soak.
10. The teacher will have the students now look at the pine cones and
make their observation. (If no change, the need to soak longer or
watch time lapse video in closure.)
11. The teacher will explain the adaptation of the pine cone to the
weather.
C. Closure
1. The teacher will show the time lapse video to the students
demonstrating the adaptation to the students in a faster way and will
show an example if pine cones need more time to soak.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Lrspmdd7Y)
2. The teacher will explain that the next day they will be comparing
and contrasting forests and another habitat.
D. Accommodations/Differentiation

1. Z.B. has mild spastic cerebral palsy. He has poor motor control
which causes writing difficulty. To accommodate for these needs he
will have a larger utensil to write with. Z.B. also has difficulty with
perception so he can have a copy of the PowerPoint to look at from
his desk.
E. Assessment/Evaluation Plan
1. Formative
a. The teacher will collect the science notebook worksheet.
2. Summative
a. There is no summative assessment for this lesson.

V. Reflective Response
A. Report of Student Performance in Terms of Stated Objectives (Reflection on
student performance written after lesson is taught, includes remediation for
students who fail to meet acceptable level of achievement)

Remediation Plan

B. Personal Reflection (Questions written before lesson is taught. Reflective

answers to question recorded after lesson is taught)
1. What can I do to engage my students more?

2. How can this lesson be improved?

VI. Resources (in APA format)

A. Blomgren, J., & Gabriel, A. (2004). Where Would I Be in an Evergreen Tree?
Seattle, WA: Sasquatch Books.
B. Pine Cone Timelapse. (n.d.). Retrieved January 9, 2015, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Lrspmdd7Y