Daily PBL Plans

Monday
LA/Science Preassessments:
Students brainstorm
and complete a
KWL chart to
explore and share
what they already
know and would like
to know about what
they would like to
learn
EL Strategies:
Students will work in
groups to discuss
how organisms (any
that they can think
of) might adapt to a
changing
environment and
how they might be
able to change if
their environment
changes.
EL and
Intervention
Strategies: Work
with partners and
determine what the
bets way to adapt

Week # 1
Tuesday
Content
presentation: Are
plants living things?

Wednesday
LA/Science:
Discuss with student
common
misconceptions: not
Students create a
all living things can
KWL chart and about move discuss what
what they
living things scan
understand about
and cannot move.
plants and living
things.
Art: Students make
a poster of which
Art: Students create living thing scan
a poster including
move and which
what they know
cannot move.
about plants and
living things. The
EL Intervention:
emphasis is on the
Students collaborate
collection of
and help each other
knowledge.
make the posters
and discuss which
EL Students
living things can and
collaborate on what
cannot move.
they might include
on their KWL chart
as well as in their
group discussions.
Intervention:
Students work in
groups to work
collaboratively to
develop a KWL chart

Dates ___________________________
Thursday
LA: Desert plants
Students journal
about what kinds of
desert plants can
survive in the desert
environment. Which
ones? Way are they
able to survive?

Friday
Art: Students can
make a poster of
which type of plant
is best suited for its
environment

LA/Science: Look at
plant parts, are they
different? How so?
Science: What
Why are they
physical features are different based upon
the best for
where they live?
survival? Why or
Write a compare and
why nit? Are there
contrast piece to
different leaf shapes explain your
that help plants
conclusions.
survive?
EL Have the ELs
Math: Make a chart work in pairs to
of the different
think, pair, share
types of leaves on
about what their
desert plants versus conclusions might
the types of plants
be.
in a different
ecosystem (students Science: Students
can choose which
observe and draw in
type) Measure the
their journals their
sizes (length and
observations about
width) of leaves and particular parts of
explore if there is a
plants.
connection. Are they
long and skinny or
EL Intervention:

might be. See if you

can help your
partner.

for all students to be

able to articulate the
substance of the EL
portion of the
lesson.

Daily PBL Plans

Monday
Language Arts/
Science Activity:
How do adaptations
help Plants Grow?
Perform mini lab on
how plants adapt
and flourish in
changing
environments,

short and fat?

Make a chart using
metric units to scale
of leaf sizes and
color.

Week #__2___________
___________________________

Tuesday
EL/Science
Have the students
compare carrots and
radishes, what
conclusions can they
make? Which seem
to have adapted to
their environments
best? How are they
different and how
EL Strategies:
are they the same?
Work in small groups Math: Using
to differentiate the
appropriate
material presented.
measurement tools
(centimeter and
millimeter rules),
Intervention
make a chart of the
Lesson:
length and the width
Provide students
(diameter) of carrots
with photographs
and radishes. Can
and other visuals
you find a common
that will help them
feature? Why or why

Wednesday
EL/Science
How do animal
adaptations help
animals? Make a
poster of the
pertinent vocabulary
(hibernate, migrate,
etc.). Perform the
mini-lab about
keeping warm (to
learn about animals
adapting to different
climates.
Share: students
present their
conclusions and
observations to the
class and journal the
activity
EL Strategies:

Thursday
EL/Science:
Students learn about
adaptation for
survival. Students
read and view
pictures of a variety
of animals from a
variety of climates
and discuss in small
groups the common
and differing
adaptations to their
environments. The
groups present out
to the class these
commonalities and
differences.
Students journal
their observations
and conclusions.
EL Strategies:

If working with a
partner is not
enough, create a
small group and
guide them through
the lesson.

Dates
Friday
EL/Science: Weekly
review. Students
work in small groups
reviewing the
material about
animal adaptations
to habitats. Students
make a poster
showing different
habitats and the
animals that live
therein. Students
label and highlight
what the specific
adaptations are. At
the bottom, students
create a Venn
diagram showcasing
the similarities and
differences.
Intervention

visualize how plants

can adapt over tine
to their
environments.

not?
EL Strategies:
Work with a partner
to see if you can
decide what is the
best adaptation for
this organism.
Intervention
Lesson:
Provide the
information at a
simpler level or work
in a small group with
me.

Daily PBL Plans

Monday
EL/Science: Topic:
what lives in
different
environments?
Using chrome books,
students select one
habitat and research
what specific
organisms live in
that environment.
Students focus on
the climate of this
environment and
haw the organisms

Tuesday
Continued chrome
book research,
expanding outline
and finding facts
that support
research.

Students journal and

for ELs, students can
illustrate the
experiment and
their findings.
Extension:
Students use
computers to find
animals that have
adapted to different
environments

Have the directions

for the homework
translated into
Spanish.
Intervention
Lesson:
Students work in
groups with me to
ensure that all
understand the
information.

Week #____3_________
___________________________
Wednesday
Continued chrome
book research,
expanding outline
and finding facts
that support
research.

Thursday
Continued chrome
book research,
expanding outline
and finding facts
that support
research.

Lesson: Check in
with individual
groups for
understanding. Pull
out groups or
individual members
for small group work
with the teacher.

Dates
Friday
Finish up research
about the students
chosen environment
and organisms.

Students complete
their outlines and
EL Strategies:
EL Strategies:
EL Strategies:
begin organizing
Work in small groups Work in small groups Work in small groups information to begin
to ensure
to ensure
to ensure
writing reports.
understanding
understanding
understanding

that live there have

adapted.
Students begin
writing an outline for
a report on three
distinctly different
organisms that have
adapted to live in
that environment.
EL Strategies:
Find images and
video clips for the EL
students to use to
scaffold the text
based research.

Daily PBL Plans

Monday
EL/Science
Students organize
their information
and prepare an
introductory
paragraph.

Week #_____4________
___________________________

Tuesday
EL/Science
Students continue
writing first draft of
reports. Lead class
discussion on what
good paragraphs
look like and what
EL Strategies:
information they
Work in small groups contain and convey.
with students to
scaffold the
EL Strategies:

Wednesday
EL/Science
Students continue
writing first draft of
reports. Lead class
discussion on what
good paragraphs
look like and what
information they
contain and convey.

Thursday
EL/Science
Students continue
writing first draft of
reports. Lead class
discussion on what
good paragraphs
look like and what
information they
contain and convey.

EL Strategies:

EL Strategies:

Dates
Friday
EL/Science
Students continue
writing and revise
their drafts of
reports. Once
approved by the
teacher, they then
write and illustrate
their final draft of
their reports.

introduction. Provide
sentence starters
and stems to help
struggling writers.
Intervention
Lesson:
Make vocabulary
cards to help
struggling students.
Students may make
a key picture to
help them grasp the
vocabulary and
concepts.

Continue working in
small groups and
scaffold struggling
writers. Some may
use illustrations to
convey information
more effectively.

EL Strategies:
Small group work

Continue working in
small groups and
scaffold struggling
writers. Some may
use illustrations to
convey information
more effectively.
GATE: Accelerated
students are to
explore an animal or
plant that was once
native to this
environment, but no
longer exists there.
Students will reach a
hypothesis as to
why that organism is
no longer there.

Daily PBL Plans

Monday
Students complete
their reports and
prepare for
presentations to the
class.

Continue working in
small groups and
scaffold struggling
writers. Some may
use illustrations to
convey information
more effectively.

Tuesday
Presentation of
reports to entire
class.

Week #____5_________
___________________________
Wednesday
Presentation of
reports to entire
class.

Thursday
Presentation of
reports to entire
class.

EL Strategies:
Continue working in
small groups.
Students peer
review their
progress to date and
offer suggestions on
how to improve their
work product.
GATE: Students
continue explore an
animal or plant that
was once native to
this environment,
but no longer exists
there. Students will
reach a hypothesis
as to why that
organism is no
longer there.
Dates
Friday

concentrating on the
completion of the
reports focusing on
peer review and
support.
Intervention
Lesson:
Modeling of writing
good paragraphs
conveying scientific
information.