Lesson Plan (Grades 3-5): Exploring Pond Ecosystems with Dioramas

Lesson Title: Environmental Science: Life in a Pond

Grade Level: Grades 3-5

Subject Area: Science

Overview: In this lesson, students will study the ecosystem of a pond, including the plants and animals that live there. They will create a diorama of a pond ecosystem and present their findings on the interdependence of organisms within the ecosystem. This hands-on activity promotes understanding of ecological relationships and the importance of biodiversity.

Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives:

   1. Students will identify various plants and animals that live in a pond ecosystem.

   2. Students will understand the interdependence of organisms within a pond ecosystem.

   3. Students will create a diorama representing a pond ecosystem.

   4. Students will present their diorama and explain the relationships between organisms in the ecosystem.

Standards Alignment:

• Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):
  • 3-LS4-3: Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
  • 5-PS3-1: Use models to describe that energy in animals' food was once energy from the sun.
• Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts:
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.4: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.