Aquatic & Terrestrial Ecosystems – 4530

TIPC Ratings

This lesson falls in the ideal/target range for Research and Information Fluency. Each student selected an ecosystem to research using a ballot system. Students completed a KW Chart using a Google Form on their specific ecosystem to generate questions on their topic. The teacher provided various websites and other research materials, such as encyclopedias and ecosystem trade books for the students to use at their discretion.

This lesson falls in the ideal/target range for communication and collaboration. Questions generated from the KW Google form was used to guide research within their ecosystem group. The students collaborated and delegated which information categories each student would be responsible for within their ecosystem. They acquired and shared information found on websites and in printed material with each other. Using Pixie, the students were actively engaged in discussing and developing each aspect of their specific slides, and later combined their slides into one Quicktime video for the group.

This lesson falls in the developing range for critical thinking and problem solving. The teacher provided graphic organizers with guided topics for each of the four research categories. In order to find specific research information on their topics, students problem solved by searching through various research resources. Students independently created their ecosystem Pixie slides that would become a part of the group’s final video.

This lesson falls in the approaching range for creativity and innovation. The students were asked to use Pixie for their video presentations, however they had to create a meaningful, original project that demonstrated their understanding of the plants and animals that make up their ecosystem.