Inquiry Lesson Plan Template (with Four Ways of Thinking

connection)
Teacher: Ms. Brown

Content & Title: Aquaponics

Grade Level: 4th grade

Standards:

Strand 4: Life Science

Concept 3: Organisms and Environments
PO 1. Describe ways various resources (e.g., air, water, plants, animals, soil) are utilized to meet the needs of a
population.
Objectives (Explicit & Measurable):
Students discuss where their food may come from, while creating a KWL chart.
Evidence of Mastery (Measurable Assessment: formative and summative):
(formative) Ms. Brown poses a question, Where do you think the fish to make this sandwich came from? To help
introduce this concept, students and teacher will enjoy fish filet sandwich from McDonalds.
(summative) By the end of this unit, students are asked to answer "What are all the parts of a healthy habitat for fish to
stay healthy?" They will answer this question in the journal that was provided for them.
Sub-objectives, SWBAT (steps that lead to completion of objective; sequence from simple to more complex):
Students will create a KWL chart discussing where the fish we eat comes from.
Students will be able to research and investigate where their food comes from.
Students will explore how their choices impacts the quality and costs to the environment.
Lesson Summary and Justification: (summary gives detailed information about what students are doing. Justification why is
this lesson being taught)
Aquaponics is a way to teach students the need for finding a sustainable food production. With increasing populations and
dwindling natural resources, there has been a need to inform students of the importance for understanding and committing to more
sustainable lifestyles. Students will learn that our ecosystem, water supply, and food chain could not survive without one another.
Water gives life to all organisms on earth. Students will learn aquaponics creates a sustainable ecosystem because this helps fish
and plants thrive.
Background Knowledge: (What do students need to know prior to completing this lesson)
Students will need to know where the fish they eat come from and explore how our choices impacts the quality and costs to the
environment.
Misconception: (what possible misleading thoughts might students have?)
Students may believe if a food source is disturbed, there will be little or no effect on populations.
Students may believe if a food source is disturbed, there will be little or no effect on populations below the food chain.
Students may believe if the food source is disturbed it will only affect the populations directly connected to it, not
populations that are indirectly associated with them. They may feel there is no direct correlation to other populations.
A change in the size of a prey population has no effect on its predator population.
The top predator in a food chain will never be significantly be affected by changes in the food chain.
Process Skills: (what skills are you introducing or reinforcing)
Systems thinking
Futures thinking
Critical thinking
Researching credible sources
Four Ways of Thinking connection: (Provide a complete explanation of how your lesson plan connects to futures, system,
strategic, or values thinking. Define the way of thinking you selected and used in this lesson plan. Remember, this should
be included meaningfully in the lesson plan.)
My lesson connects to systems and futures thinking because aquaponics teaches students an understanding of why it is important
to take care of our ecosystem, water, and food chain. When a student has a clear understanding of how crucial it is to take care of
our environment this will then give them a better understanding of what is happening around them. They will then want to commit
to more sustainable lifestyles. If we do not teach our students these lessons they will never view these important topics as relevant.
I believe they have become unaware of the effects we have on our planet. This gives them the knowledge of how to turn their
actions around. Giving students the knowledge they need to change empowers them to do and make better choices.
Safety: (what safety rules and items need to
There will be no safety concerns when covering this lesson.
Inquiry Questions: (testable in the here and now.)
1. (to explore) Where do you think the fish to make this sandwich came from?
2. (to elaborate) Students will use the internet to research credible websites and determine where McDonalds obtains their
fish.

Key vocabulary: (list and define)

Materials: (list item and possible quantity)
Aquaponics is a system involving raising fish and soil Large paper
less plants. Water recirculates from a fish tank through a
Markers
vegetable grow bed. Fish waste provides an organic food
Computer, Laptop or tablet
source for the plants, while the plants provide a natural
Fish filet sandwich (depnding on number of
filter for the water in order to keep the fish healthy. The
students in classroom)
two main components of the system are the fish tank and
the grow beds, with a small pump moving water between
the two.
Environment the surroundings or conditions in which a
person, animal, or plant lives or operates.
Environmental costs are costs connected with the actual
or potential deterioration of natural assets due to
economic activities.
Engage - In this section you should activate prior knowledge, hook student attention, pose a question (IQ#1) based on your
lesson objective that students will seek to answer in Explore.
Teacher Will: (hook)
Ms. Brown poses a question, Where do you think the fish to
make this sandwich came from? To help introduce this concept,
students and teacher will enjoy fish filet sandwich from
McDonalds.

Students Will:
Students will discuss where the fish to make this sandwich
came from.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

Students will verbally convey their ideas.
Students may brainstorm with a partner for ideas.
Explore - In this section students should take the lead and actively use materials to discover information that will help them
answer the question posed in Engage. Teachers may choose to give steps to follow, especially for younger students, but the goal is
for students to discover some or all of the sub-objectives of the lesson.
Teacher Will: (pose IQ #1)
Students Will: (list all steps)
The Teacher will use guided questions in order to
Students will create a KWL chart discussing where
engange students in conversation.
the fish we eat comes from.

Students will research and investigate where their

The Teacher will ask students to explore their ideas in
food comes from.
where they believe their food may come from.
Students will explore how their choices impacts the
quality and costs to the environment.
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
KWL chart, a visual aid
Verbal discussion, an auditory aid
Students will help their peers when needed
Explain In this section students share what they discovered, teacher connects student discoveries to correct content
terms/explanations, students articulate/demonstrate a clear and correct understanding of the lesson sub-objectives by answering
the question from Engage before moving on.
Teacher Will:
The teacher will use assessment with immediate error
correction.
The teacher will use positive coaching to help students.

Students Will:
Students discuss where their fish comes from.
Students will be able to research and investigate
where their food comes from.
Students will explore how their choices impacts the
quality and costs to the environment.
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
Positive coaching
Immediate error correction
Students will help their peers when needed
Elaborate In this section students take the basic learning gained from Explore and clarified in Explain and apply it to a new
circumstance or explore a particular aspect of this learning at a deeper level. Students should be using higher order thinking in
this stage. A common practice in this section is to ask a What If? question. IQ #2

Teacher Will: (pose IQ #2)

The Teacher will guide students in finding credible
sources to help research the questions previously
mentioned.

Students Will:
Students discover where their food comes from and
how hteir choices have impacted the quality and
costs to the environment.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

Positive coaching
Positive reinforcement
Immediate error correction
Evaluate In this section every student demonstrates mastery of the lesson objective (though perhaps not mastery of the
elaborate content). Because this also serves as a closing, students should also have a chance to summarize the big concepts they
learned outside of the assessment.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Students will answer this question in the journal that
The teacher will ask students "What are all the parts
was provided for them.
of a healthy habitat for fish to stay healthy?"
Closure: (revisit objective, IQs and make real world connections)
The teacher will restate the question and remind her students what the affects this causes to the environment. The teacher will
restate how crucial it is to care for our environment properly. Finally, the teacher will remind students our choices will impact the
quality and costs to the environment.
**Best Practices List the Best Teaching Practices you will use to enhance the learning outcomes. In each section where
prompted, list the best practice, how the practices will be used and the purpose.