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Inquiry Lesson Plan Template (with Four Ways of Thinking connection)

Teacher: Sarah Leming


Content & Title:
Grade Level: 7
Sustainability:
Environmental risks of
food production
Standards:
Concept 1: Changes in Environments - Describe the interactions between
human populations, natural hazards, and the environment.
PO 1. Analyze environmental risks (e.g., pollution, destruction of habitat)
caused by human interaction with biological or geological systems.
Objectives (Explicit & Measurable):
TSW analyze the environmental risks of our food production system by
choosing one environmental impact and creating a posterboard including the
cause, effect, and one solution of that impact.
Evidence of Mastery (Measurable Assessment: formative and summative):
Formative: With a group, students will brainstorm three environmental
impacts caused by our food production system and will identify a probable
solution to those impacts.
Summative: Each group will choose one of the three brainstormed impacts
and solutions and will create a posterboard highlighting the cause, effect, and
solution. The poster will be shared with the class.
Sub-objectives, SWBAT (steps that lead to completion of objective; sequence from
simple to more complex):
TSWBAT identify environmental impacts caused by food production
TSWBAT propose a solution to negate the human impact due to food
production
TSWBAT present their solutions to the class
Lesson Summary and Justification: (summary gives detailed information about
what students are doing. Justification why is this lesson being taught)
Students have just embarked on a five day unit about food production and food
security. The first lesson highlights the differences between commercial farming
and sustainability farming. By the end of this lesson students should be able to
identify the environmental risks of commercial farming and begin thinking about
solutions to create a more sustainable food production cycle.
This is important to students because they can start using values thinking, systems
thinking, and futures thinking when they make decisions regarding food choices.
They will leave this five day unit with an understanding of food security and how
people living in food insecure areas are able to find ways to live sustainably and
start creating food economies in their local area.
Background Knowledge: (What do students need to know prior to completing this
lesson)
- Sustainability farming is an effort to create food harvests without negatively
impacting the planet. It requires a lot of skill and labor.
- Commercial farming is a way to create a large amount of food at a low cost
and low labor intensity
Misconception: (what possible misleading thoughts might students have?)
- Most farms have a variety of crops
- Farming grounds never lose their fertile soil
- Sustainability farming cannot feed more than one family
Process Skills: (what skills are you introducing or reinforcing)
- Communication students will be collaborating in groups to create solutions
- Comparing/contrast students will be comparing and contrasting the two
types of farming
- Applying students will apply their knowledge of farming techniques to

create possible solutions to environmental impacts of food production


Four Ways of Thinking connection:
This part of the five day unit relates mostly to values thinking and futures thinking.
As students learn about the two types of farming, they will gain an understanding
of the differing values of commercial and sustainability farms. As students are
finding solutions to environmental impacts of farming, they should begin to take
into account the values thinking of the commercial farms who need to make a profit
and produce a high amount of yield. They will also use futures thinking as they find
potential problems to the solutions they have come up with.
Safety: (what safety rules and items need to be addressed?)
None
Inquiry Questions: (testable in the here and now.)
1. What do you think some environmental challenges would be to commercial
and sustainability farming?
2. What are possible solutions to the environmental impacts of commercial
farming?
Key vocabulary: (list and define)
Materials: (list item and possible
1. sustainability farming - farming in an
quantity)
effort to reduce environmental impacts
1. student notebooks or paper
2. commercial farming farming in an
2. pens or pencils for each student
effort to make a profit and produce a high
3. posterboard (1 per group)
amount of yield.
4. Markers (multiple packs)
5. Optional: computer lab for student
research.
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)
Students Will:
Before beginning, put students in groups
of 4. Each student needs to be assigned an
individual job
- Materials director in charge of
getting and cleaning up materials
- Reporter shares ideas with the
class when called to
- Activity Director Keeps track of
time to complete tasks
- Principal investigator Keeps group
on task.
Over the next five days, we are going to
talk about how and where food is made
and who gets to consume all of this food.
Today we are going to start by talking
about farming and the environmental risks
of farming. First, we will watch a video
that will help you understand the two
types of farming. Then, you will work with
a group to brainstorm environmental risks
of farming and solutions to create a
posterboard to share with the class.

So to begin our lesson on farming, there


are two main types of farming, I will play a
video that will introduce commercial and
sustainability farming
Show students this YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=7TRI7yeeYQQ
The video just discussed the two types of
farming commercial farming and
sustainability farming. You probably
noticed some key words or key concepts
about each type of farming while you were
watching.
I am going to give you one minute to write
down your own definitions of
sustianability and commercial farming.
After the minute has passed:
Now, share your definitions with your
group and merge your definitions to make
one definition for each term that is clear
and hits all the points you think are
necessary. You have 3 minutes to do this

While the video is playing, students


will watch the video.
Students will quickly write their
definition of sustainability and
commercial farming.

Students will work with their group to


re-create their definitions of each
term, using the best parts from each
students definition.

Reporters will share their definitions


with the class.

Allow students to collaborate for three


minutes.
Have each group share the definitions
they came up with to the class.
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
This classroom practices flexible grouping to ensure students are working with
different groups on a weekly basis.
To differentiate instruction, ELLs or struggling students can be provided with
sentence frames to help complete a definition. If needed, the teacher can hand out
note packets about the video.
Student jobs will be used in the classroom to ensure each student has a part in the
activities.
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)
Teacher note: If a computer lab or a set of
tablets is available, those would be helpful
tools to allow students to research
commercial and sustainability farming and
their environmental impacts. If the lab is

not available, the students can think


critically or the teacher can print articles
for the students to write on and highlight
key points as they brainstorm ideas.
Now that we know more about farming,
what do you think some environmental
challenges would be to commercial and
sustainability farming?
In your groups, brainstorm at least five
environmental impacts that farming
imposes on our environment, write the
impacts down on a sheet of paper and
make a note as to if this impact is from
commercial farming, sustainability
farming, or both

As students are working, ask prompting


questions to groups who may be stuck:
- What methods do farmers use to
keep the crops free of insects?
- What do crops need to survive?
(water, sun, living space, soil, air)
- Do all crops need the same nutrients
from the soil? (no), If we keep
planting the same crop year after
year, what do you think would
happen to the nutrients?

Students will work in groups to think


about environmental impacts of
farming. They will make note as to
what type of farming this impact is
from.
Exemplar response examples:
- Pesticides can enter our water
stream as rain and irrigation runoff, depleting our fish population
Commercial farming
- Irrigating our crops uses
thousands and thousands of
gallons of fresh water which can
create sink holes if the water is
used too fast both farming
types dependent on irrigations
system
Other examples:
- Animals cant survive
- Water is being used too fast

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes


The teacher is using wait time as a strategy to allow students to construct their
own ideas.
The teacher will use questioning as a way to prompt higher level thinking in
students
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:
Students Will:
Group by group, allow students to share
what environmental risks they came up
with in their group. As students share
their ideas with the class, make a list on
the board of the ideas students have
brainstormed.
Make connections between the ideas
students had. For example if the water is
being depleted from irrigation, sink holes

Students will share out their ideas


from Explore

Students will partake in a discussion


about connections between the
environmental challenges and farming
or links to other environmental

can develop. If pesticides are polluting


streams, fish may not be able to survive
and we may lose drinking water.
Pick one of the ideas students
brainstormed and develop a solution as a
class: If mono-crop farms are planting the
same crop every year, the soil will
eventually be depleted of a particular
nutrient. A solution would be to pass
legislation that farmers must change the
crop the plant in each acre of their farm
every three years to ensure soil stays
fertile.

challenges.

Students will pick one environmental


challenge to focus on as a group.

Allow students to choose one of the


challenges to farming that were
brainstormed and shared as a class. Each
group should have a different topic.
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
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)

Students Will:

What are possible solutions to the


environmental impacts of commercial
farming?

Students will brainstorm solutions for


multiple impacts before deciding on
one environmental impact they would
like to create a solution for and
present formally to the class.

Now that we have identified risks of


farming and linked those risks to types of
farms. Work with your group to find a
solution to the problem you have chosen
to work on. You will create a posterboard.
That has your problem and the solution
listed on the board as well as an effect of
that solution. Decorate the board in a way
that is fitting to your evironmental risk
and solution.
First, talk to your group and come up with
at least three solutions. The recorder
should write those solutions down on a
piece of paper so you have a written
record. When you have three solutions,
talk about the risks and benefits of those
solutions. Put yourself in the shoes of the
farmer or in the shoes of a citizen. Think
about how those people would feel if your
solution was in place. I also want you to
think about a potential issue that your
solution would have. This can be personal
(from the eyes of the farmer) or it might
be another environmental risk. When you

Students will identify at least three


possible solutions to their problem
then participate in an active discussion
in their group to decide on the best
solution.
Students will create a posterboard
linking the problem and solution.

decide on the best solution, that is when


you can make your poster.
When the posters are complete, we will
share the problems and solutions with the
class.
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
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:
Before sharing, pass out post it notes or
index cards for groups. Each group
should get one card or note for each
other group.

Share the problem and solution they


came up with as a group and created a
poster for.

Explain to students that after each


group presents, they need to write one
positive piece of feedback for the
presenting group on the post it note or
card.

Listen to other student presentations.


Provide peer evaluations and feedback.

Allow each group to present and assess


the problem, solution and effect of each
group.
After each group presents, allow
students to share their feedback.
Closure: (revisit objective, IQs and make real world connections)
Using student presentations as examples, help students understand the values
thinking and/or futures thinking process as associated with the solutions they came
up with. Ask students to put themselves in the position of a corporation, is the
solution still attainable? Who does your future risk of your solution hurt? Students
should be able to connect the difficulty of coming up wth a one fits all solution with
the process of values thinking.
**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.

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