Science lesson plan · 10th grade (Year 11 in England) · 60 minutes
Biodiversity under pressure and how we protect it
Ecosystems and food chains
CCSS NGSS.HS-LS2-7CCSS NGSS.HS-LS4-6England: GCSE Combined Science: Ecology
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Biodiversity under pressure and how we protect it.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Food webs and interdependence
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
Materials: Food web cards, Arrows to build chains, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 6 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Food webs and interdependence). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Pond food web: algae are eaten by tadpoles and water fleas. Tadpoles and water fleas are eaten by small fish. Small fish are eaten by herons. If the small fish died, what would happen to the herons? (Nothing / They would eat algae / They would increase / They would decrease or move away) → They would decrease or move awayPrompt: What do herons eat in this web?
- What does "interdependence" mean in an ecosystem? (Living things depend on each other, so a change to one affects others / Every animal lives alone / Plants do not need animals at all / Only predators matter) → Living things depend on each other, so a change to one affects othersPrompt: Think of bees and flowers.
- Food webs: which statement is NOT true? (Removing one species can affect many others in a food web. / Animals often compete for food, water and space. / Removing a predator always helps every other species. / Predator and prey populations often rise and fall in cycles.) → Removing a predator always helps every other species.Prompt: Think about what happens when one population changes.
Hook · 6 min
- Show a food web and ask what would happen if one animal disappeared.
- Share the objective: Biodiversity under pressure and how we protect it. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 12 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: A survey found 200 breeding pairs of a bird species in 2010 and 180 in 2024. What was the percentage decrease?
- Step 1: 200 − 180 = 20
- Step 2: 20 ÷ 200 × 100 = 10
- Step 3: So the answer is: 10 %
- Answer: 10 %
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 12 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- A survey found 150 breeding pairs of a bird species in 2010 and 120 in 2024. What was the percentage decrease? → 20 %Prompt: Find the decrease first.
- Why is high biodiversity good for an ecosystem? (It means fewer species compete / It removes all predators / It makes the ecosystem more stable because species depend on many others / It stops the water cycle) → It makes the ecosystem more stable because species depend on many othersPrompt: Think about what happens if one food source disappears.
You do: independent practice · 17 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 7 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Which action helps increase biodiversity on farmland? (spraying more insecticide / planting hedgerows and leaving wildflower field margins / growing one crop everywhere / removing all hedges) → planting hedgerows and leaving wildflower field marginsPrompt: Wildlife needs food and shelter.
- A survey found 250 hectares of rainforest in 2010 and 200 in 2024. What was the percentage decrease? → 20 %Prompt: Find the decrease first.
Watch out for
- Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
- Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Food webs and interdependence.
- Use concrete materials: food web cards.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-10.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder