Subject Area Science

Grade Level Grade 9

ED 3604 – Evaluation of Student Learning
Topic Biological Diversity
Unit Assessment Plan Length of Unit 20 Days
(days)

Stage 1: Desired Results

General Outcomes (in full):
1. Investigate and interpret diversity among species and within species, and describe how diversity contributes to species survival
2. Investigate the nature of reproductive processes and their role in transmitting species characteristics
3. Describe, in general terms, the role of genetic materials in the continuity and variation of species characteristics; and
investigate and interpret related technologies
4. Identify impacts of human action on species survival and variation within species, and analyze related issues for personal and
public decision making

Understandings: Essential Questions:

Big picture/ideas after you have unpacked the These address more specifically how you will achieve the
outcomes big picture/ideas
 What is biological diversity, and by what processes do
 biological diversity diverse living things pass on their characteristics to future
 species generations?
 diversity within species  What impact does human activity have on biological
 habitat diversity diversity?
 niches  How does diversity affect future generations?
 populations  How does variation impact genetic material?
 asexual and sexual reproduction
 inheritance
 chromosomes, genes and DNA (introductory
treatment)
 cell division - includes binary fission and
formation of sex cells
 natural and artificial selection of genetic
characteristic

Specific Outcomes (in full): Prior understandings…

Students will be able to…
1. Investigate and interpret diversity among
species and within species, and describe how
diversity contributes to species survival
In this unit students will be building off of the knowledge and skills
they acquired in Grade 7 Unit A: Interactions and Ecosystems.
Students will be furthering their knowledge about succession,
endangered species and how characteristics appear in different
species and how they are carried on to future generations.

 observe variation in living things, and Where does this lead? (Future outcomes in the same course,
describe examples of variation among following grade-level classes, etc.)
species and within species (e.g.,
After this unit, students will have the skills and knowledge for high
observe and describe characteristics
school science classes such as:
that distinguish two closely related
- Science 10
species)
 Unit D: Energy Flow in Global Systems
 identify examples of niches, and
- Science 20
describe the role of variation in
 Unit D: Changes in Living Systems
enabling closely related living things to
- Biology 20
survive in the same ecosystem (e.g.,
 Unit A: Energy and Matter Exchange in the
investigate different bird species found Biosphere
in a local park ecosystem, and infer  Unit B: Ecosystems and Population Change
how each is adapted to life within that - Biology 30
EDUC 3604 – Unit Assessment Plan Template
Adapted from Understanding by Design (2005) by Wiggins and McTighe

ED 3604 – Evaluation of Student Learning
Unit Assessment Plan
ecosystem)
 investigate and interpret dependencies
among species that link the survival of
one species to the survival of others
o identify examples of symbiotic
relationships (e.g., organisms
that benefit other organisms by
providing habitat, food, means
of fertilization, or a source of
oxygen)
o classify symbiotic relationships
as mutualism, commensalism,
parasitism
 identify the role of variation in species
survival under changing environmental
conditions (e.g., resistance to disease,
ability to survive in severe
environments)
2. Investigate the nature of reproductive processes and
their role in transmitting species characteristics
 distinguish between sexual and asexual
reproduction, and identify and interpret
examples of asexual and sexual reproduction in
different species, by:
o describing mechanisms of asexual
reproduction including binary fission,
budding and the production of spores
o describing mechanisms of sexual
reproduction (e.g., cross-fertilization in
seed plants, sexual reproduction in
mammals)
o describing examples of organisms that
show both sexual and asexual
reproduction (e.g., yeasts that
reproduce both by budding and sexual
reproduction; plants that reproduce
through suckering, runners or bulbs, as
well as by seed production)
EDUC 3604 – Unit Assessment Plan Template
Adapted from Understanding by Design (2005) by Wiggins and McTighe
Subject Area Science
Grade Level Grade 9
Topic Biological Diversity
Length of Unit 20 Days
(days)
 Unit B: Reproduction and Development
 Unit C: Cell Division and Molecular Biology
 Unit D: Population and Community Dynamics
Continues Specific Outcomes
o describing the formation of zygote and embryo in
plant and animal reproduction
 describe examples of variation of characteristics within a
species, and identify examples of both discrete and
continuous variation (e.g., hand clasping preference is an
example of a discrete variation, the length of human hands
varies on a continuum)
 investigate the transmission of characteristics from parents
to offspring, and identify examples of characteristics in
offspring that are:
o the same as the characteristics of both parents
o the same as the characteristics of one parent
o intermediate between parent characteristics
o different from both parents
 distinguish those characteristics that are heritable from
those that are not heritable, and identify characteristics for
which heredity and environment may both play a role (e.g.,
recognize that eye color is heritable but that scars are not;
recognize that a person's height and weight may be largely
determined by heredity but that diet may also play a role)
 identify examples of dominant and recessive characteristics
and recognize that dominance and recessiveness provide
only a partial explanation for the variation of characteristics
in offspring
 Subject Area Science
ED 3604 – Evaluation of Student Learning Grade Level Grade 9
Unit Assessment Plan Topic Biological Diversity
Length of Unit (days) 20 Days

Diversity in
Inheritance Fun in the
Title Our Quiz Worksheet Concept Map Unit Exam
Activity Field
Classroom
Learning
Outcomes Type (Formative/Summative) Formative Formative Summative Formative Summative Summative Summative

Weighting N/A N/A 20% N/A 25% 20% 35%

1.1 X X X X X

1.2 X X X X

1.3 X X X X

1.4 X X X X

2.2 X X X X

2.3 X X X X X

2.4 X X X X X

2.5 X X X X
 Subject Area Science
ED 3604 – Evaluation of Student Grade Level Grade 9
Learning Topic Biological Diversity
Unit Assessment Plan Length of Unit 20 Days
(days)

Assessment Assessment FOR Assessment OF

Brief Description
Tool Learning Learning

As a class we will brainstorm different characteristics

that can be varied (eye or hair color, height etc.). Then
students can decide 5 different characteristics that they
wish to ask their classmates about. With the data
collected they can create a graph of their choice (by hand
Diversity or digitally) to show the diversity of characteristics in the
in Our class. Students will then do a small writeup explaining X
Classroom any discoveries and hypothesize how these characteristics
are passed on the next generation. I will use this for
students to explore the topic of diversity in biology and
spark an interest for the rest of the unit. Through this
activity students will learn so it is an assessment for
learning.
Students will be placed in groups and each group will
receive a manipulative set that can be used for punnet
squares. Based on the knowledge they have acquired they
will place the parent’s traits and the possibilities of the
offspring while showing which traits are dominant or
Inheritanc
e Activity
recessive based on whether the letter are uppercase or X
lowercase. Students will do a small write up about what
they learned, what they know and what they want to
know. This will allow me to see what they know and for
the students to learn from each other to clarify their
uncertainties.
Students will be given a short quiz to demonstrate their
understanding of key concepts. This will allow me to
know what they know and what I need to clarify before
the unit exam. Here is a sample of the questions that I
will ask:
- List two of each heritable and non-heritable
Quiz 1
characteristic X
- Finish the Punnett squares (three examples)
- Define and provide an example of discrete or
continuous variations
- Compare and contrast the variations between the
students in this classroom
Worksheet Students will be given an exit slip worksheet after a few
classes where they will be answering questions such as:
X
- Define and provide an example of a mutualism,
parasitism and commensalism
- Provide an example of a narrow niche
- Describe the variation between species _______
 Subject Area Science
ED 3604 – Evaluation of Student Grade Level Grade 9
Learning Topic Biological Diversity
Unit Assessment Plan Length of Unit 20 Days
(days)

bird in this ecosystem and how they have adapted

to live there
This will let me know what the students know and will
direct my lessons moving forward. It also allows the
students know what they may need to work on.
As a class, we will travel to a nearby park. Students will
be placed in groups and given string. They will create a
3x3 box in their desired area and count the number of
different species and the number of individuals of the
Fun in the species that are living within their box. Students will pick
Field 3 of the most abundant species and do a comparison and X
contrasting of those species on a worksheet. Then they
will identify the different symbiotic relationships
between those species and organisms in the area and how
they may survive under the changing environment.
Students will get together in groups and design a concept
map with three sections: the topics of the unit they think
are the most important, concepts they do not understand
Concept
Map
and concepts they have mastered. I will use these to X X
guide my review class to clarify where students need
more help. This will also get the students reflecting back
on what they have learned and how they understand it.
Students will complete the unit exam in class with
multiple choice and short answer questions such as:
- Can the environment cause a variation in a
species? Yes or no? Defend your answer.
- What are the three types of symbiotic
Unit Exam relationships? Give an example of each X
- Describe the transmission of characteristics from
parents to offspring
- Identify heritable characteristics
- Explain what a dominant trait is and give an
example