Habitats II (Lesson note)

Lesson Plan

Subject: Basic Science
Class: JSS 2 (Grade 8)
Theme: Living Things and Their Environment
Topic: Habitats 2
Subtopic: Meaning of Ecology, Meaning of Ecosystem, Population, Population Density

Week: Three

Duration: 40 minutes
Average Age: 12–13 years
Class Size: Mixed
Instructional Materials: Charts of habitats, pictures of animals and plants, flashcards with key terms (Ecology, Ecosystem, Population, Population density), markers, whiteboard.

---

Lesson Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Define ecology correctly (Knowledge – Lower domain).
2. Explain the meaning of ecosystem and give one example (Comprehension – Middle domain).
3. Analyze the concept of population by identifying organisms that form a population in their environment (Analysis – Higher domain).
4. Evaluate population density by calculating and discussing factors that affect it (Evaluation – Higher domain).

---

Lesson Development (40 minutes)

Step 1: Introduction (5 minutes)

• Teacher’s Activities:
  Greets students, asks: “Where do you live? Where do goats, fish, and birds live?” Leads them to see that every living thing has a home or environment. Writes the topic Habitats 2 on the board.
• Learners’ Activities:
  Students respond to teacher’s questions and participate in discussion.
• Evaluation Question:
  What is today’s topic?

---

Step 2: Meaning of Ecology (7 minutes)

• Teacher’s Activities:
  Defines Ecology as the study of how living things relate with each other and their environment. Gives examples like forest ecology, aquatic ecology.
• Learners’ Activities:
  Repeat the definition and give examples of ecology from their environment.
• Evaluation Question:
  What is ecology? Give one example.

---

Step 3: Meaning of Ecosystem (8 minutes)

• Teacher’s Activities:
  Explains: An ecosystem is a community of living organisms interacting with non-living things such as air, water, and soil. Gives example: Pond ecosystem (fish, frogs, water, and plants). Shows chart.
• Learners’ Activities:
  Students describe ecosystems from their surroundings (e.g., farmland, stream, forest).
• Evaluation Question:
  What is an ecosystem? Mention one example.

---

Step 4: Population (10 minutes)

• Teacher’s Activities:
  Explains: Population means the total number of organisms of the same kind in a habitat at a given time. Gives example: 40 goats in a field form a goat population.
  Asks students to identify populations around them.
• Learners’ Activities:
  Students give examples such as flocks of birds, shoals of fish, or a class of students.
• Evaluation Question:
  What is a population? Give one example.

---

Step 5: Population Density (8 minutes)

• Teacher’s Activities:
  Defines: Population density is the number of organisms of a species per unit area in a habitat.
  Example: 20 goats in 1 hectare = 20 goats/hectare.
  Discusses factors affecting population density: food, space, disease, competition. Demonstrates with counters (stones in a box).
• Learners’ Activities:
  Work in groups to calculate: If 100 fish live in 5 ponds, what is the population density? (Answer: 20 fish per pond).
• Evaluation Question:
  Define population density and mention one factor affecting it.

---

Step 6: Conclusion (2 minutes)

• Teacher’s Activities:
  Summarizes the lesson:
• Ecology → study of relationships
• Ecosystem → interaction of living & non-living things
• Population → number of same species
• Population density → number per unit area
  Encourages students to observe their environment.
• Learners’ Activities:
  Answer quick oral revision questions.
• Evaluation Question:
  Mention the four key things we learnt today.

---

Board Summary

Habitats 2

1. Ecology – study of how living things relate with each other & their environment.
2. Ecosystem – interaction of living and non-living things (e.g., pond).
3. Population – number of organisms of same kind in a habitat.
4. Population density – number of organisms per unit area (affected by food, space, competition, disease).

---

Evaluation Questions

1. What is ecology?
2. Define an ecosystem and give one example.
3. Mention one example of a population in your environment.
4. Define population density and state one factor that affects it.

---

Assignment

1. Write short notes on: Ecology, Ecosystem, Population, and Population density.
2. Calculate the population density of 300 goats in a 15-hectare farmland.