Teaching primary education, the initial thought was content is an area I would not need to focus on when preparing lesson plans for the students. My student teaching began in third grade and after all, I believe I have the skills necessary to pass third grade! However, I soon discovered there is more involved in "content" then being a subject-area expert. 
Content knowledge not only requires a teacher to have broad knowledge of the liberal arts (mathematics, humanities, sciences, and the arts), it also demands a thorough understanding of curriculum and developmental theory. It is important to know what the students were taught in prior years, and what will be taught in the upcoming years. I have already witnessed the different ways in which learning takes place. My students are very obviously in differing stages developmentally, and I have already witnessed how students' cognitive, physical, emotional, and social development influence learning
In order for the students to gain knowledge on Ecosystems I had various books on different type Ecosystems. I thoroughly researched various ecosystems and made study guides for the students to use before the test. This was a wonderful block that all the students seemed to enjoy! The entire third-grade took a field trip to Hays Nature Preserve (see General Education title page) and it was thoroughly enjoyable!