Week 7 - Assignment 2

Science lesson plan

Lesson Topic – Animal Adaptations

Grade Level – 4

AIM question – How does the structures of animals complement the environment of the animal?

What learning objectives/main ideas do students need to know?

1.     Each animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.

2.     In order to survive in their environment, animals must be adapted to

that environment.

What Common Core skills will be introduced or reinforced during this lesson?

Observe that differences within a species may give individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing

What content area STANDARDS are addressed in this lesson?

Standard 4:  Key Idea 3: PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 3.1, PERFORMANCE

INDICATOR 3.2,

What academic and content specific VOCABULARY is introduced in this lesson?

Key terms – hibernation, migration, instinct, camouflage, learned behavior, basic needs

What materials (e.g. ACTIVITY SHEET, MAP, SONG) will I present to students?

What activity, if any, will I use to settle students and establish a context (DO NOW)?

I will present students with an article on animal hibernation to show how animals adapt to their environments in order to survive.

http://teacher.scholastic.com/dirtrep/animal/readpick.asp

How will I open the lesson (MOTIVATION) and capture student interest?

Student will watch a short video that shows the migration of birds.

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=219213

What additional INDIVIDUAL/TEAM/FULL CLASS ACTIVITIES will use to help students discover what they need to learn (suggest three)? If these are group activities, how will student groups be organized?

1.     Students will be organized into groups of three.

2.     Each group will be given an ecosystem such as rain forest, desert, and coral reef.

3.     Students will find three animals from each ecosystem and list the adaptations of those animals.

4.     They will use various tools to do the research, for instance science textbook, library books, encyclopedia etc.

How will I ASSESS student mastery of the skills, content, and concepts taught in this lesson?

I will assess my students based on their research and findings. I will be looking for the following discoveries from their research.

·      Wings, legs, or fins enable some animals to seek shelter and escape predators

·      Eyes, nose, ears, tongue, and skin of some animals enable the animals to sense their surroundings

·      Claws, shells, spines, feathers, fur, scales, and color of body covering enable some animals to protect themselves from predators and other environmental conditions, or enable them to obtain food

·      Some animals have parts that are used to produce sounds and smells to help the animal meet its needs

·      The characteristics of some animals change as seasonal conditions change (e.g., fur grows and is shed to help regulate body heat; body fat is a form of stored energy and it changes as the seasons change)

How will I bring the lesson to CLOSURE (SUMMARY QUESTION)?

I will bring the lesson to closure by highlighting that animal adaptations include coloration for warning or attraction, camouflage, defense mechanisms, movement, hibernation, and migration.

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES –

To engage students in analysis and discussion I will ask students to research plant adaptations and compare it to animal adaptations.

HOMEWORK –

Students will be asked to compare and contrast the adaptations of two different animals.

Week 7 - Assignment 1

1.     Identify desired results

Established Goals

·      Standard 4: The Living Environment

·      Key idea 4: The continuity of life is sustained through reproduction and development.

Understandings

·      Students will understand that…

·      The continuity of life is sustained through reproduction and development.

·      Life cycle stages are sequential and occur throughout the life span of plants.

·      The characteristics of the cycle of life vary from plant to plant.

Essential Questions

·      Students will know….

·      Do plants have life cycles?

·      Does each kind of plant go through its own stages of growth and development?

·      What happens during each of the following stages in a plants life: seed, young plant, and mature plant?

Students will be able to…

·      Describe the major stages in the life cycles of selected plants.

·      Explain basic life functions of plants.

·      The length of time from beginning of development to death of the plant is called its life span.

·      Life cycles of some plants include changes from seed to mature plant.

2.     Determine acceptable evidence

What evidence will show that students understand?

Performance task

Students will conduct an experiment by growing two different types of seeds in the same environment over a period of 8 weeks. They will place the plants near a windowsill to allow both seeds to get the same amount of sunlight. They will water the plant equally on a regular basis. A chart will be used to record how much water has been given. Each week students will record the height of both plants.  In addition to the experiment, student will create a diagram that shows the life stages of a plant. The diagram will show how a plan goes from a seed, to a seedling, to a mature plant and finally death. Students will properly label each part of the plant such as root, stem, leaf, flower, and fruit and explain the role of each part. Finally students will present their illustrations and share their findings with the class.

Students Self-Assessment and Reflection

Students will keep a daily log of their findings and record their comments.

3.     Plan learning experiences

ELA Reading lesson plan

A.    Lesson Topic – Plant Life Cycle

B.    Grade Level – 4

C.    AIM question – What are the stages of a plants life?

D.   What learning objectives/main ideas do students need to know

·      Do plants have life cycles?

·      Does each kind of plant go through its own stages of growth and development?

·      What happens during each of the following stages in a plants life: seed, young plant, and mature plant?

E.    What Common Core skills will be introduced or reinforced during this lesson?

·      The Living Environment

·      The continuity of life is sustained through reproduction and development

F.    What content area STANDARDS are addressed in this lesson?

·      Standard 4

·      Key Idea 4

G.   What academic and content specific VOCABULARY is introduced in this lesson?

Key terms – embryo, seed, seeding, mature plant, life cycle

H.   What materials (e.g. ACTIVITY SHEET, MAP, SONG) will I present to students?

Each student will have an illustration that shows each part of the plant as well as its function.

I.      What activity, if any, will I use to settle students and establish a context (DO NOW)?

I will start the class asking students why plants are important and what are some ways we use plants.

J.     How will I open the lesson (MOTIVATION) and capture student interest?

I will open the lesson by placing some items such as a piece of paper, a pencil, wooden ruler, a book, and a cardboard box on a wooden desk. I will ask students what these items have in common.

K.   What additional INDIVIDUAL/TEAM/FULL CLASS ACTIVITIES will use to help students discover what they need to learn (suggest three)? If these are group activities, how will student groups be organized?

1.     Students will watch a video on the life cycle of a plant.

2.     After watching the video, students will be asked to draw an illustration of the various stages of a plant’s life.

3.     Next, student will write in detail what happens during each stage of the plant’s life.

L.    How will I DIFFERENTIATE INSTRUCTION with MULTIPLE ENTRY POINTS for diverse learners?

1.     To tailor to the different needs, interest and abilities of each learner, students will be asked to work in pairs and match each plant part with it’s function. 

M.  What H.O.T. (higher order thinking) questions will I ask to engage students in analysis and discussion?

1.     Students will be asked what happens to plants in the winter when all their leaves fall off.

N.   How will I ASSESS student mastery of the skills, content, and concepts taught in this lesson?

I will assess the students’ mastery by asking them to answer a few questions about the life cycle of plants and what happens during each stage.

O.   How will I bring the lesson to CLOSURE (SUMMARY QUESTION)?

At the end of the lesson, students will discuss their thoughts of how

P.    CLASSROOM APPLICATION/ FOLLOW-UP – Students will read a book about other types of plants.

Q.   ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES – Students will read about plants that grow in different environments and their environments.

R.    HOMEWORK – Students will draw a plant and label the parts. They will list the function of each plant part. 

Week 6 - Assignment # 3

ELA Writing lesson plan

A.    LESSON TOPIC – Informative/Explanatory Text

B.    Grade level - 4

C.    AIM QUESTION – How do we write an informative/explanatory text?

D.   What LEARNING OBJECTIVES/MAIN IDEAS do students need to know (maximum of 3)?

a.     What is an informative/explanatory text?

b.     How can I examine a topic and convey ideas and concepts?

c.     How can I carefully select and organize relevant ideas

E.    What COMMON CORE skills will be introduced or reinforced during this lesson?

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization and analysis of relevant content.

F.    Which content area STANDARDS are addressed in this lesson?

W.6.2.

G.   What academic and content specific VOCABULARY is introduced in this lesson?

Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing

H.   What materials (e.g. ACTIVITY SHEET, MAP, SONG) will I present to students?

http://bellamy.mysdhc.org/teacher/1776stache/22615DDC-00757E5A.2/writing%20process%20train.jpg

I.      What activity, if any, will I use to settle students and establish a context (DO NOW)?

a.     Students will brainstorm and make lists of things they can do well.

J.     How will I open the lesson (MOTIVATION) and capture student interest?

a.     To motivate the students I will demonstrate how to make a scrapbook. 

b.     I will model all the steps and think out loud to help guide the students’ thinking.

K.   What additional INDIVIDUAL/TEAM/FULL CLASS ACTIVITIES will I use to help students discover what they need to learn (suggest three)? If these are group activities, how will student groups be organized?

a.     After students have finished their list, I will have them share their lists with a partner to help choose one topic that they will be writing about.

b.     Students will a graphic organizer to organize their thoughts.

http://www.dailyteachingtools.com/images/StepByStepProcess.jpg

c.     They will write follow each step of the writing process over a period of days.

                                               i.     Day 1- drafting

                                             ii.     Day 2 – prewriting

                                            iii.     Day 3 – revising

                                            iv.     Day 4 – editing

                                              v.     Day 5 – publishing

d.     After the prewriting, students will do peer editing and help each other proof read their writing.

e.     After publishing, students will share their work with the entire class.

L.    How will I DIFFERENTIATE INSTRUCTION with MULTIPLE ENTRY POINTS for diverse learners?

a.     I would group the diverse learners into pairs and allow them to work together through the drafting and editing stage.

M.  What H.O.T (Higher order thinking) questions will I ask to engage students in analysis and discussion?

a.     I will ask students to keep in mind their audience for whom they are writing.

b.     Also, I will provide a checklist for the students to ensure they have followed all 5 steps of the writing process.

N.   How will I ASSESS students mastery of the skills, content, and concepts taught in this lesson?

a.     I will assess students by using a writing rubric.

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson782/Rubric.pdf

O.   How will I bring the lesson to CLOSURE (SUMMARY QUESTION)?

a.     I will end the lesson by having students reflect on their writing and sharing the published writing with the class.

P.    How will I reinforce and extend students learning?

a.     CLASSROOM APPLICATION/FOLLOW-UP  - The follow-up assignment will ask students to write and talk about their writing experience.

b.     ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES - Students will be asked to pick a peer’s published writing and write respond to it.

c.     HOMEWORK - Students will take a brief survey about their writing attitude.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/writingSpring2013