Lesson Plan

 

Name: Jennifer Avery            Date: April 12, 2005 

Age/Grade Level: 1^st-2^nd Grade

Subject: Science     # of Students: NA     # of IEP Students: NA

Major content: Animals 

Unit Title: Learning About Animal’s Bodies

 

ACTIONS— Children put their bodies of knowledge together as they study animal body parts.

 Goals and Objectives-

Ø      Children will work together to choose aspects of animal's bodies to study in order to learn about how and why animals are able to survive.

 Connections-

These are the Kentucky Standards that will be met via this lesson:

Ø      SC-E-3.1.3    Each plant or animal has structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.  For example, humans have distinct body structures for walking, holding, seeing, and talking.

Ø      SC-E-3.2.2     Plants and animals closely resemble their parents at some time in their life cycle.  Some characteristics (e.g., the color of flowers, the number of appendages) are passed to offspring.  Other characteristics are learned from interactions with the environment such as the ability to ride a bicycle, and these cannot be passed on to the next generation.

Ø      SC-E-3.3.1     Plants make their own food.  All animals depend on plants.  Some animals eat plants for food.  Other animals eat animals that eat the plants.

Ø      SC-E-3.3.2     The world has many different environments.  Distinct environments support the lives of different types of organisms. When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations.

Ø      SC-E-3.3.3     All organisms, including humans, cause changes in the environment where they live.  Some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or to other organisms; other changes are beneficial (e.g., dams built by beavers benefit some aquatic organisms but are detrimental to others).

Context-

This will focus on the students learning what and how animals survive in the wild. The students will learn the different animal groups and perform different assessments to further learn the information. Students will discover why animals eat certain food and why they have what they have to survive.

Resources-

• http://www.switcheroozoo.com/zoo.htm
• http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/worksheets/animalgroups.pdf
• http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/ect/animbod.htm
• http://www.education.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/epw2b64rg3i26qae3dh3zwstbjxg4ncxnxb7iikdnun747uhuo3soqddynmleewda2z46um5nzpkaaexxphf35xlbdb/sciencecc30.doc
• chart paper
• drawing paper
• markers, crayons, and pencils
• stapler or hole punch, binder rings or yarn
• variety of nonfiction, informational books to support the animal study (mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians, birds, and sea and fresh water animals)

 Procedures-

1. Explain to children that they will work together to learn about how different animals' bodies enable them to survive. Create a graph listing different types of animal groupings such as mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, birds, and sea life. Review the characteristics of each group. Invite children to create list of different types of animals for each. Use nonfiction books to extend the children's knowledge about different types of animal life.
2. Ask children to choose one animal from each group to focus on for their animal study. Encourage them to choose animals that look very different from one and another. Create a chart listing the animals that they will be studying. Place a photograph next to each animal listed on the chart. Ask children to look at each animal's body parts. Create lists for each animal describing its body parts (small ears, long tongue, short legs, and so on).
3. Explain to children that they will work together to learn how the different body parts help animals to survive. Find photographs and books on each animal. Visit the school or local library, collect nature magazines, and use Internet resources to assist the children in gathering information. Invite animal experts to your classroom. Plan field trips to a local zoo, farm, aquarium, or pet store.
4. Read books with children during group time and engage them in discussions to about specific animal's bodies. Ask questions to encourage investigations like "How do the size of an animal's legs enable it to survive?" How does the size of an animal's ears, eyes, or nose affect its senses?" "How does the color of an animal help it to survive?" Encourage children to develop their own questions and to think about other things that they would like to learn about animals.
5. Provide children with opportunities to draw and write about the different animals to support their learning experiences. Engage them in book-making activities and art activities such as murals, dioramas, puppet making, and clay or paper mache animal sculptures. Include children's observations and summaries about their animal study. Create a display documenting the children's animal study that includes their charts, drawings, books, and so on.

 

 Student Assessment-

Children will be assessed with a power-point, jeopardy game covering the different animals study during this week. Also, the children will play an animal guess who game to work on their animal group skills.