Teacher(s) Name: Kerry Lance
Grade Level(s): 3rd
Content Area: Science
Time line: 2- 60 minute lessons
Standards: What will students learn?
GA Science Standards:
S3L1. Students will investigate the habitats of different organisms and the dependence of organisms on their habitat. Students will:
a. Differentiate between habitats of Georgia (mountains, marsh/swamp, coast, Piedmont, Atlantic Ocean) and the organisms that live there.
d. Explain what will happen to an organism if the habitat is changed.
ITSE Standards:
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making: Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
Overview (a short summary of the lesson or unit including assignment or expected or possible products)
Teacher will present information on the importance of organisms getting what they need to survive within their habitats (space, food, water, shelter). Information on the interdependence of plants and animals within a habitat and the factors of limited resources and changes to habitats will be highlighted. They will then create an avatar of a plant or animal on Voki and have the avatar explain to others what they need to survive in their habitat and why they should not make negative changes to habitats (destruction of, pollution to). Lesson Questions
- Essential Question: What happens to plants and animals when their habitats are changed?
- Content Questions: What do plants need to survive? What do animals need to survive?
Assessment – Which strategies will provide evidence of student learning?
Formative
- After the hook activity, students will partake in an iRespond student response test of background knowledge. Students will use clickers to answer questions about habitats and survival and the teacher will use results to assess how students are progressing and to provide immediate feedback. After first lesson, students will complete a “Ticket out the Door” to summarize what they’ve learned.
Summative
- In collaborative groups, students will create a Voki avatar. This avatar will be used to report what the student knows about their region and about the changes humans cause to that region. A rubric (attached) will be used to assess whether or not the student has met the standard.
- After sharing Voki presentations, teacher will review Essential Question and have students write a “Summary Sentence” to show what they have learned.
Management
- How and where will your students work? Classroom, lab, groups, etc? Students will work mostly in classroom, depending on amount of available computers. Role-playing game best played outdoors but can be adapted.
- How will your learning environment support the instructional strategies and technologies you plan to use? The classroom in which these lessons are modeled for is well equipped to meet the needs for strategy and technology. We have a SmartBoard, 4 desktops and 3 laptops available for student use.
- What is the teacher’s role? The teacher’s role will shift throughout the lessons. In the mini-lessons, the teacher acts as a presenter and model, and in the activities the teacher will act as a support or facilitator.
- What are the students' roles in the lesson? Students will be regularly engaged in parts of the lesson- answering questions on the iRespond, collaborating with groups and summarizing what they’ve learned.
- Identify and describe any other management issues that you feel need to be addressed. As always with technology, one must have a plan for what to do if computers are not working. In that case, we would use books to conduct research and start our activity on paper.
Instructional Procedures – Create a step-by-step set of procedures you plan to follow describing how you would expect students to complete the assignment(s).
Day One
- Hook/Activator: Students will use Smart Board to investigate “Build an Online Habitat” website, http://www.switcheroozoo.com/games/habitatgame.htm While exploring, discuss how animals and plants are suited to specific habitats that meet their needs. When their needs are not meant, plants and animals cannot survive.
- Assess background knowledge: Use the iRespond clicker system to do a formative assessment of students’ basic knowledge about the needs of plants and animals in GA habitats. Use immediate feedback option on iRespond so misconceptions are addressed and children can see correct answers right away.
- Students will view short video on forest habitats (similar to our local) and the plants and animals that live within it. After viewing, students will work in learning clubs and be asked to name the top 4 things organisms need to survive in a habitat. Working as a class, a list, including space, food, water and shelter will be decided upon.
- With knowledge of the basic needs of an organism as well as information about forest habitats, students will play role-playing game called “Oh, Deer.” This is a game, adapted from Georgia Project Wild, and the directions for play are attached. Essentially, the children act as deer or as what a deer needs to survive (food, water, shelter, space) and when the deer does not get what it needs, it dies. The teacher can add in new elements to the game to represent changes to habitats- predators, loss of space, etc.
- After game, students are to individually fill out a “Ticket Out the Door” that simply lists 3 things they learned from the lesson. A template for the ticket is attached.
Day Two
- Hook/Activator: Students will watch Brain Pop video, Ecosystems, that contains information about what plants/animals need to survive in their habitats and how habitats are depleted. http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecologyandbehavior/ecosystems/ After viewing, teacher will navigate to Q&A section of site where further information will be shared about how humans impact habitats.
- Students will try a “Think Ink Pair Share” activity. The question they will ponder is: How do we affect our local habitat? They will first THINK of examples, then WRITE them down, then PAIR up with a neighbor to SHARE ideas. When finished, students will share the ideas of their partners as teacher collects examples in Kidspiration using the “rapid fire” feature.
- Teacher models how to create an avatar on www.voki.com and discusses group project that students will be working on.
- Students are put into cooperative groups and assigned a Georgia Habitat. Using the sites available on class website, students complete brief planning form for their Voki character (attached). They will complete a rubric before bringing to teacher.
- After teacher reviews research, students may then create their Voki character and input script. Last, it will be sent to teacher so that it may be uploaded to class site and viewed by whole class.
- After reviewing Voki presentations, teacher will refer back to the Essential Question and have children write a “Summary Sentence” about what they have learned. This is one statement to summarize their understanding.
Technology Tools and Resources (Describe how technology supports student learning)
· Hardware: Smart Board, Desktops, Laptops, iRespond system/clickers
· Software: MS Word, Kidspiration
Differentiation - How will you differentiate content and process to accommodate various learning styles and abilities?
- How will you help students learn independently and with others? These lessons have a mix of independent, whole group and collaborative learning.
- How will you provide extensions and opportunities for enrichment? Students will likely be excited about creating their avatars and having done this activity they will have the option to create other avatars for different assignments.
- What assistive technologies will you need to provide? The assignment does not lend to the use of our available AT, so teacher will be primary resource in helping SWD navigate through provided websites.
Closure and Reflection
- Students (in cooperative groups) will complete a rubric on their work before finalizing.
- After reviewing Voki presentations, teacher will refer back to the Essential Question and have children write a “Summary Sentence” about what they have learned.
