Heredity and Reproduction

Standard E - The Living Environment

Students understand that cells are the basic unit of life, that all life as we know it has evolved through genetic transfer and natural selection to create a great diversity of organisms, and that these organisms create interdependent webs through which matter and energy flow.  Students understand similarities and differences between humans and other organisms and the interconnections of these interdependent webs. 

Pre K-2 - Performance indicator - E. 4. Heredity and Reproduction
Students describe the cycle of birth, development, and death in different organisms and the ways in which organisms resemble their parents.



    a. Give examples of how organisms are like their parents and not like them.


Group Activity:  Instruct students to come to the front table choose an envelope.  In each envelop will be different organisms their parents and babies.  Students will match them.  Each group will have an opportunity to work with each envelope.  There will be an envelope for insects, mammals, reptiles, and fish.  Color code the envelopes.  When each group has completed the assignment they may come to the table and get the corresponding answer chart.

Classroom Demonstration: Gather the class on the rug.  Explain to students that we are going to talk about how we are like our parents.  Read the book Are You My Mother by P. D. Eastman.  In this book baby bird goes looking for her mother, asking many different animals "Are you my mother?".  Discuss with students how baby bird knew who was or was not her mother.  What kind of characteristics did baby bird look for? 

Effective Questions:    How did you identify the babies and their parents?
                                     What did you learn from this activity?


      b. Describe the life cycle of a plant or animal (including being born, growing, reproducing, and dying)

Group Activity: Gather potting soil, seeds, water, pots.    View the  Life Cycle of a Flower .
Students will plant their own seeds.  They will document this activity in their science journal.  Students will water and document the life cycle of their plant each day at circle time.  Eventually they will have a plant to take home. 


Classroom Demonstration:  Discuss with students the idea of life cycle.  Each living organism has a life cycle.  There are four stages, although some have only three we are going to focus on organisms that have four stages.  Think about plants.  Present several books on plants for children to preview while they are waiting for their turn in group activity.  Read the book The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle.  Discussing the life cycle of the seed. 
Vocabulary: germination, pollination, annual, perennial

Effective Questions:  Using your science journal what can you learn from your notes?
                                    Is there a pattern between plants and animal life cycles?  Do they have anything in common? 

Ecosystems

Standard E - The Living Environment

Students understand that cells are the basic unit of life, that all life as we know it has evolved through genetic transfer and natural selection to create a great diversity of organisms, and that these organisms create interdependent webs through which matter and energy flow.  Students understand similarities and differences between humans and other organisms and the interconnections of these interdependent webs. 

Pre K-2 - Performance indicator - E. 2. Ecosystems
Students understand how plants and animals depend on each other and the environment in which they live.

a. Explain that animals use plants and other animals for food, shelter, and nesting.

Group Activity: Show the video Beavers and tell the students they will be using the video to find important facts about how beavers use plants for food and shelter.  Using the brainstorming method create a web on the white board incorporating all the facts students have learned.  Students will then use those facts to draft a short report on beavers.


Classroom Demonstration:  Activate students prior knowledge about habitats.  Encourage discussion regarding habitats and what ours is, animals, plants. Introduce Acadia National Park.  Explain what kinds of animals live in the park.  Today's focus is going to be on the beaver.  Using facts from the publication Animals of Acadia found at www.nps.gov/acad/forteachers/upload/edguide_animals.pdf
discuss what beavers need for food, shelter and nesting. 

Effective Questions:  How does knowing this information about beavers help us understand how animals use plants and animals for food, shelter and nesting.
Can you think of any other animals/birds here in Maine that might use plants or animals for food and shelter?  How are these animals alike? 



National Geographic (2012Year). Mammals: Beaver Family [Video file]. Retrieved from National Geographic Kids website: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals-pets-kids/mammals-kids/beaver-kids/ 

National Park Service. (n.d.). Acadia national park. Retrieved from http://www.nps.gov/acad/forteachers  /lessonplansandteacherguides.html

b. Compare different animals and plants that live in different environments of the world.

Group Assignments: Prior to the group activity visit the library and collect a variety of books that contain information about environments of the world.  Make sure there are many different animals and plants to choose from.  Students will choose an animal or plant and create a diorama of their specific environment.  This lesson will take a few days to complete.  A variety of materials will be required.  Students will then present their findings to peers at the Environments of the World Fair.


Class Demonstration: Activate prior knowledge about environments/habitats that we have discussed.  Specifically the Madagascar Dragon Tree, Naughty Girl, Ourselves, and the beaver.  Encourage discussion around the plants and animals live in Maine.  Let's look beyond Maine and see what kind of environments animals and plants need.  Call students attention to a variety of books about animals and plants from around the world. Some specific environmental areas could be the rain forest, Antarctica, oceans and desserts.  Enough so that students are able to compare and contrast differences. 

Effective Questions:   How are animals and plants adapted to live in their environment?
                                    What would happen to a plant or animal if it was removed from their environment into another one?   What about people, does environment effect them?  How?

Biodiversity

Standard E - The Living Environment

Students understand that cells are the basic unit of life, that all life as we know it has evolved through genetic transfer and natural selection to create a great diversity of organisms, and that these organisms create interdependent webs through which matter and energy flow.  Students understand similarities and differences between humans and other organisms and the interconnections of these interdependent webs. 

Pre K-2 - Performance indicator - E. 1. Biodiversity

Students describe similarities and differences in the observable behaviors, features, and needs of plants and animals.

      a.   Describe similarities and differences in the way plants and animals look and the things that they do.
   
Group Activity:  Group students into pairs.  Assign each one a computer and log on to Sort 60 Deadly Animals
Students will be asked to sort 60 different deadly animals, using the way animals look and the things they do.


Classroom Demonstration: In the front of the class display the Madagascar Dragon Tree, and Naughty girl (our kitten).  Ask the students how they look alike and how they look different.  Ask students if their actions are the same or different.  Encourage the students to discuss how their differences help them.


Effective Questions:  We used a Venn diagram to describe similarities and differences.  What is another way we could demonstrate their similarities and differences?How does the information we see on our chart help you to take care of your plants or pets.


BBC. (2012). Schools-teachers. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/teachers/ks2_lessonplans/science/variation.shtml.com/ 




        b. Describe some features of plants and animals that help them live in different environments.

Group Activity:  Students will make a diagram of their own personal habitat.  They can use any materials they choose.  Remind them that they need to think of the things they need to survive.  Their illustrations need to include descriptions of what they have put on the chart and why they need it to survive. 

Classroom Demonstration:  Begin a discussion about habitats.  Habitat is the place where something lives.  Lets think about our habitat here at Smith School.  Can you name of the the things we need here at school to live?  Lets think about the Madagascar Dragon Tree.  What does it need to live?  What if I left it outside all year?

Effective Questions:   What would happen if you changed the habitat?
                                  Using what we know about certain animals what can we do to protect their habitat?

Force and Motion

 
Standard D - The Physical Setting

Students understand the universal nature of matter, force and motion and identify how these relationships are exhibited in Earth Systems, in the solar system, and throughout the universe.

Pre K-2 - Performance indicator - D.4. Force and Motion

Students describe how objects move in different ways.

a. Describe different ways things move and what it takes to start objects moving, keep objects moving or stop objects.

How can you move a soccer ball from center field to the goal?
Midsummer each year our town has a bed race.  Name some ways they could move a bed in the race.


Group Activities: Give each student a choice of Matchbox car, ping pong ball, bouncy ball, or a marble.  Place on the front table paper towel tubes, sponges, tissue paper, masking tape, tissues, cotton balls, blocks, trays of sand, blocks, and Legos.  On the white board post this question, "How can I move __________  and what is the best way to stop the ______?"  Explain to students their assignment is to design a way of moving their object.  They must try to move it as far as possible.  Using a yard stick or tape measure they must measure the distance their object traveled. Using the same experiment students must devise a way to effectively stop their object.   Students will need to keep a journal describing their attempts at getting their objects to roll, the distances they moved the object, and how they stopped the object.  Students should use words as well as illustrations.



Classroom Activities: How can we move things from one place to another?  Each student will be given a ping pong ball.  Tell them they need to find as many ways as possible to move the ping pong ball across the table.  Give them a few minutes to work this problem out.
What ideas did you have to move the ping pong ball?  Did it travel in a straight line?  Did it zigzag? How did you stop it?  What as it easy to stop? 


Effective Questions:  What caused your object to travel the furthest?
What was the most effect method of stopping your object and why did it work?


American Association for Advancement of Science. (2012). Making Objects Move. Retrieved from      http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/making-objects-move/ 

b. Give examples of things that make sound by vibrating.

Group Activity: Have students bring paper towel tubes from home, or collect them from volunteers.  Assemble wax paper, a single hole punch, colored elastics and markers.   Give each child 2 squares of wax paper, two elastics, and markers.  Students will need help punching holes about 3/4 of an inch from one end of the tube.  Students then can put a wax paper square on the end with an elastic around the tube. Students can decorate their kazoos.  When everyone has completed their project the class can practice making music.



Classroom Demonstration: Call the group to the circle.   Call their attention to drum, guitar, violin and the trombone.  Each of these instruments create sound by vibrations.  With the drum and violin they both have strings that when strummed they create sound by vibrating.  Drums especially, the snare drum makes sounds by strings found on the bottom of the drum.  The trombone uses vibration to make sound as well. Introduce the guest speaker.  Dana F. Ross, Music Teacher at MSAD#22.  He will speak about these instruments and specifically how they make sounds.

Effective Questions:    How are all these instruments alike?
                                 How are they different?
                               
                            

 Community Television of Southern California. (2007). A place of our own. Retrieved from http://aplaceofourown.org

Matter and Energy

Standard D. The Physical Setting 

Students understand the universal nature of matter, force and motion and identify how these relationships are exhibited in Earth Systems, in the solar system, and throughout the universe.

Pre K-2 - Performance indicator - D.3. Matter and Energy

Students will use observable characteristics to describe objects and materials and changes to physical properties of materials.

a. Describe objects in terms of what they are made of and their physical properties.

Group Activity:  Before class create several bags of different materials.  Making sure to cover all the different properties they will need to notice.  Some ideas would be sand, a re freezable ice cube, a branch from a tree, a container of vanilla, a jar of water with food coloring, and some shapes from the Tanagrams box.  Each group will take a numbered bag and explore the contents.  They will describe it on their worksheet.  They must experience all bags.  The order does not matter.

Class Demonstration: Explain to the students that today we will learn about the physical properties of materials.  The physical property involves color, size, shape, texture, odor, and temperature.  Display a piece of sandpaper and a small container of sand.  Ask the students to describe the the physical properties of the sandpaper.  Then ask them to describe the sand.  Using a Venn diagram discuss the two materials.  Talk about what each is used for and how the differences matter to their use.

Effective Questions: What characteristics identify the sand/sandpaper?
                                   How do those specific characteristics help each one do its job?

b. Describe changes in properties when mixed, heated, frozen or cut. 

            What happens to your ice cream if you leave it on the picnic table in July?
            Your mom goes Christmas shopping.  She forgets her coffee in car when she goes into the 
                  mall.  Will she be able to drink her coffee when she comes out of the mall?

Group Activity: Give each group a baggie that contains a small amount of M&Ms, a small pat of butter, an ice cube and a 8oz bottle of water with dropper of food coloring.  (remind students we do not eat or drink any materials during science class).  Have students describe the materials before adding heat and then have them describe them after adding heat.  Encourage students to document their findings in any way they want.  Tell students that each group will be required to present their findings to the class at the end of the period. 





Classroom Demonstration: On the front table display chocolate, ice, Kool-aide, and a picture of water. Explain that properties change when mixed, heated, frozen or cut.  Ask students to notice you putting a cup of chocolate chips in the pan, as the pan heats up the chocolate melts.  Discuss with students the change in properties of the chocolate.  What did they notice?  How did it change?  What will happen when I take it off the heat?

Effective Questions:  What would happen if you put the baggie with the water in the freezer?
                                     What did you learn about materials and their properties?

 Science NetLinks. (2012). Water3: Melting and freezing. Retrieved from http://sciencenetlinks.com/ 

Weather

 
Standard D. The Physical Setting 

Students understand the universal nature of matter, energy, force and motion and identify how these relationships are exhibited in Earth Systems, in the solar system, and throughout the universe.

Pre K-2 - Performance indicator - D.2. Earth

Students describe Earth's weather and surface materials and the different ways they change.

  

a. Explain that the sun warms the air, water and land.

                                          When you are cold what kind of things warm you?
                                            Is it usually warmer in the day or night?


Group activity:  Allow children to choose own partners.  Suggest they should be in groups of three.  Give each group a copy of the warmth chart.  Each group is to go to three different areas of the playground.  In each area they are to record the temperature by circling the correct answer on their warmth Charts.
(The warmth chart should have four rows. The top row should be blank and big enough for students to illustrate the area on the playground they were touching.  The nest three rows should have the words hot, warm, cool, and cold.  Students will draw a picture of where they were and then circle the temperature.)
    


Classroom Demonstration:  Fill two pans of water.  Place one outside in the sun and place one inside the classroom in the shade.  Complete the group activity. Assemble the class in the sun, discuss what they have discovered.  Make sure they are understanding that the sun warms the air, water and land. By this time they should begin to feel warm, encourage observations regarding how they are feeling.  Encourage each child to test the temperature of the outside water and make observations regarding how it was warmed.  Go into the classroom and check the temperature of the water in the inside pan.

Effective Questions:     What would happen if there was no sun?
                                      What are some ways that we can use the sun?

 Science NetLinks. (2012). The warmth of the sun. Retrieved from http://sciencenetlinks.com/ 

b. Describe how the weather changes over months.

*Remind students that we have been discussing the weather each day at circle time.  We have been charting the daily temperature and weather conditions. 

                   Do you notice any patterns in the weather?
                   What do you think the sun has to do with the patterns you have noticed?

Group Activity:  Bring a collection of seasonal clothing to class with you.  Create a pile of clothing at the back of the room.  When you have students attention begin the discussion regarding seasons.  Ask questions pertaining to each season.
           What season would you wear a heavy coat, ski pants, hat and mittens?
            What season would you wear a light coat to school in the morning, but not in afternoon?
Once the questions have generated interest, tell student to go to the clothing and try some on.  Encourage them to try different clothing.

Classroom Demonstration: Call students back to their respective groups.  Ask them why they chose the clothing they did.  Direct the discussion to include how the weather changes with each season, using prior knowledge of the sun and how it warms the earth.  Give each student a ledger size piece of paper divided into four squares.  Have students draw what they would typically wear in each season, they could also include sports that are typically done in each season, or holidays.

Effective Questions:    What is the reason for the change of seasons?
                                     How might continuing to chart the weather help us?

 Science NetLinks. (2012). What's the season?. Retrieved from http://sciencenetlinks.com/

c. Describe what happens to water left in an open container as compared to water left in a closed container. 

 Have you ever been swimming and hung your towel to dry on the fence, in a little while it is dry, and ready to use again?
How about mittens, have you ever worn your mittens out at recess, came in and put them in your backpack?  When it is time to go home you take the mittens out of your backpack and they are still wet?
                               


Group Demonstration: During the next three days each group will document the wetness of each sponge.  Call their attention to the condition of the plastic bag.  Have student show their documentation and what their conclusions are about the two sponges.  Discuss that what has been happening is evaporation.  In an open container the water evaporates into the air.  In a close container it has no where to go so it remains in the container, eventually returning to the sponge. 


Classroom Demonstration: Place on the table a small bucket of water, several natural sponges, several Ziploc bags, some plastic trays and a evaporation chart .  Explain to students that we are going to see what happens to water when it is left out in the open and what happens to water when it is in a closed container.  Take one of the natural sponges and soak it in water.  Ask some students to feel it and describe what it looks like and feels like.  Discuss why it might be darker colored than the dry ones, and why it might be heavier than the dry ones.  Tell students each group will have two sponges, one Ziploc bag and a plastic tray.  They are to send someone to collect materials.  Following the direction they are to wet both sponges, place one in a Ziploc bag and leave one out.  Place both sponges on their plastic tray.  One person from their group must document in the first column the feel of both sponges. Once the documentation is complete the group can set their tray in the assigned space in the back of the room.

Effective Questions:  How would you explain the loss/retention of water?

                                    What would happen if all the water evaporated from earth?


 Science NetLinks. (2012). Water 2: Disappearing water. Retrieved from http://sciencenetlinks.com/

Understanding Day and Night

 
Standard D. The Physical Setting 

Students understand the universal nature of matter, force and motion and identify how these relationships are exhibited in Earth Systems, in the solar system, and throughout the universe.

Pre K-2 - Performance indicator - D.1. Universe and Solar System

Students will describe the movement of objects across the sky, as seen from the earth.

a. Describe how the sun and moon seem to move across the sky.

How does it change from day into night?

Every day the solar system and all its planets are inconstant motion. They rotate on their own axis. An axis is an imaginary line that goes through the center of a planet. When the earth is near the sun it is day and when the earth is away from the sun it becomes night. This is hard to understand because we cannot feel the movement of the earth on it's axis.

                        Rotation vs Revolution

                        Rotation - on the earths axis

                       Revolution - around another body 

Group Activity - Using the black top space on the playground.  Divide students in to groups of two.  Students will take turns  being the sun and the moon.  First, have students practice rotating on their axis, then have students practice revolving.  Students will draw a yellow circle on the tar with yellow sidewalk chalk.  Next students will draw a larger circle in blue to indicate the moons orbit. Students will take turns being the sun and the moon. Once activity has been completed students will return inside to illustrate what they have learned about rotation and revolution.

Class Demonstration - Place a globe on the stand at the front of the class.  Chose a student to hold a flash light and chose a student to slowly rotate the globe.  Explain each day as the earth rotates it gets closer to the sun it becomes day and as it goes father from the sun it becomes night. 

Effective Questions-

What other ways could you demonstrate how the earth moves around the sun?

Why is the sun important to the earth?

Project FIRST Fostering Reading Through Science and Technology. (2009). Motion of Sun and Earth. Retrieved from http://eyeonthesky.org/lessonplans/05sun_daynight.html

b. Describe the changes in the appearance of the moon from day to day.

The earth revolves around the sun which creates night and day.  When the moon revolves around the earth it is called a phase.  There are four that we are going to discuss today.  They are new moon, first quarter, third quarter and full moon.  You many sometimes hear the terms waxing and waning.  When they say a moon is waxing it means the reflected light is growing bigger, or the earth's shadow is growing smaller.  When they say a moon is waning it means the reflected light is growing smaller and the shadow of the earth is growing bigger.

Group Activity - Oreo Moon Phases
Place students in groups of 4.  Give each group 4 Oreos, a plastic butter knife, paper towels and a presentation plate. Their assignment is to make their four Oreos represent the four phases of the moon.  Each phase must be labeled.
First split each cookie so the cream is on one cookie, and the other cookie is bare.  Scrape the frosting from each cookie until it represents one of the four phases of the moon. 

Class Demonstration - Discuss with the class that they are about to watch a You Tube video regarding the phases of the moon. Although this particular video goes into eight phases of the moon we only are going to discuss the new moon, first quarter/waxing, third quarter/waning, and a full moon.
      Phases of the moon
Effective Questions -   What pattern do you notice as you look at the phases of the moon?
 How could you use the information you learned about rotation and revolution  of the moon?

Learning Encounters. (2010). Lesson Plans . Retrieved from http://www.leosciencelab.com/educators/lesson-plans/oreo_moon_phases.php 

Sanger, L. (2011, February 6). The moon for kids 1/3 [Video file]. Retrieved from You Tube website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHlMReTpJXw