I



Classification Unit

5th Grade

Katie Abshagen

Rebecca Esche

Jessica Waskiewicz

Topic

1. Topic or Theme:

The topic of this unit is classification. It specifically covers classification of living things according to the worldwide scientific classification system.

2. General Description and Content of Unit:

This is a six-lesson unit on the subject of classification in science. The lessons are in ordered sequence. They build from general to the more specific. First, students will be introduced to the broad subject of classification in the first lesson. In the second lesson, students will learn about living organisms, cells, and the 6 life processes that are the characteristics of what makes something alive. The third lesson will teach students about the 5 Kingdoms in science. Lesson four begins to break down the classification of the 5 Kingdoms into smaller categories by specific titles (Phylum, Class, Order, Family Genus, and Species). The fifth lesson will break down further classification by Phylum. Students will be introduced to vertebrates and invertebrates and learn the differences between the two. Lesson six will specifically target vertebrates and the classes under this Phylum.

This unit also contains clear rationale and purposes for why this unit was written and is appropriate for teaching in a fifth grade classroom. Goals and Objectives are a part of the unit along with state standards for science instruction. The entire unit is mapped out in detail for a quick overview of instruction and assessment. Instructional strategies, materials, and assessment strategies are all listed as part of the unit. Included in this unit are six detailed, ready-to-use lessons for this unit on classification. At the end of the unit is an evaluation of how the planning process went for writing this unit plan.

3. Description of Students:

This is a class of fifth grade students. They are all students at Knapp Charter Academy. All students appear to come from middle-class, urban families. There are 13 boys in the class and 10 girls. The class is composed mostly of Caucasians. There are six African-American students as well. All the children appeared to be alert and attentive. There did not appear to be kids with learning or physical disabilities in the class.

4. Time Allotted to the Unit:

This unit was made to cover a two-week period. Although there are only six lessons, several of these lessons will take more than one day to teach. The introductory first lesson will take two days for students to fully grasp the idea of how classification works. The fifth lesson on invertebrates and vertebrates will take two days because of the amount of information and activities in the lesson plan. The last two days of the lesson will be devoted to working on animal research projects and the presentations of those projects as the final grade for the unit. The unit will cover a total of 10 days.

Rationale/Purpose

1. Value of Unit to Students:

Students need to learn about the world and the organisms that live in the world. In order to understand organisms, it is valuable to know how to classify them because it is easier to understand organisms when you can group and classify similar ones together. It is valuable for students to know how to classify because they will have to classify other things in their lives. This unit will help students become familiar with the need for categorizing scientific information, in this case, animals. It is important for students to understand that animals share some of the same characteristics with each other and they also differ from one another. Students should be able to look at the world around them and make sense of it. Also, this unit enables students to be actively engaged in learning to view the world scientifically. This unit encourages students to ask questions, organize collections and observations, and discuss findings. All these skills are life long skills that students can apply to the real world outside of the classroom.

2. How Unit Fits the Needs of Students

This unit fits the needs of students needs by using cooperative learning with group work. The unit is based around what they might already know and what they need to learn. The unit is also made interesting because it involves live animals and stuffed animals that students can look at. This is focused on students’ needs because it allows them to engage in a hands-on approach to learning.

3. How Unit Relates to Real World Concerns

The students will need to understand and know how to use the skill of classifying in their lives. They might have to classify data or statistics while working at a job. This unit also relates to real world concerns because it teaches them many life long skills such as asking questions, exploring, making observations, discussing findings, engaging in critical thinking and working in groups.

4. How Unit Reflects Our Philosophy of Teaching

We believe each child is created unique and special in the image of God. Each student deserves to be treated with kindness and compassion and should be loved as God would love them. They deserve the opportunity to learn more about the world God placed them in. We want the students to see how we are passionate about learning more about God’s world and the organisms He lovingly created. God gave each child an intelligent mind to solve difficult problems, work through dilemmas, create new ideas and reason. Children should be able to use their gifted minds to discover creative ideas dealing with classification. We believe students learn best from their peers, therefore we included group work to help the students learn from each other. We believe students are intrinsically motivated to learn. All students have a motivation to learn because they are curious of the world around them and how it all works. This is why we included some exploratory activities for the students to discover new things on their own about the world around them. We also believe education should not be the same for everyone. People learn in many different ways. Some people are visual learners; hands on learners, and others can just hear the information and understand it. We believe teachers should use different methods of teaching a lesson using different techniques. One day the teacher might lecture, the next day the teacher will take the same information and present it in a different way to help everyone understand. This is modeled in our unit. We have different activities that will reach the different types of learning styles in our class.

Goals/Objectives

1. General Goals:

a. TLW understand the idea of classifying organisms.

b. TLW be able to identify organisms in each of the five kingdoms.

c. TLW be able to identify characteristics of invertebrates and vertebrates.

2. State & Local Goals:

a. Michigan Goal: Strand 3, Content Standard 2, Benchmark 1- Explain characteristics and functions of observable body parts in a variety of animals.

b. Michigan Goal: Strand 3, Content Standard 2, Benchmark 2- Compare and contrast or classify familiar organisms on the basis of observable physical characteristics.

c. KC4 Goal: 5:1- TLW compare and classify animals on the basis of structure and function utilizing a group-generated classification system and the scientific classification system.

3. Objectives:

a. Lesson 1:

i. TLW classify objects according to criteria that they have set up.

ii. TLW explain why they chose certain criteria for classification and how each object fits in that category.

b. Lesson 2:

i. TLW identify the 6 major characteristics of living things.

ii. TLW explain what organisms and cells are.

iii. TLW be able to distinguish between examples and non-examples of living things.

c. Lesson 3:

i. TLW be able to identify the five kingdoms.

ii. TLW be able to classify living organisms into their correct kingdom.

d. Lesson 4:

i. TLW be able to verbally identify the seven levels of classification

for species.

ii. TLW be able to describe in a paragraph the importance of Latin names in classification.

e. Lesson 5:

i. TLW identify characteristics of invertebrates.

ii. TLW classify different invertebrates into their separate groups.

iii. TLW generate a chart listing each group based on the traditional scientific classification system of life functions/structures.

f. Lesson 6:

i. TLW explore ways of comparing vertebrates.

ii. TLW compare and contrast the different classes of vertebrates.

iii. TLW prepare an oral report to give to the class on a certain mammal they chose.

Unit Map

Lesson 1:

- Introduction to Classification

- Group exploration activity on classifying objects

- Class discussion on the different ways to classify objects according to characteristics

- Group exploration activity on classifying leaves according to set criteria

- Class discussion to determine if all categorized the leaves correctly

- Class activity on classifying people in the room based on characteristics (clothing, hair, gender, etc.)

- Discussion on how are people are similar, leading to discussion on what makes people living

Lesson 2:

- Brainstorm activity on what makes something living (the characteristics), discussion and ideas written down in pairs

- Students may act out or demonstrate in some way the characteristics of living things

- Lecture on Organisms, Cells, and the 6 Life Processes

- Candle activity as a near example of the 6 life processes

- Activity: looking at cells through microscopes and drawing the cell

- Evaluation Activity on items that are living organisms “Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down”

Lesson 3:

- Introduction of the 5 kingdoms

- Group work- identify specific animals, plants, fungi, protists and bacteria

- Discussion of reasons behind the identification during group work

- Going through worksheet of actual characteristics of the 5 kingdoms

- Group work- identify a new organism using the characteristics just learned

- Group work- create a new organism and giving reasons why that organism is either a fungi, protist or bacteria

- Individual work- find a picture of an animal and writing why that animal is actually an animal (using characteristics given in class)

Lesson 4:

- Introduction of divisions of the kingdoms- phylum, class, order, family, genus, species

- Classifying a dog

- Learn the importance of Latin names of organisms

- Learn King Philip Came Over From Germany Singing

- Partner work- learn the above acronym

- Group work- identify kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species of several animals

- Individual work- write a paragraph on why Latin names are important

Lesson 5:

- Explore Activity: Looking at invertebrates and vertebrates.

- Introduction to invertebrates and vertebrates.

- Groups of Invertebrates

- How invertebrates affect people

- “I learned…. Statements.

Lesson 6:

- Explore Activity: looking at differences and similarities among vertebrates

- Introduction to classes of vertebrates

- Vertebrate game

How the lessons are linked:

Our first lesson introduces the idea of classifying. The students participate in several general activities to help them learn more about what classifying is. The second lesson talks about what makes things living which directly leads into the third lesson about how living things or organisms are classified into kingdoms. The fourth lesson introduces the divisions of kingdoms. The fifth and sixth lessons address one kingdom specifically (the animal kingdom) by discussing invertebrates and vertebrates. Overall our unit goes from general classifying to specific naming of animals in one kingdom.

Instructional Strategies and Materials

Lesson 1:

By: Rebecca Esche

I. Subject / Topic: Introduction to Classification

This lesson will introduce students to classification and give them practice in classifying objects in preparation for learning about scientific classification.

II. Rationale / Purpose:

Students will need to have practice in and learn about classifying in order to make sense of the classification system that they will study next. Science classification is necessary to understand because it is the worldwide naming system of living things.

III. Objectives:

The Learner will classify objects according to criteria that they have set up.

TLW explain why they chose certain criteria for classification and how each object fits

in that category.

IV. Content:

Today we are going to be learning about classifying objects. When you classify something, you place things that share similar characteristics together in groups. You are going to learn how to put different objects into groups based on characteristics that the objects have. You get to decide what characteristics you want to use to divide the objects. This is a fun lesson where you get to explore how to classify things according to your own standard.

1. Classification of Objects -

All students will be divided up into groups of four. Each group will be given a baggie full of little objects. The students will also be given one table on a sheet of paper per group. As a group, students will be asked to come up with categories to divide the objects into. There will be one main heading for all the objects. There will be two subcategories under that. The next category will have two subcategories under the last two. Students can continue narrowing down further if they are able to, but will not be required to make more divisions than the first three tiers of categories. Students will be asked to talk collectively and come up with divisions together. They will have fifteen minutes to complete this activity. A class discussion will follow about how they divided their objects differently.

2. Classification of leaves -

Students will stay in their groups for this activity. They will be given baggies of different types of leaves. They will be given another classification sheet, but this sheet will have the classifying criteria already listed. The students will discuss together what leaves should be placed under what criteria. They will list these on the paper. The class will have ten minutes to complete this activity. After they are finished, the class will discuss what leaves go where on the sheet. They will see if they classified each leaf correctly.

3. Classifying People Based on Different Characteristics-

The teacher will open up a discussion about how the people in the classroom are all alike and different. How would the people in the class be classified? The teacher will make a basic chart on the board of ways that we can classify people (hair color, eye color, tall or short, girl or boy, ect.). The students will be asked to survey their group members to determine who has what characteristics. One person in each group will have to take a tally of how many fit each criterion. The teacher will place the final count on the board. Then they will discuss how all the people are the same. What do they all have in common? As a class, the students will come up with some criteria for how all people are alike (we all breathe, eat, talk, move, ect). Are we all alive? Yes, we are all living people. After students have got a grasp of what if means to be a live human being, the teacher will ask if a dog would fit any of the criteria. A tree, rock, or car? The teacher will lead the discussion to how these things are not alive and how living things are similar. This will prepare students for the next lesson in the unit. This will be a ten to fifteen minute activity.

V. Strategies and Activities:

The activities for this lesson were all explained under content since this whole lesson is an exploratory lesson to introduce students to classification. The objectives are clearly reached through the use of the three activities.

VI. Materials:

• Baggies with various small objects (string, twist ties, quarter, ect.)

• Baggies of individual silk and real leaves

• Two worksheets to guide discovery

• Chalkboard and chalk/dry erase marker

VII. Plans for Individual Differences:

To allow for different learning techniques during the lesson, I would let students who learn more visually to draw the objects and leaves rather than write down the names on the worksheets. Another way I would account for individual differences would be let students who struggle with the concept of classification to have more time and work one-on-one with each other to do the activities rather than with a whole group.

VIII. Evaluation:

The teacher will know the students have reached their objectives when they participate in the group work and discussions. All students will come up with criteria the objects in the bag and will completely classify everything in the baggy. They will have to give a good rationale for the criteria they set up when asked. All students will turn in their classification sheet on the leaves and objects. The leaves should be correctly classified on the sheet.

IX. Lesson Critique:

This lesson went somewhat differently than what I had anticipated. There are several things I would do differently if I had the chance. First of all, I would do a sample classification problem with the whole class before giving out the group work. During the group class work time, several kids were lost as to what they were supposed to do. They had no basic concept of classification like some of the other kids did. I would also set up a time limit for each activity to be done in and would let the class know. I used up too much time for this lesson waiting for some groups to finish because they were not on task. It got a little out of hand toward the end of each activity. I would give a prize for the first group to get the activity done correctly in the shortest amount of time. I would also cut down the amount of group activity if I were to do it again. It was almost too much group work for some kids. I could tell that several were getting very frustrated with working with people and accomplishing little.

Lesson 2:

By: Rebecca Esche

I. Subject / Topic: Living Things

This lesson will discuss what living things are and will explain their basic characteristics.

II. Rationale / Purpose:

Students need to learn about characteristics of living things so that they will have a correct view of the natural world around them. It will also be important to understand when they begin to study how living things are classified.

III. Objectives:

The Learner will identify the 6 major characteristics of living things.

TLW explain what organisms and cells are.

TLW be able to distinguish between examples and non-examples of living things.

IV. Content:

1. Brainstorm Activity: What makes all the members of your class alike and alive? This will be a review and extension of the last day’s lesson and discussion. The students will discuss in pairs what it means to be alive and write down the criteria for being a living creature. The class will come back together and see what ideas they came up with. Are there any different ideas from yesterday? These ideas will all be written up on the board. The teacher will ask for volunteers who will demonstrate any of these traits of being alive physically for the class. This will give students a visual and fun aid to understand what they have been discussing.

2. Input – Lecture

The world is made of many living things. The word “organism” is another name for what a living thing is. Every organism is made up of cells. Cells are the tiny building blocks of organisms. These cells have the job of keeping organisms alive. They do this by six activities called “life processes.”

The first life process is getting energy and nutrients to live on. Animals get nutrients and energy from eating other organisms. The second process is using energy for other life processes. Cells use energy when they repair damage done to a cell. A third process is involves the cell or organism reproducing itself, making more of there own kind. The fourth life process involves growing. A fifth process involves getting rid of wastes from the organism’s cells. These wastes can become poisonous and must be gotten rid of. The last life process of all organisms is that they must react to outside changes. Organisms that live in cold climates, for example, must know how to change or react to climate changes in order to stay alive.

Without these six characteristics, organisms cannot be considered living things. Think about it, people and mushrooms are alike because they all: get energy, they use the energy to live on, reproduce, grow, get rid of wastes in their “bodies”, and adapt to changes in their environment. They may do all of these things in a much different way, but they are all living organisms. Another key point to remember is that each is made of cells. If something is not made of cells it cannot be living.

V. Strategies and Activities:

1. Candle Example:

Have the students list the six life processes. Light a candle and tell the students to observe the flame as you gently blow on the flame from several angles. Questions: What life process is the flame imitating? In what other ways does the flame imitate life processes? (Possible answers: grows if fed more fuel, can reproduce more flames, gives of wastes – smoke and wax drippings) Although the flame seems to perform like processes, how do you know it is not alive? (Guide students to explain that it is not made of cells.) This activity is a good critical thinking activity of a near example of what a living organism might be. This may be an activity that students have to sit down for a few minutes and write down their thoughts on why or why not the candle is a living organism.

2. Microscope and Slides of Cells:

The teacher will have six slides prepared of cells to look at. There should be slides of human cells and slides of plant cells. There will need to be three microscopes with two slides at each station. Students should be given time to look at the two slides under a microscope and draw what they see on a piece of paper. They should write a sentence or two about how the two cells are different. Have them guess how many cells are in the human body.

VI. Materials:

• Candle

• Candle holder

• 3 microscopes

• Slides of plant and animal cells (3 each, minimum)

• Pencils

• Paper

VII. Plans for Individual Differences:

For children that might have trouble seeing, I would have some pictures of cells from off the inter-net that they could look at instead of looking through the microscope. They could draw what they saw from the picture. For students who might have a problem paying attention during lecture or for a student who has difficulty taking notes, I would make up a quick little worksheet of my notes for them. Several of the words would be left blank or some sentences might be left out completely. The students could fill these in while the teacher is lecturing.

VIII. Evaluation:

The teacher will orally check the students’ understanding of an organism. After you name each item on the following list, have the students turn their thumb up if the item is a living organism or down if it is not.

Aluminum (down) Lettuce (up)

Coal (down) Rose (up)

Milk (down) Steel (down)

Flea (up) Paper (down)

Mold (up) Jam (down)

The teacher will also orally ask questions of the class. What are the 6 Life Processes? How does a frog or tree meet all of these life processes? What is an organism? What is a cell? Do all living things have cells? Are all living things classified as animals?

IX. Lesson Critique:

If I were to teach this lesson differently, I would probably let students work together in groups of two to come up with the ways that the people in their class all show that they are alive. I would let them come up with their own way of telling the class their results: such as acting their traits out, talking in front of class, drawing a picture and describing it, ect. This might be more fun and interactive than discussing these things together as a class. This would all depend on the amount of time and the attitude of students that day. I might give a quiz for an evaluation rather than the informal “thumbs” activity. This would be based on how well the students seem to be grasping the concept of classification.

Lesson 3:

By: Katie Abshagen

I. Topic: The Five Kingdoms

II. Purpose: It is important for the students to learn about the five kingdoms because it is more effective to teach students about the many organisms in this world when are organized into groups. I think students will be able learn the organisms better because they will be able to fit each organism into a specific kingdom and will be able to compare and contrast the different organisms in different kingdoms. I also think it is important for students to learn about the organisms in the five kingdoms because God created each one of these organisms. We should learn as much as we can about what God has created.

III. Objectives: The learner will be able to identify the five kingdoms.

The learner will be able to classify living organisms into their correct kingdom.

IV. Content:

1. To start off, I will ask the students: What other things can we classify besides what we classified in the previous lesson with Miss Echse? Let’s review why it is important to classify things.

2. I will explain to the students: As Miss Echse mentioned, there are 5 major kingdoms used to classify living things. These kingdoms are Animal, Plant, Fungi, Protist and Bacteria (write on board). I am going to divide you into groups and pass out pictures of living things that belong in each of these groups. As a group, I want you to identify which living things go in which categories and prepare reasons why you decided how you did. I will give you 10 minutes now to work.

3. Okay class. Come tape your pictures on the board and we will talk about why you made your decisions. I will write your ideas on the board. Group 1: Why did you decide these two living things were animals? Group 2: Why did you decide this belonged to the bacteria group? Group 3: How did you decide that this organism was a protist? Group 4: Why did you decide these two living things were plants? Group 5: How did you decide this organism belonged in the fungus kingdom?

4. Okay, you had some good reasons. I want to quickly explain to you the characteristics for deciding what organism goes in a particular category. Use this worksheet as I go over the characteristics. I will fill in this overhead sheet as I am talking. (These characteristics are taken from the Sixth Grade book by Moyer).

5. Characteristics of Animals: (Let’s think about if your choices fit these qualities….)

a. They are multicelled organisms

b. They eat and digest other organisms

c. Most can move from place to place

d. They have tissues organized into organs and organ systems

e. Examples: horse, dog, cat, humans

6. Characteristics of Plants: (Let’s think about if your choices fit these qualities….)

a. They are multicelled organisms

b. They use sunlight to make their own food (and produce oxygen)

c. Roots or rootlike structures anchor the plant and absorb water

d. Examples: Flowering plants, mosses, cone-bearing plants like firs, spruce and pines

7. Characteristics of Fungi: (Let’s think about if your choices fit these qualities….)

a. They are mostly multicelled organisms

b. hey cannot make their own food

c. They absorb and digest food

d. Examples: mold, mushrooms

8. Characteristics of Protists: (Let’s think about if your choices fit these qualities….)

a. They are one-celled and multicelled organisms

b. Plantlike protists make their own food

c. Animal-like protists take in food from their surroundings

d. Examples: algae, seaweed- which is multicelled, protozoa

9. Characteristics of Bacteria: (Let’s think about if your choices fit these qualities….)

a. They are one-celled organisms

b. They have few cell parts

c. Most do not make their own food but break down or decompose other living things

d. Some bacteria make their own food

V. Strategies and Activities:

- To check for understanding, I will give each group a new organism and see if they can correctly identify it based on the characteristics I have just introduced to them.

- For a guided practice activity, the students will work in the same groups as they did during the input part of this lesson. They will be classifying a newly discovered organism. They will draw this organism and label its most important or distinctive parts. They will then classify this organism in the appropriate kingdom and be ready to explain to the class how their organism fits into the particular kingdom they chose.

- For this activity, the students will be looking through magazines (such as Ranger Rick, National Geographic, and Zoobook) to find a picture of an animal. They will then write a short paragraph explaining why the animal they found is actually an animal. They will do this by explaining how this animal fits into the qualifications of an animal (multicelled organisms, eat and digest other organisms, move from place to place and have tissues organized into organs and organ systems).

- Show students pictures from magazines of other fungi, protists and bacteria.

VI. Materials:

- Handout for students to take notes on

- Overhead of handout

- Overhead

- Overhead and board markers

- Pictures of animals, plants, fungi, protests and bacteria

- Magazines

- Paper

- Tape

- Markers or colored pencils

VII. Plans for Individual Differences: I will accommodate for academic differences by placing students who perform lower academically with at least one student who performs at a higher level academically so the students can learn from each other. I will accommodate for learning style differences by providing visual, manipulative and auditory instruction and activities. I will accommodate for personality differences by allowing the students to work in groups and by themselves.

VIII. Evaluation: I will evaluate the students informally by observing whether they are working cooperatively in groups and actively contributing in class discussions. I will check the groups’ newly discovered organism. This organism will need to be drawn neatly and creatively, labeled and classified into a kingdom. I will also assess the students by reading their animal paragraphs to see if they can accurately describe why the animal is actually an animal using the animal characteristics. In addition, the students will be required to write the five kingdoms out on a mini quiz.

IX. Lesson Critique Summary: This lesson did not go as I planned. When I went to teach this lesson, I could tell the students were tired of group work. So, I went through the characteristics of animals, plants, fungi, protists and bacteria on the overhead first. Then I handed out the pictures and asked the groups specific questions about specific pictures. I think the students welcomed the change of pace- having to take notes instead of working in a group. If I were to do this lesson again, I would probably try to do it as I originally had planned because I would make sure the students had not just been working in groups for 45 minutes. I think the students liked looking at the pictures I gave each group so I would probably try to give them more time to interact with these pictures to try to figure out which were pictures of animals, which were pictures of plants, fungi, protists and bacteria.

Name:______________________________ Date:___________________

The Five Kingdoms

Animals:

They are _____________________ organisms.

They ____________ and _____________ other organisms.

Most can ___________________ from _____________ to ________________.

They have ______________ organized into ___________ and organ ______________.

Plants:

They are ____________________ organisms.

They use __________________ to make their own _______________.

____________ or root-like structures ___________ the plant and ___________ water.

Fungi:

They are mostly ___________________ organisms.

They ______________ make their own _____________.

They _______________ and _____________ food.

Protists:

They are _________________ and _______________ organisms.

Plantlike protists make their own _______________.

__________________ protists take in _______________ from their surroundings.

Bacteria:

They are ________________ organisms.

They are few _______________ parts.

Most do not make their own _________but break down or _______________ other living things.

Some bacteria make their own _______________.

Lesson 4:

By: Katie Abshagen

I. Topic: Divisions of Kingdoms

II. Purpose: It is important for the students to learn about how the five kingdoms because they need to know why and how organisms got their specific Latin names. They need to be able to communicate with others about these organisms. I also think it is important for students to learn about the divisions of the kingdoms because God created every organism in the world. We should learn as much as we can about what God has created.

III. Objectives: The learner will be able to verbally identify the seven levels of classification

for species.

The learner will be able to describe in a paragraph the importance of Latin names in classification.

IV. Content:

1. To start off, I will ask the students: Does your family ever go to family reunions? Do you see your relatives on birthdays, holidays or other special days? Do you spend time talking with your aunts, uncles, cousins or great-aunts and uncles? All your family members are related to each other and this can be shown in a family tree. “Every living thing on our planet has a family tree. This family tree shows the relationship of one living thing to other living things” (Classifying). We have already talked about how animals are divided into kingdoms. Now we are going to talk about how kingdoms are divided and how these divisions are like branches of a “family tree.”

2. Today we are going to talk about the six levels that kingdoms are divided into. The seven levels in order from biggest to most specific are kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species. Kingdoms are divided into phyla. “All members of a phylum share at least one important structure or other characteristic. For example, elephants and earthworms all belong to the animal kingdom. However, elephants have a backbone and earthworms do not” (Moyer, Sixth Grade, A8). Therefore they belong to different phyla. Phyla are divided to smaller categories called classes. Classes are divided into orders. “The most similar members of an order are grouped into a family. The most similar family members are grouped into a genus” (A9). The most specific category is the species category.

3. This is how a dog is classified: Kingdom= Animalia (multicelled organisms that eat food), Phylum= Chordata (animals that have a backbone), Class= Mammalia (animals that feed young with milk and have fur), Order= Carnivora (mammals with sharp teeth and claws used for eating meat), Family= Canidae (carnivores with coarse fur, lengthy limbs, claws that don’t pull in, eyes with round pupils), Genus= Canis (examples: dogs, wolves, coyotes), Species= familiaris (dogs) (A9). (I will give them a worksheet so they can follow along).

4. In the 1700s Carolus Linnaeus develop these classification system of dividing organisms into different kingdoms and also the smaller divisions we have been talking about today. He used Latin names for the categories (Classifying). Therefore, each organism has a Latin name which is how they are identified. We do not speak Latin in the United States but Latin is used because it is a universal language throughout the world. Because organisms have Latin names, they can be easily named anywhere in the world. Each organism is named after its genus and species name. A dog is therefore called Canis familiaris.

5. An easy way to remember the seven levels of classification for species is by remembering this acronym: King Philip Came Over From Germany Singing. The first letters of each of these words is the same letter as each level of classification.

V. Strategies and Activities:

- To check for understanding, I will have the students practice memorizing King Philip Came Over From Germany Singing with a partner. I will also have them practice connecting the correct words to this acronym. In addition, I will have them tell a partner why Latin names are important in classification. I will walk around the classroom to make sure they are learning the levels, connecting the correct words to the acronym and explaining why Latin names are important.

- For a guided practice activity, I will divide the class into groups. Each group will classify an animal such as a cat, giraffe, elephant, wolf, leopard, frog or earthworm into their appropriate kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species by searching the Internet and by looking through encyclopedias, books and other resources.

- For this activity, the students will write a short paragraph explaining why Latin names are important in classification. They will also write the acronym for this lesson on their paper.

VI. Materials:

- Computers

- Encyclopedias

- Books

- Animal pictures

- Overhead marker

- Paper

VII. Plans for Individual Differences: I will accommodate for academic differences by placing students who perform lower academically with at least one student who performs at a higher level academically so the students can learn from each other. I will accommodate for learning style differences by providing visual, manipulative and auditory instruction and activities. I will accommodate for personal differences by allowing the students to work in groups and by themselves.

VIII. Evaluation: I will evaluate the students informally by observing whether they are working cooperatively in groups and actively contributing in class discussions. I will check the group work to see if the students correctly identified the correct kingdom- species of the animals. I will also assess the students by reading their paragraphs to see if they can explain why Latin names are important in classification.

IX. Lesson Critique Summary: For this lesson, I might change the format if I were to teach it again. I would allow the students to practice classifying animals after I go through the dog example before I finish up with why animals have Latin names. This would give the students a break from listening to me and it would give me a break from talking. I also might give them more guidance on the classifying animal project such showing them what books to look in to find the information.

Lesson 5:

By: Jessica Waskiewicz

Topic: Introduction to Invertebrates

Purpose: This lesson will help students become familiar with the need for categorizing scientific information, in this case, animals. It is important for students to understand that animals share some of the same characteristics with each other and they also differ from one another. Students should be able to look at the world around them and make sense of it.

Objectives:

- TLW identify characteristics of invertebrates.

- TLW classify different invertebrates into their separate groups.

- TLW generate a chart listing each group based on the traditional scientific classification system of life functions/structures.

Anticipatory Set:

- The teacher will bring out examples of invertebrates and vertebrates. Then show them to the class. For example, for invertebrates bring earthworm, roundworms, flatworms, jellyfish, spiders, lobster, crab, starfish, octopuses, etc. For vertebrates bring fish, cat, bird, frog, etc. The teacher will ask the students the names of these animals and to describe their bodies. (Possible answers: bodies are slimy, squishy, or hard; bodies have wings, legs, spines, or tentacles.) Then decide whether each animal has a backbone, a hard outer covering, or neither.

Input:

I. Definition of Invertebrates and Vertebrates

a. Animals are classified as vertebrates or invertebrates based on the type of skeletal system.

i. Invertebrate: an animal that does not have a backbone. Insects and crabs are two examples of invertebrates which have an external skeletal system (exoskeleton).

ii. Vertebrates: an animal that does have a backbone. Vertebrates are those animals with a backbone and internal skeletal system (endoskeleton). Groups of vertebrates include mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians.

II. Where they live?

a. Invertebrates live in water and on land. Some of those that live in water spend part of their lives stuck in one spot. Others swim through or on water. Still others crawl or walk on the bottoms of oceans, streams, or lakes.

III. Variety of Invertebrates

a. Many different kinds! More then one million different kinds!

i. Sponges – simplest of all animals, live in water, does not move from place to place.

ii. Cnidaria (Coelenterates) – live in water, some attached to rocks; have tentacles and stinging cells around mouths.

iii. Worms: Segmented Worms – body is long, rounded, and divided into segments. Live in water or damp soil.

iv. Flat Worms – Live in water, damp soil, have flat bodies, soft

v. Round Worms – live in water and moist soil, body is shaped like a cylinder.

vi. Mollusks – Most live in salt water, some live in fresh water and on land; all have a foot, internal organs, many have shells.

vii. Echinoderms – Live in salt water, have spiny skins, move very slowly, radically symmetrical, 5 arms from central body.

viii. Arthropods – Live in water and on land; many can fly; have a hard outer body covering and jointed legs; bodies have one to three main sections.

IV. How do Invertebrates Affect People?

a. Some invertebrates, such as bees, butterflies, wasps, and moths, pollinate plants that produce food crops, such as peach, apple, and pear trees.

b. Other invertebrates, such as insect pests, attack and destroy the same crops.

c. Other invertebrates, such as mosquitoes, ticks, flies, and roundworms, cause or transmit diseases of humans.

d. They are a food source. Seafood; lobsters, shrimp, and crabs. Honey is the product of bees.

Strategies and Activities:

- Hands-On – The students will have a chance to observe different examples of vertebrates and invertebrates. They will observe, classify, and answer different questions about these animals.

- Chart – This will help students keep track of and organize the different characteristics of invertebrates.

Materials:

- Live animals

- Stuffed animals

- Pictures of animals

- Chart Handout

- Characteristic Handout

Plans for Individual Instruction:

Throughout the lesson, the teacher will try to reach each child’s learning style. This lesson will include the auditory learning style by having the students listen to the teacher and other classmates when they share different characteristics about invertebrates. For the visual learners, some pictures and props will be provided in the lesson for examples. To help the kinesthetic learners, they can touch and observe real invertebrates. There are also hands on activities the students will be working with. …he students will be working with. move around move around the classroom while they are bartering. There is also hands on actiiThe students will also be working and learning together for part of the lesson in order to help each other out. The lesson overall is designed to reach each type of learner as much as possible not leaving any child out.

Evaluation:

- Students will write down two to four sentences on what they have learned in today’s lesson about invertebrates, in the form of an “I learned…” statement. Students will then share their sentences with a partner. The teacher will walk around and assess whether the students have a good understanding of the material. The teacher will move on to vertebrates if the students seem to understand characteristics of invertebrates and the different classifications of them. The teacher will collect these sheets to go over quickly as the students begin the guided practice portion of the lesson.

- At the beginning of instruction the teacher will pass out a chart for the students to fill in with the different characteristics and examples of invertebrates. The students will fill in this chart during the lesson when each group is covered.

- Characteristic Handout – The students will be able to fill in worksheet with written responses that are clear and accurate with a proficiency of 14 out of 16.

- Poster – Have the students choose one animal from one phylum in the lesson and create a poster with a drawing of the animal, labeled with its name and any special characteristics of the animal.

Lesson Critique: I felt like I went over some much information in such a short period of time. Next time I can break it up more. The chart was a good way for the students to take notes and organize their thoughts. Also, I will give them more time to explore invertebrates.

Invertebrates

Name ________________________

|Group |Characteristics |Examples |

|Sponges | | |

|Cnidaria | | |

|Segmented Worms | | |

|Flat Worms | | |

|Round Worms | | |

|Mollusks | | |

|Echinoderms | | |

|Arthropods | | |

Invertebrates

Name ________________

Date ____________

Given each group of invertebrates, list one characteristic and one specific example for each.

Group Characteristics Example

Sponges _____________ ____________

Cnidaria _____________ ____________

Segmented Worms _____________ ____________

Flat Worms _____________ ____________

Round Worms _____________ ____________

Mollusks _____________ ____________

Echinoderms _____________ ____________

Arthropods _____________ ____________

Lesson 6:

By: Jessica Waskiewicz

Topic: Introduction to Vertebrates

Purpose: This lesson will help students become familiar with the need for categorizing scientific information, in this case, animals. It is important for students to understand that animals share some of the same characteristics with each other and they also differ from one another. Students should be able to look at the world around them and make sense of it.

Objectives:

- TLW explore ways of comparing vertebrates.

- TLW compare and contrast the different classes of vertebrates.

- TLW prepare an oral report to give to the class on a certain mammal they chose.

Anticipatory Set:

- Explore Activity

The teacher brings out several photographs of animals. The pictures can be of an iguana, parrot, angelfish, and salamander, at least one animal from every group (fish, reptile, amphibians, bird, and mammal). The students work in groups to observe each animal. They compare and contrast the animals and make a table showing their comparisons. Some questions they will have to answer would be: What characteristics did you use to compare? Contrast? Based on your observations, what characteristics do all vertebrates have in common?

Input:

I. What do Vertebrates Have in Common?

a. They all have backbones

b. Belongs to the Cordata phylum. A chordate is any animal that at some time in its life has a large nerve cord running down its back.

c. They all have an internal skeleton that supports their body. An internal skeleton is called an endoskeleton.

II. Classes of Vertebrates

a. Birds

b. Mammal

c. Reptiles

d. Amphibians

e. Fish

III. What are Fish like?

a. Almost three-fourths of the world's surface is covered in water. This water is home to over 20,000 different species of fish. The earliest fossils of fish date back over 400 million years

b. There are a wide variety of fish — from the goby which is less than one half an inch long, to the whale shark which can be over 60 feet long. Most fish breathe through gills. Gills perform the gas exchange between the water and the fish's blood. They allow the fish to breathe oxygen in the water.

c. Fishes are vertebrates that have a skeleton made of either bone or cartilage. About 95% of fishes have skeletons made of bone. Fishes with a cartilage skeleton tend to be heavier than water and sink. They must swim to keep afloat. Cartilaginous (cartilage) fish include the ray and the shark.

d. Most fish swim using a tail fin. Muscles in the tail fin move it from side to side, forcing water backward, and propelling the fish forward. Other fins help the fish change direction and stop. Pectoral fins on their side help them swim up and down. Dorsal and anal fins on the top and bottom keep the fish upright. Pelvic fins on the underside help steer left and right.

e. Many fish eat plants, while others such as the shark, eat other fish.

IV. What are Reptiles like?

a. The most noticeable feature of reptiles are the scales that cover their body.

b. Although reptiles breathe through lungs, some reptiles can also absorb oxygen in water through membranes in their mouth.

c. Reptiles are often called cold-blooded because they can't regulate their own body temperature. Their body temperature depends on the external temperature.

d. Crocodiles and alligators are large amphibious reptiles. They can walk on land using their webbed feet. They can also use their long tail to swim in water. Crocodiles feed on large animals they catch on land or in water. They have powerful jaws and teeth to tear apart their prey.

e. Lizards and snakes are the largest group of reptiles. Lizards are four legged animals with a long tail. Many lizards can shed their tail to escape from predators. They can then grow a new tail.

V. What are Amphibians like?

a. Amphibians lay their eggs in water, and young amphibians tend to resemble small fish.

b. The tadpole, or newborn frog, is born and lives in water. It has a tail that allows it to swim like a fish. It also has gills so that it can breathe under water. As the tadpole grows into a frog, it loses its gills and tail, and develops legs for moving on land. Most amphibians can both walk and swim in water.

c. Depending on the species of amphibian, breathing can take place in gills, lungs, the lining of the mouth, the skin, or some combination of these.

d. Amphibians body temperature changes with its environment. In cold climates, amphibians hibernate during the winter.

e. Frogs, toads, and salamanders.

VI. What are Mammals like?

a. Mammals have several unique characteristics that differentiate them from other animals.

i. Most mammals have hair, or fur, covering their body.

ii. They are also capable of regulating their body temperature. The mammal’s metabolism controls heat production, and the sweat glands help cool the body. These allow the mammal to maintain a constant body temperature, regardless of the environmental temperature.

iii. One other difference is that mammals give birth to fully formed babies, and the female mammals produce milk to feed their young.

b. Most mammals walk on 4 legs, with only the humans walking upright on 2 legs. Aquatic mammals have flippers, or fins, for swimming rather than legs.

c. Common mammals include: primates, such humans and monkeys; marsupials; rodents; whales; dolphins; and, seals.

VII. What are birds like?

a. Birds first appeared about 150 million years ago. Birds now live almost everywhere on Earth. There are over 8,000 species of birds. Birds have 3 major differentiating characteristics: wings for flight, feathers, and a beak rather than teeth.

b. Birds have adapted their vertebrate skeleton for flight. Their bones and skull are very thin, making their bodies extremely light.

c. To support flight also required other changes to their skeleton. Obvious changes are the addition of wings.

d. Birds are warm-blooded. This means that they automatically keep their body temperature constant.

Strategies and Activities:

- Explore Activity – looking at different animals and pointing out similarities and differences.

- Vertebrate Game

o For the game, a student will come up to the front of the room and pick an animal card. The student will then speak as if s/he were that animal, and make the class first guess what type of animal (bird, fish, etc.) s/he is, and then give the class hints about the name of the specific animal. The teacher will model the game first. For example if the teacher is a "cat," then she will start off by saying, "I am warm blooded and I have hair." The students should be able to guess at that point that the teacher is a "mammal." At that point, the teacher may go on to more specific information. "I am cute and furry, and I like to chase mice." The idea is to go from general to specific, so it is important that the students only give information about the animal type (reptile, mammal) first. Once the class has gotten the first part right, then the student may go on with more specific information about the animal. This rule is likely to be the most confusing for the students, so it is important that the teacher makes a clear distinction between describing the CLASS of the animal, and the features of the animal itself.

- Visit and explore more in-depth about vertebrates. The students are given a few questions to answer as a guide to find out more about one specific wild mammal. The student will then give an oral report on a wild mammal. They should tell how big it is, what kind of fur it has, where is live, what is eats, how many young it has, and how it cares for its young.

Materials:

- photographs of animals

- research books

- A list of various species of animals (a stack of about 20 3x5 cards which children select).

- Internet/Oral report guide

Plans for individual Instruction:

Throughout the lesson, the teacher will try to reach each child’s learning style. This lesson will include the auditory learning style by having the students listen to the teacher and other classmates when they share different characteristics about vertebrates. For the visual learners, some pictures and props will be provided in the lesson for examples. To help the kinesthetic learners there are times when the game will be played and they will have the chance to get up and move. There are also hands on activities the students will be working with. …he students will be working with. move around move around the classroom while they are bartering. There is also hands on actiiThe students will also be working and learning together for part of the lesson in order to help each other out. The lesson overall is designed to reach each type of learner as much as possible not leaving any child out.

Evaluation:

Game: The teacher will use the game itself as an informal assessment of student knowledge. Students who take animal cards should be able to describe their animals clearly and accurately so that the class may guess. The teacher will also look for the use of terms and facts covered in the lesson. While the class is guessing, the teacher will not only look for correct answers, but will see if students can defend their guesses. (Ex., telling children, "Good guess. Can you tell me why?")

Oral Report: This is an informal assessment for the teacher to look at if the students know what a mammal is and some unique characteristics about them. The students should be able to fill in the guide and summarize to the class what they learned. The teacher should look for accurate information and a sense of understanding the material.

Lesson Critique: The students loved the animals. That is a definite most for future lessons. However, I should give them more time to observe the animals and ask questions about them. The students liked the game. This was a good way to review animals. There was a lot of student participation.

Vertebrates

Mammals

Name_________________________

Date_____________________

Your job is to visit IndexV.htm on the internet.

___Step #1 – Explore the website and pick out a mammal that you would want to know more about. Try and pick a mammal that you don’t know that much about!

___Step #2 – Select a mammal. My wild Mammal is_________________________.

___Step #3 – Answer the following questions

- How big it is? ___________________________________________

- What kind of fur does it have? ______________________________

- Where does it live? _______________________________________

- What does it eats? ________________________________________

- How many young does it have? ______________________________

- How does it care for its young? _____________________________

- Other interesting facts you found out __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____ Step #4 – Find a picture of your mammal and print it out.

____Step #5 – Put your thoughts together and prepare to share with the class the information you found on your mammal.

Marsupials, such as a kangaroo, give birth to

partly developed offspring that finish their development

in their mother’s pouch.

Assessment Strategies

1. Formative:

a. “I learned” Statements- After every lesson, the students will write an “I learned” statement. The teacher will read these to make sure the student understand the concepts. These statements will be worth 5% of the total grade.

b. Informal observations during group work.

c. Informal observations during class discussions.

d. Three mini-quizzes- After the second lesson, the students will have mini-quiz and will have to answer the question “Describe what classifying is in your own words.” The second mini-quiz will be after the fourth lesson with the question “Name the five kingdoms and one organism that belongs in each kingdom.” The last quiz will be after the sixth lesson and will have the question “Describe the difference between invertebrates and vertebrates and give an example of each.” The questions on these “quizzes” will be given orally and the students will write their answers on notebook paper and turn them in. These quizzes will account for 15% of the total grade.

e. Classification sheet on leaves and objects- The teacher will check to see if the leaves and objects are correctly classified on the sheet. This will be worth 3% of the total grade.

f. Informal check- The teacher will orally check the students’ understanding of an organism. After the teacher names each item on the following list, have the students turn their thumb up if the item is a living organism or down if it is not.

Aluminum (down) Lettuce (up)

Coal (down) Rose (up)

Milk (down) Steel (down)

Flea (up) Paper (down)

Mold (up) Jam (down)

The teacher will also orally ask questions of the class. What are the 6 Life Processes? How does a frog or tree meet all of these life processes? What is an organism? What is a cell? Do all living things have cells? Are all living things classified as animals?

g. Newly Discovered Organism- The teacher will check the groups’ newly discovered organism. This organism will need to be drawn neatly and creatively, labeled and classified into a kingdom. This will be worth 5% of total grade.

h. Animal Paragraphs- The teacher read the students’ animal paragraphs to see if they accurately describe why the animal is actually an animal using the animal characteristics. This will be worth 5% of total grade.

i. Mini-quiz- Students will identify the five kingdoms. This will be worth 2% of total grade.

j. Importance of Latin Names- The teacher will read the students’ paragraphs to see if they can explain why Latin names are important in classification. This will be worth 5% of total grade.

k. Chart- Students will fill in chart with the different characteristics and examples of invertebrates.

l. Characteristic Handout- The students will be able to fill in worksheet with written responses that are clear and accurate with a proficiency of 14 out of 16. This will be worth 5% of total grade.

m. Poster- The students will choose one animal from one phylum in the lesson and create a poster with a drawing of the animal, labeled with its name and any special characteristics of the animal. This will be worth 5% of the total grade.

n. Vertebrate Game: The teacher will use the game itself as an informal assessment of student knowledge. Students who take animal cards should be able to describe their animals clearly and accurately so that the class may guess. The teacher will also look for the use of terms and facts covered in the lesson. While the class is guessing, the teacher will not only look for correct answers, but will see if students can defend their guesses. (Ex., telling children, "Good guess. Can you tell me why?")

o. Oral Report: This is an informal assessment for the teacher to look at if the students know what a mammal is and some unique characteristics about them. The students should be able to fill in the guide and summarize to the class what they learned. The teacher should look for accurate information and a sense of understanding the material. This will be worth 5% of total grade.

2. Summative:

a. Students will pick an animal and research this animal using the Internet and books. The students will need to find out how this animal is classified by researching its scientific names from its kingdom down to its species, finding whether it is an invertebrate or vertebrate and why and researching specific characteristics of the animal such as habitat, eating habits, behaviors, life cycle, etc. Then the students will present the information they find using a mobile, diorama or poster. The students will use their visual while they give a brief 1-2 minute presentation to the class. This project will account for 35% of the total grade. (See rubric)

b. Students will think of five questions to ask each other. This activity will let the teacher know if the students understand the material covered in the unit because the students will have to think of questions and appropriate answers. These test questions will not actually be given. This will be worth 10% of the total grade.

Evaluation

When we began writing this unit plan, we did not realize how much work it would take to complete. We have put much time, effort, creativity, planning and preparation into completing this unit. It is hard work to include activities, strategies and assessments that reach many different types of learning styles, multiple personalities and individual student differences. It also was more difficult than we first thought to teach three lessons in a row at Knapp. Although our teaching at Knapp went pretty well, we had to modify several instructional and group activities as we were teaching. This caused us to “be on our toes” while teaching which was good practice for us.

Our group worked very well together. Unit planning with several people is doable because you can share and split up responsibilities, but is very time consuming and takes a lot of cooperation. We would not change the format of how we decided to work on things and get them done. One challenging aspect of writing this unit was lining up all the ideas and activities with the general goals and objectives of this lesson.

We would probably modify several things if we were to teach this unit again. One thing we would do is teach the students three lessons from this unit that follow one another rather than teaching lesson 1, lesson 3 and lesson 5/6 from this unit. This would make it easier for the students because the lessons would flow better. Another thing we would change is the amount of group work for the students. We noticed that after two group activities, the students were getting restless with group work so we had to change the format of the second lesson. Thirdly, we would probably try to finish the written part of the unit plan before teaching the lessons at Knapp. This would give us a better overall picture of what the main goal/purpose of our unit is.

One concern we have about this unit is the amount of assessment that we included. It seems like we have included many more assessment tools than we would actually be able to find time to use in the classroom. It does not seem like we would find the time to assess the students in so many ways during the two weeks. Another concern is that our unit also contains so much information and so many activities that it seems like all these things can not be realistically covered in the two weeks allotted for this lesson.

Bibliography

Animal Diversity. University of Michigan. 1995. .

Classifying Living Things. Maggie’s Earth Adventures. 2001.

Cohen, Dr. Michael R. Discover Science: Grade 5 Teacher Edition. Glenview, Illinois:

Scott, Foresman and Company, 1991.

Invertebrates: Jellyfish and Horseshoe Crabs. .

Moyer, Richard, et al. McGraw-Hill Science: Fifth Grade. Teacher’s ed. New York: Macmillan

McGraw-Hill, 2002.

Moyer, Richard, et al. McGraw-Hill Science: Sixth Grade. Teacher’s ed. New York: Macmillan

McGraw-Hill, 2002.

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