Sample Six Point Lesson Plan- Beaks



Sample Six Point Lesson Plan- Beaks

1. FOCUS AND REVIEW: TEACHER ESTABLISHES PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE.

Students will have learned the definition of structural adaptations (Structural adaptations are unique body shapes that help an animal survive). Students have learned that shapes of birds’ feet help them survive. For example, a webbed foot helps a bird swim which then helps a bird catch its prey in the water. They will apply the concept of structural adaptations to birds’ beaks.

2. OBJECTIVE(S): TEACHER INFORMS STUDENTS OF OBJECTIVE(S).

Given 5 pictures of birds’ beaks, the learner will be able to identify them according to their use (seed crushing, insect boring etc.) with no more than 1 error.

3. TEACHER INPUT: TEACHER PRESENTS INFORMATION AND EXAMPLES.

Teacher will review the definition of structural adaptations with the students and discuss the different feet adaptations they have already learned. Then he/she will discuss the different shapes of birds’ beaks and the foods they eat. As he/she discusses the different beaks the students look at pictures of cardinals, nuthatches, hummingbirds, woodpeckers and sandpipers. Different shapes of birds’ beaks are examples of structural adaptations. These unique shapes help a bird eat. Stout beaks are good for crushing seeds. Cardinals and finches have stout beaks. Long, narrow beaks are good for boring for insects. Nuthatches and creepers have long, narrow beaks that can wedge under tree bark to find insects. Hummingbirds have long, thin, delicate beaks in order to suck nectar out of flowers. Woodpeckers have wide, strong pointed beaks that can hammer into a tree. Sandpipers have long pointed beaks for probing deeply into the sand.

4. GUIDED PRACTICE: TEACHER PROVIDES PRACTICE AND FEEDBACK.

The teacher will give students books with pictures of birds. The teacher will ask the students to identify the type of food the animal eats by looking at the shape of its beak and referring to the examples given in the information and examples section. The teacher will give feedback as to the accuracy of their responses.

5. INDEPENDENT PRACTICE: TEACHER GIVES INDIVIDUAL WORK FOR SEATWORK OR HOMEWORK.

Individually students will receive a worksheet with pictures of the five varieties of beaks described above. They will write characteristics of the beaks and identify how these characteristics help the bird eat certain types of food.

6. EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT: TEACHER BRINGS CLOSURE TO THE LESSON.

The students will take a quiz. The quiz will ask the student to match the beak with the type of food the bird prefers.

Additional information needed.

1. TOPIC/ TIME FRAME

Animal Adaptations-Structural Adaptations-Shapes of Birds’ Beaks. This is a lesson plan that can be taught in one day.

2. PLANS FOR INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

Students will be exposed to the same content, structural adaptations, three times (Information and Examples, Practice and Feedback, and Individual Work). This repetition will help all students be successful. Also students will also receive reinforcement from the teacher during the Practice and Feedback portion of the lesson. As students work individually on the worksheet, the teacher will see who does not understand the content. For those students, the teacher will assign a more able partner to go over the worksheet together.

3. MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Pictures of birds with a variety of beaks as described in the Guided Practice section. Individual student worksheet as described in the Independent Practice section is attached.

4. REFERENCE

This lesson is adapted from:

Conwell, C.R. & Cobb, K. (1990). Science equals success. Education Development Center, Inc. Newton, MA.

Directions: State how each bird uses it beak.

Pictures of Beaks

|[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |

|Hawk |Pelican |Owl | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

|[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |

|Green Heron |Eagle |Flamingo | |

Hawk ______________________________________________________________

1. Pelican ______________________________________________________________

2. Owl ______________________________________________________________

3. Green Heron__________________________________________________________

4. Eagle ______________________________________________________________

5. Flamingo ______________________________________________________________

SAMPLE SIX POINT LESSON PLAN –INSTINCTUAL BEHAVIOR

1. FOCUS AND REVIEW: Teacher establishes Prerequisite Knowledge.

Students will already know the definition for animal adaptations. They know that animal adaptations help an animal survive.

2. OBJECTIVE(S): Teacher informs students of objective(s).

A. Having made a spider web out of yarn and tape, the learner will be able to determine three attributes of the web (sticky, strong, and difficult to see) that they observed that helped the spider catch its prey and identify the spider’s web building activity as instinctive behavior.

B. After participating in a web making activity, students will be able to explain how the instinctive behavior of building webs is a type of adaptation.

C. Using yarn, tape and directions, students will be able to construct a web as shown in the textbook and identify web building as instinctive behavior.

D. Having built the spider web, the students will show appreciation for the complex skills spiders possess by using words such as Wow, and Cool.

3. TEACHER INPUT: (Teacher presents information and examples.

Instinctive behaviors are behaviors that animals know from birth and do not have to learn. Instinctive behaviors are adaptations that help an animal survive. An example of instinctive behavior is a spider knowing how to make a web without having to be taught. Web making is complex. The web contains many attributes (stickiness, strength and barely visible) which help a spider catch its prey. The web the students will build will be an orb web. A orb web is circular in shape with spokes extending from the center. Teacher will show the overall process of web building and illustrate the steps involved in the process. He (she) will illustrate the steps involved in building an orb web. Students observe the process as the teacher draws the web on the board. He (she) will discuss the characteristics of the web (stickiness, strength and barely visible) as he(she draws the web. He (she) will tell the students that spiders know how to make webs when they are born and do not need to be taught how to do it. This is instinctive behavior and it helps the spider survive. If the spider did not know how to build a web, it could not catch its prey. Instinctive behavior is a type of animal adaptation. The teacher also tells the students that the silk comes from the abdomen of the spider.

4. GUIDED PRACTICE: Teacher provides practice and feedback.

The teacher will now let the students practice the skill of web building. He(she) will present the following directions one step while at the same time the students are performing the steps. As the students are following the steps the teacher gives them feedback as to the accuracy of their web building skills.

1. Students will construct an orb spider web with a partner. They will use yarn, scissors and tape to build the web.

2. Following the teacher’s directions, they will need to find at least three places to tie the web that will serve as the framework.

3. Starting at an upper point, the spider stretches silk across to an opposite point to form a bridge.

4. The spider stretches strands down the ends of the bridge to form a framework. See picture below.

5. The spider walks about halfway across the bridge and drops a strand of yarn.

6. The spider travels about halfway back up this vertical strand. This marks the center of the web.

7. The spider pulls a new strand from the center up to the bridge and attaches it to one side of the first strand. See picture below.

8. The spider continues to add radials, working from the center out, alternating from side to side to keep the web equally balanced. The number of radials varies. For this web 8-12 radials are sufficient.

9. Beginning in the center, the spider makes a closely spaced spiral for a short distance. This is the hub. It is the work platform for the spider, and helps hold the radials in place until the web is completed. The spiral is sticky. Use a different colored piece of yarn to show this. The other parts of the web are not sticky.

10. The orb web is now finished. The teacher tells the students the following information: the spider never needs to be taught how to make the web. It simply knows how to do it from birth. This is called instinctive behavior and this behavior helps the spider survive. The spider produces several different kinds of silk, some strong, others sticky and all thin and barely visible to the eye of the prey. The abdomen is where the silk producing glands are located. The silk leaves the spider’s body through spinnerets located at the back of the abdomen.

It is now time to test the web.

1. Attach a length of yarn to the hub of your web. This is the signal line.

2. The students will need a rolled ball of newspaper about the size of an insect. The ball represents the spider’s prey.

3. The student and his/her partner each have a role-one will be the spider and the other the prey.

4. The person who is the spider stretches the signal line to a hiding place. The line should be taut. Your partner will “land” an insect on the web tossing the ball at the web. The spider should be able to feel the landing insect through the signal line. Switch roles with your partner.

5. Partners complete one worksheet together. (worksheet is attached)

5. INDEPENDENT PRACTICE: Teacher gives individual work for seatwork or homework.

The students will individually complete the attached worksheet for seatwork. In addition, the

teacher assigns homework for the students. Individually the students must go home and find a orb spider web in their neighborhood and draw a picture of it. They must list the characteristics of the web (its stickiness, strength and barely visible).

6. CLOSURE: (Teacher gives evaluation/assessment)

Objectives A &B: Teacher will evaluate the attainment of the cognitive domain through completion of the homework assignment. For those students who make mistakes on their worksheet and homework assignment, the teacher will place them with a more able partner who will review their work together.

Objective C: Teacher will evaluate the psychomotor skill by observing the finished products (the yarn webs) and checking which webs had “spiders” that were able to feel the “landing insect” through the signal line. The teacher will use an observation checklist to record the results.

Objective D: Teacher will evaluate the affective domain of appreciation through student comments related to the intricacies of the spider’s webs and the elaborate processes of instinctive behavior of building webs without having to be taught. The teacher will record student responses on an observation checklist.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NEEDED:

1. Topic, Time Frame:

This lesson will focus on one type of animal adaptations, instinctive behavior. This lesson could be covered in one day.

2. Plans for Individual Differences

Students will have a minimal amount of reading in this lesson. The focus is on hands-on learning. Hands-on activities will help the Hispanic students and those that read below grade level be successful. Students will be placed into groups of two with one student being able to read and write and to assist the other student with completion of the worksheet.

3. Materials and Resources

2 colors of yarn, scissors, newspaper wadded into a ball, tape and a student worksheet for every group of 2 students. Overhead transparency showing the steps in building an orb web. Picture of a spider’s spinnerets.

4. Reference

This lesson is adapted from:

Northwest EQUALS, (1995), Family science. Delta, Inc., Berkeley, CA.

STUDENT WORKSHEET

Directions: Answer the following questions with words and/or pictures.

1. Describe a spider’s instinctive behavior.

2. Why is building a web an adaptation?

3. State three important characteristics of a web.

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