Half Hollow Hills CSD Science Department
GRADE: 4 UNIT: Animals Essential Question
How do variations in form and function help organisms meet their needs?
New York State Standards/Key Ideas: Standard 4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science. KEY IDEA 1: Living things are both similar to and different from each other and nonliving things. KEY IDEA 2: Organisms inherit genetic information in a variety of ways that result in continuity of structure and function between parents and offspring.
New York State Performance Indicators: • Describe the characteristics of and variations between living and nonliving things. • Describe the life processes common to all living things. • Recognize that traits are both in inherited and acquired or learned.
Major Understandings:
Students will understand that:
Animals grow and change in predictable ways. (genetics) Animals have life cycles and life spans. Adaptations help a living things to survive. Living things grow, take in nutrients, breathe, reproduce, eliminate waste and die. • Some traits of living things have been in inherited. • Animals need air, water and food in order to live and thrive. • • • •
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GRADE 4
Animals
Essential Questions: • Does an animal live in an environment because of its adaptations or do the adaptations develop as a result of the environment? • To what extent are animal behaviors instinctual, learned or something else? • How do the structure and behavior patterns of organisms enable them to survive? • How do organisms survive in harsh or changing environments? • How do species change through time? • How are new populations developed through natural selection? • What are the life cycles of living things? • How do living things obtain and use energy? • How does an ecosystem respond to change? • How does an animal adapt to our changing seasons?
Students will know: · Students will know adaptations can be behavioral or physical. · Students will know an animal's diet is dependent on its physical adaptations. · Students will know that human interaction with the environment affects animals. · Students will know the basic needs of animals. · Students will know about the seasonal changes of animals: body changes, migration and hibernation. · Students will know key terms: Vocabulary: migration variation trait habitat hibernation reproduce characteristic climate survive structure s predator adaptation inherit genetic prey environment natural parents organism species selection offspring shelter camouflage transfer _
GRADE 4
Animals
Skills:
Students will be able to: • Observe and classify living and nonliving things. • Identify basic characteristics, needs, and functions common to all living things. • Describe the variety of parts that an animal has that are designed for survival in their habitats. • Identify the specialized parts of an animal that are used for locomotion, feeding, protecting, etc. • Observe and record information about plants and animals. • Recognize how differences among individuals within a species can help another organism to survive. • Identify the behaviors and physical adaptations that allow them to survive in the environment. • Compare and contrast different kinds of animals. • Recognize the basic life functions that help organisms sustain life.
Resources: Internet Resources: • Link 1:http://vilenski.com/science/safari • Link 2:http://www.gwf.org/library/kids/kid_lifestylex.htm • Link 3: http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sirrobhitch.suffold/habitats/index.htm • Link 4:http://www.cuug.ab.ca:8001/~animal/ • Link 5:http://www.kidscom.com/orakc/Games/Animalgame/
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Half Hollow Hills CSD Science Department
Unit: Animals
Grade: 4
MINILESSON 1 Identify basic characteristics, needs, and functions common to all living things. Student Sheet A1 (5 pgs.)
MINILESSON 2 Recognize and interpret the kingdom of animals and understand the classification. Student Sheet A2 (2 pgs.)
MINILESSON 3 Identify the characteristics of the five groups of vertebrates. Student Sheet A2 continued
MINILESSON 4 Identify the characteristics of the groups of invertebrates. Student Sheet A2 continued
MINILESSON 5 Recognize that each animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. Student Sheet A3 (5 pgs.)
MINILESSON 6 Explain that in order to survive in their environment, plants and animals must be adapted to that environment. Student Sheet A4 (5 pgs.)
MINILESSON 7 Discover that all individuals have variations, and because of these variations individuals of a species may have an advantage in surviving and reproducing. Student Sheet A5 and A6 (1 page each) Activity Sheet B1
MINILESSON 8 Recognize that animals respond to change in their environment and some animal behaviors are influenced by environmental conditions. Student Sheet A7 (6 pgs.) and A8 (1 page)
MINILESSON 9 Identify life cycles. Student Sheet A9 (6 pgs.)
MINILESSON 10 Identify the Sun as the source of energy for life on Earth, and its energy moving through the web of life. Student Sheet A10 (5 pgs.) and Activity Sheet B2 (2 pgs.)
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MINILESSON 11 Investigate food webs and construct models or drawings to illustrate the flow of energy. Student Sheet A11 (1 page)
MINILESSON 12 Identify the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem and their roles. Student Sheet A12 (3 pgs.)
MINILESSON 13 Recognize the interdependence of the parts of an ecosystem. Student Sheet A13 and A14 (1 page each)
SUGGESTED LEARNING ACTIVITIES: • Praying Mantis • Owl Pellet Dissection • Food Chain Activity (A15) • Food Web Activity (A15) • Food Web Diagram Activity (A15)
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Half Hollow Hills CSD Science Department
UNIT: Animals
Grade: 4
MINILESSON 7: Adaptations LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will know… That some adaptations help organisms find food, move around, and/or stay alive. Students will understand… Living organisms adjust or change to help them survive the conditions particular to their ecosystem Students will be able to… Discover that all individuals have variations, and because of these variations individuals of a species may have an advantage in surviving and reproducing. MINILESSON PROCEDURE Required Materials Clothespin, spoon, chopsticks or needle-nose pliers, craft stick, marbles, strands of fat yarn or Gummi Worms, dried beans, sunflower seeds, pie tin, four small cups Required Background Information This activity demonstrates that adaptation has played a role in the development of bird beaks. Over time, bird beaks have adapted into shapes that help birds easily pick up food in their environments. Process & Procedure (How will you teach this lesson?) See Adaptations Bird Beaks Activity Sheet B1 NOTES
ASSESSMENTS *All assessments should follow report card guidelines*
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Half Hollow Hills CSD Science Department
UNIT: Animals
Grade: 4
MINILESSON 10: The Web of Life LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will know… Energy is transferred from the source of food to the animal when it eats. Students will understand… Energy moves between one set of living things in an ecosystem. All the food chains in an ecosystem together make up the web of life. Students will be able to… Identify the Sun as the source of energy for life on Earth, and its energy moving through the web of life. MINILESSON PROCEDURE Required Materials Activity Sheet B2 (2 pages) Required Background Information Review the following vocabulary words before the lesson: biosphere, predators, populations, prey, communities, producers, food chains, consumers, balance, decomposers Process & Procedure (How will you teach this lesson?) See Activity Sheet B2 Suggested Reading Everybody’s Somebody’s Lunch by: Cherie Mason & Judy Kellogg Markowsky Chapter 3 ASSESSMENTS *All assessments should follow report card guidelines*
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Half Hollow Hills CSD K-5 Science Unit Assessment
UNIT: Animals Performance Level
Measurable Skill
GRADE LEVEL: Fourth
The performance level measures knowledge and understanding of the science concepts being taught in this unit. The following items should be considered when determining student performance level: Formal Assessments- tests, quizzes, graded assignments, labs & projects Informal Assessments- discussions, observations, trivia, journal A student who consistently displays this skill will:
Uses Inquiry and observation skills to generate a hypothesis
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Applies skills: gathers, classifies, measures, and records data
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Communicates scientific ideas effectively using content specific vocabulary
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Makes generalizations, draws logical conclusions, analyzes and interprets data
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Specific Unit Indicator
Ask and answer “why” questions Observe, discuss, record and compare observations Formulate an educated guess or prediction (hypothesis) based on observations and background knowledge
ML 7 – Variations ML 10 – Web of Life
Contribute to the development of a plan to test their hypothesis Share and carry out the proposed plan; collect, measure and record data
ML 7 – Variations ML 10 – Web of Life
Communicate their findings in a variety of ways Use science vocabulary appropriate for the level and unit Organize data in charts, tables, notes, or journals
ML 11 – Food Webs
Connect their findings to the real world Ask and answer “what if” questions Make predictions based on collected data Reword or rephrase explanations based on their own findings
ML 7 – Variations ML 10 – Web of Life
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