Science Lesson Plan
Lesson:
Science Strand:
Content Grade Level:
Class/Students
Teacher:
Lesson duration:
Meet the crayfish
Life Science
3rd grade science
2nd/3rd Grade combo class
Kim Nickerson
90 minutes
Overview
Students begin activity by activating prior knowledge about organisms they know. Students
observe and record the structures of crayfish through direct interaction with live crayfish. They
learn firsthand how to handle them carefully, so that no harm will come to the crayfish. They set
up an appropriate habitat for crayfish and attend to their needs.
Science Standards: Life Science 3a: Students know animals (crayfish) have structures that
serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. Students will also use the process
skills of observation and data recording.)
ELD Standards
Listening and Speaking: Early Intermediate students will ask and answer questions by using
phrases or simple sentences and execute mutli-step oral directions. Intermediate students will and
participate in social conversations with peers and adults on familiar topics by asking and
answering questions and soliciting information and execute mutli-step oral directions. Early
Advanced students will participate in and initiate more extended social conversations with peers
and adults on unfamiliar topics by asking and answering questions and restating and soliciting
information and execute mutli-step oral directions.
Writing: Beginning students will write phrases and simple sentences that follow English
syntactical order. Intermediate students will write legible, simple sentences that respond to topics
in language arts and other content areas. Early Advanced students will use complex vocabulary
and sentences appropriate for language arts and other content areas.
Learning Goals
Science Learning Goals:
1. Students will identify the structures of a crayfish (S1)
2. Students will identify the functions of those structures. (S2)
Language Learning Goals:
1. Students will be able to communicate effectively with classmates and the teacher about
the structures of the crayfish and the functions of those structures. (ELD1)
2. Students will be able to use concepts and academic vocabulary to complete writing
activities that support concept development related to the study of crayfish structures and
functions. (ELD2)
3. Students will be able to follow multi-step directions given verbally and in written form.
(ELD3)
4. Students will write legible, simple sentences that respond to prompt (ELD4)
© 2013 Regents of the University of California
English Language and Literacy Integration in Subject Areas Project
Assessment strategy
Student artifacts: Crayfish Structures and Crayfish Diagram notebook pages
Teacher artifact: anecdotal notes and assessment checklist
Learning goal
S1
S2
ELD1
ELD2
ELD3
ELD4
Data sources
 Crayfish Diagram notebook page
 Crayfish Structures notebook page
 Student verbal responses and talk
 Crayfish Structures notebook pages
 Student verbal responses and talk
 Notebook pages
 Student verbal responses and talk
 Crayfish Structure notebook
 Student verbal responses and talk
 Notebook pages
 Student verbal responses and talk
 Crayfish Structures notebook page
Use formative assessment anecdotal notes and assessment checklist to record data about content
and science investigation skills, focusing on students who are English learners and/or have
learning/language disabilities.
Resources and Preparation
Materials for each group: 1 Basin (8-liter), 1 plastic spoon, 1 container (1/4-liter), 4 science
notebook sheet no.7 (Crayfish Structures), 4 science notebook pages no. 8 (Crayfish Diagrams).
For the class: 14 crayfish, a document camera, 5 pieces of chart paper, vocabulary word cards
(prepared ahead)
Visuals will include Word Bank/Webs (vocabulary), content chart, Everyday/Science chart,
Crayfish Structures notebook, and Crayfish Sketch (matches Crayfish Diagram)
FOSS Curriculum
FOSS Kits
© 2013 Regents of the University of California
English Language and Literacy Integration in Subject Areas Project
Instructional Plan
Segment/Activity
Lesson Launch – 20 min.
 Activate prior knowledge about organisms – KWL
 Today we will learn about a special organism called a
crayfish. What do you already know about crayfish? (Show
picture of a crayfish in case that word is problematic or
include at the end of the PowerPoint.)
Possible follow-up questions
 Does it look similar to any other animal you’ve seen before?
 Has anyone eaten shrimp? lobster? crab? What do you
remember about them? (They are animals in the crustacean.)
 Does anyone know where it lives?
Goals for today – 5 min.
 As I said earlier, we will learn about a special organism
called a crayfish. An organism is any living thing. (Write
organism on a chart for webbing. “Organisms” in the center.
Crayfish, dog, cat added.) We observe the crayfish and discuss
what we see.
 Our focus questions are: What are the structures of a
crayfish? What are the functions of each structure? Focus
questions are written on the Content Chart.
Lesson Preview
 During today’s lab, you will be doing three things:
 Making observations about the crayfish
 Discussing what we observed
ELLISA
Practice
Vocabulary
CX
VOCAB
SDAIE
Organism
Crayfish
VOCAB
CX
Organism
Crayfish
Observe
discuss
Structure
Function
(introduced,
not taught)
habitat
© 2013 Regents of the University of California
English Language and Literacy Integration in Subject Areas Project
Activity 1 - 35 min.
 As you know, scientists observe something they’re wondering about,
using as many senses as possible. They watch, notice, or even record
exactly what happens.
 To begin today, we will just observe the crayfish for a few minutes.
Remember that crayfish are living organisms and should be treated
with care and respect. Also, we are observing right now with our
eyes, to watch and notice what we see. Please keep your hands to
yourselves.
 Have Team Captains get a basin with a crayfish for their groups.
Remind students about observing with their eyes for now (if needed).
Allow several minutes for observation.
 Call for attention. Call students to rug to demonstrate how to pick up
the crayfish safely. While giving instructions, model how to handle
the crayfish. When saying vocabulary words, point to the structures
on the crayfish. Now we need to discuss how to handle the crayfish.
You pick the crayfish up from behind. Grab it on the carapace, the
body shell, behind the pincers. Pick it up. If it tries to reach back,
don’t worry, it will not be able to reach you. It’s ok for the crayfish
to be out of the water for a minute or two at the most. The crayfish
must stay on the table. Have students return to their tables. Allow
several minutes for free exploration.
 Call for attention. Have students place crayfish back in basin, if
necessary. Call students to the carpet, if needed, to focus their
attention on understanding the next task. Ask: What interesting parts
have you noticed on your crayfish?
 After a couple of observations are shared, tell students: The parts
you observed are called structures. Structures are the parts of the
crayfish, like pincers and tail flaps. Just as a building has structures
like a floor, walls, and a roof, a crayfish has structures. Add words
to web the web for “structures”.
 You can use this science notebook page, Crayfish Structures, to
guide you as you continue recording your observations. Have Team
Captains get copies of the notebook page no. 7, Crayfish Structures.
Students should work at their own pace. Allow 15-20 minutes for
students to observe and fill in their sheets.
 Visit students as they are working. Look for accurate and detailed
observations. Use the anecdotal notes sheet to write teacher
observations. Some terms may be unfamiliar to students. Help them
decipher the questions on the student sheet by asking:
 In what ways are the pincers and walking legs different? In what
ways are they the alike?
 Where else have you seen bristles? How is a ____ like bristles?
 Where are the joints in your own legs?
© 2013 Regents of the University of California
LIT
observe
Organism
Crayfish
VOCAB
SDAIE
Carapace
Shell
Pincers
LIT
VOCAB
Pincers
Walking
legs
Bristles
Antennae
Tail flaps
Joints
structures
IC
English Language and Literacy Integration in Subject Areas Project
Activity 2 – 30 min.
 Call for attention. Review the notebook page, Crayfish
Structures, with students. Have copy of notebook page on
document camera. Getting correct answers is not as important
as motivating close observation and encouraging discussion.
Students will be observing for the next several weeks.
 Record students’ questions about the crayfish to the KWL
chart.
 After reviewing the structures on the sheet, tell students: Each
of the structures you observed is useful to the crayfish in some
way. Each structure has a function in the crayfish’s life. A
function is the action or purpose of a structure. For example,
humans have opposable thumbs to help us grasp things and
even write (show this). Crayfish have structures called
pincers. The pincers has several functions. They capture, or
catch, food, hold things, tear food, and defend the crayfish
from predators. Some structures have functions that help the
crayfish survive, or live. Others have functions that help it
reproduce, or make babies. Act out each vocabulary word as
explained.
 Put your heads together and read through the list of structures
and discuss the function you think each has. You could say,
“One structure of the crayfish is eyes. The eyes function is to
see.” (Have a sentence frame written on board or pre-made
chart paper.)
 As teams discuss, tell them to write three structures and their
functions at the bottom of the notebook sheet. Tell them they
can use the sentence frame to help them write complete
sentences. Give them 8 minutes.
 Call for attention. Call on groups to share their ideas (one or
more functions). After each groups has shared, ask the rest of
the class to comment or add to the proposed functions. **This
could be where a giant sketch is ready to name structures and
functions as groups share.
 What differences have you noticed among the crayfish?
Differences may be because of age, life events, or sex.
 Finally, you know that when scientists observe, they also draw
diagrams and label the parts to accurately record what
they’ve drawn. Here’s a notebook page that has a diagram on
it. You get to label the structures you know so far. Distribute
copies of notebook page no. 8, Crayfish Diagrams. Give
students 5 minutes to label the structures. They don’t need to
know all the structures as they will be observing, drawing, and
labeling structures over the next several weeks.
 Collect notebook pages for assessment.

© 2013 Regents of the University of California
LIT
VOCAB
SDAIE
Structure
Function
pincers
capture
defend
predators
survive
reproduce
IC
English Language and Literacy Integration in Subject Areas Project
Lesson wrap up – 15 min.
 Reinforce vocabulary. Add new words to webs and
Everyday/Science chart. Later students can write the words in
their science notebook. New words can already be written on
word cards for posting, instead of writing each word.
 The organism we investigated today is the (crayfish).
 Crustaceans are a class of mostly aquatic animals that have
hard, flexible shells, jointed legs, and two pairs of antennae.
Crustaceans is added to “organism” web. Aquatic to is added
to Everyday/Science chart, writing agua/water in everyday
side. Flexible is science/bend
 The observable parts of an organism, such as the stem of a
plant or the carapace of a crayfish are structures. (Already on
web.) Observable is science/see is everyday. Structures is
science/parts is everyday.
 Add the following around web for structures. The feelers on a
crayfish are antennae.
 Bristles are the short hairs on the crayfish that help them
sense things in their environment.
 The carapace is the main body shell of crustacean.
 Crayfish have small leglike structures in the front of the
crayfish called swimmerets.
 Pincers are the big jointed leglike structures in the front of the
crayfish.
 Review focus questions. Have students discuss questions with
their partner, one-by-one. Discuss as a class and add to content
chart.
© 2013 Regents of the University of California
VOCAB
IC
Structures
Crustacean
Antenna
Bristle
Carapace
Swimmeret
pincer
Function
Organism
Joints
Mouthparts
English Language and Literacy Integration in Subject Areas Project