Fall 2013
Exploring Reptiles and Adaptations
First Grade
October 26, 2013 to November 8, 2013
Denver Public Schools: Slavens School
Rationale Statement
Section 1: Introduction
This unit is an extension of the Full Option Science System (FOSS) curriculum that is provided at
Slavens for each first grade classroom. FOSS was developed from the philosophy of that believes
students learn best when doing. As we explored our FOSS we came to the realization that,
although it provided exceptional curriculum, if we restructured it to lend more real-world
experiences then our students would gain a better overall understanding of animal classification.
Social studies, mathematics, technology, visual arts and literacy were incorporated into the unit to
reach all learners and broaden the experience of all. Science journals were created as a way to
scaffold students’ experience, they provide a starting point for more advance students and act as a
guide for students who struggle. Knowledge will be applied to the real world through almost
every lesson as we relate back to our classroom amphibians and reptiles. Prior to this unit,
students will have learned classifications and adaptations of mammals and birds, which students
will apply to amphibians and reptiles by comparing and contrasting. This unit is one building
block in the students understanding of the animal kingdom classifications.
A goal of FOSS is scientific literacy and I will provide each student with his or her very own
science notebook. These notebooks will transform our students into scientists who take
responsibility for data collection, observation, inquiry, deeper understanding. The unit is
constructed to develop conceptually related experiences for students. We provide each class with
the opportunity to observe and handle several amphibians and reptiles, an experience that many
students in the class have never had before. I will provide my students with standards based
instruction that is current with educational reform and meets the need of each individual learner,
transferring to them 21 century learning skills. Hands-on activities, subject integration, along
with teacher scaffolding, instructional efficiency and individual exploration of scientific content
will provide students with an experience that they can relate to the world around them having
already done so inside the classroom.
st
Section 2: Community, School, and Classroom Setting
I am student teaching in the Denver Public School District (DPS) located in Denver,
Colorado. Denver Public Schools is caters to a notably diverse student population, culturally,
ethnically, socioeconomically and linguistically, providing a quality education to more than
84,000 students, who students speak 130 different languages and come from all corners of the
world. This district reaches students all over the city as well as students in neighborhoods. There
are 172 schools in Denver Public Schools including early education centers, elementary schools,
K-8 schools, 6-12 schools, middle and high schools, charter schools, magnet schools, and
innovation schools. Enrollment in DPS is increasing an average of 3% every year since 2011,
with no sign of slowing. The number of families receiving free or reduced lunches is 72.11% and
continues to grow. Of the 84,000 students that DPS severs, 21% of them have identified as being
of white ethnicity with the reaming 79% identifying non-white or of multiple ethnicities.
Within the large district of Denver Public Schools, I am placed at Slavens School. Slavens
provides a distinguished education for 531 students in grades K-8. Since 2008 they have
experiences a 13% increase in enrolment. Unlike the overall district of DPS, this past year
Slavens serves only 41 students Free and Reduced Lunch, or 7.7%. This statistic is due to the
high socioeconomically status the families. Slavens also does not reflect the same diversity as
Denver Public Schools, having a minority population of only 15%. This statistic has been slowly
growing since 2008-09 when the minority population was 12%, a growth of only 3%. With this
small minority group comes very few ELA students, currently only 1.5% of the school, none of
which are present in the first grade. The number of students identifying with Special Education is
slightly higher, registering at 8.5% for the previous school year. We are currently undergoing
Student Intervention Teams in many of the grades, trying to identify students who may need
intervention(s). At Slavens there are two Special Education specialists, one Intervention
specialist, one Gifted and Talented specialist, one Reading specialist, one Spanish specialist and a
school Psychologist, as well as specialists in Art, Physical Education, Math, Speech, STEM,
Music and Library. Due to Slavens demographics these specialists are able to meet the needs of
all students enrolled at Slavens. There are three teachers for each grade, K-6, two of which
platoon teach. Each grade, K-5, has a paraprofessional specific to them who help in the
classroom, with lesson preparation, guided reading groups as well as accompanying grades on
field trips.
The classroom that I am placed within Slavens is a non-platooning first grade class consisting of
25 students. Within my 25 students there are three identified as multiple ethnicities, with the
remaining 22 identifying as white. All families are of middle or higher socio-economic class,
providing us with great financial support as well as in class volunteering. We have yet to be in
need of any outside assistance. There are three students who are receiving speech interventions
once a week on Fridays, not affecting any class work however taking some time from Specials
(Art, Music, Library). Each day after Specials, there are three students pulled for reading
interventions. Two of these students will be removed from the program at the end of November if
significant growth is shown. One of the students is receiving both the speech and reading
interventions, and are having a positive affect on his work. His diligence over powers his deficits
in both reading and writing when it comes to general classwork. Of the three students receiving
reading interventions, only one has needs that interfere with his classwork. He is reading at a
level 3, which causes him trouble when writing. His work, if done without sever intervention, is
illegible. He is currently undergoing the SIT process and we are working towards a plan of action.
For now, this student will require consistence assistance and I will have to check for
understanding more frequently. The rest of the class is preforming at or well above where they
should be in all subject areas at this time of the year. For these students, there are higher
expectations of their completed work and behavior. They have created a close knit community
where no one is afraid of trying something new and feels comfortable with helping every
classmate, because of this connection we are able to incorporate more group and partner activities
into all subjects.
We have incorporated several classroom management techniques. The first of which techniques is
an individual behavior monitor known as a stoplight. Our policy is that is a student is to land on
yellow they have the opportunity to correct their behavior to advance back to green. If a student
remains on yellow they are given a mark that could affect their independent time on Friday. Our
second technique is a whole class behavior system, which we call, “Have You Filled a Bucket
Today?” When the whole class remains on task, is consistent with our classroom expectations
outside the class (for example Specials), or goes above and beyond in lesson understanding, we
then reward them with a ‘puff’. Puffs are earned in a class bucket that when filled with result in a
‘Puff Party’. This also incorporates individual ‘buckets’ that can be earned for exceptional
behavior. Piggybacking off of individual buckets, we have table teams. These table teams earn
points throughout the day for staying on task, collaborating, keeping positive attitudes and
participation. At the end of the day, the table that has earned the most points earns buckets. We
have found that this last technique works the best. Our students are highly competitive; yet they
love to help each other succeed.
Our classroom is divided into parts that allow for small group work and whole class activities.
The break up of the rook is also helpful with transitions. At the front of our room we are equipped
with a Promethean board, an Elmo and a classroom laptop. This equipment is used daily for
almost every activity. In the back of the room we have a first grade friendly rug depicting
colored squares in the middle with a border of the months of the year and days of the week. This
area is used as a group meeting area complete with our calendar area, class library and white
board. My teacher and I each have our own desk in the corner of the room, near the Promethean
board. On my diagram I have labeled black student seats with black circles and teacher seats with
maroon. The boards around the room consist of writing examples, a word wall, calendar, and
science examples. Blue areas are home to our classroom pets that live in Room 106. The boarder
of the room consists of student bookshelves (tan) and teacher resource areas (lighter tan). The
light green area is our sink and the pink area is the class heater. Windows are locates all along the
left side of the diagram.
Section 3: Meeting the Colorado Model Content Standards
Subject: Science
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 2: An organism is a living thing that has physical
characteristics to help it survive.
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 1: Offspring have characteristics that are similar to
but not exactly like their parents characteristics.
Lesson Objectives
• Students will respond to five questions regarding reptile and amphibian
characteristics, adaptations and life cycle.
• Students will expand on their background knowledge to decipher six
characteristics of reptiles through a read aloud and background knowledge.
• Students will expand on their background knowledge to decipher six
characteristics of amphibians through a read aloud and background knowledge.
• Students will be able to compare and contrast adult reptiles to baby reptiles.
• Students will be able to compare and contrast adult amphibians to baby
amphibians.
• Students will be able to compare and contrast adult reptiles to baby reptiles.
• Students will be able to give examples of reptiles, amphibians, adaptations and
characteristics.
Subject: Reading, Writing and Communicating
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Multiple strategies to develop and expand oral
vocabulary. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when
appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Verbal and nonverbal language is used to express
and receive information. Ask and answer questions about key details in a
text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Standard 3: Writing and Composition
Concepts and Skills: Exploring the writing process develops ideas for
writing text that carries meaning.
Standard 4: Research and Reasoning
Concepts and Skills: A variety of resources lead to locating information
and answering questions of interests.
Lesson Objectives
•
Students will be able to show through an illustration their animal’s
adaptation.
•
Students will expand on their background knowledge to decipher six
characteristics of reptiles/amphibians through a read aloud and background
knowledge.
•
Students will be able give an example of an amphibian/reptile adaptation
in their science notebooks with help of sentence stems.
•
Students will be able to recall specific reptile/amphibian adaptation.
•
Students will be able to infer reptiles’/amphibians’ adaptation and/or
means to survival.
•
Students will be able to describe a specific reptiles/amphibian adaptation
and how it helps the animal to survive.
•
Students will complete an individual preassessment.
•
Students will be able to respond to five questions regarding reptile and
amphibian characteristics, adaptations and life cycle.
•
Students will be able to share new finding one reptiles and amphibians in
a group setting.
•
Students will be able to summarize nonfiction reading in order to answer
questions.
•
Students will be able to collect fact from nonfiction writing.
•
Students will investigate reptiles and amphibians through nonfiction text.
•
Students will be able to restate questions in to assist them in answering
questions.
•
Students will be able to recall information learned over the past 5
lessons.
•
Students will be able to explain how their schemas changed after
learning new information.
•
Students will be able to arrange schema into a well-written explanation
of growth and/or change.
•
Students will be able to defend their previous schema with information
covered in lessons.
•
Students will be able to share their personal schema through writing.
Subject: Mathematics
Standard 3: Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability
Concepts and Skills 1: Visual displays of information can be used to
answer questions.
Lesson Objectives
•
Students will be able to analyze a chart to decipher the largest group of
reptiles/amphibians and the smallest based on species count.
Subject: Social Studies
Standard 1: History
Concepts and Skills 1: Describe patterns and chronological order of
events of the recent past.
Standard 4: Civics
Concepts and Skills 1: Effective groups have responsible leaders and
team members.
Lesson Objectives
•
Students will be able to formulate the life cycle order of two amphibian
groups.
•
Students will be able to sequence the life cycle of two amphibian groups.
•
Students will be able to describe how to be a good reading partner.
Section 4: Assessing Student Learning
For the preassessment of my unit, students took an individual written assessment. Students were
asked to draw or write six amphibian and reptile characteristics. Each animal class was on a
separate page with six blank squares. This format was based off the one provided in their science
journals. I gave the students that option of writing or drawing the characteristics to differentiate
for students who have trouble expressing themselves with words or could better make their point
through picture. I explained to students that if they draw pictures then they must be simple and to
the point, with labels provided. Students have already had a lesson on the term and definition of
characteristics, but will be restated when reading the test to the class. The next page of the
preassessment asks students to recall either a reptile adaptation or an amphibian adaptation of
their choice. Again, a lesson has already been provided on the term and definition of adaptation,
but was restated when reading test in whole group. Requirements of this section are that students
state the animal class, the animal within that class, the animal adaptation and how it helps that
specific animal to survive. Students have already had experience with this format when studying
previous animal classes. The final question on the preassessment is a fill in the blank. Students
are asked to pair the animal class with the correct statement. A rubric was explained to the
students so that they understand what was expected of them on this assessment. Students were
reminded that this for my guiding purposes and does not have a reflecting grade on them in terms
of right or wrong. This preassessment will guided further lesson planning and gave an overall
view of my students’ current schema.
Student learning were evaluated through three separate criteria. Each student was expected to
work in and complete an individual science notebook, contribute in daily group and partner
discussions and participate in a partner in-class research activity. The first of these formative
assessments was used for all but one of the unit lessons. Students completed five sections that
were marked as either complete or incomplete. After reading through the students work after each
session, notes were left for students to look back on when completing future work or revising past
assignments. If there was concern for students, during independent work time was when it was to
be addressed. Student participation was the second way that students were formatively assessed
during the unit. I have a class size of 25 students and, when time is used wisely, each student
could verbally participate in whole group or partner discussions. This formative assessment was
generated through answering questions, stating opinions, sharing background knowledge and
posing further questions for instructor or classmates to explore. Students were awarded
participation points for each day that they contributed. If a student was absent or choose not to
participate, points for that day were not dispersed. The third and final way that students were
formatively assessed during the unit will be through the third lesson. Students were to pose
questions for them and a partner to explore through reading various amphibian and reptile books
provided from the classroom library. Students were expected to do a picture walk though their
book and formulate questions with their partner. These questions were to guide students through
the book as they read with a partner. I assessed them on their ability to read for understanding and
how they collaborated with a partner. If students are having difficulty working collaboratively,
teacher involvement may have been needed to get students back of track to succeed in partner
work. Since this skill was needed through the whole unit, this lesson was used to gauge students’
current abilities. It was important that students are paired with people that would further their
success, because just like in the real world each student will work better with a proper partner.
Summative assessment will be exact of that given as a preassessment. After formative
assessments it became clear that student my lower students better grasped the two animal classes
when having animals from that class to associate them with. I thought that providing these for the
whole class would clear up any confusion as the students worked independently to complete their
test. Students were asked to draw or write six amphibian and reptile characteristics. Each animal
class was on a separate page with six blank squares. This format was based off the one provided
in their science journals. I gave the students that option of writing or drawing the characteristics
to differentiate for students who have trouble expressing themselves with words or could better
make their point through picture. I explained to students that if they draw pictures then they must
be simple and to the point, with labels provided. Students have already had a lesson on the term
and definition of characteristics, but will be restated when reading the test to the class. The next
page of the post-assessment asks students to recall either a reptile adaptation or an amphibian
adaptation of their choice. Again, a lesson has already been provided on the term and definition of
adaptation, but was restated when reading test in whole group. Requirements of this section are
that students state the animal class, the animal within that class, the animal adaptation and how it
helps that specific animal to survive. Students have already had experience with this format when
studying previous animal classes. The final question on the post-assessment is a fill in the blank.
Students are asked to pair the animal class with the correct statement. A rubric was explained to
the students so that they understand what was expected of them on this assessment. Students were
reminded that this for my guiding purposes and does not have a reflecting grade on them in terms
of right or wrong. This post-assessment gave an overall view of my students’ understanding of
amphibian and reptile classifications and adaptions after the completion of the unit.
Unit Goal
Students will spend time exploring our three class reptiles and two amphibians to gain a deeper
understanding of the animal classes that they are apart of. Students will decipher six key
characteristics of both the reptile class and the amphibian class of animals through background
knowledge, class discussions and read alouds. Videos, graphics and text will be used to introduce
students to familiar and unfamiliar animal adaptations from each class, after which each student will
pick an animal and report on a specific adaptation. They will read grade level books on amphibians
and reptiles to gain a deeper understanding while working collaboratively with a classmate and posing
guiding questions. Through all of these experiences, students will grow their schemas on reptiles and
amphibians.
Lesson Plans
Name: Pre-Assessment
Grade Level: First Grade
Date: October 26, 2013
Subject: Science
Time Needed: 30 minutes
Overview and Statement of Purpose: Students will complete a 10-point preassessment
individually. Students will answer two question regarding both reptile characteristics and
amphibian characteristics. Students will report one adaptation of either a reptile or an amphibian.
Students will answer two questions regarding baby reptiles and amphibians, deciphering which is
born as miniature adults and which goes through metamorphosis.
Materials Needed:
For Each Student:
¿
Preassessment
¿
Pencil
For the Class:
¿
Preassessment for example
¿
Elmo
¿
Promethean Board
Resources Used:
¿
Frog Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://www.frog-lifecycle.com/graphics/Frog16.jpg
¿
Salamander Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://vector-magz.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/11/salamander-clip-art1.gif
¿
Snake Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://bestclipartblog.com/clipartpics/snake-clipart-10.jpg
¿
Turtle Walking Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013.
http://www.clipartlord.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/turtle.png
Standards:
Subject: Science
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 2: An organism is a living thing that has physical
characteristics to help it survive.
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 1: Offspring have characteristics that are similar to
but not exactly like their parents characteristics.
Subject: Reading, Writing and Communicating
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Multiple strategies to develop and expand oral
vocabulary. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when
appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
Lesson Objectives:
¿
Students will complete an individual preassessment.
¿
Students will respond to five questions regarding reptile and amphibian
characteristics, adaptations and life cycle.
Engagement:
Meet as a whole group on the back carpet to discuss science for today. Today, we will be taking a
pre-test today before we begin our new unit next week. This assessment will be for me to see
where we are as a class in our background knowledge of amphibians and reptiles. Make sure the
students feel comfortable before introducing the actual assessment.
Direct students to return back to there seats and silently write their name at the top of their test.
Explain the assessment to students, page by page. The first page says, “Draw or write 6 reptile
characteristics.” Give an example unrelated to reptiles or amphibians. The second page says,
“Draw or write 6 amphibian characteristics.” Reiterate that the students may draw a
characteristic if they are having trouble but pictures must be clear or labeled. The third page is
asking for an adaptation for either an amphibian or a reptile. Remind students that an adaptation
is something an animal has or does that helps them to survive. On the last page you are to fill in
the blank with either amphibian or reptile. Point out to them that each answer can only be used
once. Read the incomplete sentences to the students.
Explore:
Give students remaining time to complete the pre-assessment. Make sure to be available for the
students who may need questions reread or rephrased.
Explain and Clarify:
Revisit with students at the back carpet. Again, explain to students that this assessment will be
used to gauge where the class is and individuals are at in regards to background knowledge. Ask
if there are any further questions not in relation to the questions on the test.
Meeting the Needs of all Students:
Low Students: Questions may need to be read again or restated. For these students, I differentiated
the test to allow them to draw their characteristic if they find trouble in writing. If student has
trouble with adaptation give them the option of writing about one of the animals that we have
previously met. What was special about them that helped them to survive? Student may get upset
with test difficulty, remind them that this a pretest and they may know a little or they may not
know any of the information on the test.
Lesson Closure:
Bring class attention back to teacher. Remind students that we will begin our unit on reptiles and
amphibians on Monday. Tests should be looked over immediately to assess student understanding
and guide further lesson planning. Record student scores.
Images Used:
Snake Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://bestclipartblog.com/clipart-pics/snakeclipart-10.jpg
Turtle Walking Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://www.clipartlord.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/10/turtle.png
Salamander Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://vector-magz.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/11/salamander-clip-art1.gif
Frog Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://www.frog-lifecycle.com/graphics/Frog16.jpg
Name: Reptile Characteristics
Grade Level: First Grade
Date: October 28, 2013
Subject: Science
Time Needed: 45 minutes
Overview and Statement of Purpose: Students will expand on their background knowledge to
decipher six characteristics of reptiles through a read aloud and background knowledge. Students
will discover the four groups of reptiles and determine the largest and smallest of the groups.
Students will examine baby reptiles and compare them to their adult counterparts. Through these
discussions and expansions, students will gain a deeper understanding of our classroom reptiles
and what makes them alike one another.
Materials Needed:
For Each Student:
¿
Scientist Notebook
¿
Pencil
¿
Shared table crayons
For the Class:
¿
Different colored dry erase markers
¿
Laminated lined chart paper
¿
Franklin our class turtle
¿
Mojo our class gecko
¿
Infinity our class python
¿
Pictures of different reptiles
¿
Definition of characteristics
¿
Elmo
¿
Promethean Board
Resources Used:
¿
"Animals | Reptiles." Reptiles. San Diego Zoo, 2013. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.
http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/content/reptiles
¿
Baby Horney Lizard. Digital image. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.
http://www.blueskyreserve.org/images/animals/babyhorned.jpg
¿
Baby Red-Bellied Racer Snake. Digital image. N.p. Web. 05 Oct. 2013.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/61/221621796_0e3b9a8ba2.jpg
¿
DeMullen, Michelle. Personal interview.
¿
Hatchling Stinkpot Musk Turtle. Digital image. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.
http://gregsnaturalhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/A-pair-of-baby-stinkpotMusk-turtles.jpg
¿
Kinyongia Chameleon. Digital image. N.p. Web. 05 Oct. 2013.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01911/reptiles-cham-fing_1911946i.jpg
¿
Silverman, Buffy. Do You Know about Reptiles? Minneapolis: Lerner Publications,
2010. Print.
Standards:
Subject: Science
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 2: An organism is a living thing that has physical
characteristics to help it survive.
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 1: Offspring have characteristics that are similar to
but not exactly like their parents characteristics.
Subject: Mathematics
Standard 3: Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability
Concepts and Skills 1: Visual displays of information can be used to
answer questions.
Subject: Reading, Writing and Communicating
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Verbal and nonverbal language is used to express
and receive information. Participate in collaborative conversations with
diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in
small and larger groups.
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Verbal and nonverbal language is used to express
and receive information. Ask and answer questions about key details in a
text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Lesson Objectives:
o Students will be able to expand on their background knowledge to decipher six
characteristics of reptiles through a read aloud and background knowledge.
o Students will be able to analyze a chart to decipher the largest group of reptiles and the
smallest based on species count.
o Students will be able to compare and contrast adult reptiles to baby reptiles.
Engagement:
Have students meet on the class rug in whole group. I will ask the whole group a few questions to
preassess. We are beginning a new group of animals. Based on the class pets that I have here
what group of animals do you think we will be studying next? Please turn to your partner and
discuss. Bring students back together. Ask groups to share what they thing the group of animals
will be and why. When students suggest the animal class reptile, write on the laminated sheet
“What Do We Know About Reptiles?”
Announce We Will Be Thinking Like Herpetologist for the next two week. Herpetologists are
people who study amphibians and reptiles. This week we will focus on reptiles. Have students
repeat the word together as a class several times. Add hand movements such as a snake slithering
and a frog jumping. Reintroduce Franklin, Mojo and Infinity, our class retiles. Ask students what
they know about Franklin, Mojo and Infinity that makes them all reptiles. Direct student attention
to the characteristic chart that states, “Characteristic are things that makes a group of animals the
same.” What are reptile characteristics that we know about Franklin, Mojo and Infinity?
Document the students’ responses on lined chart paper titled “What We Know About Reptiles”
with first grade writing for the verbal learners.
Reiterate that we are thinking like Herpetologist today as we begin our investigation of
reptiles.
Explore:
Direct student attention to incomplete chart on the white board. Inquire with students what they
think the four groups of reptiles are. Lizards and Snakes; Crocodiles and Alligators; Tuataras;
Turtles. Construct the chart with a picture example of each group corresponding to column two
with the number of species. Have students turn to a partner and discuss the following questions.
Pay attention to the partner talk happening within the whole group. Are kids on task? Is anyone
confused at how to read the chart? What is the largest group of reptiles? How did you know?
What is the smallest group of reptiles? How did you know? Bring the group together and ask
groups to share thoughts and why. Check for use of the chart to answer their question. Check for
understanding of number comparison.
Explain to students that we will be listening to the book Do You Know about Reptiles? and
thinking like Herpetologist to find reptile characteristics that we did not know or were unsure of.
To formatively assess, encourage students to silently raise their hand when information is read in
the book that we could add to our class list of reptile characteristic. Begin reading the book Do
You Know about Reptiles? If a student raises his/her hand to share, find a good place in the book
to pause and address the student’s discovery. Write the students discovery on the chart titled
“What We Learned about Reptile Characteristics”
Explain and Clarify:
Refer back to the characteristic that reptiles have miniature adult babies that care for themselves..
Show student imagines of baby reptiles and address how they look like adults but note their size.
Students may be called to name the baby animals, dependent on time. Raise your hand if you can
tell what animal this is by looking at their baby. How did you know? What is different about the
babies and the adults, if anything?
Revisit the reptile traits that we learned as a whole group and relate them back to Franklin, Mojo
and Infinity. Are there any further questions about reptile characteristics before we head back to
our seats to complete our science journals? Honor wait time. Give students clear concise
directions to return to their seats silently and open their science notebooks to page 24. Have
student complete the six characteristics as a summative assessment of today’s lesson.
Meeting the Needs of all Students:
Low Students: Use different colored markers to add separation to the class charts. Pair low
students with a slightly higher pair-and-share partner so they are exposed to higher-level answers
or will have help from a classmate if they are struggling. Use clear handwriting as to not confuse
the students. These students will have a hard time get getting started with their individual work in
their science notebooks, either pull a small group to help guide them or guide whole class through
the six characteristics if time is short. Teacher’s science book should be completed ahead of time
to provide example.
Lesson Closure:
Bring class attention back to the front of the room. Using science notebook and the smart board,
read through the six characteristics one final time, explaining briefly. Remind students that we
will need to keep these in mind all week. Have students collect science notebooks at their desk
and collect them by table group. These notebooks should be looked over immediately to assess
student understanding. Leave feedback in the students’ notebooks to be looked at when writing
about adaptations the following day. Record participation and notebook completion on chart as
soon as possible.
Teacher Notes:
Advance preparation will be required to place the animals in safe clear containers. Quick
transitions are made easier with materials laid out for students. Have students’ science journals
placed on their desk. Have teachers science journal at prepared at the Promethean board.
Moving transitions will allow students to wiggle, but make sure that they remember transitions
are quick and silent.
Images Used:
Baby Horney Lizard. Digital image. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.
http://www.blueskyreserve.org/images/animals/babyhorned.jpg
Hatchling Stinkpot Musk Turtle. Digital image. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.
http://gregsnaturalhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/A-pair-of-baby-stinkpot-Muskturtles.jpg
Kinyongia Chameleon. Digital image. N.p. Web. 05 Oct. 2013.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01911/reptiles-cham-fing_1911946i.jpg
Baby Red-Bellied Racer Snake. Digital image. N.p. Web. 05 Oct. 2013.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/61/221621796_0e3b9a8ba2.jpg
Name: Reptile Adaptations
Grade Level: First Grade
Date: October 30, 2013
Subject: Science
Time Needed: 60 minutes
Overview and Statement of Purpose: Students will review reptile characteristics. We will
discuss that these are things that all reptiles have or do. Students will review the definition of
adaptation before reading and creating reptile adaptations. Short adaptation videos will be
watched and discussed. Students will report on one reptile’s adaptation and purpose of survival
making sure to include an illustration.
Materials Needed:
For Each Student:
¿
Scientist Notebook
¿
Pencil
¿
Shared table crayons
For the Class:
¿
Franklin our class turtle
¿
Mojo our class gecko
¿
Infinity our class python
¿
Prepared adaptation chart
¿
Definition of adaptation
¿
Elmo
¿
Promethean Board
¿
Computer with internet
¿
Adaptations videos
Resources Used:
¿
DeMullen, Michelle. Personal interview.
¿
Alligator Snapping Turtles. HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2013.
<http://videos.howstuffworks.com/thewildclassroom/2384-alligator-snapping-turtlesvideo.htm>.
¿
Armadillo Lizard. YouTube. YouTube, 21 Apr. 2010. Web. 06 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67Hub9tz-KE>.
¿
Fooled by Nature: Chameleon Colors. HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct.
2013. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/28369-fooled-by-naturechameleon-colors-video.htm>.
¿
Frilled Lizards. National Geographic. National Geographic Kids, 22 Oct. 2011.
Web. 05 Oct. 2013. <http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals-petskids/reptiles-kids/lizard-frilled-kids/>.
¿
Hognose Snake. YouTube. Eddie Carter, 18 Oct. 2011. Web. 09 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage>.
¿
Horned Lizard Defense Mechanisms. HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/29005-fooled-by-nature-horned-lizarddefense-mechanisms-video.htm>.
¿
Rattlesnake Bite. Prod. David Newland. National Geographic. National Geographic,
n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.
<http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/adventure/survival-guide/survival-guiderattlesnake-bite/>
¿
¿
World Weirdest: Toxic Dragon. National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.
<http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/reptilesanimals/lizards/weirdest-komodo-dragon/>.
World's Deadliest: King Cobra. National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.
<http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/reptilesanimals/snakes/deadliest-king-cobra/>.
Standards:
Subject: Science
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 2: An organism is a living thing that has physical
characteristics to help it survive.
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 1: Offspring have characteristics that are similar to
but not exactly like their parents characteristics.
Subject: Reading, Writing and Communicating
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Verbal and nonverbal language is used to express
and receive information. Participate in collaborative conversations with
diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in
small and larger groups.
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Verbal and nonverbal language is used to express
and receive information. Ask and answer questions about key details in a
text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Standard 3: Writing and Composition
Concepts and Skills: Exploring the writing process develops ideas for
writing text that carries meaning.
Standard 4: Research and Reasoning
Concepts and Skills: A variety of resources lead to locating information
and answering questions of interests.
Lesson Objectives:
¿
Students will be able give an example of a reptile adaptation in their science
notebooks with help of sentence stems.
¿
Students will be able to describe a specific reptiles adaptation and how it helps the
animal to survive.
¿
Students will be able to recall specific reptile adaptation.
¿
Students will be able to infer reptiles adaptation and/or means to survival.
¿
Students will be able to show through an illustration their animal’s adaptation.
Engagement:
Have students meet on the class rug in whole group. To get students to reflect back on the unit
theme and use science vocabulary I will preassess the whole group by asking a few questions.
Who can tell me what animal class we are studying? Reptiles. What kind of scientist student
reptiles? Herpetologist!
Direct student attention to the adaptation chart that states, “An adaptation is something that an
animal has or does that helps it to service.” Read to the students the premade adaptation chart
describing various reptile adaptations. Explain that each adaptation is something that the animal
has or does that is unique to them that help them to survive. Guide student discussion with
adaptation example. Ask students to discuss with a partner what they think the adaptation is and
how it helps that animal to survive? Check for understanding that adaptations assist animal in
finding food, protection, shelter, or reproducing.
What are reptile adaptations that we know about our class reptiles? Document the students’
responses on lined chart paper with three sections each labeled “Adaptations for (Class Reptile)”
with first grade writing for the verbal learners. What is the adaptation? Underline in a bright
color. How does this help the animal to survive? Underline in different color.
If students are not understanding the concept, walk them through the premade examples again,
underling adaptation and survival assistance.
Ask students if they have any further questions.
Reiterate that we are thinking like Herpetologist today as we begin our investigation of reptile
adaptations.
Explore:
Transition students back to their desk by table groups. Instruct students to open to page 27 titled
“Reptile Adaptations”. Read with the students the sentence stems provided. My reptile is… My
reptile’s adaptation… Ask students what they think they will need to listen for as we watch the
videos. Reptile name. Reptile adaptation. Some videos may not say specifically, so students may
have to infer. We may have to infer based on what we watch how it helps the animal to survive.
Watch each video of the reptiles previously introduced. Some videos will reflect the adaptations
discussed on the carpet and some will introduce new adaptations for the same animals. This is to
differentiate for learning styles and levels. Walk students through the video if audio is too
complex or not clear to what the reptile’s adaptation is.
Formatively assess a few students from different levels by asking them to verbally rehearse what
they will be reporting in their science notebooks. Check for all components of a complete answer.
If a student is missing something from their report address it to the class. This will require a
comfortable learning environment. Take this as an opportunity to address issues that other
students may be having.
Explain and Clarify:
Students will complete page 27 on their own. This page will be their summative assessment. As
students are working visit them individually to check for understanding. Correct or guide students
who seem to have a hard time with the assignment. Higher leveled students should be encouraged
to give more detail, preferably in the form of multiple sentences. Since sentence stems are being
used, check for students to be using them to form complete sentences.
Meeting the Needs of all Students:
Low Students: Use different colored markers to underline the parts of a complete adaptation. Pair
low students with a slightly higher pair-and-share partner so they are exposed to higher-level
answers or will have help from a classmate if they are struggling. Use clear handwriting as to not
confuse the students. These students may have a hard time get getting started with their individual
work in their science notebooks, either pull a small group to help guide them or guide
individually at their seat. Teacher should be available for question and guidance.
Lesson Closure:
Bring class attention back to the front of the room. Remind students that we will need to keep
these adaptations in mind. We will continue our investigations on reptiles on Monday. If you want
to know more about reptile adaptations please read from our class library during any free
reading times that you may have. Have students collect science notebooks at their desk and
collect them by table group. These notebooks should be looked over immediately to assess
student understanding. Leave feedback in the students’ notebooks to be looked at when beginning
amphibian characteristics on Tuesday. Record participation and notebook completion on chart as
soon as possible.
Teacher Notes:
Advance preparation will be required for adaptation videos to avoid advertisement delays. Videos
should be previewed before presenting them to the students to avoid foul language or other
inappropriate content. Quick transitions are made easier with materials laid out for students. Have
students’ science journals placed on their desk. Have Promethean board set to the computer with
all videos opened in one window.
Transitions from one area of the room to the students’ desks will allow students to wiggle, but
make sure that they remember transitions are quick and silent. Videos get exciting for the
students, so allow them to enjoy what they are watching but check their behaviors if they seem to
be getting out of control.
Name: Reptile and Amphibian Partner Research
Grade Level: First Grade
Date: November 4, 2013
Subject: Science
Time Needed: 45 minutes
Overview and Statement of Purpose: Students have group discussion on what they learner the
past two days in regards to reptiles. Students, working in pairs, will receive a grade level (and
reader level) book. With this book, students will preform a picture walk with their partner to pose
questions. These inquiries will then guide the partners through their book(s) as they read for
understanding. As a class, we will have a group discussion to share questions and findings.
Materials Needed:
For Each Student:
¿
“Herpetologist Notes”
¿
Pencil
¿
Teacher/Student chosen book
¿
Partner
For the Class:
¿
Group meeting area
¿
Dry erase board
¿
Colored markers
Resources Used:
o
Berger, Melvin, Gilda Berger, and Alan Male. Can Snakes Crawl Backward?:
Questions and Answers about Reptiles. New York: Scholastic Reference, 2001. Print.
o
Bredeson, Carmen. Fun Facts about Alligators! Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow
Elementary, 2008. Print.
o
Bredeson, Carmen. Fun Facts about Frogs! Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2006.
Print.
o
Bredeson, Carmen. Fun Facts about Lizards! Berkeley, NJ: Enslow Elementary,
2008. Print.
o
Bredeson, Carmen. Fun Facts about Salamanders! Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow
Elementary, 2008. Print.
o
Bredeson, Carmen. Fun Facts about Snakes! Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow
Elementary, 2008. Print.
o
Bredeson, Carmen. Fun Facts about Turtles! Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow
Elementary, 2008. Print.
o
Connors, Kathleen. Chameleons. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2013. Print.
o
Connors, Kathleen. Geckos. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2013. Print.
o
Connors, Kathleen. Gila Monsters. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2013. Print.
o
Connors, Kathleen. Iguanas. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2013. Print.
o
Connors, Kathleen. Komodo Dragon. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2013.
Print.
o
Connors, Kathleen. Snapping Turtles. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2013.
Print.
o
Doeden, Matt. Garter Snakes. Mankato, MN: Capstone, 2005. Print.
o
Hervé, Jane, Yves Beaujard, and Elizabeth Bell. Reptiles and Amphibians : Great
Story & Cool Facts. San Anselmo, CA: Treasure Bay, 2009. Print.
o
Kalman, Bobbie, and Jacqueline Langille. What Is an Amphibian? New York,
NY: Crabtree Pub., 2000. Print.
Kalman, Bobbie. Baby Reptiles. New York: Crabtree, 2009. Print.
Kalman, Bobbie. Frogs and Other Amphibians. New York, NY: Crabtree Pub.,
2005. Print.
o
Kalman, Bobbie. What Is a Reptile? New York: Crabtree Pub., 1999. Print.
o
Mattern, Joanne. Geckos. Mankato, MN: Capstone, 2010. Print.
o
Pallotta, Jerry, and Ralph Masiello. The Frog Alphabet Book. Chicago:
Childrens, 1991. Print.
o
Richardson, Joy. Reptiles. Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2005. Print.
o
Salas, Laura Purdie., and Kristin Kest. Amphibians: Water-to-land Animals.
Minneapolis, MN: Picture Window, 2010. Print.
o
Schaefer, Lola M. What Is a Reptile? Mankato, MN: Pebble, 2001. Print.
o
Shea, Nicole. Creepy Amphibians. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2012. Print.
o
Shea, Therese. Creepy Reptiles. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2012. Print.
o
Sill, Cathryn P., and John Sill. About Amphibians: A Guide for Children. Atlanta,
GA: Peachtree, 2000. Print.
o
Silverman, Buffy. Do You Know about Amphibians? Minneapolis: Lerner
Publications, 2010. Print.
o
Silverman, Buffy. Do You Know about Reptiles? Minneapolis: Lerner
Publications, 2010. Print.
o
Solway, Andrew. Poison Frogs and Other Amphibians. Oxford: Heinemann
Library, 2007. Print.
o
Spilsbury, Richard, and Richard Spilsbury. The Life Cycle of Amphibians.
Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, 2003. Print.
o
Theodorou, Rod. Amphibians. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, 2007. Print.
o
Thomas, Elizabeth. Eastern Box Turtles. Mankato, MN: Capstone, 2012. Print.
o
o
Standards:
Standard: Social Studies
Standard 4: Civics
Concepts and Skills 1: Effective groups have responsible leaders and
team members.
Subject: Science
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 2: An organism is a living thing that has physical
characteristics to help it survive.
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 1: Offspring have characteristics that are similar to
but not exactly like their parents characteristics.
Subject: Reading, Writing and Communicating
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Verbal and nonverbal language is used to express
and receive information. Participate in collaborative conversations with
diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in
small and larger groups.
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Verbal and nonverbal language is used to express
and receive information. Ask and answer questions about key details in a
text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Standard 3: Writing and Composition
Concepts and Skills: Exploring the writing process develops ideas for
writing text that carries meaning.
Standard 4: Research and Reasoning
Concepts and Skills: A variety of resources lead to locating information
and answering questions of interests.
Lesson Objectives:
¿
Students will be able to describe how to be a good reading partner.
¿
Students will be able to share new finding one reptiles and amphibians in a group
setting.
¿
Students will be able to summarize nonfiction reading in order to answer questions.
¿
Students will be able to collect fact from nonfiction writing.
¿
Students will investigate reptiles and amphibians through nonfiction text.
¿
Students will be able to give examples of reptiles, amphibians, adaptations and
characteristics.
¿
Students will be able to restate questions in to assist them in answering questions.
Engagement:
Students will begin today’s lesson meeting in whole group on the rug to preassess student schema
growth. Who can tell me what animal group we have been studying? Reptiles! What is the person
called who studies these reptiles? Herpetologist! Write Herpetologist on the whiteboard and
reptiles below (different color). Have students verbally review characteristics and possibly our
class reptile adaptation.
What other animal class do herpetologist study? Amphibians! Write amphibians next to reptiles
(different color). Explain to student that we finished our reptile study on Friday and tomorrow
we will be beginning our study on amphibians. I want to take today to allow you and a partner to
research reptiles and amphibians together.
Ask students to pose a few questions for the class that they are wondering about either reptiles or
amphibians or both. Write these questions on the white board using bold colors that can be seen
around the room. Students may want to refer to these while reading. Begin introducing lesson
with a class model.
Explore:
Acquire a volunteer, one that is showing good listening behavior. Since my partner and I are
going to be reading together, what is proper partner reading behavior? Have the students stage
teacher and student volunteer for proper partner reading.
The first thing you are your partner will do is a picture walk through the book. Model picture
walk. Next you and your partner will write down questions that you have that your book may
answer based off of what you have seen. What would you like to know? Let’s write that down. Let
students know that they will be reading the books after asking question. This is very important
because the questions they ask should be guiding their reading by giving them ideas of what to be
on alert for while reading. When my partner and I come to part of the book that answers one of
our questions, we have to write down our answer below the question. Check for understanding.
Ask for clarifying questions. Remind students that they will have 30-35 minutes to read with their
partner. If a new book is needed, the partners must see the teacher. Distribute books, partners and
note taking paper.
Students will be formatively assessed through their actions as they work in partners. If groups are
having difficulty communicating, teacher assistance may be needed. It is critical that students are
paired with a partner that will keep them on track and working as expected.
Explain and Clarify:
Transition students back to group on the carpet and have them form a sharing square. We are
going to share a question and answer that your partner and you found while research reading.
Remember, a good answer restates the question before giving information. Possibly give an
example to refresh student memory.
Go around the circle and give summative assessment of each group based on questions asked and
answers found. Students should have asked question that were more complex than characteristics.
If student states a shallow question or answer, take a moment to probe for a deeper understanding.
Ask if anyone was able to answer a class question and have groups share answers.
Meeting the Needs of all Students:
Low Students: Use different colored markers to state class questions and class animals on the
whiteboard. Pair low students with a slightly higher pair-and-share partner so they are exposed to
higher-level reading skills or will have help from a classmate if they are struggling. Use clear
handwriting as to not confuse the students. Some low students may have behavior issues during
this time due to task difficulty, so keep them engaged and confident. Teacher should be available
for question and guidance.
Lesson Closure:
Bring class attention back to the front of the room. Remind student that we will be beginning
amphibians tomorrow, so if they would like to do individual research on amphibian
characteristics they can work to expand their schema. If you discovered interesting amphibian
characteristics or adaptations that you may have been unable to share today, we will be starting
amphibian characteristics tomorrow! You will be able to use your newfound knowledge in the
days to come, so get excited!
Teacher Notes:
Advance preparation will be required to make sure that books are appropriate for age level.
Teacher will also need to be aware of the rough level of each book so that they can be distributed
to proper partners. Supply more books than pairs incase a student pair has difficult reading that
cannot be over come or finishes early and needs a new book. Student will have to have prior
knowledge of how to restate a question when giving an answer as well as how to read for
understanding. Our students have been exposed to this model before and should be
review/practice for each one.
Name: Amphibian Characteristics
Date: November 5, 2013
Grade Level: First Grade
Subject: Science
Time Needed: 45 minutes
Overview and Statement of Purpose: Students will expand on their background knowledge to
decipher six characteristics of amphibians through a read aloud and background knowledge.
Students will discover the three groups of amphibians and determine the largest and smallest of
the groups. Students will arrange the life cycle order of two amphibian groups. Through these
discussions and expansions, students will gain a deeper understanding of our classroom
amphibians and what makes them alike one another.
Materials Needed:
For Each Student:
¿
Scientist Notebook
¿
Pencil
¿
Shared table crayons
For the Class:
¿
Different colored dry erase markers
¿
Laminated lined chart paper
¿
Salazar the class salamander
¿
Pictures of different amphibians
¿
Elmo
¿
Promethean Board
Resources Used:
¿
"Animals | Amphibians." Amphibians. San Diego Zoo, 2013. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.
http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/content/amphibians
¿
DeMullen, Michelle. Personal interview.
¿
Generic Salamander Life Cycle. Digital image. N.p., 26 Apr. 2011. Web. 04 Oct.
2013.
¿
Silverman, Buffy. Do You Know about Amphibians? Minneapolis: Lerner
Publications, 2010. Print.
¿
What Is The Life Cycle Of A Frog? Digital image. Rugu RSS. N.p., 8 Oct. 2013.
Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
Standards:
Subject: Science
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 2: An organism is a living thing that has physical
characteristics to help it survive.
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 1: Offspring have characteristics that are similar to
but not exactly like their parents characteristics.
Subject: Social Studies
Standard 1: History
Concepts and Skills 1: Describe patterns and chronological order of
events of the recent past. Evidence Outcome: Use words related to time,
sequence, and change (DOK 1)
Subject: Mathematics
Standard 3: Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability
Concepts and Skills 1: Visual displays of information can be used to
answer questions.
Subject: Reading, Writing and Communicating
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Verbal and nonverbal language is used to express
and receive information. Participate in collaborative conversations with
diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in
small and larger groups.
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Verbal and nonverbal language is used to express
and receive information. Ask and answer questions about key details in a
text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Lesson Objectives:
¿
Students will expand on their background knowledge to decipher six characteristics
of amphibians through a read aloud and background knowledge.
¿
Students will formulate the life cycle order of two amphibian groups.
¿
Students will sequence the life cycle of two amphibian groups.
¿
Students will analyze a chart to decipher the largest group of amphibians and the
smallest based on species count.
¿
Students will be able to compare and contrast adult amphibians to baby amphibians.
Engagement:
Have students meet on the class rug in whole group. To get students to reflect back on the unit
theme and use science vocabulary I preassess the whole group by asking a few questions. What
kind of scientist have we been thinking like? Herpetologist! Who can tell me what a Herpetologist
studies? Reptiles and Amphibians.
Reintroduce Salazar, our class amphibian, and ask students to tell me what they know about
Salazar that makes him an amphibian. Direct student attention to the characteristic chart that
states, “Characteristic are things that makes a group of animals the same.” What are amphibian
characteristics that we know about Salazar? Document the students’ responses on lined chart
paper titled “What We Know about Amphibians” with first grade writing for the verbal learners.
Reiterate that we are thinking like Herpetologist today as we begin our investigation of
amphibians.
Explore:
Direct student attention to incomplete chart on the white board. Inquire with students what they
think the three groups of amphibians are. Frogs and Toads; Salamanders and Newts; Caecilians.
Construct the chart with a picture example of each group corresponding to column two with the
number of species. Have students turn to a partner and discuss the following questions. Pay
attention to the partner talk happening within the whole group. Are kids on task? Is anyone
confused at how to read the chart? What is the largest group of amphibians? How did you know?
What is the smallest group of amphibians? How did you know? Bring the group together and ask
groups to share what they said and why. Check for use of the chart to answer their question.
Check for understanding of number comparison.
Explain to students that we will be listening to the book Do You Know about Amphibians? and
thinking like Herpetologist to find amphibian characteristics that we did not know or were unsure
of.
To formatively assess, encourage students to silently raise their hand when information is read in
the book that we could add to our class list of amphibian characteristic. Begin reading the book
Do You Know about Amphibians? If a student raises his/her hand to share, find a good place in
the book to pause and address the student’s discovery. Write the students discovery on the chart
titled “What We Learned about Amphibian Characteristics”
Explain and Clarify:
Refer back to the characteristic that amphibians all undergo metamorphosis. Model Salazar’s life
cycle ending with him and beginning with eyes laid by his mate. Ask the student to put the
pictures of metamorphosis stages in order for a frog or toad. This will be done whole group with a
thumb up thumb down. Students may be called to place the pieces, dependent on time. Put your
thumb up if you think that we should start our cycle with a tadpole that has just sprouted legs,
thumbs down if you disagree. Put your thumb up if you think we should begin with eggs, thumbs
down if you disagree.
Revisit the amphibian traits that we learned as a whole group and relate them back to Salazar. Are
there any further questions about amphibian characteristics before we head back to our seats to
complete our science journals? Honor wait time. Give students clear concise directions to return
to their seats silently and open their science notebooks to page 30. Have student complete the six
characteristics as a summative assessment of today’s lesson.
Meeting the Needs of all Students:
Low Students: Use different colored markers to add separation to the class charts. Pair low
students with a slightly higher pair-and-share partner so they are exposed to higher-level answers
or will have help from a classmate if they are struggling. Use clear handwriting as to not confuse
the students. These students will have a hard time get getting started with their individual work in
their science notebooks, either pull a small group to help guide them or guide whole class through
the six characteristics if time is short. Teacher’s science book should be completed ahead of time
to provide example.
Lesson Closure:
Bring class attention back to the front of the room. Using science notebook and the smart board,
read through the six characteristics one final time, explaining briefly. Remind students that we
will need to keep these in mind all week. Have students collect science notebooks at their desk
and collect them by table group. These notebooks should be looked over immediately to assess
student understanding. Leave feedback in the students’ notebooks to be looked at when writing
about adaptations the following day. Record participation and notebook completion on chart as
soon as possible.
Teacher Notes:
Advance preparation will be required to place the salamander in a safe clear container. Quick
transitions are made easier with materials laid out for students. Have students’ science journals
placed on their desk. Have teachers science journal at prepared at the Promethean board.
This lesson seemed long for the students, but they seemed to stay engaged the whole lesson.
Incorporate movement with starting the lesson in a part of the room other than their desk. A
transition will allow students to wiggle, but make sure that they remember transitions are quick
and silent. Maybe a different amphibian book would work better. Look for a book that is shorter
while still incorporating all the characteristics needed.
Images Used:
Generic Salamander Life Cycle. Digital image. N.p., 26 Apr. 2011. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.
<http://m5.i.pbase.com/o4/76/500676/1/134213525.ardrZLbv.genericsalamanderlifecycle.jpg>.
What Is The Life Cycle Of A Frog? Digital image. Rugu RSS. N.p., 8 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Oct.
2013. <http://www.rugusavay.com/what-is-the-life-cycle-of-a-frog/>.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Name: Amphibians Adaptations
Grade Level: First Grade
Date: November 6, 2013
Subject: Science
Time Needed: 60 minutes
Overview and Statement of Purpose: Students will review amphibian characteristics. We will
discuss that these are things that all amphibians have or do. Students will review the definition of
adaptation before reading and creating amphibian’s adaptations. Short adaptation videos will be
watched and discussed. Students will report on one amphibian’s adaptation and purpose of
survival making sure to include an illustration.
Materials Needed:
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For Each Student:
¿
Scientist Notebook
¿
Pencil
¿
Shared table crayons
For the Class:
¿
Salazar our class salamander
¿
Prepared adaptation chart
¿
Definition of adaptation
¿
Elmo
¿
Promethean Board
¿
Computer with internet
¿
Adaptations videos
Resources Used:
¿
DeMullen, Michelle. Personal interview.
¿
Baby Caecilians Feeding. YouTube. YouTube, 10 Jan. 2007. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K6szXrBHwM>.
¿
Baby Toads Born from Mom's Back. National Geographic. N.p., 02 Nov. 2009.
Web. 09 Oct. 2013. <http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/amphibiansanimals/frogs-and-toads/weirdest-surinam-toad-birth/>.
¿
Bombina Frog. Catalyst. N.p., 18 Mar. 2010. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2848683.htm>.
¿
Northern Wood Frog. Animal Planet. Corwin's Quest, 13 June 2012. Web. 20 Oct.
2013. <http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/other/videos/corwins-quest-northernwood-frog.htm>.
¿
Red-Eyed Tree Frog's Life Cycle. National Geographic. N.p., 15 Nov. 2011. Web.
19 Oct. 2013. <http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/amphibiansanimals/frogs-and-toads/frog_greentree_lifecycle/>.
¿
Strawberry Poison Dart Frog. National Geographic. N.p., 15 Nov. 2011. Web. 19
Oct. 2013. <http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/amphibiansanimals/frogs-and-toads/frog_strawberrypoisondart_tadpole/>.
¿
The Painted Reed Frog. YouTube. BBC's Life in Cold Blood, 20 Jan. 2010. Web. 20
Oct. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd6EEJFKay0>.
¿
Water-Holding Frog. National Geographic. National Geographic Kids, 22 Nov.
2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2013. <http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animalspets-kids/amphibians-kids/frog-waterholding-kids/>.
¿
Worlds Cutest Frog - Desert Rain Frog. YouTube. Dean Boshoff, 13 Feb. 2013.
Web. 19 Oct. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBkWhkAZ9ds>.
Standards:
Subject: Science
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 2: An organism is a living thing that has physical
characteristics to help it survive.
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 1: Offspring have characteristics that are similar to
but not exactly like their parents characteristics.
Subject: Reading, Writing and Communicating
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Verbal and nonverbal language is used to express
and receive information. Participate in collaborative conversations with
diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in
small and larger groups.
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Verbal and nonverbal language is used to express
and receive information. Ask and answer questions about key details in a
text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Standard 3: Writing and Composition
Concepts and Skills: Exploring the writing process develops ideas for
writing text that carries meaning.
Standard 4: Research and Reasoning
Concepts and Skills: A variety of resources lead to locating information
and answering questions of interests.
Lesson Objectives:
¿
Students will be able give an example of an amphibian adaptation in their science
notebooks with help of sentence stems.
¿
Students will be able to describe a specific amphibian adaptation and how it helps
the animal to survive.
¿
Students will be able to recall specific amphibian adaptation.
¿
Students will be able to infer amphibian adaptation and/or means to survival.
¿
Students will be able to show through an illustration their animal’s adaptation.
Engagement:
Have students meet on the class rug in whole group. To get students to reflect back on the unit
theme and use science vocabulary I will preassess the whole group by asking a few questions.
Who can tell me what animal class we are studying? Amphibians. What kind of scientist student
amphibians? Herpetologist!
Direct student attention to the adaptation chart that states, “An adaptation is something that an
animal has or does that helps it to service.” Read to the students the premade adaptation chart
describing various amphibian adaptations. Explain that each adaptation is something that the
animal has or does that is unique to them that help them to survive. Guide student discussion with
adaptation example. Ask students to discuss with a partner what they think the adaptation is and
how it helps that animal to survive? Check for understanding that adaptations assist animal in
finding food, protection, shelter, or reproducing.
What are amphibian adaptations that we know about our class amphibian? Document the
students’ responses on lined chart paper with two sections each labeled “Adaptations for (Class
amphibian)” with first grade writing for the verbal learners. What is the adaptation? Underline in
a bright color. How does this help the animal to survive? Underline in different color.
If students are not understanding the concept, walk them through the premade examples again,
underling adaptation and survival assistance.
Ask students if they have any further questions.
Reiterate that we are thinking like Herpetologist today as we begin our investigation of amphibian
adaptations.
Explore:
Transition students back to their desk by table groups. Instruct students to open to page 33 titled
“Amphibians Adaptations”. Read with the students the sentence stems provided. My amphibian
is… My amphibian’s adaptation… Ask students what they think they will need to listen for as we
watch the videos. Amphibian name. Amphibian adaptation. Some videos may not say
specifically, so students may have to infer. We may have to infer based on what we watch how it
helps the animal to survive.
Watch each video of the amphibians previously introduced. Some videos will reflect the
adaptations discussed on the carpet and some will introduce new adaptations for the same
animals. This is to differentiate for learning styles and levels. Walk students through the video if
audio is too complex or not clear to what the amphibian’s adaptation is.
Formatively assess a few students from different levels by asking them to verbally rehearse what
they will be reporting in their science notebooks. Check for all components of a complete answer.
If a student is missing something from their report address it to the class. This will require a
comfortable learning environment. Take this as an opportunity to address issues that other
students may be having.
Explain and Clarify:
Students will complete page 33 on their own. This page will be their summative assessment. As
students are working visit them individually to check for understanding. Correct or guide students
who seem to have a hard time with the assignment. Higher leveled students should be encouraged
to give more detail, preferably in the form of multiple sentences. Since sentence stems are being
used, check for students to be using them to form complete sentences.
Meeting the Needs of all Students:
Low Students: Use different colored markers to underline the parts of a complete adaptation. Pair
low students with a slightly higher pair-and-share partner so they are exposed to higher-level
answers or will have help from a classmate if they are struggling. Use clear handwriting as to not
confuse the students. These students may have a hard time get getting started with their individual
work in their science notebooks, either pull a small group to help guide them or guide
individually at their seat. Teacher should be available for question and guidance.
Lesson Closure:
Bring class attention back to the front of the room. Remind students that we will need to keep
these adaptations in mind. We will report on our schema growth this Thursday. As of today, we
have completed studying reptiles and amphibians. If you want to know more about reptile or
amphibians please take the next two days to read from our class library during any free reading
times that you may have. These books will only be here until Friday afternoon. Have students
collect science notebooks at their desk and collect them by table group. These notebooks should
be looked over immediately to assess student understanding. Leave feedback in the students’
notebooks to be looked at when beginning amphibian characteristics on Tuesday. Record
participation and notebook completion on chart as soon as possible.
Teacher Notes:
Advance preparation will be required for adaptation videos to avoid advertisement delays. Videos
should be previewed before presenting them to the students to avoid foul language or other
inappropriate content. Quick transitions are made easier with materials laid out for students. Have
students’ science journals placed on their desk. Have Promethean board set to the computer with
all videos opened in one window.
Transitions from one area of the room to the students’ desks will allow students to wiggle, but
make sure that they remember transitions are quick and silent. Videos get exciting for the
students, so allow them to enjoy what they are watching but check their behaviors if they seem to
be getting out of control.
Name: Reptile and Amphibian Schema Growth
Grade Level: First Grade
Date: November 4, 2013
Subject: Science
Time Needed: 45 minutes
Overview and Statement of Purpose: Now that students have studied both reptile and
amphibian, adaptations and characteristics, as well as doing partner research to answer
miscellaneous question, they will independently report on their schema growth. Students will
express what new schema they now have, how their schema has grow and/or how their schema
has changed.
Materials Needed:
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For Each Student:
¿
Science Notebook
¿
Pencil
For the Class:
¿
Group meeting area
¿
Dry erase board
¿
Colored markers
¿
Promethean Board
¿
Elmo
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Standards:
Subject: Science
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 2: An organism is a living thing that has physical
characteristics to help it survive.
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 1: Offspring have characteristics that are similar to
but not exactly like their parents characteristics.
Subject: Reading, Writing and Communicating
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Verbal and nonverbal language is used to express
and receive information.
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Verbal and nonverbal language is used to express
and receive information.
Standard 3: Writing and Composition
Concepts and Skills: Exploring the writing process develops ideas for
writing text that carries meaning.
Standard 4: Research and Reasoning
Concepts and Skills: A variety of resources lead to locating information
and answering questions of interests.
Lesson Objectives:
¿
Students will be able to recall information learned over the past 5 lessons.
¿
Students will be able to explain how their schemas changed after learning new
information.
¿
Students will be able to arrange schema into a well-written explanation of growth
and/or change.
¿
Students will be able to defend their previous schema with information covered in
lessons.
¿
Students will be able to share their personal schema through writing.
Engagement:
Begin lesson on classroom rug. Preassess student understanding by reviewing previous lessons.
What is the definition of characteristic? Have students recall reptile and amphibian adaptations.
What is the definition of adaptation? Have students recall several adaptations for reptiles and
amphibians (lower students should think about the classroom if they are having trouble). Once
students have reviewed all of the characteristics and have shared a few adaptations, begin the
lesson.
Explore:
Today we are going to be reporting on our final schema changes. Who remembers what a schema
is? Make a point that schema is anything you hear, do, see, read, or experience. It is knowledge
that we have in our brain. Our brain is like a piece of tape ready to stick to anything, especially if
it is new or exciting! Formatively assess students with a group discussion. Have students turn to a
shoulder partner and share something that they learned about reptiles and amphibians. Have
students share. This is how our schemas have grown. Have students turn to a shoulder partner and
share their alternative schema. How did your schema change? What did you think before that
might have changed after we studied the two animal classes? Have a few students share. This one
maybe harder because students like to assume their schemas have not changed. Encourage them
that it is okay if our schemas changed or grew. I knew ________ before but now I know that and
_______. Before I thought _______but now I know that __________.
Transitions students quickly and quietly back to their seats and have them turn to page 26, “My
New Schema and Observations”
Explain and Clarify:
On page 26, students will write an individual paragraph depicting their schema change or growth
as a summative assessment. Start students together by modeling with the Promethean board and
Elmo. We all need to have a stronger start to our paragraphs. Use a sentence stem to get students
started. After studying reptiles and amphibians my schema has grown. We will be taking our final
test tomorrow so think of this writing as a review of all that you know. Write what you knew, what
you learned and how your thinking changed. Remind students that they need capitals and periods
to form complete sentences. Have a few students share how they will start. Give students
remaining time to write.
Meeting the Needs of all Students:
Low Students: Remind students that they are able to write about characteristics, our class pets and
what they know that we may have not talked about. Ask these students simple questions that will
spark their thoughts. Provide adaptation and characteristic posters in room for students to
reference (NOT COPY) work needs to be in their own words.
Lesson Closure:
Bring class attention back to the front of the room. We will be taking our final test tomorrow, so
be sure to practice reptile and amphibian characteristics at home. You will also need to have an
adaptation in mind. You may also want to know how each animal group looks when they are born
and know about their life cycle. Respond to student writing as soon as possible so that students
may reference their writing the next day or during future assignments.
Teacher Notes:
Management is key. If there is talking, then there most likely is not writing. Keep students calm
and quiet. Offer guidance and assistance for all students, but make sure your students who have
difficulty writing do not fall behind.
Name: Post-Assessment
Grade Level: First Grade
Date: November 8, 2013
Subject: Science
Time Needed: 30 minutes
Overview and Statement of Purpose: Students will complete a 10-point preassessment
individually. Students will answer two question regarding both reptile characteristics and
amphibian characteristics. Students will report one adaptation of either a reptile or an amphibian.
Students will answer two questions regarding baby reptiles and amphibians, deciphering which is
born as miniature adults and which goes through metamorphosis.
Materials Needed:
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For Each Student:
¿
Post-assessment
¿
Pencil
For the Class:
¿
Post-assessment for example
¿
Elmo
¿
Promethean Board
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Resources Used:
¿
Frog Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://www.frog-lifecycle.com/graphics/Frog16.jpg
¿
Salamander Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://vector-magz.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/11/salamander-clip-art1.gif
¿
Snake Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://bestclipartblog.com/clipartpics/snake-clipart-10.jpg
¿
Turtle Walking Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013.
http://www.clipartlord.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/turtle.png
Standards:
Subject: Science
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 2: An organism is a living thing that has physical
characteristics to help it survive.
Standard 2: Life Science
Concepts and Skills 1: Offspring have characteristics that are similar to
but not exactly like their parents characteristics.
Subject: Reading, Writing and Communicating
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Verbal and nonverbal language is used to express
and receive information. Participate in collaborative conversations with
diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in
small and larger groups.
Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Concepts and Skills: Verbal and nonverbal language is used to express
and receive information. Ask and answer questions about key details in a
text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Standard 3: Writing and Composition
Concepts and Skills: Exploring the writing process develops ideas for
writing text that carries meaning.
Standard 4: Research and Reasoning
Concepts and Skills: A variety of resources lead to locating information
and answering questions of interests.
Lesson Objectives:
¿
Students will complete an individual post-assessment.
¿
Students will respond to five questions regarding reptile and amphibian
characteristics, adaptations and life cycle.
Engagement:
Meet as a whole group on the back carpet to discuss science for today. Today, we will be taking a
post-test today to see what we have learned over the past two weeks. This assessment will be for
me to see what we learned as a class and how we expanded on our background knowledge of
amphibians and reptiles. Make sure the students feel comfortable before reintroducing the actual
assessment.
Direct students to return back to there seats and silently write their name at the top of their test.
Explain again the assessment to students, page by page. The first page says, “Draw or write 6
reptile characteristics.” Give an example unrelated to reptiles or amphibians. The second page
says, “Draw or write 6 amphibian characteristics.” Reiterate that the students may draw a
characteristic if they are having trouble but pictures must be clear or labeled. The third page is
asking for an adaptation for either an amphibian or a reptile. Remind students that an adaptation
is something an animal has or does that helps them to survive. On the last page you are to fill in
the blank with either amphibian or reptile. Point out to them that each answer can only be used
once. Read the incomplete sentences to the students.
Explore:
Give students remaining time to complete the post-assessment. Make sure to be available for the
students who may need questions reread or rephrased.
Explain and Clarify:
Revisit with students at the back carpet. Again, explain to students that this assessment will be
used to gauge what the class learned in regards expanding their background knowledge and
growing their schema. Ask if there are any further questions not in relation to the questions on the
test.
Meeting the Needs of all Students:
Low Students: Questions may need to be read again or restated. For these students I differentiated
the test to allow them to draw their characteristic if they find trouble in writing. If student has
trouble with adaptation give them the option of writing about one of the animals that we have
previously met. What was special about them that helped them to survive? Student may get upset
with test difficulty, remind them that this a pretest and they may know a little or they may not
know any of the information on the test.
Lesson Closure:
Bring class attention back to teacher. Now that we have finished our unit on reptiles and
amphibians we will begin studying fish on Wednesday. I hope everyone is excited to meet his or
her new fish friend. Keep expanding your schema on reptiles and amphibians. Never stop
thinking like Herpetologists! Tests should be looked over immediately to assess student
understanding of the overall unit. Record student scores.
Images Used:
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Snake Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://bestclipartblog.com/clipart-pics/snakeclipart-10.jpg
Turtle Walking Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://www.clipartlord.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/10/turtle.png
Salamander Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://vector-magz.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/11/salamander-clip-art1.gif
Frog Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://www.frog-lifecycle.com/graphics/Frog16.jpg
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Extension Activities
Field Trip:
During the unit we took our first graders to the Denver Zoo. Students were able to see
animals in habits specific to their needs. Parents read the plaques and signs at each
observatory. This gave students further information about the animal that they were
viewing. Students were placed into small groups of no more than five. Having small
groups gives a better environment for discussion. I made handouts for each chaperon with
a column for birds, fish, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. As students walked around
the zoo they placed the animals that they saw into the proper column. If there were
various species in one area, such as the bird habitat, I had parents ask the students what
they thought a certain animals adaptation was. If this was too difficult, they could ask
how the birds were the same or different. The zoo is the perfect place for student to
practice distinguishing animal characteristics and adaptations. Many of these animals,
students would never be able to see outside of an experience like this.
Guest Speaker:
Student could have the opportunity to become the animals that we are studying by
bringing in a guest speaker from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Guest
speakers such as these offer hands-on activities for a variety of subjects. Students would
be able to try on reptile and amphibian costumes and try their hand at being an animal by
using tools to transform them. Students would be able to make connections between what
we learned and the hands-on activities the museum professional provides.
Demonstration:
To show what the students learned during this unit we are inviting parents and siblings to
see the students give a presentation on an animal of their choice at our Fall
BBQ. Students will be reporting on their animal’s class, three characteristics and an
amazing adaptation. Being able to teach concepts such as these will further enhance the
students know knowledge. Students, to find a picture matching their presentation, will do
further research during their technology time.
Class Pet Meet-and-Greet:
Equip the classroom with a real world example of each animal class. Students will benefit
by seeing and experience animals more than they will by seeing only pictures and videos.
Give students the opportunity to hold and/or observe the animals inside and outside of
their habitats. We have a salamander and frog to represent the amphibians. There are only
three groups of amphibians. For the reptiles we have a snake, a gecko and three turtles.
The other group of reptiles we are not able to represent (crocodiles and alligators) due to
safety reasons. However, students were able to see an alligator at the Denver Zoo.
Instructing Students and Supporting Learning
Although a lot of work is put into all lesson plans, it is a blessing if they go exactly as
planned. In many of my lessons, I planned for my students to have background
knowledge of some content, but it always seemed that once I began they knew more than
I was prepared for. This was a good thing of course but that meant that I would have to
adjust some lessons on the fly to keep them entertaining. During the Reptile
Characteristics lesson plan, students could name almost all of the characteristics.
Therefore after we read the book and added a few more characteristics and I had students
give me examples of the characteristics as well. This adjustment allowed students to
apply their knowledge to the real world by giving examples outside of the ones provided.
For both of the adaptation lessons there were students who could explain, in-depth,
animal adaptations there were not talked about of viewed. I saw this as an opportunity for
them to teach their classmates as well as have more accountability for their responses.
These students tended to be my higher kids, so I allowed them to write these adaptations,
but I would monitor their writing to make sure that they were still including the details
necessary.
The lesson that was observed went as planned due to adjustments that I made after
teaching Reptile Characteristics. I planned for my students to come in with more
background knowledge and was prepared to teach more complex content, such as
metamorphosis. It was no surprise that my students named almost every characteristics
that I would expect them to know.
Although these events are related directly to my lessons, there were behavior issues that
sometimes disrupted the lessons. Behavior issues were addressed directly in order to cut
back on the behavior tax. I wanted to spend as little time addressing behaviors while
maximizing the lesson for the whole class. If an individual could not get their behavior in
check and were given many opportunities, then they were asked to leave the community
and they could listen from a chair in the back.
To further my students’ understanding of content in my unit I provided real life
examples. We used three reptiles and two amphibians, our class pets, to apply our content
knowledge. The students observed and met each class pet to recognize how that animal
displayed the characteristics learned and each of the animal’s adaptations. This gave the
students a real world experience to apply their knowledge to. The lesson that was
observed used Salazar the salamander for students to see amphibian characteristics within
our classroom. We discussed why Salazar’s habitat has to be a certain way because of
these characteristics and we mapped his life cycle to further understand metamorphosis.
When we studied adaptations, we not only used our class pet, we watched footage of
animals using or displaying their adaptation for survival.
Many of the adaptations that we introduced were hard for first graders to perceive with
just text, such as a samarium toad carrying and birthing her babies from here back. When
I read this adaptation from the chart and explained it to students, I received many
confused looks. When I showed a video and walked students through what they were
seeing, their eyes lit up with understanding, disgust and amazement. Adaptations are
fascinating for students to learn, but it takes much more than a written statement for them
to really understand each adaptation.
During the lessons and unit I monitored each child’s progress throughout with
preassessments, formative assessments, summative assessments and most importantly
one on ones. These monitoring strategies that I found most useful accrued in a majority of
my lessons as well as in my supervisor observed lesson. We started each lesson with a
preassessment discussion that set the tone for the rest of the lesson. If I found that
students was having a hard time grasping concepts their struggles would first be seen
here. This preassessment stage leads into our exploration where students were
formatively assessed through group, independent and partner activities.
We have a lot of group discussions on topics as well as partner pair and share. At this
time students are asking a lot of clarifying questions if they feel they do not understand or
if they are having trouble making a connection. When studying characteristics of reptiles
one student posed a question to the class. “Why aren’t there a lot of reptiles in colder
places?” I used this wonderful question, that would later relate to the characteristic that
all reptiles are cold blooded, to open a discussion with students. A few students shared
why they thought this to be true. We received answers such as “reptiles don’t have fur to
stay warm like polar bears,” “reptiles have to be where there is dirt,” and a few that were
close if not right on like “reptiles have to be near the sun and at is at the equator,”
“reptiles will die if that get too cold.” We recorded these responses and after reading the
book reread them and made a class definition to why we don’t find a lot reptiles in colder
places, noting that they are a cold blooded animal class. A standard that students were to
meet stated that students comprehend an organism is a living thing that has physical
characteristics to help it survive.
During assignments, I would meet with each student independently for a mini conference
on their work. This would be conducted by walking around the room and monitoring the
students’ work. If I found that a student was not understanding the assignment, I would
take a moment with them to clarify and discuss before moving one. After meeting with
each student I would then review their first draft and talk with them about how an
assignment could be made better. This was a time to check for understanding and to see if
students we meeting the science and literacy standards for each lesson.
I believe that monitoring in a lesson happens constantly. As a teacher I don’t want my
students to spend their time completing work incorrectly or being satisfied with work that
is not their best. By staying close to my students work, I am able to scaffold their
explorations while allowing them to still remain responsible.
I teach closely with Vygotsky philosophy of the Zone of Proximal Development. I use
group discussions and partner work as a way of allowing my student to work
independently within their level. Peer interactions such as these can be very beneficial for
students who may not be as advanced as others. These lower students are exposed to
more skillful classmates who are able to explain content in a grade level appropriate way.
In each lesson I make sure that I model for the students, then review with them in a ‘we
do’ manner before I send them off to complete a similar task independently. This type of
three-step teaching gives students the scaffolding to achieve their task. If a students in
still incapable of such achievements after the first two steps, then instruction needs to be
adjusted or content reviewed. Wood et al. describes scaffolding as being successful when
the scaffold can be later removed with the students still retaining the ability to complete a
task. I worked this philosophy into our post-test. Students hare to take their new schema
and apply it to the same tasks of each lesson without the scaffolding that was provided.
An assessment such as this allowed me to see if my students worked well within their
ZPD and retained when the unit was closed.
Resources
Teacher Resources
"Animals | Amphibians." Amphibians. San Diego Zoo, 2013. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.
http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/content/amphibians
o
"Animals | Reptiles." Reptiles. San Diego Zoo, 2013. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.
http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/content/reptiles
o
DeMullen, Michelle. Personal interview.
o
Silverman, Buffy. Do You Know about Amphibians? Minneapolis: Lerner
Publications, 2010. Print.
o
Silverman, Buffy. Do You Know about Reptiles? Minneapolis: Lerner
Publications, 2010. Print.
o
Student Resources
Alligator Snapping Turtles. HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2013.
<http://videos.howstuffworks.com/thewildclassroom/2384-alligator-snapping-turtlesvideo.htm>.
o
Armadillo Lizard. YouTube. YouTube, 21 Apr. 2010. Web. 06 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67Hub9tz-KE>.
o
Baby Caecilians Feeding. YouTube. YouTube, 10 Jan. 2007. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K6szXrBHwM>.
o
Baby Toads Born from Mom's Back. National Geographic. N.p., 02 Nov. 2009.
Web. 09 Oct. 2013. <http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/amphibiansanimals/frogs-and-toads/weirdest-surinam-toad-birth/>.
o
Berger, Melvin, Gilda Berger, and Alan Male. Can Snakes Crawl Backward?:
Questions and Answers about Reptiles. New York: Scholastic Reference, 2001. Print.
o
Bombina Frog. Catalyst. N.p., 18 Mar. 2010. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2848683.htm>.
o
Bredeson, Carmen. Fun Facts about Alligators! Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow
Elementary, 2008. Print.
o
Bredeson, Carmen. Fun Facts about Frogs! Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2006.
Print.
o
Bredeson, Carmen. Fun Facts about Lizards! Berkeley, NJ: Enslow Elementary,
2008. Print.
o
Bredeson, Carmen. Fun Facts about Salamanders! Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow
Elementary, 2008. Print.
o
Bredeson, Carmen. Fun Facts about Snakes! Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow
Elementary, 2008. Print.
o
Bredeson, Carmen. Fun Facts about Turtles! Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow
Elementary, 2008. Print.
o
Connors, Kathleen. Chameleons. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2013. Print.
o
Connors, Kathleen. Geckos. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2013. Print.
o
Connors, Kathleen. Gila Monsters. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2013. Print.
o
Connors, Kathleen. Iguanas. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2013. Print.
o
Connors, Kathleen. Komodo Dragon. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2013.
Print.
o
Connors, Kathleen. Snapping Turtles. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2013.
Print.
o
Doeden, Matt. Garter Snakes. Mankato, MN: Capstone, 2005. Print.
o
Fooled by Nature: Chameleon Colors. HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct.
2013. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/28369-fooled-by-nature-chameleoncolors-video.htm>.
o
Frilled Lizards. National Geographic. National Geographic Kids, 22 Oct. 2011.
Web. 05 Oct. 2013. <http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals-petskids/reptiles-kids/lizard-frilled-kids/>.
o
Hervé, Jane, Yves Beaujard, and Elizabeth Bell. Reptiles and Amphibians : Great
Story & Cool Facts. San Anselmo, CA: Treasure Bay, 2009. Print.
o
Hognose Snake. YouTube. Eddie Carter, 18 Oct. 2011. Web. 09 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage>.
o
Horned Lizard Defense Mechanisms. HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct.
2013. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/29005-fooled-by-nature-hornedlizard-defense-mechanisms-video.htm>.
o
Internet Videos
Kalman, Bobbie, and Jacqueline Langille. What Is an Amphibian? New York,
NY: Crabtree Pub., 2000. Print.
o
Kalman, Bobbie. Baby Reptiles. New York: Crabtree, 2009. Print.
o
Kalman, Bobbie. Frogs and Other Amphibians. New York, NY: Crabtree Pub.,
2005. Print.
o
Kalman, Bobbie. What Is a Reptile? New York: Crabtree Pub., 1999. Print.
o
Mattern, Joanne. Geckos. Mankato, MN: Capstone, 2010. Print.
o
Northern Wood Frog. Animal Planet. Corwin's Quest, 13 June 2012. Web. 20
Oct. 2013. <http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/other/videos/corwins-questnorthern-wood-frog.htm>.
o
Pallotta, Jerry, and Ralph Masiello. The Frog Alphabet Book. Chicago:
Childrens, 1991. Print.
o
Rattlesnake Bite. Prod. David Newland. National Geographic. National
Geographic, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.
<http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/adventure/survival-guide/survival-guiderattlesnake-bite/>
o
Red-Eyed Tree Frog's Life Cycle. National Geographic. N.p., 15 Nov. 2011.
Web. 19 Oct. 2013. <http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/amphibiansanimals/frogs-and-toads/frog_greentree_lifecycle/>.
o
Richardson, Joy. Reptiles. Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2005. Print.
o
Salas, Laura Purdie., and Kristin Kest. Amphibians: Water-to-land Animals.
Minneapolis, MN: Picture Window, 2010. Print.
o
Schaefer, Lola M. What Is a Reptile? Mankato, MN: Pebble, 2001. Print.
o
Shea, Nicole. Creepy Amphibians. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2012. Print.
o
Shea, Therese. Creepy Reptiles. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2012. Print.
o
Sill, Cathryn P., and John Sill. About Amphibians: A Guide for Children. Atlanta,
GA: Peachtree, 2000. Print.
o
Silverman, Buffy. Do You Know about Amphibians? Minneapolis: Lerner
Publications, 2010. Print.
o
Silverman, Buffy. Do You Know about Reptiles? Minneapolis: Lerner
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o
Solway, Andrew. Poison Frogs and Other Amphibians. Oxford: Heinemann
Library, 2007. Print.
o
Spilsbury, Richard, and Richard Spilsbury. The Life Cycle of Amphibians.
Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, 2003. Print.
o
Strawberry Poison Dart Frog. National Geographic. N.p., 15 Nov. 2011. Web.
19 Oct. 2013. <http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/amphibiansanimals/frogs-and-toads/frog_strawberrypoisondart_tadpole/>.
o
The Painted Reed Frog. YouTube. BBC's Life in Cold Blood, 20 Jan. 2010. Web.
20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd6EEJFKay0>.
o
Theodorou, Rod. Amphibians. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, 2007. Print.
o
Thomas, Elizabeth. Eastern Box Turtles. Mankato, MN: Capstone, 2012. Print.
o
Water-Holding Frog. National Geographic. National Geographic Kids, 22 Nov.
2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2013. <http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animalspets-kids/amphibians-kids/frog-waterholding-kids/>.
o
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2013. <http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/reptilesanimals/lizards/weirdest-komodo-dragon/>.
o
World's Deadliest: King Cobra. National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct.
2013. <http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/reptilesanimals/snakes/deadliest-king-cobra/>.
o
Worlds Cutest Frog - Desert Rain Frog. YouTube. Dean Boshoff, 13 Feb. 2013.
Web. 19 Oct. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBkWhkAZ9ds>.
o
Internet Images
Baby Horney Lizard. Digital image. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.
http://www.blueskyreserve.org/images/animals/babyhorned.jpg
o
Baby Red-Bellied Racer Snake. Digital image. N.p. Web. 05 Oct. 2013.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/61/221621796_0e3b9a8ba2.jpg
o
Frog Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://www.frog-lifecycle.com/graphics/Frog16.jpg
o
Generic Salamander Life Cycle. Digital image. N.p., 26 Apr. 2011. Web. 04 Oct.
2013.
o
Hatchling Stinkpot Musk Turtle. Digital image. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.
http://gregsnaturalhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/A-pair-of-baby-stinkpotMusk-turtles.jpg
o
Kinyongia Chameleon. Digital image. N.p. Web. 05 Oct. 2013.
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o
Salamander Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. http://vectormagz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/salamander-clip-art1.gif
o
Snake Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013.
http://bestclipartblog.com/clipart-pics/snake-clipart-10.jpg
o
Turtle Walking Clipart. Digital image. Web. 01 Oct. 2013.
http://www.clipartlord.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/turtle.png
o
What Is The Life Cycle Of A Frog? Digital image. Rugu RSS. N.p., 8 Oct. 2013.
Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
o
Evaluative Essay
Before beginning my unit I wanted to pre-assess my students to see what kind of background
knowledge they were bringing into this unit. We had previously met our five class reptiles and
amphibians, so each student had been exposed to at least on animal from each class. This preassessment consisted of the same questions as the post-assessment. The students were asked to state
six reptile characteristics, six amphibian characteristic, one adaptation of their choice for either a
reptile or an amphibian and also to pair the animal class with their beginning life cycle state. These
assessments were differentiated for students who have trouble expressing themselves in words or
retain information better with picture association. I provided picture examples of each class on the
first two pages. Students were also given the option of drawing their animal class characteristics just
as we did so in our science notebooks. Two students were unavailable for their post-assessment and
their scores have been omitted. However, the growth in the two students from their starting points
could have caused a predictable increase in the class average. Their science journal grades do not
reflect this increase because they were also absent two days of the unit as well and thus had
incomplete work. As you can see, the class made a more than 70% improvement at the end of the unit.
Student
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Pre-Test
(10)
4
0
0
2
6
0
5
1
0
4
0
4
3
0
0
5
4
5
1
4
2
0
2
%
40.00%
0.00%
0.00%
20.00%
60.00%
0.00%
50.00%
10.00%
0.00%
40.00%
0.00%
40.00%
30.00%
0.00%
0.00%
50.00%
40.00%
50.00%
10.00%
40.00%
20.00%
0.00%
20.00%
Post-Test
(10)
N/A
10
8
10
10
9
9
12
10
8
9
10
8
9
6
9
12
9
10
N/A
7
11
9
%
N/A
100.00%
80.00%
100.00%
100.00%
90.00%
90.00%
120.00%
110.00%
80.00%
90.00%
100.00%
80.00%
90.00%
60.00%
90.00%
120.00%
90.00%
100.00%
N/A
70.00%
110.00%
90.00%
X
Y
Average
2
1
2
20.00%
10.00%
22.00%
9
9
9
90.00%
90.00%
93.04%
Formative assessments that were given throughout the unit were in the form of their
science unit. I used these pages as their summative assessments for our daily lessons, but
overall they guided what the unit looked like day to day. Students completed five science
journal pages on their own for a grade of 25 points (30%). Participation was also taken
into consideration to assess the standards of communication, reading and writing. All
students were expected to collaborate in whole group, tables groups and with partners
throughout the unit. These points totaled to 50 points (60%), or ten points a day not
including the day they worked with one partner. This day was given 10 points (10%) as
students were assessed on their abilities to gather information collaboratively with a
partner while exploring different text and locating variety of information. I graded this
day separate from the others to show students that there were high expectations set for
them and their partner or group during their time of exploration. When combined the
students had a possible 85 points to earn through various activities.
Student
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
Scientist Notebook
(25)
15.00
20.00
20.00
25.00
25.00
25.00
25.00
25.00
25.00
25.00
25.00
25.00
20.00
15.00
15.00
25.00
25.00
25.00
20.00
15.00
25.00
25.00
Participation (50)
Group Work (10)
%
45.00
35.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
45.00
45.00
45.00
35.00
50.00
50.00
40.00
45.00
40.00
50.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
0.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
82.35%
76.47%
94.12%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
76.47%
82.35%
82.35%
82.35%
100.00%
100.00%
82.35%
82.35%
88.24%
100.00%
W
X
Y
Average
25.00
25.00
25.00
22.60
40.00
50.00
50.00
46.60
10.00
10.00
10.00
9.60
88.24%
100.00%
100.00%
93%
As I began looking through my students’ science notebooks I already had in mind who
my students of concern would be and whom I should expect more out of. Student O is my
lowest academic student achiever in my first grade class. We are currently working
through the Student Intervention Team process to examine Student O’s specific strengths
and weaknesses as well as develop a plan for the rest of the year. For now, this student
requires much assistance. If left alone for a sustained period of time he will become off
task and be unable to complete his work. Currently he is reading and writing below
kindergarten level, which greatly affects his work. We do a lot of writing here in class
106, science being no exception. This being said I had to work with him frequently
during the independent time when he was completing his journal. During the partner
lesson, he was paired with someone of a higher level that would not only keep him on
track but also scaffold him to do better. Student O made significant improvement from
his pre-assessment to his post-assessment, both of which I had to reread and restate
questions for him, as well as scribe a few responses.
Student W was another student to which I had preformed concerns. Not for his lack of
ability but for his lackadaisical personality for schoolwork. He enjoys group discussions
that he can participate in verbally, but fails to bring his knowledge out on paper when the
time comes. In his mind he has nothing to write, but when asked to rehears verbally he
has brilliant thoughts. This is not a learning hurdle, but a personality hurdle. It appears
that at some point in his academic career he had someone who would complete his work
for him if he showed enough resistance. I have over come this by embracing his struggle
and showing him that he can achieve on his own if he simply starts. When writing
adaptations and schema growth in our science journals, Student W required starting help.
We are working hard to help him overcome this behavior so that is will affect his work
less and less. Regardless of this behavior, he made a 70% growth from his pre-assessment
to his post-assessment, as well as an 88% score on his classwork showing that he can
learn the material but his lack of effort affects his ability to complete his work
independently.
Student H made significant growth from her pre-assessment (10%) to her postassessment (120%). She was able to draw and/or write more than four characteristics for
reptiles as well as amphibians and completed the rest of her test with a perfect score.
Student H is very bright but has a hard time staying focused on her work. Often through
out this unit she was asked to focus on her work in order for her to complete it in a timely
manner. Upon looking through her science journal it was made clear that her mind was
elsewhere for a few of the independent work activities. Student H finished the unit with
complete points in participation, science journal completion and group work. Although
her work does not always convey her complete understanding, she now has a greater
grasp on the subject area. Her diligence and attentiveness in group work and class
participation served as a positive catalyst to those around her.
Although Student H and Student Q were the only two in the class that completed their
tests as well as reported on additional characteristics for both animal classes. Unlike
Student H, Student Q came into the unit with an above average background knowledge.
She actively participated to expand her schema by participating group discussions during
each lesson. Her work shows a higher level of understanding that is lacking from that of
Student H. She does not have an attention problem like some of her fellow classmates,
but still needs to be reminded of classroom expectations from time to time. This student
had her work completed in a timely manner and displayed growth in her understanding
through daily activities and formal assessments.
This class’ ability to retain information is beyond that of other classes that I have taught
or observed. These first graders are very self motivated and find pure joy in learning. The
management of this class is consistent overall no matter the lesson or stimulation
involved. They are present in all lessons regardless of the subject area but this sense of
attentiveness is noticeable more so when it comes to science and math. I saw this joy
when we began using manipulative, hands-on activities and real world connections earlier
on in the year. While planning this unit, I made it a point to have live animals present in
relevant lessons to act as a living example of what we were studying. Having done this
for both animal classes, using five different animals, it was much easier for the students
to make connections to the lessons. I noticed that students who tend to struggle in other
subject areas related the characteristic pages in their science books for reptiles and/or
amphibians back to our class pets. These students, like B and U, have trouble completing
work independently. When live animals that they have held and observed were involved,
they understood and retained the information.
All students were presented with expectations of their science notebooks at the beginning
of another unit. No students where able to turn in incomplete science notebook, so
students who have lower science grades where either were not present or who did not go
back and revise their completed notebooks after conferencing with the teachers, the latter
is less likely.
Reflective Essay
To plan this unit, I used the backward design model. Before I started to plan any of the
units, I figured out what my ‘Big Idea’ would be. What did I want the students to take
away from the unit as a whole? In the Capstone we called this the Unit Goal. After my
Unit Goal was established, I began to establish what tasks I wanted my students to be
able to complete to show that lessons had been successful. This type of planning gave me
a general idea of how I wanted the unit and each lesson to be focused. After I had
established what would be considered acceptable evidence of lesson success, then I dove
into each individual lesson.
To plan a lesson, I had to begin with the standards that would be covered. My chosen
standards helped to write the objectives for each lesson plan. From these objectives I
established my lesson. It was pointed out many times during my student teaching that I
use the “I Do, We Do, You Do” model when teaching almost every lesson. Although I do
not state it as such in my lesson plans my instructions guide this model. Within the
Engagement portion I make sure to pre-assess my students. Pre-assessing at the
beginning of a lesson is critical to catch the students that my not have absorbed previous
lessons or do not have as extensive of a background. This is where lesson plans can take
a twisting. One can plan as much as he or she like, but if a majority of the class is not in
good understanding then materials need to be retaught. Luckily, this did not happen to me
during this unit, but has happened before. Flexibility is a large part of teaching. After I
pre-assess my students to see what we are at the same point, I begin my lesson of the day.
During this lesson is where I formatively assess my student to make sure that the lesson is
being properly transmitted. Along with a formative assessment, checking for
understanding during this time is critical. I like to do this with thumbs up, thumbs
sideways or thumbs down. It is an easy way to see the students opinions without having
them talking. All of my lessons are wrapped up with a summative assessment at the end.
This assessment is the final piece I use to see if students found success or if my teachings
need to be adjusted. I looked at all summative assessments as soon as I could before I was
sent in my lesson plan for the following day.
I think that it is very important to review constantly, even if it seems that students
understand the concept. Reviewing the following day allowed me to observe which
students were retaining the information and which students could apply their conceptual
knowledge to new ideas. Each lesson, I make a point to look back at the previous lesson
and take key parts that can be carried over into the new lessons. All of our concepts were
connected or repeating so this was an easy task. Keeping all of my students thinking
about the same concepts made it less likely that I was going to lose anyone as we pushed
ahead. This unit moved quickly, so we needed to be taking small moments to review
quite often. Another way to keep pushing on but remembering information was by
integrating other subjects. Our integrations allowed the students to see how concepts
were connected, and also gave students a different way of expressing what they learned
or knew. Literacy was a huge part of my Capstone. Students were writing, illustrating and
communicating everyday, whether they were referencing characteristics, adaptations or
amazing new information, they were expressing it in various forms. Having such
diversity in my lessons helped me to meet many of the Performance-Based Standards for
Colorado Teachers.
Standard One: Knowledge of Literacy
Every lesson included a Common Core State Standard for literacy. There is a large
emphasis in Slavens for literacy, and I wanted to take that mindset and apply it to any
lesson that I could. Students needed to be able to read and listen to nonfiction text to gain
understanding. Student literacy standards were covered through partnered reading and
various individual writing tasks. Also, students were to listen to books being read to them
orally and in turn pulling important concepts out of the text. I did have varied writers in
my class, so students were expected to write to the best of their abilities. For some
students that meant a few complete sentences and for other that expectation was several
sentences formatted with transition words.
Standard Two: Knowledge of Mathematics
Unlike literacy, mathematics was not addressed for each lesson. When mathematics was
used, however, it helped the students to develop a mental image of different animal group
sizes. As I had students sort the animal groups by biggest group to smallest group many
students pointed out ways that this might affect what we know about these animals. By
having them sort the groups they were exploring which animals we see more of because
of the high number of species and which we may not know as much about because they
are seen less often of we don’t have as many different species to study.
Standard Three: Knowledge of Assessment
When teaching this unit, it was critical for me to give the students feedback as quickly as
possible in a way that was effective toward their future work. Student feedback was
based off of the standards used to teach that lesson, so to see that students were meeting
lesson objective or not. I provided three forms of assessment in each lesson and three
overall assessments to document students’ start, progression and end product. Ongoing
assessment daily helped me to shape and revise my short term (day-to-day) planning as
well as my long term planning (until end of unit).
Standard Four: Knowledge of Content
This Capstone unit was science based with integrations of literacy, math and social
studies. Having touched already on math and literacy, lets look at science and social
studies. This unit was difficult to integrate social studies into formally, but I used my
content knowledge frequently to address social studies informally through group
discussions and student questions. When I addressed social studies formally, it was in
terms of sequencing and leadership roles. Students are constantly working as a class to
succeed from lesson to lesson, so I applied that mind set to the research lesson and had
students discuss what makes a go group member. Although never stated as social studies,
students had a meaningful experience with history and civics standards.
Standard Five: Knowledge of Classroom and Instructional Management
I have a no nonsense policy that I am working to improve as a student teacher. My
students need to know that their feelings are valid but when students become out of hand
they need to know as well that their actions will not be accepted. Students are aware of
their behavior expectations at all times and when those expectations are not met there is a
consequence. Students may experience class, table, group or individual consequences.
Effective teaching starts with effective management. I could have the best lesson but if
my kids are not well behaved they will miss it. A point was made to pursue interventions
of students as often as needed. When walking by and I see a student struggling I see that
as a learning opportunity for us both. I can learn what I didn’t do well in teaching and
how I can modify my instructions later.
Standard Seven: Knowledge of Technology
Technology was used for every lesson plan. The Promethean Board allowed me to
address whole class instruction with live interactions. A great example of this is when I
was also able to use this board to show animal adaptations and then simply switch to the
overhead document camera to address how to respond a proper adaptation report.
Standard Ten: Professionalism
My student teaching experience is the first time I have been full immersed in the culture
of education. There is daily communication that I had to address not only with my
students, but also with parents, colleagues, supervisors and district employees. To be
successful in this communication I had to be sensitive and professional in all of my
interactions. With students this communication usually meant confrontation mediating,
where it is critical to remain unbiased and get to the bottom of the issue at hand. When it
came to my colleagues my role was to be collaborative and constructive. Although I am
still working through all of the changes being made in Denver Public Schools, reform
happens, and it is a learning process for all involved.
Overall, I thought my Capstone was a great success. My students made tremendous
growth and have retained much if not all of what they learned during the unit. We
reference it almost daily if there is ever a time and place. Students are even pointing out
reptiles and amphibians as they go about their daily tasks. One thing that I would change
about my unit would be the amount of time that I taught science for. 45 minutes is an
awful long time for students to be focused on one subject, but the beauty of the time was
that each student was thoroughly engaged in every lesson. Not once during my unit did I
feel that I was loosing the attention of any student. They were always excited for science
and ready to see what there was to learn that day. Another thing I would have liked to
change about the unit as a whole would be to add a few more days. I had a lot packed into
each day and ideally I would have liked to split a few of the lessons up into two parts. I
believe that doing that would have provided richer work and slightly better
understanding, but again, students were successful and engaged with less days of longer
lessons.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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