Group items tagged

An extension for this activity would be to have students who seem to be enjoying it but are moving ahead of the group try the growing experiment with different plants.  These students could then compare the lima bean growth to that of other plants. Students who are struggling, or maybe who have had a plant die could work together in groups and share plants to observe and experiment with. 4.NS.7 Keep accurate records in a notebook during investigations and communicate findings to others using graphs, charts, maps and models through oral and written reports. 4.3.4 Describe a way that a given plant or animal might adapt to a change arising from a human or non-human impact on its environment.

This activity could be adapted for ELLs and special needs students by showing them on the board or overhead what the completed project should look like.  If they have difficulty reading, it could be hard to know where to put the different labels, but this would be much easier for them if they had an example to look at. K.3.1 Observe and draw physical features of common plants and animals. K.NS.6 Make and use simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses.

Standard: 1.NS.3 - Observe, describe and ask questions about living things and their relationships to their environments.

Extension: Students could maintain terrariums for various lengths of time, depending on the goals behind building the terrariums. Students could make representations of what they have observed over time in the terrariums.

Adaptation: ELL students could work with English Speaking students to bridge the language gap needed when following instructions for making terrariums. ELL students could also get support from English Speaking students when writing down what they observe, because it may be unfamiliar language. Graphs and charts could be made as a class, to keep track of height of plants and number of insects.

Adaptations: Activities could be completed alone and not as part of 5 day unit if time did not permit. Experiments could be completed in small groups or modeled explicitly by the teacher.

Use of graphs and graphic organizers could be varied depending on ability of students.

Extension: This is a science project heavy on language arts (writing). Allowing ELL students to draw more pictures may make this project more memorable for these students.

Once students have determined what soil is good for plants, students could test different plant seeds. Compare and contrast what soil works best for different plants.

Standard: 1.NS.2 - Observe, describe and ask questions about soil components and properties.

K.NS.3 - Observe living organisms, compare and contrast their characteristics, and ask questions about them

1.NS.3 - Describe objects in terms of the materials that compose them and in terms of their physical properties

2.NS.3 - Observe, ask questions about and describe how organisms change their forms and behaviors during their life cycles

Standards: 3.3.2, 2.3.1, 1.3.2, 1.DP.5, 1.DP.6

Expansion: Students can observe and record changes in their terrarium over time, and create a log.  

ESL: Cooperative work and practice writing will help reinforce science vocabulary.  

2.3.2 Compare and contrast details of body plans and structures within the life cycles of plants and animals. 2.NS.2 Conduct investigations that may happen over time as a class, in small groups, or independently. This activity could be adapted in many ways to suit your goals and time constraints, but the reason I chose it is because it involves using technology, research, and includes quality literature.

This activity looks like a lot of fun for young learners.  The activity itself should be good for all learners, but the paper at the end that students fill out to show what they have learned might give some students trouble.  I would emphasize using best guess spelling for this paper, and I would spell common words that students will use on the board.  If a student is really having trouble making letters or forming words, you could talk to that student individually and find out what they want to write for each blank, then copy it down for them with a highlighter or other light marker, and have the students trace what you have written with their pencils. K.NS.2 Conduct investigations that may happen over time as a class, in small groups, or independently. K.NS.6 Make and use simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses. 1.3.5 Observe and describe ways in which animals and plants depend on one another for survival.

6.3.5 Describe how all animals, including humans, meet their energy needs by consuming other organisms, breaking down their structures, and using the materials to grow and function. 5.3.1 Observe and classify common Indiana organisms as producers, consumers, decomposers, predator and prey based on their relationships and interactions with other organisms in their ecosystem. This activity works really well for all types of learners because it is interactive and involves group knowledge.  For English Language learners, it would be a good idea to not only write the names of the species on the card, but to place pictures of the species on these cards as well.  This will help your ELLs, but it will also add another layer of knowledge for all students because they will start to notice that how the animal looks reflects its place on the food chain.  Animals that are fast and have sharp teeth and claws are probably at the top of the food chain, and plants are near the bottom.

Standard: 3.NS.2 Identify fossils and describe how they provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago and the nature of their environment at that time.

Extension: Students could create an fossil then research that prehistoric animal. Students could find out when they lived, how common the fossils are, and how they became extinct.

Adaptation: Students could work together in groups to make fossils if resources were limited. Students might make their own fossils, but then work in groups for the research component. This way the ELL and lower English speaking students could handle the research part of the activity.