Group items tagged

Standards: 6.NS.2, 6.NS.3, 6.NS.4, 6.NS.5

Expansion: In order to cover several other Nature of Science, students could be required to make predictions, record their results in a log, test their predictions through multiple tries, and then analyze the results.  

ESL: Students would be able to practice using the American standard measuring system with cooking, and have that reinforced.  

Standard: 4.NS.2- Observe, investigate and give examples of ways that the shape of land changes over time.(4.2.1, 4.2.2, 4.2.3) Describe how the supply of natural resources is limited and investigate ways that humans protect and harm the environment. (4.2.4, 4.2.5, 4.2.6)

Extension: Students could build more elaborate models with rocks, mud, dirt, soil, and other natural objects. Students could build larger models that set over time and could be used to mimic larger mining operations.

Adaptations: Students could write reports on the effects of coal mining and other human practices on the earth and our resources. Students could give presentations on other harmful practices that humans participate in, explaining why, despite the negative effects, we still make these decisions.

C.C. Standards: 1.MD.2, 1.MD.4, 2.MD.1, 2.MD.9, 2.MD.10

Expansion: As kicked balls could take a lot of time to measure, students could throw bean bags or jump.  For jumping they could work in pairs to measure each other's jumps and then report the data. 

ESL: Physical and visual aids in learning measurement will help ESL students retain measurement information. 

2.MD.1 Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.

I really like the idea of the measure hunt because it gives the students a fun activity to move around with and explore the classroom.  Also, ability level doesn't really play a large part in this activity because the emphasis is on practicing measuring, not just doing it right the first time.  This gives struggling students a chance to practice their measuring skills in order to cement this knowledge in their minds.

Students who struggle more with this more challenging activity could have more time to plan and view pictures of actual bridges with the teacher pointing out the structural elements and geometric shapes on these bridges.

6.G.4 Represent three-dimensional figures using nets made up of rectangles and triangles, and use the nets to find the surface area of these figures. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.

CCSS.Math.Content.1.G.A.2 Compose two-dimensional shapes (rectangles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, half-circles, and quarter-circles) or three-dimensional shapes (cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular cones, and right circular cylinders) to create a composite shape, and compose new shapes from the composite shape

Game is great for ELL learners because it requires no English proficiency to complete the online tasks. Students can log into the program and begin working immediately, discovering the relationships between different 2-dimensional plane shapes on their own. Activity could be extended by bringing in physical tangram sets for students to complete during down time.

CCSS.Math.Content.3.MD.A.2

Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using standard units of grams (g), kilograms (kg), and liters (l).1 Add, subtract, multiply, or divide to solve one-step word problems involving masses or volumes that are given in the same units, e.g., by using drawings (such as a beaker with a measurement scale) to represent the problem.2

Activity is great to add real world context to ELL and low English speaking students. Provides a real world context for students to start thinking about measurement in. Brings items from the household into the classroom. Extend the activity by introducing the concept of adding two different measurements (1/4 + 3/4) together to make one whole.

CCSS.Math.Content.4.MD.A.2 Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems that require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Represent measurement quantities using diagrams such as number line diagrams that feature a measurement scale

CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.B.5c Giving quantitative measures of center (median and/or mean) and variability (interquartile range and/or mean absolute deviation), as well as describing any overall pattern and any striking deviations from the overall pattern with reference to the context in which the data were gathered.

Card games provide opportunities for the whole class to practice this skill at the same time. ELL and low performing students benefit from the cooperation factor and the repeated math facts needed to add the values together.

K.CC.4 Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect counting to cardinality.

This activity could really be adapted for many different ability levels.  For less advanced children, you could keep it simple and focus on easy to identify elements of the house/classroom, such as doors.  For more advanced children, you could have them count things that would come to a fairly high number, such as books, for example.  This would give them more of a challenge and let them practice counting to higher numbers.  The activity lends itself naturally to ELLs because of it's use of a drawing of a house to signify what is being counted.

This activity allows itself to adapt to all sorts of different learners, because it gives everyone a chance to work at their own pace.  For example, fast finishers can work to see how many colors they can find in nature and document those observations in their journals.  Slower students can be allowed to take their time and focus on one or two colors.  This is perfectly fine as long as everyone is learning and participating. K.NS.1=Use a scientific notebook to record predictions, questions and observations about data with pictures, numbers or in words K.NS.6=Make and use simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses.

Expansion: 4.4.1, 4.4.3, 4.4.4

Expansion: Have students theorize what a water wheel like this could be used for.  Have them try to develop a simple machine that could be attached to the wheel and moved via the water, then record their findings.  Have them vary the rates of water flow to determine how it effects the wheel. 

ESL: Cooperative work, innovation and hands-on time will help students better understand how water creates movement. 

Standard: 1.3.1, K.3.1, K.3.2

Expansion: Have students record details about the bugs they find, or spend some time afterwards discussing how they knew what kind of insect was what.  

ESL: Repetition of vocabulary, visual links between real creatures and their names, and cooperative work will help students reinforce their English skills. 

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.  

Standard: MA.3.1.15 2000, MA.2.1.12 2000, SCI.2.2.1 2010, SCI.2.2.3 2010

C.C. Standard: 2.MD.9

Expansion: Students could graph their weather findings over time and use those graphs to learn how to interpret data and predict future weather patterns.

ENL: ENL students can expand their weather and observational vocabulary through constant repetition of particular words and images.  The spinner is very visual, offering a graphic representation of the weather pattern they are recording. 

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.

Standard: 2.NS.1.1- Observe, describe and measure ways in which the properties of a sample of water (including volume) change or stay the same as the water is heated and cooled and then transformed into different states. Extensions: Students can graph the weight of the sponge over time on a line graph. Students can discuss their predicitions and/or inferences (depending on how familiar they are with the water cycle) as a class. This activity is a good segwey into concepts such as the water cycle, evaporation, and states of matter. Adaptations: ELL students benefit from the whole class discussion stemming from the single experiement performed at the front of the class. Students gain a better idea of what is going on as they listen to each others' predictions and inferences as to where the water is going if it is leaving the sponge.

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.