Hailey Pleshakov

Connected Inquiry Lesson

Grade Level: Second Grade

1. Title/Source of Lesson: Living Things Cause Changes on Earth

2. Description of Learners: The class is a full-day second grade classroom composed of
twenty-two students; twelve male students and ten female students with ages ranging
from seven to eight years old. There are two students who are diagnosed with ADHD.
One student is currently on an IEP and works with the special education teacher on a
daily basis. There is also one student who is currently being monitored to be put on an
IEP.
3. Grade Band Theme: Observations of the Environment
Strand: Life Science
Topic: Interactions within Habitats
Condensed Content Statement: Living things cause changes on Earth
Living things function and interact with their physical environments. Living
things cause changes in the environments where they live; the changes can
be very noticeable or slightly noticeable, fast or slow.
Science Inquiry and Application:

Observe and ask questions about the environment

Plan and conduct simple investigations
Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses
Communicate about observations, investigations and explanations
Review and ask questions about the observations and explanations of others

4. Instructional Objectives: Students will explain that living things function and interact
with their physical environments. They will explain why living things cause changes on
Earth in the environments where they live; the changes can be very noticeable or
slightly noticeable, fast or slow. Students will investigate why and how animals make
changes to the Earth by researching a specific animal and giving a group presentation on
that animal. Students will discover that animals make changes on Earth for various
reasons such as shelter, protection from predators, and transportation purposes.
5. Differentiations: For students diagnosed with ADHD or attention disorders, providing a
project in which they are able to research using books and other resources will help
them remain focused and engaged on the task at hand. The students are able to use

resources such as classroom iPads and computers as well as informational texts

provided to them. Having the students work in groups is a great differentiation for ELL
students because it allows them to work with English speaking students which can help
improve their language development. The teacher can also provide the ELL students
with informational texts that are easier to read, have fewer words, and are at a lower
reading level to help the student understand and read the text. Students who are
developmentally ahead of their grade may be given informational books that are longer
and more in depth in terms of content.
6. Materials/Resources Needed:
Books:
o Our Big Home by Linda Glaser
o Wonderful Worms by Linda Glaser
o Jack: The Story of a Beaver by Shirley Woods
o The Life and Times of the Ant by Charles Micucci
White board or chalk board to write students ideas/predictions
Student journals
iPads/Computers
Poster board
Markers/colored pencils
Presentation rubric
7. Key (Academic) Vocabulary:
Examine, predict, observe, infer, analyze, very noticeable, slightly noticeable, recall,
discover, relate
8. Procedure:
1. Engage: Teacher begins with a read aloud to the class of the book, Our Big Home.
After the teacher finishes reading, students and teacher discuss/recall what they
understood from the readingbook talked about animals and plants living together.
Teacher relates story to animals and asks how these living things make changes on
Earth and why they think animals make changes. Teacher shows students pictures of
burrow holes, ant hills, and dams and asks the students to predict what they think
created these changes and why (animals make changes because of needs: shelter,
protection from predators, and transportation). Teacher records students answers
on the board.
2. Explore: Now that students have a question planted in their heads, why do animals
make changes on Earth, they will be placed in small groups to research an animal
that causes some of the changes they saw in the pictures. Students will all be given a
poster board and a childrens informational book on the animal they are researching
and are encouraged to research more in depth using iPads and classroom

computers. All groups are given the same rubric which asks them to investigate
topics such as the animals habitat, diet, and the overall question: why does this
animal make changes to the Earth? (protection, shelter, transportation, food).
Through this group presentation, students will investigate why certain animals make
changes on Earth, how they do it, and whether these changes are noticeable or
slightly noticeable, fast or slow. Students are to create a poster board that shows
their research findings as well as creativity.
3. Explain: The teacher brings the class together once students have had adequate
time to research their animal. Each group will present to the class the poster they
created. Once all of the groups have presented, the teacher explains to the class
living things cause changes in their environment, which can be observed. These
interactions can cause changes in groups of living things and the physical
environment in which they live (soil, wood, rocks, and water). The teacher will
display each groups poster around the classroom. Once the teacher and class have
discussed the presentations, she will ask the class to write/draw about a time they
observed an animal making changes to its environment at home or outside of school
(chipmunk burrowing in rock wall, squirrels making homes in holes of trees, moles
tunneling in their lawn). To check students understanding, the teacher will have
students record the writing/drawing in their daily journals. They will be asked to
answer: why they think the animal made that change, and whether that change was
fast/slow, very noticeable/slightly noticeable. The teacher will read over daily
journals to assess students understanding.
4. Elaborate: Teacher has students return to their desks and displays a picture of the
city of New York to the class. She asks the students to observe what they notice
about the picture (buildings, cars, roads, houses, etc.). She asks students to infer
what animal they think caused these changes on Earth. Students will respond that
humans built the houses, buildings, and roads. The teacher will then ask why they
think humans do this. Students will discover that just like animals, humans cause
changes on Earth as well! Humans are similar to animals in that we cause changes on
Earth for specific needs. We make roads for easy and quick transportation, buildings
for protection and shelter, and farms for food. Just like in the book, Our Big Home,
we live on Earth together with animals and we all have needs.
5. Evaluate: The teacher will analyze each groups research poster to check for
understanding as to why each animal causes changes on Earth. The teacher will also
read each students daily journal entry to check for understanding of why the animal
they observed outside of school was making a change and whether that change was
very noticeable, slightly noticeable, fast or slow.
9. Assessment Plan:

Pre-Assessment (informal): After reading the book, Our Big Home and showing
students pictures of animals that caused changes on Earth to the class, the teacher
asks the students to make connections to assess their prior knowledge of the topic.
She asks the students to examine the pictures to check for understanding and to
identify any misconceptions.
o After displaying pictures to the class of ant hills, mole holes, and a beaver
dam, the teacher asks students questions such as:
What do you think these pictures are?
Can you predict why the animal may have created these changes?
Are there other animals you can think of that make changes on Earth?
Post-Assessment (formal): Students will be assessed through the detail and
accuracy of the information they provided on their group posters for the specific
animal they researched. Students will also be assessed through the responses they
provided in their daily journals when they were asked to record a time they noticed
an animal making a change on Earth and why they thought the animal was making
that change.