DIXIE STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

UNIT PLAN TEMPLATE

Teacher Candidate__Paula Finlinson___________________________
Grade Level _____2______

Content Area_______Science______________

Step 1 DESIRED RESULTS

A. Contextual Factors

20 Students
10 boys
10 girls
1 Pacific Islander (Mesepa)
4 Hispanic (Ruth, David, Ethan, Aron)
1 Behavior IEP (Wesson)- Extreme behavior issues
4 Academic IEP (Ruth, Wesson, Ethan, Natalya)
3 ELL Students (David, Ruth, Aron)-WIDA levels are not known.
2 HIgh Level Learners (Kase, Aron)

B. Utah State Core or Common Core Curriculum Standard

Standard 4: Life science: Students will gain an understanding of life

science through the study of changes in organisms over time and the
nature of living things.
Objective
1.a: Compare and contrast characteristics of living things in
different habitats.
1.b: Develop, communicate, and justify and explanation as to
why a habitat is or is not suitable for a specific organism.
2.a: Communicate and justify how the physical characteristics of
living things help them meet their
basic needs.
2.b: Observe, record, and compare how the behaviors and
reactions of living things helps them meet their basic needs.

2.c: Identify behaviors and reactions of living things in response

to changes in the environment including seasonal changes in
temperature and precipitation.

C. Enduring Understanding/Big Idea

Students will understand animals needs for survival.

D. Essential Questions/Guiding Questions

What characteristics do living animals in a rainforest exhibit?

What characteristics do living animals in an ocean exhibit?
What characteristics do living animals in a desert exhibit?
What characteristics do living animals in a tundra exhibit?
How does an animals habitat help them survive?
What physical characteristics help an animal meet their basic needs?
What are the characteristics of living things?
How do animals prepare for colder months?

E. Concepts

Characteristics of animals living in the rainforest.

Characteristics of animals living in the tundra.
The importance of an animals habitat.
Common characteristics that all animals exhibit.
Physical adaptations that helps animals meet their basic needs.
Differences between hibernating, migrating and adapting.

F. Skills

Define and Explain the characteristics of animals that live in the

rainforest and ocean.
Define and explain the characteristics of animals that live in the tundra
and desert.
Demonstrate the importance of an animals habitat.
Explain the characteristics that animals need to meet their basic
needs.
Common characteristics that all animals exhibit.
Explain the differences between hibernating, migrating, and adapting,

Step 2 ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

1.

Pre-Assessments
Pre-test: Students will be given a multiple choice test that has
been provided by the school district.

2.

Formative Assessments/Evidence
Students will make a triorama depicting each of the 4 habitats
(desert, tundra, rainforest, and ocean).
Students will make a rainforest in a bottle
Students will write a paper about an animal that they have
imagined. Details in the paper need to show that the animal has the
correct adaptations for its habitat.
Students will create a graphic organizer depicting different
physical characteristics of animals and how they benefit that animal.
Students will fill in a graphic organizer comparing the difference
between the non-living plastic lizard and the living lizard.
Students make a graphic organizer that shows whether certain
animals adapt, migrate, or hibernate.
3.

Summative Assessments/Evidence
Post-test: Same as pre-test.

Step 3 Lesson Objectives with Instructional Strategies

Lesson 1: I will explain the characteristics of animals living the

ocean and rainforest.

Unit Pre-test
Slide presentation and class discussion on
characteristics of rainforest animals
Students fill in the first section of their triorama
rainforest habitat.
Students will make a rainforest in a bottle.

Lesson 2: I will explain the characteristics of animals living in

the tundra. .
Read Tundra Animals
Slide presentation and class discussion on the
characteristics of tundra animals.
Students fill in the last section of the triorama on
the tundra habitat.
Whale blubber experiment to show how water
animals in the tundra stay warm during winter months.

Lesson 3: I will say how an animals habitat helps them

survive.
Watch a short video clip on habitats.
Slide presentation/discussion using spider monkey
(rainforest), dolphin (ocean), snowy owl (tundra), and
rattlesnake (desert) to show how an animal's habitat
helps them survive.
Using the outline provided, students will write about
an animal that they created to live in one of the four
habitats. The paper will need to outline how the habitat
helps the animal survive in it.

Lesson 4: I will write what physical characteristics certain

animals have to help them meet their basic needs.
Slide presentation/class discussion on physical
characteristics of animals that helps them meet their
needs.
While going through the slide show the students will

fill in a graphic organizer. Example below.

Animal

Characteristic

How it helps meet needs

Students will rotate between 4 characteristic

experiment stations. 1) Bird Beak, 2) Camouflage 3)
Elephant ears, and 4) Duck oil.
Students will write what they learned at each
station in their science journal.

Lesson 5: I will write what characteristics all living animals

share.
Discussion about what all living things need.
Fill in Is it living? chart as a class.
Play picture sort pocket chart game as a class.
Introduce class to the new class pet (bearded
dragon lizard).
Fill in compare and contrast chart for the real lizard
vs. plastic lizards.

Lesson 6: I will write how animals prepare for colder months.

Read When it Starts to Snow.
Show powerpoint with pictures of different animals.
Fill in graphic organizer as we look through slides.
Example below.
Hibernate

Adapt

Migrate

Definition:
Examples:
Picture:
Students complete worksheet picture sort, Where
do animals go in winter?