Lesson Design Template: MAT/Certification Elementary

Candidate Name: Violet Brooks Host Teacher Name: Bekker

School: Knik Elementary Grade Level: 3# of Students: 21
Date & Time of Lesson: 3/30/2017 Length of Lesson: 45 minutes
Topic of Lesson: Lesson 1: Mammals! Content Area: Science!

Materials: Include all materials including types of technology used:

Packet materials, butcher paper, pencils, coloring utensils, pens, green and red sharpies.

ALASKA CONTENT STANDARD

Alaska Standard C:
1) develop an understanding of how science explains changes in life forms over time, including
genetics, heredity, the process of natural selection, and biological evolution;
2) develop an understanding of the structure, function, behavior, development, life cycles, and
diversity of living organisms; and
3) develop an understanding that all organisms are linked to each other and their physical
environments through the transfer and transformation of matter and energy

TRANSFER GOAL(S) (transferability)

1.) Students will begin to form understandings of how all life forms are connected and comparable
through set criteria and how they change over time in minor ways to form new species.
2.) Students will study 5 vertebrate species and compare and contrast them to see their different life
cycles and functions.
3.) Students will begin to understand how certain animals changed over time to better survive in their
environments, or to move into new ones.

STAGE ONE – Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings (meaning)

Enduring Understanding(s):
Students will see how vertebrates and similar and
different and why they have different
classifications.
Students will see that scientists break up
organisms to better identify them and better
understand the ‘big picture’of life.
Students will see how life forms change to suit
What Essential Questions will be Considered?
Why do scientists classify animals? Why do
we have different animal families?
Why might an organism change over time?
What things in environment might FORCE the
animals in it to change?
What are some different changes we can see today
 their environment to meet their niche.
STAGE ONE: Objectives
Part one on vertebrates! Students will identify
what 6 items classify an animal as a mammal.
Knowledge - What students should know….
Students will learn why scientists classify
animals into family groups.
Students will be able to separate mammals
from other vertebrates.
Skills - What students should be able to do…….
Students should be able to list and sort animals by
what animals are and are not
vertabrates.
Students should be able to name 5 characteristics
of mammals.
Students should be able to point to indentifying
characteristics of mammals and
name 5 examples they know from
on land, under water and in the air.
of animal adaptations? What are some groups that
we can name? How can we determine who goes in
what group?
STAGE TWO: Assessments
Evidence of Learning/Accountability -
Formative/Summative/Performance
Students will use hand gestures and oral cues
to repeat back to teacher
the different qualities of
a mammal.
Assessment(s)/Other E
Students will (in small groups) decide why
scientists have decided to make Fish and Birds
their own groups based on their characteristics.
Students will pick out mammals within a collection
of other animals and explain to teachers and other
students what qualities make that creature a
mammal.
Evidence:
Assessment(s)/Other Evidence:
Students will be given a list of animals and
separate them by
vertebrate and
invertebrate.
Students will answer a worksheet provided that
include these questions.
Students will circle animals that are mammals on a
worksheet provided.
STAGE THREE: Opportunities to Learn (Acquisition)
Introduction/Hook
Have students make a row in front of you by the white board. On one side of a huge
piece of butcher paper, have the students write down 2 of their favorite animals. These
can be any kind of animal, real or imaginary, living for extinct. As they are working,
call on students sitting down and fill in the second side of the board labeled “What do we
know about mammals?” Write down every suggestion, no matter how silly it may seem.
Processes and products for Learning Strategies for Differentiation/
Opportunities Multimodal Instruction/Universal
Design for Learning

For students who struggle with writing,

After students have given you a good list on
both sides, have them turn to the pager in
their packet titled “What are Mammals?”
As they finish reading, have them turn and
discuss with their partner. Then, turn to
what you’ve written on the board as a
group and go through each item one at a
time. Use the red marker to put an ‘X’
through things that weren’t quite right, but
give a big old green checkmark to things
that are correct. Talk about their
assumptions and compare it to the reading.
have them work with another student and
take turns writing in answers.
For shy students, offer to read their answer
out loud to the class or write their answers on
the board.
For students who struggle with writing, have
books with animals in them to distribute to
the different tables. Tell students they can
look for animals in the books and copy them
onto their worksheets.

Next, turn your attention to the animals
the children have listed. Pick 5-10
examples and discuss them together.
“Someone picked T-rex… Does a T-rex have
a spine? (wait for answer) Does it breathe
air?(Wait for answer) Does it have live
babies? Does it make milk?” Ect. When we
find an animal doesn’t meet the
qualification, do a big, comical “Uh-OH!”
and have the students echo you.
Offer lots of think time for students to get
comfortable before having to state their
answer. Think time (A 3-5 second pause
before answering) can really improve
student participation. Don’t always have
them speak out loud, sometimes having a
student check their answer with a partner
before answering as a class goes a long way.

After doing this as a group, have the

students go to page two of their packet and
give 5 more examples of what is and isn’t a
mammal on their worksheet. They are
allowed to copy from the board, but must
pick animals you haven’t already done.
This is a group of 20 kids, so there should
be at least 30 more on the board for them to
choose from.

Go around the room, checking for

understanding with the groups. Watch
students carefully and ask questions when
you see an issue. “Hmmm, can you explain
why you put a shark as a mammal?” Give
student’s a chance to explain. They could
have good reason. Some sharks do give live
birth, and some are warm blooded, this is a
chance to get them to see the full spectrum
of what is a mammal. They also might
have questions about monotremes which, if
they do, reward them, man. 3rd graders
with a firm hold on egg laying mammals
ROCK! (Well, 3rd graders rock in general,
and you rock too, for teaching them.)

After students have finished their charts,

have them work in groups on the very first
page. These are mostly yes or no questions,
but encourage children to elaborate. Have
them write at least 2 answers to the first
two questions. Make a big deal out of
anyone who writes in animals or names.
Closure: As students finish, have them Again, let students know they can always
come together and focus on you. Again, as come to you after class to ask questions.
a group, go over the characteristics of all
mammals. Lead students on “All Mammals If a student struggles with an answer, have
have… raise your hand if you can finish the them “phone a friend” or call on a friend to
sentence!” Look for all 6 answers. Have help them with the answer. If they phone a
students make the hand motions with you friend, the whole class has to agree with a
as they answer. thumbs up or thumbs down.

Ask for feedback from the students. Ask

them what they liked/didn’t like about
today’s lesson. Ask them if they have any
other questions. Ask them if there is
anything they would like to do in the next
lesson.

Attached are packet materials for future use.

Think about it NAME:_________________________
Write down, in your own words, what you and your table think a mammal is.

1.) What does a mammal look like?

2.) What do all mammals have in common?

3.) Do you have a pet that is a mammal?

4.) Is your favorite animal a mammal?

5.) Are YOU a mammal?

Name: ______________________
Make a list of animals and then copy them to the chart below

Mammals Others
Reflection:

This first lesson was a breeze. The students were very eager to learn and had a great deal of fun
working with their teammates. After further assessing the classroom, I only wish I had done
another movement activity, like a scavenger hunt. Between books, pictures on the walls and
student illustrations, there was no end of animals for the students to choose from. Perhaps this
could be used for the final lesson. I hesitate to do so only because I’m not wholly in charge of
the classroom. I’m borrowing these students and this space and want to be respectful of that
teacher’s boundaries. I’m sure if I speak to her about it, she will give me some advice. She just
has such an energetic class. Keeping them moving will help correct quite a few negative
behaviors I might see otherwise.

My teacher and I both liked the lesson. She enjoyed that it made the students consider what they
already believed and corrected any incorrect assumptions they had. She liked that there were
times for students to get up and move, and she appreciated the emphasis on group work, but also
with how I approached them as they were working. She liked that I was more interested in
understanding their misconception than in correcting them. I like to study people’s behavior and
I’m a firm believer that most students don’t give wrong answers on purpose, they have a reason
to believe what they do and I don’t want to squash that, just gently correct and reassign the
knowledge.

The students did not finish the work. I wasn’t interested in the completion of the packets so
much as seeing what they had the ability to do as a class, hence the emphasis on group work and
the time spent learning together. My host teacher prefers this group approach as well. Her classes
are more loosely disciplined and the classroom itself a little messy, but students learn and work
hard. (She was bragging to me recently about a student who’s language score went up 16 points
on testing. I love it when teachers get that proud of their kids.) The students are comfortable
with this environment. She didn’t have any negative feedback for me, which was disheartening.
Not that I wanted to do anything wrong, but I always strive to be better than the day before.

For my next lesson, I think we’ll have more movement. I think also we will have some
independent work and see if their speed increases to finish their packets. We will be exploring
Birds and Reptiles and I look forward to some of the girls being grossed/creeped out and
showing them ‘friendly’ examples of animals. I did this recently in a unit I was subbing in on
spiders. No one can be upset when they see a peacock spider, or better yet, the smiley face
spiders.