Life Science. Teacher s Guide

Transcription

1 Life Science Teacher s Guide Tricks Traps Tools 3/20/13 2:38 PM _OTG_59656_G3.indd 1 12/5/13 4:45 PM

2 Contents Tricks, Traps, and Tools Literacy Overview Science Background Tricks Traps Tools Discuss Research & Share L if e S cie Correlation nce Glossary OC_SE584 51_3L_AD _CVRAL 1-2 NG L.C en ga ge.co m Tricks Traps Tools 3/20/13 Tricks, Traps, and Tools Contents _OTG_59656_G3.indd 1 2:32 PM 810L 12/5/13 4:45 PM

3 Literacy Overview Life Scien ce Reading Selections Tricks (science article) Traps (reference article) Tools (science article) COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS CC.3.RInfo.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate 810Lexplicitly to the text as understanding of a text, referring the basis for the answers. NGL.Cenga ge.com CC.3.RInfo.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently. OC_SE58451_3L_AD_CVRAL Tricks Traps Tools 3/20/13 2:32 PM CONTENT GOAL CC.3.RInfo.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur). Students will read three selections in Tricks, Traps, and Tools. They will learn about some unusual tricks, traps, and tools that help animals and plants survive. CC.3.RInfo.8 Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence). COMPREHENSION GOAL CC.3.RInfo.9 Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic. Writing Standards (page 15) Remind students that as thinking-intensive readers they must listen to their inner voice to monitor and repair comprehension as they read. Find opportunities to model and teach active thinking strategies to help students access content. You may want to focus on the following strategies for Tricks, Traps, and Tools. Activate and Connect to Background Knowledge: Readers use what they know or have experienced to help them understand new information. However, they must be prepared to reverse any misconceptions in light of new learning or new evidence. Readers have to use their background knowledge and pay attention to the text and picture clues to make inferences and use visualization to construct meaning. Tricks, Traps, and Tools Literacy Overview _OTG_59656_G3.indd 2 2 Infer and Visualize: A writer doesn t always tell everything. 12/5/13 4:45 PM

4 The NG Ladders on-level ebook for Tricks, Traps, and Tools is available in.pdf format. Project the ebook on your interactive whiteboard, or have students listen to or read it on tablets or other mobile devices. 810L NGL.Cengage.c om Life Science Tricks Traps OC_SE58451_3L_AD _CVRAL 1-2 Tools 3/20/13 2:32 PM What kinds of tricks, traps, or tools do you think some animals and plants use to help them survive? Tricks camouflage Traps or behaviors that they might consider tricks, traps, or tools. Tools Students can then Share what they think they know about any tricks, traps, or tools that animals and plants use to survive. spider web You may want to return to the graphic organizer to add more information after students read each article. BUILD SCIENCE BACKGROUND ACTIVATE & BUILD BACKGROUND Pages 4 6 of this teacher s guide address how certain science concepts relate to each article in Tricks, Traps, and Tools. This information will provide you with science background knowledge as you plan your teaching for this book. Draw the graphic organizer shown above. Ask: What kinds of tricks, traps, or tools do you think some animals and plants use to help them survive? Write students responses in the graphic organizer. Help students access background knowledge related to the science concepts. Support the concepts of camouflage, Model for students by thinking aloud. You might say something similar to the following: I almost stepped on a lizard once when I was hiking with my family. I didn t see it on the ground in front of me because it was the same color as the ground. The lizard s color tricked me into not seeing the lizard. I only noticed it when it darted away. I m going to write camouflage in the chart under Tricks. predator, and behavior in ways that are familiar to your camouflage: Ask if students have ever noticed an animal that blended in with its surroundings because of its color or shape. Invite several students to share their experiences. predator: Ask students to imagine a lion chasing a zebra, a cat pouncing on a mouse, and a robin catching a worm. Ask which animal is the predator in each case (lion, cat, robin). Tell students that some animals eat other animals to survive. behavior: Have students help you make a list of things they have observed animals doing, such as keeping still, sneaking up on prey, crouching before pouncing, and chasing. Explain that all of these actions are behaviors. Explain that animals and plants use tricks, traps, and tools to survive. You might say: Many animals and plants look or act in ways that help them survive. They might be a certain color, have a certain body part, or behave in a certain way that protects them or helps them get food. Some even use objects in their environment as tools to help them survive. Ask students to Turn and Talk about any animals or plants they have heard or read about with body structures Tricks, Traps, and Tools Literacy Overview _OTG_59656_G3.indd 3 3 students. 12/5/13 4:45 PM

5 Life Scien ce Science Background Science concepts are a critical part of each selection in Tricks, Traps, and Tools. These science background pages will help you build content knowledge so that you may more effectively have discussions with students as they read each selection in the book. NGL.Cenga ge.com Tricks Traps Tools 3/20/13 2:32 PM A FRAMEWORK FOR K 12 SCIENCE EDUCATION Core Idea LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes LS1.A: Structure and Function How do the structures of organisms enable life s functions? LS1.D: Information Processing How do organisms detect, process, and use information about the environment? Core Idea LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits How are the characteristics of one generation related to the previous generation? LS3.B: Variation of Traits Why do individuals of the same species vary in how they look, function, and behave? Core Idea LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity LS4.B: Natural Selection How does genetic variation among organisms affect survival and reproduction? Camouflage (student book, p. 4) is a body color or shape that helps an animal blend into its surroundings. Some animals, for example, resemble tree bark or leaves, while others are the color of sand, soil, or rocks. Camouflage makes it harder for prey to be seen by predators and for predators to be seen by prey. There is usually a behavior component that adds to the effectiveness of camouflage. The more still an animal is, for example, the less likely the animal will be noticed. A predator (student book, p. 2) is an organism that captures, kills, and eats another organism the prey. Some predators hunt alone (eagles, snakes, leopards), while others hunt in groups (wolves, lions, dolphins). There are some adaptations of predators and prey; for example, owls and mice. Owls have forward-focused eyes with good depth perception, fringed feathers for quiet flight, and talons for grasping prey. Mice have coloration that helps them blend in and eyes more to the side of the head for a wider field of vision to help them stay alert to their surroundings. A behavior (student book, p. 19) is any action that an animal performs. It can be instinctive (crying by newborn infants) or learned (hunting by lions, in which lion cubs learn from adult lions how to stalk, pursue, and capture prey). Animal behavior is caused by stimuli. The behavior is the response to a particular stimulus or set of stimuli. For example, a moth flies toward a bright light. The light is the stimulus and the behavior is the moth s response to that stimulus flying toward the light. The light is an external stimulus. Some stimuli are internal, or occur inside the body. Hunger, for example, is an internal stimulus that causes internal changes, such as hunger pangs, which can lead to response behaviors, such as searching for food and eating. Pages 5 6 in this teacher s guide describe how the science concepts above relate to each selection. Additional science background information is given for each selection. TRICKS, TRAPS, AND TOOLS science Background _OTG_59656_G3.indd 4 4 The following big idea science concepts apply to several selections in the book. 12/5/13 4:45 PM

6 TRICKS TRAPS Student Book, pp. 2 9 Teacher s Guide, pp. 7 8 Student Book, pp Teacher s Guide, pp In this selection, students will learn how some animals use camouflage (student book, p. 4) and mimicry to protect themselves from predators (student book, p. 2) and to survive. Every prey animal faces a common objective avoid being eaten by predators. Animals such as the leaf-tailed gecko, the jagged ambush bug, the Malaysian orchid mantis, and the soft coral crab use color or shape as camouflage to blend in with their surroundings and avoid being detected by predators. For some animals, patterns provide camouflage. A tiger s stripes and a leopard s spots, for example, help these predators blend into the grasslands and forests in which they live. Some animals stay safe from predators by using a physical adaptation called mimicry. One type of mimicry involves two species one that is dangerous to predators and another that looks similar but is harmless. Predators are tricked into avoiding the harmless look-alike species even though it poses no threat. One example of this (student book, p. 7) is the venomous coral snake and its nonvenomous mimic, the scarlet king snake. Other animals are able to mislead predators because of their special markings. The io moth, for example, has two big black spots on its wings. The spots resemble the eyes of an owl and help keep predators away. Organisms develop such adaptations through variation and natural selection. Early ancestors of the io moth, for example, typically had no eyespots. But variation in offspring resulted in some moths having markings that resembled eyes. These moths were more likely to avoid being eaten, and so were more likely to reproduce, producing more offspring with eye-like markings. Over time, the process repeated, with the offspring that had the most eye-like markings surviving and reproducing more, resulting in the io moth of today. TRICKS, TRAPS, AND TOOLS SCIENCE BACKGROUND 5 In this selection, students will learn how carnivorous plants are able to trap and digest insects. Green plants are producers they make their own food by using water, carbon dioxide, and energy from the sun in a process called photosynthesis. Plants also need mineral nutrients, including nitrogen. Generally, nitrogen and other nutrients are dissolved in water in the soil and obtained through the plant s roots. In some watery environments, such as bogs, marshes, or swamps, these nutrients may be lacking. Some plants in these environments have adaptations that allow them to get nutrients from animals. Some carnivorous plants have active traps in which part of the plant moves to trap its victim. The sundew plant secretes digestive enzymes from the tips of thick, sticky tentacles located on the leaves, which are actually glands. When an insect gets stuck to a tentacle, the leaf bends toward its center to bring the insect in contact with as many tentacles as possible. The enzymes slowly digest the insect. The bladderwort uses a small underwater sac, or bladder, to trap its prey. A trapdoor opens into the bladder. Inside, any water that seeps in is pumped out, creating a vacuum. When an unknowing animal triggers the sensitive hairs outside the trapdoor, it opens, and the animal is sucked inside, where digestion begins. The Venus flytrap also uses an active trap, consisting of modified leaves that are hinged and have bristles along their edges. On the inside surface are three sensitive hairs. When an insect creeps inside the trap and touches two hairs in succession, the two halves of the leaf close tightly. Digestive enzymes are released, and after about 7 10 days, digestion is complete and the trap reopens. The pitcher plant uses a passive trap a deep saclike leaf lined with downward pointing hairs and a pool of digestive juices at the bottom. Insects that fall into the plant cannot get a grip on the slippery walls. As a result, they fall into the pool and are digested.

7 TOOLS Student Book, pp Teacher s Guide, pp In this selection, students will understand that some animals learn how to use tools in order to survive. Students also will discover that some behaviors (student book, p. 19) are performed by instinct and other behaviors must be learned. To help students relate to these concepts, you might guide a discussion about instinctive and learned behaviors in humans. One example of tool use is seen in Egyptian vultures. These huge birds use their head and beak to throw rocks at large bird eggs in order to open them. Scientists have shown that although throwing rocks is an instinctive behavior in Egyptian vultures, young vultures must first learn that eggs are a food source. Beavers use stones, logs, and mud as tools to build dams and lodges in ponds and streams. Some dams are well over 600 meters (2,000 feet) long, and a single lodge can accommodate up to five beavers. Instinct drives a beaver s need to build dams. Young beavers, separated from adults at infancy, have been observed to construct dams almost identical to adult-built versions. Capuchin monkeys learn all sorts of uses for tools. These problem-solving primates use stones as hammers and anvils to crack open nuts. In captivity, they have been observed inserting a stick into a tube of food to pull out or push out its contents. They also use sticks to coax prey out of cracks in large rocks. Another example of a learned behavior is seen in otters using tools to open shellfish. Otters use stones to crush the shells of their prey. Otters are also known to use stones underwater to retrieve shellfish stuck between rocks. TRICKS, TRAPS, AND TOOLS SCIENCE BACKGROUND 6

8 GENRE Science Article Read to find out how animals are protected by their appearance. How many leaf-tailed geckos can you find? The background has been lightened to make it easier to see one of them. Tricks Science Article by Judy Elgin Jensen Imagine walking in a rain forest in Queensland, Australia. Dead brown leaves litter the ground. But look closely. Are they all really leaves? In nature, what you see is not always what you get! Among the leaves are several leaf-tailed geckos. They are colored and shaped like leaves. Even their tails look like leaves. These geckos are very still, waiting to attack insects. Predators that would like to eat the geckos cannot see them easily. On the ground, the colors of the leaf-tailed geckos are similar. But soon they will scamper away, climbing up different trees. There each gecko s coloring will change to shades of brown or green. Then they will look different from one another. They are all the same kind of gecko, though. Have you found the leaf-tailed geckos yet? If you look closely, you can find three of them. 2 3 Reading OBJECTIVES Use information from text and photos to demonstrate understanding. Describe cause/effect and comparison/contrast connections in the text. SCIENCE OBJECTIVES Understand how camouflage and mimicry help animals and insects survive. Recognize that characteristics of animals and insects, such as shape and color, are inherited traits. COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS CC.3.RInfo.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur). CC.3.RInfo.8 Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence). A FRAMEWORK FOR K 12 SCIENCE EDUCATION Core Idea LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes LS1.A: Structure and Function How do the structures of organisms enable life s functions? Core Idea LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits How are the characteristics of one generation related to the previous generation? LS3.B: Variation of Traits Why do individuals of the same species vary in how they look, function, and behave? Core Idea LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity LS4.B: Natural Selection How does genetic variation among organisms affect survival and reproduction? TRICKS, TRAPS, AND TOOLS TRICKS Summary Tricks is a science article that identifies ways an animal s color or shape protects it from other animals. BUILD BACKGROUND FOR THE GENRE Let students know that they will read a science article. Tell them that Tricks is a science article with the following elements: It uses facts, details, examples, and evidence to convey information about animals. It points out causes and their effects. It presents facts and information through text as well as photos and captions. BUILD VOCABULARY & CONCEPTS predators camouflage mimicry Remind students that Using Context Clues is a strategy to infer the meaning of an unfamiliar word. They can read around the word, or read a few sentences before and after it, to determine meaning from the context. Remind them to look at the photographs, too. Another strategy to try is Dramatizing Words. Assemble students in groups of four. Direct each theater group to quietly choose a word. Explain that each group will convey the meaning of the word through acting and dialogue. Make it clear that group members cannot say the word. Instead, the group should devise a series of short scenes to communicate the word s meaning. After each performance, instruct the audience to determine the word the group has chosen. Continue this process for the other words. Point out other important words in the selection, such as surroundings and strategy. Have groups dramatize the words or use context clues to determine their meaning. Some words lend themselves to dramatizing; others may not. Decide which of these strategies is most appropriate for each word. 7

9 READ The content goal for Tricks, Traps, and Tools is for students to learn about some unusual tricks, traps, and tools that help animals and plants survive. Explain that Tricks describes how the color or shape of an animal protects it from predators. Point out the Read to find out statement at the top of page 2 in the student book: Read to find out how animals are protected by their appearance. Help students with the comprehension goal of accessing content by activating and connecting to background knowledge. Model by directing students to the photo of the orchid mantis on page 5. Then say: It took me a long time to find the mantis in this photo. This is a great example of camouflage. It reminds me of the time when I bent down to smell a flower and was surprised when a green praying mantis suddenly moved on a leaf! I can understand how a bird wanting to eat the mantis wouldn t even see it. I can also understand how the green mantis could creep up on an insect it wanted to eat without being seen. Before students begin reading, say: As you read, think about animals you have encountered that you couldn t see until they moved. Think about which photos in the selection remind you of insects or other animals you know. TURN & TALK Revisit the Read to find out statement. Have students turn and talk about how the animals in the selection are protected by their appearance. (Possible response: The gecko is colored and shaped like a leaf so that predators think it s a leaf.) To check understanding, have students turn and talk about the Check In question: How does mimicry protect an animal from predators? (Possible response: Mimicry is when one kind of animal looks like another kind of animal that is dangerous. Predators think that the mimic animal is dangerous, so the predators avoid the mimic.) Use Text and Photos Have partners discuss the photos in the selection and how they aid understanding of the TRICKS, TRAPS, AND TOOLS TRICKS 8 text and vice versa. For example, for pages 2 4, ask: Would you know what the photos are showing just by looking at them? Why or why not? (Possible response: Probably not. I need the words to know that there are animals in the photos and how to find them.) Then ask: How do the photos on pages 6 7 help you understand mimicry? (Possible response: Each pair of photos shows a dangerous animal and one that looks very much like it.) For the top of page 8, ask: How does the photo of the moth support what the text is saying? (The photo shows that the markings on the moth make it look like the face of an owl.) Describe Connections Read the second paragraph on page 2 aloud. Model cause/effect relationships: The text tells me how the geckos are colored and shaped like a leaf and stand very still the cause. Then I read that predators cannot see them easily the effect. I can infer that the reason the predators cannot see them is that their coloring, shape, and stillness make predators think they are leaves. Have students work in pairs to find other examples of cause/effect relationships for camouflage or mimicry. Then have partners compare and contrast the three different tricks discussed in the article: camouflage, mimicry, and confusing predators. Ask: How are they alike? (Possible response: They involve color and shape. They help the animal survive.) How are they different? (Possible response: Some involve behavior, but others do not.) Point out to students that some of these survival tricks are inherited traits passed on from parents to offspring. WRITE & ASSESS You may want to have students do a quick write to assess understanding. It s always helpful to have students reflect on both the content of the selection and their thinking process. Describe some ways camouflage helps one of the animals you read about. What is the most interesting thing you learned from your reading?

10 GENRE Reference Article Read to find out how some plants get nutrients in an unusual way. Trapss by Judy Elgin Jensen A frog hops among the sticky sundew plants. It never suspects that the plants are dangerous. Oops! Too close. Now the frog is stuck to a plant. The sticky This frog is caught in a sticky sundew plant. liquid of the sundew will smother the frog. Then the frog will be turned into soup for the sundew plant. Plants use sunlight to make their own food. Plants also need nutrients, such as nitrogen, from the soil. In many swamps and bogs, the soil does not contain enough nutrients. Carnivorous plants in these places get nitrogen by trapping small animals. The tentacles of a sundew fold down to trap prey. Sticky liquid Tentacle Sundews There are about 150 kinds of sundew plants. Some are as tiny as a dime. Others are taller than you! Some sundew leaves grow in a circle, and others grow upward in stalks. Thick hairs, or tentacles, cover the leaves. Sticky liquid on each tentacle traps and digests animals. TRAPS Reference Article Reading OBJECTIVES Use text features to locate information. Use information from illustrations and photographs to demonstrate understanding. SCIENCE OBJECTIVES Understand how the structures of carnivorous plants help them get nutrients. COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS CC.3.RInfo.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently. CC.3.RInfo.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur). A FRAMEWORK FOR K 12 SCIENCE EDUCATION Core Idea LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes LS1.A: Structure and Function How do the structures of organisms enable life s functions? TRICKS, TRAPS, AND TOOLS TRAPS Summary Traps is a reference article that tells about the adaptations carnivorous plants have that enable the plants to trap and digest animals. BUILD BACKGROUND FOR THE GENRE Lead students to an understanding of the elements of a reference article. Let them know that Traps is a reference article with the following elements: The content does not have to be read sequentially. Readers can dip in and out of the reference article as needed over time. The text is categorized using headings. Facts and information are presented through photos, captions, and illustrations. BUILD VOCABULARY & CONCEPTS nutrients carnivorous plants Remind students that Using Context Clues is a strategy to infer the meaning of an unfamiliar word. They can read around the word, or read a few sentences before and after it, to make meaning from the context. Remind them to look at the photographs, too. Another strategy to try is Using Graphic Organizer Notes. Have students create a graphic organizer with four columns: Word, Inferred Meaning, Clue, and Sentence or Picture. Ask students to write nutrients in the first column. Then have them turn and talk about what they infer the word means and write the inferred meaning in the second column. In the third column, have students write the clue that helped them infer the meaning, and in the final column have them write a sentence or draw a picture that demonstrates their understanding of the word. Have students work with their partner and follow the same steps with the term carnivorous plants. Point out other important words in the selection, such as swamp, bog, tentacles, and digests. Have students use graphic organizer notes or context clues to determine the meaning of these as well as any words that might be unfamiliar. 9

11 READ The content goal for Tricks, Traps, and Tools is for students to learn about some unusual tricks, traps, and tools that help animals and plants survive. Explain that Traps tells how some plants have structures that enable them to trap insects or other animals to get the nutrients they need to survive. Point out the Read to find out statement at the top of page 10 in the student book: Read to find out how some plants get nutrients in an unusual way. Help students with the comprehension goal of accessing content by inferring and visualizing. Model by reading the first paragraph on page 10 aloud and saying: It s not very pleasant to imagine, but I can visualize the frog slowly being turned into soup by the sticky liquid of the plant. I can infer that it would probably take a long time for this to happen, not just seconds or minutes. Before students begin reading, say: As you read, visualize how each of the plants described in the text traps an animal. Infer what happens both before and after the animal gets trapped. This will help you better understand how carnivorous plants get the nutrients they need to survive. TURN & TALK Revisit the Read to find out statement. Have students turn and talk about the unusual way some plants get nutrients. (Possible response: They trap small animals like insects and digest them.) To check understanding, have students turn and talk about the Check In question: How does the leaf of a pitcher plant trap an ant? (The pitcher plant smells like nectar. When an ant tries to drink the nectar, it slides down the slippery sides of the pitcher. Hairs that point downward keep the ant in the pitcher. The ant drowns in the liquid in the pitcher.) Use Text Features Have partners discuss how the information for each plant in this reference article is presented in the same way. (Each section starts with a heading that names the plant. Then text describes the plant, a diagram shows how the plant traps a small TRICKS, TRAPS, AND TOOLS TRAPS 10 animal such as an insect, and a photo shows what the plant looks like.) Explain that when you skim, you look at text features such as headings and illustrations to get a general idea of what an article or a section is about. When you scan for information, you look for a word or phrase that names the topic you re interested in reading more about. Model skimming and scanning the article. Then ask partners to work together to skim and scan the article to find the answer to this question: What parts of a Venus flytrap does an animal have to touch in order to make the plant s leaves snap shut? (page 13: trigger hairs) You may want to mention to students that two hairs must be touched in succession for the plant s leaves to snap shut. You could ask students to infer why this might be the case (to avoid false triggers, such as raindrops). Use Illustrations and Photos Ask students to turn and talk about the diagrams and photos in the article. Ask: How does the diagram on page 11 help you visualize how the sundew traps an animal? (Possible response: The diagram labels each part of the plant to show how the animal sticks to the sundew and how the leaf folds down on the animal.) Ask: What parts of the Venus flytrap can you see in the diagram on page 13 that you are not able to see in the photo? (the trigger hairs that make the leaves snap shut) Ask one partner to use the photo and diagram on page 12 to explain how a bladderwort traps food. Then have the second partner use the diagram on page 13 to explain how a Venus flytrap traps food. WRITE & ASSESS You may want to have students do a quick write to assess understanding. It s always helpful to have students reflect on both the content of the selection and their thinking process. Why do carnivorous plants need to trap animals, and how do some of them do it? What questions do you still have about carnivorous plants?

12 GENRE Science Article Read to find out some ways that animals use tools. Eyptian vulture drops a stone on an egg. Tools by Julia Osborne What kinds of tools do you use? You probably use many. They may be simple, such as spoons, or complex, such as computers. Tools are objects used to carry out a task. Humans use many different tools. Scientists once thought only humans had enough brainpower to use tools. But that idea is changing. For example, the Egyptian vulture likes to eat eggs. If an egg is small, the vulture picks it up and drops it. When the egg breaks, the vulture slurps up the insides. Ostrich eggs are too big for the vulture to pick up. The vulture uses a stone as a tool. It throws the stone at the egg to break it. Then it eats its meal. Read on to learn how some animals use objects to perform a task or change their environment. s An Tools Science Article Reading OBJECTIVES Use information from text and photos to demonstrate understanding. Describe cause/effect connections in the text. SCIENCE OBJECTIVES Recognize how animals use objects in their environment as tools to perform tasks or to change their environment. Understand the difference between inherited instincts and learned behaviors. COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS CC.3.RInfo.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur). CC.3.RInfo.8 Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence). A FRAMEWORK FOR K 12 SCIENCE EDUCATION Core Idea LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes LS1.D: Information Processing How do organisms detect, process, and use information about the environment? TRICKS, TRAPS, AND TOOLS TOOLS Summary Tools is a science article that explains how some animals use rocks or other objects to perform different tasks. Some of these animals are born knowing how to use tools (instinctive behavior); others must learn how to use them (learned behavior). BUILD BACKGROUND FOR THE GENRE Ask students what they expect to see and read in a science article. Explain that Tools is a science article with the following elements: Facts, details, examples, and evidence are used to convey information about a science topic. The article points out problems and solutions. The text is organized using headings and has specialized vocabulary. BUILD VOCABULARY & CONCEPTS behaviors instinct Remind students that Using Context Clues is a strategy to infer the meaning of an unfamiliar word. They can read around the word, or read a few sentences before and after it, to make meaning from the context. Remind them to look at the photographs, too. Another strategy to try is Using Background Knowledge. Ask students to turn and talk about what they think behaviors means. Then have them read the word in context on page 19. As their ideas emerge, the class can begin to co-construct the meaning of the word through collaborative discussion. Have students work with a partner and follow the same steps for instinct. Point out other important words in the selection, such as complex, environment, and lodges. Have pairs use background knowledge and context clues to determine the meaning of these as well as any words that might be unfamiliar to students. 11

13 READ The content goal for Tricks, Traps, and Tools is for students to learn about some unusual tricks, traps, and tools that help animals and plants survive. Explain that Tools tells how some animals use tools to help them survive and that these behaviors might be instinctive (known from birth) or learned over time. Point out the Read to find out statement at the top of page 16: Read to find out some ways that animals use tools. Help students with the comprehension goal of accessing the content by inferring and visualizing. Model by reading the first two paragraphs on page 19. Say: I can visualize the beaver cutting down trees with its teeth and carrying stick after stick to make a lodge, using mud to hold the sticks together. This helps me infer that making a lodge is a long, hard task for the beaver. The text and my visualizing also help me understand that building a lodge stick by stick is a complex action that is an instinctive behavior of beavers. Before students begin reading, say: As you read, visualize in your mind what the text says. Sometimes what you visualize can help you understand ideas and infer things the text doesn t directly state. Use Text and Photos Have partners discuss the photos in the selection and how they aid understanding of the text. For each photo, have them answer these questions: What part of the text is this photo illustrating? What else can I learn from studying the photo that I couldn t learn from the text alone? Ask pairs to share their thoughts with the rest of the class. Describe Connections Talk about causes and effects. Read the third paragraph on page 16 aloud. Then say: Because an ostrich egg is too big for a vulture to pick up, the vulture uses a rock to break it open. The size of the egg is the cause, and the use of the rock as a tool is the effect. In other words, the egg s size (being too large for the ostrich to pick up) causes the vulture to use the rock as a tool to open the egg. Have partners find other cause/effect relationships in the text and share their findings with the class. Then ask: Why do adult capuchin monkeys have to teach young monkeys how to crack nuts? (because the behavior is not an instinct; it must be learned) Ask partners to classify the behaviors they learned about in this article as instinctive or learned. WRITE & ASSESS TURN & TALK Revisit the Read to find out statement. Have students turn and talk about how animals use tools. (A vulture uses a rock to break eggs to eat; beavers use sticks and mud to make lodges and dams; capuchin monkeys use stones to crack nuts; otters use rocks to open clams.) To check understanding, have students turn and talk about the Check In question: What is the difference between an instinct and a learned behavior? (An instinct is a behavior that an animal can do without learning how. Animals inherit instincts from their parents. A learned behavior is an activity that is taught to a young animal by its parents or that an animal learns on its own. When an animal is born, it does not know how to do a learned behavior.) TRICKS, TRAPS, AND TOOLS TOOLS 12 You may want to have students do a quick write to assess understanding. It s always helpful to have students reflect on both the content of the selection and their thinking process. How can using a tool help an animal survive? Choose an example and explain it. What did this text make you think about?

14 2 GENRE Science Article Read to find out how animals are protected by their appearance. by Judy Elgin Jensen Imagine walking in a rain forest in Queensland, Australia. Dead brown leaves litter the ground. But look closely. Are they all really leaves? In nature, what you see is not always what you get! Among the leaves are several leaf-tailed geckos. They are colored and shaped like leaves. Even their tails look like leaves. These geckos are very still, waiting to attack insects. Predators that would like to eat the geckos cannot see them easily. Traps GENRE Reference Article Read to find out how some plants get nutrients in an unusual way. by Judy Elgin Jensen A frog hops among the sticky sundew plants. It never suspects that the plants are dangerous. Oops! Too close. Now the frog is stuck to a plant. The sticky liquid of the sundew will smother the frog. Then the frog will be turned into soup for the sundew plant. Plants use sunlight to make their own food. Plants also need nutrients, such as nitrogen, from the soil. In many swamps and bogs, the soil does not contain enough nutrients. Carnivorous plants in these places get nitrogen by trapping small animals. GENRE Science Article Read to find out some ways that animals use tools. Tools by Julia Osborne What kinds of tools do you use? You probably use many. They may be simple, such as spoons, or complex, such as computers. Tools are objects used to carry out a task. Humans use many different tools. Scientists once thought only humans had enough brainpower to use tools. But that idea is changing. For example, the Egyptian vulture likes to eat eggs. If an egg is small, the vulture picks it up and drops it. When the egg breaks, the vulture slurps up the insides. Ostrich eggs are too big for the vulture to pick up. The vulture uses a stone as a tool. It throws the stone at the egg to break it. Then it eats its meal. Read on to learn how some animals use objects to perform a task or change their environment. Discuss Reading OBJECTIVES Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding. Compare and contrast information in the three selections in Tricks, Traps, and Tools. SCIENCE OBJECTIVES Describe how some animals shapes and colors protect them from predators. Compare and contrast the actions of a carnivorous plant with the behavior of an insect that uses camouflage to get prey. Describe how an animal learns how to use an object in its environment as a tool to perform a task. Content & COMPREHENSION GOALS Foster a discussion about the selections in Tricks, Traps, and Tools. Ask: In this book, what did you learn about unusual ways animals and plants have for surviving? You might also ask students to classify each response as a trick, trap, or tool. (Possible responses are given. Students may provide more or different information.) Some animals blend into their surroundings to hide from prey. This is a trick. Some animals look like more dangerous animals to scare predators. This is a trick. COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS CC.3.RInfo.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. CC.3.RInfo.9 Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic. In this book, what did you learn about unusual ways animals and plants have for surviving? A FRAMEWORK FOR K 12 SCIENCE EDUCATION Core Idea LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes LS1.A: Structure and Function How do the structures of organisms enable life s functions? LS1.D: Information Processing How do organisms detect, process, and use information about the environment? Core Idea LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits How are the characteristics of one generation related to the previous generation? Core Idea LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity LS4.B: Natural Selection How does genetic variation among organisms affect survival and reproduction? TRICKS, TRAPS, AND TOOLS DISCUSS Some plants trap animals to digest them for nitrogen. Some animals use rocks to crack open eggs or shells for food. Rocks are tools. The three selections in Tricks, Traps, and Tools are two science articles and one reference article. Life science concepts (camouflage, predators, and behaviors) thread through the selections. Guide a discussion about these science concepts. What makes the selections especially interesting, though, is the way the text offers an opportunity to explore these science concepts in a more engaging way. Have students turn and talk about the ways the selections in Tricks, Traps, and Tools address the science concepts. You might ask: How is reading Tricks, Traps, and Tools different from reading a textbook about animals and plants? Also ask them to consider how the writing style helps the science concepts come alive. 13

15 DISCUSS Have students collaboratively answer the questions on page 24 as you move about the room and listen in to support and scaffold student conversations and clarify misconceptions. 1. The three pieces in this book are Tricks, Traps, and Tools. Describe some of the ways these three pieces are connected. (All three pieces describe ways that living things use various tricks, traps, or tools to survive. Some of these are related to the way that organisms look. Others have to do with the way plants and animals capture food or get nutrients.) 2. Think about the animals in Tricks. What are some ways that their shapes and colors protect them from predators? (Some animals have camouflage that makes them look like their surroundings so they can hide from predators or capture prey. Others have shapes and colors that mimic dangerous animals and scare away predators.) 3. Compare the actions of the sundew plant in Traps with the behavior of the ambush bug in Tricks. How are they alike and different? (Both the sundew plant and the ambush bug trap animals that come too close. The sundew uses a sticky liquid to catch animals. The ambush bug uses a poison to kill its prey.) 4. Describe how capuchin monkeys learn to open nuts. (Monkeys learn how to crack nuts by watching older monkeys. They begin by beating rocks together. Then they practice dropping stones on the nuts until they are experts.) 24 Discuss 1. The three pieces in this book are Tricks, Traps, and Tools. Describe some of the ways these three pieces are connected. 2. Think about the animals in Tricks. What are some ways that their shapes and colors protect them from predators? 3. Compare the actions of the sundew plant in Traps with the behavior of the ambush bug in Tricks. How are they alike and different? 4. Describe how capuchin monkeys learn to open nuts. 5. What else would you like to know about the plants and animals in this book? How could you find out more? 5. What else would you like to know about the plants and animals in this book? How could you find out more? (Answers will vary, but students should describe a variety of references, such as books and magazine articles, reliable Internet sites, and talking with experts.) TRICKS, TRAPS, AND TOOLS DISCUSS 14

16 Life Science Research & Share Tricks Traps Tools OBJECTIVES Ask questions based on reading Tricks, Traps, and Tools. Research, document, and share information. COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS CC.3.Write.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. CC.3.Write.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. CC.3.Write.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. In small groups or individually, offer students the chance to explore questions they have or ideas they still wonder about, based on their reading in Tricks, Traps, and Tools. Use question 5 on the Discuss page of the student book as a springboard for student questions and ideas for further research. EXPLORE Encourage students to express their curiosity in their own way. The questions students have matter. You might have students talk with peers, write about what they wonder, or create drawings based on what they learned from reading the different selections in Tricks, Traps, and Tools. Guide them to immerse themselves in resources related to what they are most interested in learning more about. They might ask questions or make statements about their interests, for example: What other animals use camouflage? Do any carnivorous plants live near me? If so, which ones? What other animals use tools, and how do they use them? GATHER INFORMATION After students explore, they should arrive at a question that will drive their research. Students may want to read, listen to, and view information with their question in mind. Guide students to use resources, such as reliable sites on the Internet, science texts and articles, library books, and magazines, that address the question they posed. Collecting information may lead students to revise or narrow their question. TRICKS, TRAPS, AND TOOLS research & share You may want students to follow a specific note taking system to keep track of their thinking and findings as they gather information. In addition to taking notes, ask students to make a list of their sources. You may want to model how to take notes by interacting with text, jotting down your thoughts in the margins or on sticky notes, and demonstrating how to summarize the most important information. Remind students that their question will drive their research and note taking. 15

17 ANALYZE & SYNTHESIZE Guide students to carefully and thoughtfully review their notes to determine the big ideas related to their question. As students prepare to use the information they ve gathered to formulate an answer to their question, support them as they analyze and synthesize. Be sure they do the following: Revise any misconceptions. Notice any incongruities in their information. Evaluate all the various pieces of information. Pull together the most pertinent information that addresses their question. While analyzing and synthesizing their research, students may realize that the more they learn, the more they wonder. To help focus their thinking, students may want to talk with classmates or write in a research notebook. Remind them that just as in real-world scientific research, there may not be a final answer to the question they posed. SHARE When students share their research, they become teachers, consider how their ideas were shaped by the investigation, and pose new questions. Students may express their knowledge by writing, speaking, creating a visual piece, or taking action in the community. The best culminating projects are ones with authentic purposes. For example, a student who is interested in carnivorous plants might want to show a video of a sundew trapping and enclosing its prey or demonstrate the trapping mechanism by building a model. When students are given the time to gather information about a topic that interests them, they will find unique and individual ways to share what they learned. Some options you can suggest might include the following: A picture map that shows where carnivorous plants grow in your state ebooks with photos and text to share with other students who want to know more about carnivorous plants TRICKS, TRAPS, AND TOOLS RESEARCH & SHARE 16

18 Correlation Grade 3 Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and A Framework for K 12 Science Education correlated to National Geographic Ladders Science Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Grade 3 Reading Standards for Informational Text Key Ideas and Details 1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. 2. Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. 3. Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect. Craft and Structure 4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area. 5. Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently. 6. Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 7. Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur). 8. Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence). 9. Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity 10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2 3 text complexity band independently and proficiently. Writing Standards Text Types and Purposes 1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons. 2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. Production and Distribution of Writing 4. With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. 5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. 6. With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others. TRICKS, TRAPS, AND TOOLS correlation 17 Tricks, Traps, and Tools Teacher s Guide Pages Pages 9 10 Pages 7 12 Pages 7 8, Pages If the entire NG Ladders Science grade 3 program is used throughout the year, students will have had exposure to multiple genres, multiple levels, and appropriate scaffolding. (cont. on p. 18)