Lesson 1 and 2 - Greg s Microscope and Hidden Worlds

Transcription

1 Integrating Science, Reading, and Language by MacGregor Kniseley Three Lesson Plans with Student Recording Forms Images of Completed Class Chart and Student Recording Forms Photographs of Teaching with Digital Microscopes Three Lesson Plans with Student Recording Forms Lesson 1 and 2 - Greg s Microscope and Hidden Worlds Overview This reading and language arts lesson is a good way to introduce students to microscopes and begin planning future investigations. The class uses two books, a Grades 2-4 realistic fiction and a Grades 4-8 informational text, to learn how microscopes can be used as scientific tools for enhancing observation and exploring hidden worlds. After students use a digital microscope, students will relate to the Greg s curiosity and excitement of exploring with a microscope. And, they can learn about a professional microscopist who uses different microscopes to investigate and photograph the natural world. Learning Outcomes Students will understand that a microscope is a scientific tool that enhances observation. They will compare a traditional microscope with a handheld digital microscope. Aligning Learning with Standards Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Literacy Reading Standards Key Ideas and Details 1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. Craft and Structure 1. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

2 by MacGregor Kniseley 10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently. Language Standards Vocabulary Acquisition and Use 5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language (simple similes and metaphors), word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. Children s Literature Connections Greg s Microscope by Millicent Selsam and illustrated by Arnold Lobel. - In this Level 3 (Grades 2-4) I Can Read Book, award-winning author Millicent Selsam and illustrator Arnold Lobel write a story about a young boy who receives a microscope as a gift from his father. The boy uses the microscope to observe materials around the home such as salt, sugar, thread and hair from a dog. The illustrator draws objects as they appear under the microscope. Hidden Worlds: Looking Through a Scientist s Microscope by Stephen Kramer and photographs by Dennis Kunkel. - The author of this 2002 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book presents a microscopist, Dennis Kunkel, and his incredible photographs of the microscopic world. Dennis uses a loupe, dissecting microscope, a compound microscope, and a scanning electron microscope to observe and capture images of common objects (e.g., sugar crystal, grain of pollen, blade of grass) and other microscopic life. Images are magnified 8x 23,000x. The author explains how Dennis Kunkel became a scientist, his work as a microscopist, and advice for students who might like to become a scientist. Materials Books: Greg s Microscope Hidden Worlds: Looking Through a Scientist s Microscope Easel with chart paper, markers Card stock slides Sugar, salt Digital microscope, laptop or computer with display, Plastic magnifiers Student recording forms Preparation Construct card stock slides. Cut 1-inch x 2-inch card stock, punch a hole punch, apply transparent tape, and sprinkle sugar (or salt) over the hole, on top of the sticky side. Instructional Sequence Day 1 Lesson (45-60 minutes) 1. After introducing Greg s Microscope (title, author, illustrator), show students the cover the image of Greg and his microscope. Ask students what Greg is doing. Explain that scientists use tools such as microscopes to enhance a science practice called observing. Brainstorm a list of small things around their home that they could 2

3 by MacGregor Kniseley not be seen easily with their naked eye where a microscope would help them observe. 2. Next, read the story. Periodically, ask students what Greg and other characters are learning by using the traditional microscope. How are they using the microscope? What materials are they observing? How does the microscope help people observe tiny objects? 3. After reading the story, ask students to list the objects Greg and other characters observed under the microscope and the experiments he conducted under a microscope. OBJECTS spider s foot flour human head hair bird s feather air bubbles dog hair salt butter onion cell salt and water milk cells from mouth sugar dust leaves sugar and water cotton thread one-celled organism pepper wool thread human head hair EXPERIMENTS dissolving sugar, salt, and flour in water evaporating salt and sugar crystal formation Ask students what other things they can observe and experiments they can conduct with a microscope. Students can develop questions to investigate. 4. Explain how Millicent Selsam uses similes when Greg and other characters describe an object. When describing something, authors compare what is observed to something it reminds them of. Ask students to provide examples of the author s similes: OBJECT SIMILE - It reminds me of... salt big blocks or big rocks, crystals diamonds or glass flowers pepper dirt wool thread fish scales dog hair long pole onion cells bricks in a wall 5. Teach students how to use the digital microscope. 3

4 Introduce students to the digital microscope by explaining the purpose and different uses of digital microscopes. Create rules with your students for safe and responsible use of the equipment. Develop ground rules for using the equipment: 1. Respect the equipment. 2. Hold the digital camera carefully. 3. Keep the lens dry. If the lens comes in contact with any wet or sticky substance, clean and dry it immediately. 4. Work with the digital microscope on dry tables. 5. Clean up surrounding spills immediately. Keep beverages away from your laptop and digital microscope. Model for your students how to set up and operate the digital microscope and flexible stand. Provide time for guided practice and assess their abilities and need for additional supervision. Teach students the following: 1. Caring for and maintaining the digital microscope 2. Identifying components of digital microscope kit (e.g., lens, capture button, USB cable) 3. Connecting the digital microscope to the USB port on a computer 4. Selecting magnification of the lens for observing different materials and views 5. Using the lens touch view and distance view 6. Viewing objects and capturing still images with the digital imaging software. 7. Attaching the digital microscope to stand and adjusting the stand. Day Two Lesson (45-60 minutes) 6. Observe salt and sugar on card-stock slides using digital microscope and plastic magnifiers. While teams of students are using the digital microscope at a learning station, other students can observe card stock slides using a plastic magnifier. Students can record thinking on the activity sheet on p Have students present their completed recording forms using a document camera. Project side-by-side images. Have students describe and compare properties. Present Stephen Kramer and Dennis Kunkel s Hidden Worlds: Looking Through a Scientist s Microscope. - Read about how Dennis Kunkel became interested in science. When he was ten years old, his parents gave him a microscope for a Christmas present just like Greg s parents. Dennis has been a microscopist (a scientist who investigates very small objects with a microscope) for more than 35 years. Using different types of microscopes, Dennis takes photographs of common objects (e.g., sugar crystal, grain of pollen, blade of grass) and other forms of microscopic life. - Show the photographs Dennis Kunkel captured with different types of microscopes Small objects are magnified 8x 23,000x. 20

5 - Read about how Dennis Kunkel works as a microscopist and his advice for students who might like to become a scientist. 8, Self-Assessment - How do scientists observe small objects? - How can you use a digital microscope to investigate the natural world? 21

6 Student Recording Form Name Date I observed Observing Closely - Drawing - Labeling Without a Digital Microscope With a Digital Microscope Magnification = Properties Similes It reminds me of... 22

7 Student Recording Form Name Date I observed and Magnification = Observing - Drawing - Labeling Object1: Object 2: 23

8 Student Recording Form Same Different Chart Comparing Two Objects DIFFERENT SAME DIFFERENT Both objects are similar Object 1 is different from Object 2 Object 2 is different from Object 1 Venn Diagram Object 1 Same Object 2 24

9 Lesson 3 - Observation of a Mealworm Larva Overview When students investigate the life cycle of an insect, they typically observe the properties and behaviors of mealworm larvae (darkling beetles). This lesson provides students with an opportunity to develop understanding of the cross-cutting science concept, structure and function. Students use digital microscopes as a tool to enhance their observation of mealworm larvae, capture images, draw details of the structures, and explain how the insect s structures help it grow, survive, and reproduce. Learning Outcomes - The students will explain that an organism such as an insect has structures that help them grow, survive, and reproduce. - The students will plan and carry out an observation and use a handheld digital microscope as a scientific tool to enhance observations and record evidence of structures. Aligning Learning with Standards Next Generation Science Standards Cross-Cutting Concept: 6. Structure and Function The way in which an object or living thing is shaped and its substructure determine many of its properties and functions. Life Science 1 - Structure and Function A. All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive, grow, and produce more plants. Science Practice 2 Developing and Using Models Construct drawings or diagrams as representations of events or systems for example, draw a picture of an insect with labeled features, represent what happens to the water in a puddle as it is warmed by the sun, or represent a simple physical model of a realworld object and use it as the basis of an explanation or to make predictions about how the system will behave under certain circumstances. Science Practice 3 Planning and Carrying Out Investigations Decide what data are to be gathered, what tools are needed to do the gathering, and how measurements will be recorded. Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Literacy Writing Standards K 5 Text Types and Purposes 2. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. 25

10 Children s Literature Connection Siy, Alexandra and Kunkel, Dennis. (2011). Bug Shots: The Good, the Bad, and the Bugly. Holiday House. Author s Web Site: - Award-winning author Alexandra Siy and photographer Dennis Kunkel use an engaging informational text to teach about different types of insects (e.g., lady bugs, butterflies, ants, bees, flies) and their structures (e.g., eyes, claws, jaws, proboscis, wings, stingers) using 10x - 12,000x photomicrographs. Materials mealworm larva, digital microscopes, computers with installed software, activity sheets, drawing materials, Siy and Kunkel s Bug Shots: The Good, the Bad, and the Bugly. Preparation - Review the section Teaching Students About Mealworm Larvae. - Refrigerate mealworms for easier observation. Instructional Sequence Skill Development Prior to Investigation 1. Teach students how to use a digital microscope. 2. Teach students how to use their senses to observe and describe properties of small objects. 3. Teach students how to draw scientifically. - Explain that scientists draw what they observe when they draw an object. They include labels and details. - Make a cartoon-like drawing of a compound insect eye by drawing a circle and a dot in the middle. Then, draw the insect eye more scientifically. Compare the cartoon and scientific drawings. Investigation Observation of Structures of Mealworm Larvae 1. Ask students what living things in their home or neighborhood need in order to grow and survive? List basic needs such as air, water, food, and shelter. Identify specific structures of an organism and relate the structure to functions that help the organism to survive. 2. Plan the investigation (observation). First, pose a focus question: How does an organism's different structures help it grow, survive, and reproduce? 3. Next, identify the organism to observe (mealworm larva). Student predict by completing this prompt: I think mealworms have these body parts (structures). They use these structures to. 4. Plan the observation further. a. What tool do scientists use to help them observe small objects such as a mealworm larva? (digital microscopes) 26

11 b. What mealworm larva structures do you think you can observe? (head, thorax, abdomen, legs and claws, segments). How do you think a mealworm larva uses these body parts to grow and survive? See Teaching About Mealworm Larvae. c. What properties do you think you can observe? d. Develop an observation guide before investigating - color, size, markings, behaviors, etc. 5. Demonstrate the use of the digital microscope. Assign students to the microscopes. 6. Introduce and explain the activity sheet. 7. Conduct the observation. Capture and save images. Complete activity sheet. 8. Facilitate hands on learning as students observe and relate structures and functions. Use this questioning while facilitating: a. What properties do you observe? - What color is the larva? - What shape is the larva? - How long is the larva? - How does it feel? - How does it smell? b. What structures (body parts) do you observe? What is the function of the structure? How does the structure help the mealworm larva grow and survive? - Where are the head, thorax, and abdomen located? - Count the number of segments. How many segments do each part contain? - What is this [structure]? - How do you think the animal uses this [structure] to grow and survive? 9. Ask students how they could investigate the mealworm further. What do we want to know more about? What experiments can we conduct? How could we use the digital microscope during an experiment? 10. After completing the science activity, introduce Bug Shots: The Good, the Bad, and the Bugly to teach about different types of insects (e.g., lady bugs, butterflies, ants, bees, flies) and their structures (e.g., eyes, claws, jaws, proboscis, wings, stingers). 11. Assessment: - What properties did we observe? - What structures of a mealworm larva did we observe? - Identify the structures in the diagram of a mealworm. - How do the structures help an organism such as a mealworm larva grow and survive? - What scientific tool did we use to help us observe the mealworm? After completing the activity, students use their activity sheet to compose and publish informational or explanatory text. They can include their drawings and images captured from the digital microscope. 27

12 Assessing Student Science Learning A Rubric Here is a rubric for assessing student science learning during the Observation of a Mealworm Larva lesson. Performance Statement: The student will explain the structures of an organism and relate their functions; communicate their thinking by drawing, labeling, and explaining; and plan and carry out their observation. Scoring: DIMENSION 3 = TARGET 2 = ACCEPTABLE 1 = DEVELOPING 0 = NO RESPONSE Criteria 1 Core Idea - Life Science 1 - Structure and Function - Accurately explains how the structure helps the organism survive, grow, or reproduce - Explains how the structure helps the organism survive, grow, or reproduce - Inaccurately explains how the structure helps the organism survive, grow, or reproduce No evidence of relating structure and function. Criteria 2 Science Practices 2 Developing and Using Models Criteria 3 Science Practices 3: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations - Draws a picture of the structure as observed with finer details. - Labels structures accurately using scientific terms. - Selects an organism and a structure to observe. - Selects a tool and magnification to enhance observation. - Uses digital microscope appropriately. Focuses to create a clear, sharp image. - Draws a picture of the structure as observed with obvious details - Labels structures. - Selects an organism and a structure to observe. - Selects a tool and magnification to enhance observation. - Uses digital microscope appropriately but requires guidance to create a clear, sharp image. - Does not draws picture of the structure as observed. Draws a cartoon-like image. - Unclear labeling - Selects an organism and a structure to observe. - Selects a tool and magnification to enhance observation. - Unable to use a digital microscope appropriately. No evidence of drawing, labeling. No evidence of planning or carrying out the observation. Total Scores: 8-9 = Target, 5-7 = Acceptable, 2-4 = Developing, 0-1 = No Response Comments What s Working, What Can Improve: 28

13 Name Student Recording Form Date Focus Question How does an organism's different structures help it grow, survive, and reproduce? Planning I will use this scientific tool: I will observe this organism: I will observe this structure: Observation Observing a Structure Closely, Drawing, and Labeling Without the Scientific Tool With the Scientific Tool Properties - Describing Words The structure helps the organism grow, survive, and reproduce by...

14 Teaching Students About Mealworm Larvae The next three pages provide background information for teaching about mealworm larvae. Here are properties students can observe: Color (e.g., light brown, tan) Measurement size length (e.g., 2-3 mm early stages, 2 cm later stages) Measurement quantity (e.g., 13 segments) Shape (e.g., like a rolling pin) Position on organism (e.g., legs attached to thorax segments) Markings (brown rings) Behaviors moving (e.g., twitch and flex - responding to environment); eating/drinking, molting, mating Speed Luster shiny or dull Lighting reflections Wet or dry Time of day Temperature Here is a chart relating mealworm larva structures and functions: STRUCTURES Head Thorax Abdomen Antenna Mouth Eye Legs and Claws Spine Exoskeleton FUNCTIONS Holds eyes, mouth, and antennae Holds legs Contains most of organs and digestive system Finds their way around; senses odor, touch, temperature and humidity Eats food (bran in captivity, decaying plant material in nature) Two compound eyes; can sense changes in light brightness; can see light 90 cm away Crawling and burrowing; senses edges with legs and antennae, burrows to hide from predators (rodents, lizards, predatory beetles, spiders, and birds); crawls to find food under rocks, and logs, in animal burrows and in stored grains. Helps to burrow in habitat Acts like skin a suit of armor; holds organs in place; provides protection 30

15 Here are two diagrams of structures of mealworm larva - with and without labels: 31

16 Here are images of mealworm larvae captured with a digital microscope. Can you identify the parts? 32

17 Images of Completed Class Chart and Student Recording Forms Figure 1 Class Chart - Property, Structure, and Function After Grade 2 students observe and capture images of mealworm larvae with handheld digital microscopes, the teacher records her students thinking about properties, structures, and functions on a class chart. 33

18 Figure 2 Completed Student s Recording Form Grade 2 students use more vocabulary and figurative language and label structures more accurately after using digital microscopes. 34

19 Figure 3 Completed Student s Recording Form Grade 2 students use more vocabulary and figurative language and label structures more accurately after using digital microscopes. 35

20 Figure 4 Card Stock Slides and Digital Image of Salt To construct card stock slides, cut 1-inch x 2-inch card stock, punch a hole punch, apply transparent tape, and sprinkle material over the hole, on top of the sticky side. Grade 2 students observed captured digital microscope images of salt crystals on a card stock slide. 36

21 Photographs of Teaching with Digital Microscopes Photo 1 Introducing Students to Microscopes Using Children s Science Literature Grade two teacher Karen Capraro introduces the microscope as a scientific tool Greg s Microscope. (Photo by Gene St. Pierre) Photo 2 Relating Structures and Functions of Mealworm Larvae Using a class chart, a grade two student relates structures and functions in mealworm larvae. (Photo by Gene St. Pierre) 37

22 Photo 3 Observing and Identifying Structures of Mealworm Larva Grade 2 students observe and identify the structures of a mealworm larva using a SmartScope handheld digital microscope. (Photo by Gene St. Pierre) Grade two students and their teacher are observing and identifying the structures of a mealworm larva using a ProScope HR handheld digital microscope. (Photo by Gene St. Pierre) 38