Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum. A sample lesson from the 6-lesson curriculum guide for Kindergarten

Transcription

1 Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum A sample lesson from the 6-lesson curriculum guide for Kindergarten

2 Author: Kelly Larson Editors: Beverly Baker, Angelique Harhsman, Rebecca Shankland, and Sue Watts Layout & Design: Claire Roybal of Claire Roybal & Associates Ltd.

3 Lesson 2: Marvelous Mini Beast Hunt FOCUS QUESTIONS: What are insects? What kind of insects can we find in our schoolyard? TIME CONSIDERATIONS: Pre-Activity: 15 min. Outdoor Investigation: 20 min. Discussion: 10 min. MATERIALS NEEDED: The Great Bug Hunt by Bonnie Dobkin, The Bug Book by Kathy Kranking, Insect parts picture, My Bug Hunt handout, Insect or Not? handout, magnifying lenses, clipboards, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, recycled containers (to observe found insects), popsicle sticks or tweezers, Create a Bug Pattern handout o Insect o Antenna o Head VOCABULARY: o Thorax o Abdomen STANDARDS: 1.1.1, 2.2.1, SL.K.1, SL.K.3, SL.K.4, L.K.5A, K.CC.4A, K.CC.4B, K.CC.4C Investigating Insects OVERVIEW OF LESSON In this activity, students will learn about the different parts of an insect and how to identify them when observing a variety of bugs outdoors. They will identify and record their findings, and will then use their newly discovered knowledge to invent their own insect. STUDENT OBJECTIVES Students will be able to identify an insect based on its characteristics (body parts). Students will be able to identify similarities and differences between insects. BACKGROUND What is an Insect? Insects are small animals with 6 legs. Insects use their legs to run, walk, jump, dig, and even sing! There are approximately five million different kinds of insects in the world (that we know of!). Insects wear their skeletons on the outside of their bodies. This exoskeleton protects an insect s body like a suit of armor. All insects are cold-blooded, meaning they are heated or cooled by temperature outside their bodies. Most insects live short lives. Some adult insects only live a few hours! Insects do not have noses; they smell with their antennae. Insects communicate with each other in a variety of ways. Some insects flash lights, sing, dance, or use smelly chemicals to signal each other. FOR A DETAILED LIST REFER TO PAGE 35 Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Lesson 2 Page 6

4 VOCABULARY DEFINITIONS Insect: an animal with three body parts and antennae Antenna: thin attachments on an insect s head that it uses to smell Head: part of an insect s body with eyes and antennae Thorax: middle part of an insect s body Abdomen: last part of an insect s body PRE-ACTIVITY Classroom Discussion 1. Read The Bug Book by Kathy Kranking 2. What kinds of insect have you seen? (The answers may not all be about insects in particular, but don t correct the students at this time.) 3. Show the Insect Parts picture (p. 10). 4. How many body parts does an insect have? Guide them to refer to the picture. Count them together body parts, legs, antenna. ACTIVITY Insect Investigation 1. Students will use their observations of different mini-beasts to develop a firm understanding of the parts of an insect and discuss whether the mini-beast caught is a true insect or not. 2. Take the group outdoors (in small or large groups), with clipboards, My Bug Hunt handout (p.11), magnifying lenses, popsicle sticks or tweezers, crayons or colored pencils, and recycled containers. Help them learn how to use the lenses (put the lens close to your eye and move the object back and forth). 3. Define the boundaries of the search area. 4. Explain and demonstrate the proper use of all materials before sending them out on the hunt. 5. Students should look at and then draw three of the bugs they find. (The bugs can be observed on the ground or gently placed in containers until they ve been drawn.) Encourage students to include all the details they notice (legs, body parts, wings, etc.) 6. If students are unsure if something is an insect, they should still draw it on their observation form. At first it may be hard to tell. Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Lesson 2 Page 7

5 7. Encourage the children to look closely and use their popsicle stick (or tweezers) to turn over leaves, small rocks, and pieces of bark. As students are observing, ask the following questions: a. What color is it? b. How many legs does it have? c. How does it move? d. Where did you find it? 8. What might it eat? What is your evidence for this? 9. When students are finished hunting for insects, gather around in the shade and discuss what was found. POST-ACTIVITY Classroom Discussion 1. Discuss student observations. 2. Ask children again what makes a bug an insect. 3. Based on the drawing from their My Bug Hunt handout, which bugs that the students observed and recorded were indeed insects? Which were not? 4. Questions that can be used during this discussion include: a. How many different insects did we find today? Use tally marks to create a total and count them. b. Were they all alike? c. In what ways were they alike? d. In what ways were they different? e. What questions do you have about insects after our investigation? ASSESSMENT As a class, show the students several pictures of bugs, Insect or Not handout (p. 9). Handout includes local species. Have them identify by giving a thumbs up or a thumbs down whether it is an insect or not. This activity can be used as a Pre/Post Test. Have students use their new knowledge about insects and invent their own insect. Remind children of the rules (3 body parts, 6 legs, 2 antennae). (Insect legs are attached to the thorax, as some children will have noticed.) EXTENSIONS Small viewing jars with insects in them can be shared with children with limited mobility as well as any child in the classroom use hand lenses. Turn a student question asked during the activities classroom discussion into a separate investigation. Math: Insects can be sorted by size or other characteristics. Language: A small book can be written which tells about the bug hunt. In their journals, they can draw a picture of an insect and label the parts. Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Lesson 2 Page 8

6 Insect or Not? From top left: Desert Millipede, Tarantula, Darkling beetle (Stink bug), Velvet Ant (actually a type of wasp don t touch!), Pleasing Fungus Beetle, Western Swallowtail, Whip-Tail Scorpion (not a true scorpion no stinger); Not insects millipede, tarantula, Whip Tail scorpion) Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Lesson 2 Page 9

7 Insect Parts ANTENNA LEG Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Lesson 2 Page 10

8 My Bug Hunt Look what I found on the bug hunt! 3 Things: Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Lesson 2 Page 11

9 Learning Standards Lesson 1 Tromping Through Nature: A Nature Scavenger Hunt New Mexico State Standards Science Use scientific methods to observe, collect, record, analyze, predict, interpret, and determine reasonableness of data. o Ask and answer questions about surroundings and share findings with classmates. o Record observations and data with pictures, numbers, and/or symbols. Science Know that living things have diverse forms, structures, functions, and habitats o Identify major structures of common living organisms o Observe that differences exist among individual living organisms of the same kind. Common Core Language Arts Standards SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. SL.K.3 Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood. SL.K.4 Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail. L.K.5a Sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent. Common Core Math Standards K.MD.3 Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of objects in each category and sort the categories by count. Lesson 2: Marvelous Mini Beasts Investigating Insects New Mexico State Standards Science Use scientific methods to observe, collect, record, analyze, predict, interpret, and determine reasonableness of data. o Ask and answer questions about surroundings and share findings with classmates. o Record observations and data with pictures, numbers, and/or symbols. Science 2.2.1! Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Page 35

10 Know that living things have diverse forms, structures, functions, and habitats o Identify major structures of common living organisms o Observe that differences exist among individual living organisms of the same kind. Common Core Language Arts Standards SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. SL.K.3 Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood. SL.K.4 Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail. L.K.5a Sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent. Common Core Math Standards K.CC.4 Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect counting to cardinality. o When counting objects, say the number names in the standard order, pairing each object with one and only one number name and each number name with one and only one object. o Understand that the last number name said tells the number of objects counted. The number of objects is the same regardless of their arrangement or the order in which they were counted. o Understand that each successive number name refers to a quantity that is one larger. Lesson 3 Meet at Tree Investigating Trees New Mexico State Standards Science Use scientific methods to observe, collect, record, analyze, predict, interpret, and determine reasonableness of data. o Ask and answer questions about surroundings and share findings with classmates. o Record observations and data with pictures, numbers, and/or symbols. Science Know that living things have diverse forms, structures, functions, and habitats o o Identify major structures of common living organisms Observe that differences exist among individual living organisms of the same kind.! Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Page 36

11 Additional Resources Books & Movies Animal classification. Schlessinger Media, Film. Aston, Dianna H. A seed is sleepy. San Francisco, Calif.: Chronicle Books, Print. Bingham, Caroline, and Ben Morgan. First nature encyclopedia. London: DK, Print. Cole, Henry. On Meadowview Street. New York: Greenwillow Books, Print. Driscoll, Laura. Apples : and how they grow. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, Print. Dussling, Jennifer. Bugs! bugs! bugs!. New York: DK Pub., Print. Fowler, Allan. From seed to plant. New York: Children's Press, Print It's a good thing there are insects. Chicago: Childrens Press, Print. Ganeri, Anita. From bean to bean plant. Chicago: Heinemann Library, Print From seed to apple. Chicago: Heinemann Library, Print From seed to sunflower. Chicago: Heinemann Library, Print. Hurwitz, Johanna. PeeWee's tale. New York: SeaStar Books, Print. Johnson, Donald B. Henry hikes to Fitchburg. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Print. Katz, Karen. The colors of us. New York: H. Holt, Print. Kuskin, Karla. City dog. New York: Clarion Books, Print. Ljungkvist, Laura. Follow the line around the world. New York: Viking, Print. Lobel, Gillian. For everyone to share. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, Print. Lowery, Linda. Earth Day. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press, Print. Micucci, Charles. The life and times of the ant. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Print. Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Page 40

12 Pascoe, Elaine. Animals with backbones. New York: PowerKids Press, Print Plants with seeds. New York: PowerKids Press, Print. Pyers, Greg. Why am I an insect?. Chicago: Raintree, Print. Solway, Andrew. Classifying birds. Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library, Print Classifying insects. Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library, Print Classifying mammals. Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library, Print. Spilsbury, Richard, and Louise Spilsbury. Classifying amphibians. Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library, Print Plant classification. Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library, Print. Strauss, Rochelle. Tree of life : the incredible biodiversity of life on Earth. Tonawanda, NY : Kids can Press: s.n., Print. Tomecek, Steve. Dirt. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, Print. Voake, Steve. Insect detective. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, Print. Wallace, Holly. Classification. Chicago: Heinemann Library, Print. Ward, Jennifer. The seed and the giant saguaro. Flagstaff, Ariz.: Rising Moon, Print. York, Penelope. Bugs. London: DK, Print. Ziefert, Harriet. Bugs, beetles, and butterflies. New York: Viking, Print. Websites A Bug's Life. n.d. Web. 26 July < Animal Characteristics Game. n.d. Web. 7 August < game.htm>. Animals and Nature. n.d. Web < Habitats. n.d. Web. 7 August < Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Page 41

13 Home Range. n.d. Web. 26 July < Insect Hunt. n.d. Web. 26 July < 2/InsectsandPlants/activities/insecthunt.html>. Inside a Seed. n.d. Web. 22 February < John Burroughs Was Born. n.d. Web. 7 August < Kinder Garden. N.d. Web. < Kindergarten Kindergarten Science Notebooks. N.d.Web. 26 April < Kinder Nature Activities. n.d. Web < Learning Games for Kids. n.d. Web. 7 August < Observing Wildlife. n.d. Web. 26 July < Minibeasts. n.d < Mud Songs. n.d. 17 August < Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Page 42