Agenda | Teaching Notes |
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Total Time: 1.5 hours of instruction Section 1 1. Opening A. Reviewing Learning Targets and Focusing Question (10 minutes) 2. Analyzing and Interpreting Data A. Identifying Patterns in Animals' Traits (15 minutes) B. Poster Session: Frog Siblings (15 minutes) Section 2 1. Analyzing and Interpreting Data A. Identifying Patterns in Plants' Traits (25 minutes) 2. Constructing Explanations A. Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding (25 minutes) |
Purpose of lesson sequence and alignment with NGSS standards:
How it builds on previous work in the Life Science Module:
How it connects to the CCSS Standards and EL Education's Language Arts Grade 3 Module 2:
Possible student misconceptions:
Possible broader connections:
Areas where students may need additional support:
Down the road:
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Lesson Sequence 2: Overview
Total Time: 1.5 hours of instruction (divided into two sections)
In Lesson Sequence 2, students investigate why plants and animals look the way they do by exploring the question: "What patterns of variation are there among siblings?" The focus of this lesson sequence is on noticing the pattern of variation rather than explaining why variation occurs. Through close observation and data collection, students note that siblings look similar to and different from one another and their parents.
Long-Term Learning Addressed (Based on NGSS)
Use logical reasoning to make sense of the phenomenon that the traits of offspring will vary among siblings--for example, animals with the same parents may have different-colored fur. (Based on NGSS 3-LS3-1)
This lesson sequence explicitly addresses:
Science and Engineering Practices:
- Analyzing and Interpreting Data: Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena, using logical reasoning, mathematics, and/or computation. Students collect and analyze data on flowers to logically understand that there is variation among sibling organisms, including plants.
Crosscutting Concepts:
- Patterns: Patterns can be used as evidence to support an explanation. Students use the pattern that they identify in their data to support the explanation that family members look similar to one another, but not the same.
Disciplinary Core Ideas:
- LS3.B Variation of Traits: Different organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited information. Students see that sibling organisms look different from and yet similar to each other. In Lesson Sequence 4, students learn that this difference and similarity in appearance is because organisms have inherited both similar and different traits from their parents.
Lesson Sequence Learning Targets
- I can observe and analyze patterns of variation among siblings.
- I can analyze data about traits in siblings and identify patterns of similarities and differences.
Ongoing Assessment
- Student science notebook: Variation Among Siblings entry
- Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding
Agenda
In Advance
- Read each section and complete the Preparing to Teach: Self-Coaching Guide.
- If possible, obtain three sibling water lilies grown from seed from the same parent plant (optional). Otherwise, make color copies of the pictures of water lily siblings for each triad (see supporting materials).
- Prepare the Families pass-around cards. You will need at least one card for every two students. You may have repeat cards. Consider printing out photos from the Families pass-around cards in color (see supporting materials).
- Prepare for the Frog Sibling Poster Session by printing out color photos and mounting them to large chart paper and hanging them around the room at students' eye level.
- Determine groupings for the Poster Session protocol. Each group should contain roughly the same number of students, and the number of groups should match the number of posters.
- Review the variation of the Poster Session protocol used in this lesson sequence. In this variation of the protocol, an expert student is optional. Have students rotate to each poster, record their notices and wonders about the photo mounted to the chart paper directly on the chart paper, and then rotate to the next poster. Encourage students to read other students' notices and wonders and respond to these comments in writing as well. (See Classroom Protocols pack.)
- Determine triads for Section 2.
- Create the Concepts Scientists Think About anchor chart and Scientists Do These Things anchor chart. See supporting materials.
- Post: Unit 1 guiding question, lesson sequence learning targets, Concepts Scientists Think About anchor chart, Scientists Do These Things anchor chart, Inheritance anchor chart.
Optional extensions:
- N/A
Vocabulary
siblings = organisms with the same mother and father
pattern= a pattern is a repeated event or object
trait = a characteristic of an organism
female = woman or girl; can bear children or lay eggs; a plant that makes seeds
male = man or boy; cannot bear children or lay eggs; a plant that has pollen
variation = difference between things
Materials
General Materials
- Concepts Scientists Think About anchor chart (new; teacher-created; added to during Section 1; see supporting materials)
- Student science notebook (from Lesson Sequence 1; one per student)
- Variation among Siblings entry (page 6 of student science notebook)
- Variation among Siblings class photos (one to display)
- Families pass-around cards (one per every pair of students; teacher-created; see supporting materials)
- Frog Sibling Poster Session photos and chart paper (to display)
- Markers (one per student)
- Pictures of water lily siblings (optional; one color copy per group and one to display)
- Scientists Do These Things anchor chart (new; teacher-created; see supporting materials)
- Norms of a Scientists Meeting anchor chart (begun in Lesson Sequence 1)
- Unit 1 guiding question (from Lesson Sequence 1; one to display)
- Inheritance anchor chart (new; co-created with students during Section 2)
- Inheritance anchor chart (examples, for teacher reference)
Science-Specific Materials (gathered by the teacher)
- Sibling water lilies (optional; three; used in Section 2)
Opening
Section 1: Opening | Preparing to Teach: Self-Coaching Guide |
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A. Reviewing Learning Targets and Focusing Question (10 minutes)
"What is a pattern?" (A pattern is a repeated event or object.) "How can noticing patterns be helpful to our learning and understanding?" (Noticing a pattern helps us understand similarities and differences and allows us to make predictions about other things that might be similar but are difficult to observe.) "Based on the lesson sequence learning target, what patterns are we going to be looking at?" (a pattern in how siblings look)
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(1) What experience do my students have with identifying or creating patterns? How could I leverage that experience? |
Work Time
Work Time | Preparing to Teach: Self-Coaching Guide |
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Section 1: Analyzing and Interpreting DataA. Identifying Patterns in Animals' Traits (15 minutes)
(For the human family picture) "How are children in the same family similar? How are they different?" (Responses will vary, but may include: noticing similarities and differences in skin color, hair color, and face shape.) (For the animal family picture) "Why do you think these puppies who all have the same mom and dad look different?" (Responses will vary but may include: Some of the puppies have more spots than others because the dad had more spots than the mom.)
"What traits do these siblings share?" (similar shape/size of features and coloration) "What traits are different?" (coloration and patterns of markings on fur)
"What pattern did you notice about the siblings?" (Siblings in a family have similar traits and different traits.) "Was this pattern true for all siblings?" (Yes.)
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(1) Note that students first look at pictures of human families because this is the type of animal they will be most familiar with. Students then move on to looking at pictures of other animals, such as dogs and ducks. (2) After creating and previewing the pass-around cards, what do I think my students will name as differences and similarities? (3) What pattern am I hoping my students will notice? (Siblings that look similar to one another but are not exactly the same are a pattern across all animals, including humans.) This pattern of similar and different traits is called variation. (4) What additional examples can I give from my experience or from the experience of my students? (Example: In my family, we are all tall but not exactly the same height. In my family, we all have black hair but my sister's is naturally curly.) |
B. Poster Session: Frog Siblings (15 minutes)
1. Move into pre-determined groups. 2. When I give the signal, quickly and quietly move with your group to your first assigned poster. 3. (2 minutes) Record notices and wonders on the poster about the picture; respond to the question written on the chart paper. 4. (30 seconds) When I give the signal, rotate clockwise with your group to the next poster. 5. (3 minutes) Record notices and wonders on the poster about the picture; respond to the question written on the chart paper; respond to what your classmates have written. 6. (30 seconds) When I give the signal, rotate clockwise with your group to the next poster. 7. Repeat until you have visited each poster.
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(1) How can I help my students move quickly and efficiently throughout the Poster Session? |
Section 2: Analyzing and Interpreting DataA. Identifying Patterns in Plants' Traits (25 minutes)
"What will we be able to see once we fill in this data? How does the organization of this table help us see similarities and differences?" (The table is organized by trait, so we'll be able to quickly see patterns of similarity and differences among siblings.)
"What traits do these sibling plants share?" (similar coloration and shape) "What traits are different?" (differences in height of plant and size of petals) "If there were another sibling water lily, what do you think it might look like?" (It would have traits that were similar to those of its siblings, but it wouldn't look exactly the same as any of them.) "What do you think the parents of these water lilies may have looked like?" (Responses will vary but should include: traits found in at least one of each of the sibling -- i.e., offspring -- water lilies.)
1. Organize data in tables and/or graphs. 2. Look at the table/graph to see patterns and relationships.
"How did you work like a scientist in your triads today?" (Our lily observations are organized into a table. Organizing the data helped us identify the pattern of variation among siblings.)
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(1) The differences among the flowers are nuanced. How can I support my students in seeing the subtle differences? Note: The water lily plants may or may not come from the same seed. Because it is impossible to know from this photo, assume they are sibling plants. (2) What experience do my students have with tables and charts? (3) What experience do my students have with data collection? |
Section 2: Constructing ExplanationsA. Scientists Meeting: Building Understanding (25 minutes)
"What are the norms of a Scientists Meeting?" (take turns talking, build on one another's ideas, disagree respectfully, ask questions to clarify information)
"What pattern did you observe today about organisms within the same family?" (Organisms look similar to yet different from their siblings.) "What evidence do you have to support this pattern?" (the frog Poster Session and the water lily data table) "How does noticing this pattern of variation among siblings help you answer the unit guiding question?" (Animals in the same species are going to look similar yet different.)
"Can someone paraphrase what Student A said?" "Who thinks something similar to Student A? "Who thinks something different from Student A?" "Can you add to what Student A said?"
"What data did you record that supports that idea?" (specific data about the traits of the water lilies)
"Why do you think you have different conclusions from Student A?" "With what in Student A's argument do you disagree? On what points do you agree? What evidence do you have to support those ideas?"
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(1) How well did my students keep the norms of the Scientists Meeting in Lesson Sequence 1? (2) How can I encourage reluctant participants to join the conversation? (3) I will give my students the definition of inheritance in Lesson Sequence 4. (4) How much practice do my students have with self-evaluation? Will they need a more structured way to reflect on how well they kept the norms? (5) My students will be constructing an explanation as part of the summative assessment in Lesson Sequence 6. This can provide baseline data for my students' ability to construct explanations. Depending on my students, they may need more time for this. How much time would I like to give them? (6) How will I collect and use this student work to inform my teaching in subsequent lessons? |
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