Learning Experience:
Shhhh! Animals Hibernating!
Hibernating Hoopla

1. Learning Context: Learning Standards for Mathematics, Science, and Technology

Standard 1: Analysis, Inquiry, and Design
Scientific Inquiry

1. The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations of natural phenomena in a continuing, creative process.
2. Beyond the use of reasoning and consensus, scientific inquiry involves the testing of proposed explanations involving the use of conventional techniques and procedures and usually requiring considerable ingenuity.
3. Students know that learning can come from direct observation and simple experiment.
4. The observations made while testing proposed explanations, when analyzed using conventional and invented methods, provide new insights into phenomena.

Standard 3: Mathematics

• Modeling/Multiple Representations

Students use mathematical modeling/multiple representation to provide a means of presenting, interpreting, communicating, and connecting mathematical information and relationship.

3.4.2 Students understand that observation about objects or events can be organized and displayed in simple graphs.

3.4.3 Students use multiple representations as tools to explain the operation of everyday procedures.

• Uncertainty

Students use ideas of uncertainty to illustrate that mathematics involves more than exactness when dealing with everyday situations.

3.6.1 Students make quantitative estimates of familiar linear dimensions, weight, and time intervals and checks them against measurements.

3.6.2 Students understand common terms used with estimation.

3.6.4 Students develop a wide variety of estimation skills and strategies.

3.6.5 Students determine the reasonableness of results.

Standard 4: Science

The Living Environment

4.2.1 Living things are both similar to and different from each other and nonliving things.

4.2.6 Plants and animals depend on each other and their physical environment

Standard 5: Technology

Computers, as tools for design, modeling, information processing,

Communication, and system control, have greatly increased human Productivity and knowledge.

Connections to other curricular areas:

Science: This experience is part of a four week unit on woodland animals and how the woodland animals prepare for winter. Hibernation, which animals hibernate and where they hibernate, migration, which animals migrate, and winter habits of other animals will be discussed.

Language Arts: Non-fiction and fiction books about woodland animals, hibernation, and migration will be presented.

Music: The students will listen to and sing songs about the woodland animals.

Art: The students will do an art project winter scene of woodland animals hibernating or staying active during the winter.

Prior Knowledge:

The students need to know about woodland animals and how they prepare for winter. The students should have prior experiences of sorting, classifying, graphing and estimating. The students should have a math journal.

2. Procedure:

Prior to this learning experience, about a week before, the teacher writes a letter to the parent(s) about this activity. The letter should include information about how each child bringing in a small stuffed bear (or if they choose another woodland animal) that is not the child’s favorite. Explain that the animal will be hibernating in a cave (box) in the classroom for the entire winter.

The teacher has already prepared a hibernation box for the bears to hibernate in for the winter. The box should be of medium size (a photocopy paper box is just the right size). Cover the box and lid with either gray or brown paper to represent a cave. On the front of the box you could even make the entranceway to the cave.

On the day of this learning experience, make sure that each child has brought in his or her small stuffed animal. Have the students sit in a circle on the floor with their animal next to them. Have a large floor graph in the middle of the circle. Have the students observe each other’s animal. Ask the students how the animals could be sorted and classified into groups. Sort the animals into groups and graph the piles on the floor graph. Discuss what the students notice or observe about the graph. This sorting and graphing of the animals could be done numerous times until there are no more ways to sort the animals. For example, the animals could be sorted and graphed by size, color, if they are wearing clothes or not, if they have bows or not, (if they are a real bear or teddy bear), etc.

The teacher reads Sleepy Bear by Lydia Dabcovich and/or Good Night, Bear! By Joanne Mattern and illustrated by Susan T. Hall. Both books are about bears preparing for winter and hibernation and then actually hibernating.

After reading the book(s), have the students take his or her animals and place it in the hibernation box or cave. The teacher places the lid on the box and writes with a marker on the lid Shhhhh! Animals Hibernating! This way the students will have to remember to be quiet because the animals are hibernating.

Next, the students estimate how many days the animals will be hibernating. On chart paper, the teacher will write the question: How many days do you think the bears will be hibernating? Write children’s name on the chart and ask them to estimate the number of days they think the animals will be hibernating. Record each child’s estimate on the chart. Discuss their estimations.

The students will use the computers to do their math journal entries for the day. The students will type in one thing that they did during this learning experience. This is their choice. The students could type their math journal entries about sorting, graphing, or estimating how long the animals will be hibernating. After the students print this, they can draw a picture of it.

From this day on, record each day the animals are hibernating on a sentence strip or long pieces of paper. It would be a good idea to record this everyday at the same time, for example at calendar time. Count the number of days already and record/write the next number. Continue to do this until spring. In spring, or the first day of spring, have the animals awaken from hibernation.

Discuss the number of days that the bears hibernated and the students’ estimations to observe if anyone guessed the correct number of days or how close their estimations were.

3. Instructional/Environmental Modifications:

The teacher needs to have enough floor space for a large floor graph to be spread out. The teacher needs to have a place to put the hibernation box/cave for the winter for the students to be able to see.

4. Materials and Supplies:

Teacher:

A parent letter explaining this learning experience

Hibernation cave/box (a medium sized box covered with gray or brown paper)

Large floor graph (can make one out of paper or white plastic table cloth)

Pointer stick for pointing to graph (yardstick)

Chart paper

Sentence strips or long pieces of paper

Markers

Sleepy Bear Author Lydia Dabcovich

Good Night, Bear! Author Joanne Mattern and illustrated by Susan T. Hall

Student:

Small stuffed bear (or another woodland animal if the teacher chooses)

Computer

Math Journal

Pencil

Crayons

Markers

5.Assessment Tools and Techniques:

The students will graph woodland animals that hibernate and woodland animals that do not hibernate. The teacher prepares a paper with pictures of woodland animals (be sure to include a variety of hibernating and nonhibernating woodland animals). Each student will be given a copy of the paper and will cut out the pictures of the woodland animals. From this, the student will create a graph on his or her own on a large piece of white paper with graph lines provided designating a line for hibernating woodland animals and nonhibernating woodland animals. The student will group and glue the woodland animals that hibernate on the graph line designated for hibernating woodland animals and the nonhibernating woodland animals on their designated graph line. The students will explain their reasoning in graphing each woodland animal as hibernating or nonhibernating, and their observations of the graph (which line had the most, which had the least, how many more where on one line than the other).

When the teacher is assessing each student’s graph, the following rubric can be used.

Rubric

A score of 4 means:

1. Having the correct answer.
2. Having shown all of the work.
3. Having explained all of the answers.

A score of 3 means:

1. Having shown all the work.
2. Having explained the answers.
3. Having made a mistake that is easily fixed.

A score of 2 means:

1. Having shown the work and tried his or her best, but does not really understand how to do it.

A score of 1 means:

1. Having put down some things that really have no relationship to the problem.

A score of 0 means:

1. The paper is blank and no attempt was made.
2. Just part of the problem was copied.

6. Time Required:

Planning-1 hour

Implemention-1 hour

Assessment-20 to 30 minutes

7. Student Work:

Student work is attached.

8. Reflection:

This learning experience meets the needs of all learners because it implements all the learning styles. All the students are actively involved in their learning with this hands-on activity. The students are given the opportunity to make decisions and observations on their own with the teacher as a facilitator.