Purpose of Experience:

Students will recognize defining characteristics of ocean animals and learn their names. Students will complete a graphing activity.

 

Connections to Standards:

MST 4: Science- Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.

MST 3: Mathematics- Students will understand mathematics and become mathematically confident by communicating and reasoning mathematically, by applying mathematics in real-world settings and by solving problems through the integrated study of number systems. geometry, algebra, data analysis, probability, and trigonometry.

ELA 1: Language for Information and Understanding - Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use the knowledge generated from oral, written and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply and transmit information.

ELA 4: Language for Social Interaction - Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.

 

Essential Questions:

What animals live in the ocean?

What are some of the characteristics of ocean animals?

 

Content knowledge:

Declarative: Students will gain an understanding of the differences and similarities between ocean mammals and fish

Procedural: Students will observe, describe and graph characterisitics of ocean mammals and fish.

PROCEDURE

Teacher Procedure: Prior to presenting the lesson to students , the teacher will make a bulletin board displaying a variety of ocean animals, being sure to include both mammals and fish. The teacher will also need to make a "submarine" out of a discarded appliance box. Be sure to add a periscope, a hatch , some dials, and a windshield. Teacher will need to make several copies of the displayed animals for the children to choose from when constructing their graph, (Kindergarten ). Teacher will also need to prepare the appropriate graphing activity sheet (K-2).

 

Student Procedure: Students will wear diving masks and enter the submarine to "dive" under the ocean. In a darkened room, they will use their flashlights to shine onto the bulletin board to observe ocean animals. Students will observe, discuss, identify and count the animals. Upon "re-surfacing",the students will use this data to complete a grade level specific graphing activity.

 

Teacher Procedure: Upon student completion of the graphing activity, the teacher will lead the students in discussing the following terms: column, row, title of graph, more, less, equal, etc. This may be done individually or as class activity. The teacher will lead the students to orally summarize the results of their graphs.

 Teacher preparation: 3 days to paint and make submarine, put up bulletin board display of ocean animals,gather materials and make grade- appropriate graphing activity sheets.

Class Implementation: 60 minutes to introduce activity, have all students "dive" and complete graphing activity.

Second grade students will need additional time to write summaries, (20-30 minutes).

Assessment: 15-30 minutes depending on grade level.

 

 Teacher Materials: A teacher- made submarine, a bulletin board display of ocean animals, copies of the ocean animals, student graphs, flashlights, and diving masks.

Student Materials: Crayons, pencils and scissors to create graphs.

ASSESSMENT PLAN

Assessments:

Kindergarten: Student assessment of the class graphing activity will be informal and subjective. Didi the student willing participate in making the class graph ? Did the student partcipate in the class discussion ? Did the student show some understanding of more, less, equal parts of the graph ?

1st Grade: Student assessment will be slightly more formal. Did students correctly complete the graph by correctly gathering data and using it complete the teacher made graphing sheet ? Can the students orally summarize the results from their graphs, by answering questions of more, less, and equal ? Can the students read the names of the animals on their graphs ?

2nd grade: As above in 1st grade, but students will write their summarizations. A "4" will be earned when the paragraph includes a title, and three sentences. A "3" will be earned when the paragraph includes a title and two sentences. A "2" will be earned when the paragraph includes two or more sentences and no title, or a title and two sentences. A "1" will be earned when the paragraph has no title and fewer than two sentences.

Revisions of this learning experience may include:

- the darker the room the better for diving and viewing,

- stronger flashlights work the best,

- a music tape of ocean sounds would be good to add to the background when diving,

- sending home a pre-letter to families to help generate enthusiasm for this experience

- involve the other disciplines (music, art, gym and library classes) to further integrate this experience.