Science Lesson Plan- Camouflage

Curriculum Standard: Mississippi Third Grade Science Framework- 3a. Research and explain diverse life forms (including vertebrates and invertebrates) that live in different environments (e.g., deserts, tundras, forests, grasslands, taigas, wetlands) and the structures that serve different functions in their survival (e.g., methods of movement, defense, camouflage). (DOK 2)

Big Idea: Some animals can hide from predators by camouflaging themselves to look similar to their surroundings.

Preparation

1. Put the students into groups of four (or less).
2. Give each group a red sheet of chart paper and tell the groups to place it on the floor. Make sure there is enough room for the students to move around.
3. Give each group a bag of small squares (about 1 cm each) that have been cut from many colors of construction paper.
4. Tell the groups to empty their colored squares onto their chart paper and spread them around evenly.
5. Tell the groups that each student should stand at one edge of the chart paper and face away from it. There are no more than four people in each group, so each student will have a side of the chart paper.
6. Tell the students that when the teacher says “Go,” the students will take turns turning around and picking up the first colored square they see. The students must do this quickly because they only have 60 seconds.
7. After the 60 seconds are up, the groups will record the number of each color square they picked up.
8. The groups will report their findings and the teacher will total the class’s numbers.
9. Ask the students why they think they were able to pick up more of certain colors, and less of certain colored squares.
10. Guide the discussion by asking students questions that lead them to understand that the red squares were harder to see because they blended in with the red chart paper.
11. Explain that some animals use a survival strategy similar to this to hide from their predators. Remind students that predators are animals that hunt and eat other animals for food.
12. Read aloud How to Hide an Octopus and Other Sea Creatures by Ruth Heller.
13. Ask the students how the animals in the book hide from their predators.
14. Explain that when an animal hides in an area that looks similar to itself, that animal is using camouflage.
15. Ask the students if they have ever seen a green lizard run into a grassy area, and if it was difficult to see the lizard. Explain that the lizard was camouflaged in the green grass to hide from people, because he probably thought that they were dangerous predators.
16. The students will each be given a different picture of an animal and use crayons, markers, and construction paper to create an environment that would camouflage their animal from predators.
17. Students will share their animals and their created environments with the class and explain why the environments they created would camouflage their animals successfully.

Guidance

1. The teacher uses general to specific questions to guide the students to understand the concept of camouflage.
2. The teacher uses previously learned knowledge of predators and prey to relate the concept of camouflage to their students’ prior learning.
3. The teacher relates an authentic example of lizards hiding in the grass so that students can relate their personal experiences with lizards with their new understandings of camouflage.
4. The teacher will walk around while the students are creating their animals’ camouflage environments and provide feedback and direction.

Application

1. In small groups, the students will brainstorm some animals that live in their state that use camouflage to blend into their environments.
2. In small groups, the students will analyze the use of camouflage in the Army and when hunting and discuss their thoughts.

Assessment

1. To assess student motivation, the teacher will observe the students as they share in their groups to determine whether the students are providing low level answers with little thought, or if they are actively thinking and discussing the topic with understanding.
2. To assess the students' understanding of the content, the teacher will ask the small groups to summarize their thoughts from both discussion questions. Then, the teacher will allow each student to choose one of the topics and individually write a brief summary of their own thoughts on the topic.

Great Teacher Blog- Making Science Fun

Steve Spangler's blog focuses on making science classes more interesting. There are hundreds of experiments and other class activities you can use in the science classroom- or if they seem too dangerous or expensive, you can just watch the video on his blog. The lastest experiment is: Potato Gun Wars: Teachers Relieving Stress or Just Having Fun?
I can't wait to try out some of these experiments in my own classroom. :)

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Conley- Ch. 4: Ongoing Assessment

Conley stresses the importance of ongoing assessments, meaning that the students should constantly be assessed throughout the school year. He states that "an important guideline is to use multiple assessments and look for patterns in students' performance. Do not overrely on results from any single test." I totally agree; but my question is: Isn't this exactly what high-stakes/standardized tests do? They take the results from one assessment and gauge a student's comprehension of a subject from that one test score. There are too many factors that influence the outcome of standardized tests, and I believe that these tests rarely reflect the full understanding of each student. How can teachers prepare their students for these tests and still have time to personalize lessons to engage and motivate students?

I loved the section about personal assessments. They seem as though they would be time-consuming, but so much valuable information can be obtained from these experiences with students. By making personal connections with the students, a teacher can create instant engagement in a lesson and motivate students' future learning once the students realize how learning can be applicable to their own lives and interests. We are going to use the reading attitude and an interest survey to get to know the students we will be tutoring in clinicals this semester. I am so glad that we have the opportunity to get to know our students on a personal level so that we can do as much as possible to motivate them. I only wish that when I have my own classroom, I could create individualized lessons based on every one of my students' interests!