Crystal Depoo Davis

Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd Subject/Content: Science Group Size: Date of Lesson: 11/29
17

What Standards (national or
state) relate to this lesson?
(You should include ALL applicable
standards. Rarely do teachers use
just one: theyd never get through
them all.)
Lesson Content
NGSS:
Developing and using models
Planning and carrying out investigations
Analyzing and interpreting data
Constructing explanations
Engaging in argument from evidence
Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

SC.3.N.1.1: Raise questions about the natural world, investigate them individually and in teams through
free exploration and systematic investigations, and generate appropriate explanations based on those
explorations.

SC.3.N.1.3: Keep records as appropriate, such as pictorial, written, or simple charts and graphs, of
investigations conducted.

SC.3.N.1.6: Infer based on observation.

Essential Understanding
(What is the big idea or essential Students will be able to answer their focus question: In what ways are the skeletons of a rodent and a
question that you want students to human similar?
come away with? In other words,
what, aside from the standard and
our objective, will students
understand when they finish this
lesson?)
Objectives- What are you
teaching? Students will be able to keep records in their science journals of their investigation.
(Student-centered: What will
students know and be able to do Students will be able to infer based on their observations.
after this lesson? Include the
ABCDs of objectives: action,
behavior, condition, and degree of
mastery, i.e., "C: Given a sentence
written in the past or present tense,
A: the student B: will be able to re-
 Crystal Depoo Davis
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd Subject/Content: Science Group Size: Date of Lesson: 11/29
17

write the sentence in future tense D:

with no errors in tense or tense
contradiction (i.e., I will see her
yesterday.)."
Note: Degree of mastery does not
need to be a percentage.)

Evaluation Plan- How will you I will be using various formative assessments throughout my lesson which include observations,
know students have mastered prompting and questioning, and looking over students working.
your objectives?
In addition to this, I will be reviewing the students answers to their focus question on our classroom
Address the following: anchor chart.
What formative evidence will
you use to document student
learning during this lesson?
What summative evidence will
you collect, either during this
lesson or in upcoming lessons?

What Content Knowledge is Teachers will need to understand human bones, rodent bones, and how to place them to reconstruct the
necessary for a teacher to teach skeleton. Teachers must also be aware of similarities and differences between rodent skeletons and
this material? human skeletons.

What background knowledge is Students will need to have the background knowledge of bones which we learned in a previous lesson
necessary for a student to before Thanksgiving break.
successfully meet these
objectives?

How will you ensure students

have this previous knowledge?
Who are your learners?
What do you know about them?
What do you know about their
readiness for this content?
 Crystal Depoo Davis
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd Subject/Content: Science Group Size: Date of Lesson: 11/29
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What misconceptions might

students have about this content? Students may not understand what an owl pellet is, they may think that it is a piece of owl poop or
something similar. Students may also have the misconception that rodents have the same number of
bones as we do.

Lesson Implementation
Teaching Methods
(What teaching method(s) will you This lesson will be done in small groups, partner work, and through guided inquiry.
use during this lesson? Examples
include guided release, 5 Es, direct
instruction, lecture, demonstration,
partner word, etc.)

Step-by-Step Plan Time Who is Each content area may require a different step-by-step format. Use whichever
(What exactly do you plan to do in responsible plan is appropriate for the content taught in this lesson.
teaching this lesson? Be thorough. (time (Teacher or
Act as if you needed a substitute to is Students)?
carry out the lesson for you.) flexibl
e and
Where applicable, be sure to is Teacher I will introduce the owl pellets by connecting to students prior knowledge.
address the following: curren
What Higher Order Thinking tly Teacher I will ask students to raise their hands if they have ever had a cat.
(H.O.T.) questions will you ask? unkno
How will materials be wn) Teacher I will then ask students if their cat has ever coughed up a hairball.
distributed?
Who will work together in Teacher I will tell students that today we are going to be exploring what are called Owl
groups and how will you Pellets
determine the grouping?
How will students transition Teacher I will let them know that these are similar to a hairball that cats get.
between activities?
What will you as the teacher do? Teacher Im going to explain that when an owl eats a rodent, it cant digest the bones and
What will the students do? the fur so it will cough up a pellet that contains these things.
What student data will be
collected during each phase? Both Students will be placed into pairs(pre-determined)
 Crystal Depoo Davis
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd Subject/Content: Science Group Size: Date of Lesson: 11/29
17

What are other adults in the
room doing? How are they
supporting students learning?
What model of co-teaching are
you using?
Students will be assigned to a station with their partner where the
Students materials(excluding the owl pellets) have already been laid out.
On their way to their station they are to grab their science notebooks.
Students
I will set my expectations very clearly and explain that because we are doing this
Teacher lesson, if a student chooses not to follow the expectations, they will not be able to
participate.

With the help of Ms. Pawlik, I will pass out the owl pellets.
Teachers
Students will be told not to touch the pellets until we give our directions.
Both
I will instruct students to carefully unwrap the foil to remove the pellet.
Both
Students will be instructed to observe the entire pellet. I will make it clear that
Students we are NOT breaking them yet.

I will tell them to make observations on the following characteristics(which will

Both be projected onto the board).
Size
Shape
Color
Texture

Students will record their observations in their science notebooks.

Students
The shortest student in the pairs will be instructed to carefully split their pellet
Students into two pieces.

They will be told to place a half on each paper plate so that every student has a
Students piece to work on.

I will use an attention getter and wait for all eyes to be on me.
Teacher
 Crystal Depoo Davis
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd Subject/Content: Science Group Size: Date of Lesson: 11/29
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I will remind students of the expectations for this exploration:

Teacher -The pellets will remain in the work area (dont walk around with them and dont
throw them around)
-Be careful when handling them, try not to touch your eyes or mouth until you
wash your hands.
-Remain at your work area, if you have a question or need help with something
just raise your hand or call to one of the teachers, we can come help.

I will tell students that their task is to separate all the bones inside their pellet
Teacher from the fur and other materials by using their fingers or the toothpicks
provided.

I will write on the whiteboard: In what ways are the skeletons of a rodent and a
Teacher human similar?

I will tell students to just keep this question in mind while they are working.
Students
Each table group will have an extra plate to be able to put discarded materials on.
Techer
Students will be given 10-15 minutes (or more depending on time frames) to
Students explore the inside of their owl pellets.

Students will use their Owl-Pellet observation sheet to record observations in

Students their science notebooks.

As students are exploring, I will be walking around prompting students by asking

Teachers them about the bones (size, shape, type) and how many skulls/bones they have
found!

When the time is up, students will be instructed to have the tallest person in
Students their group to throw away the plate of discarded materials.

While this is happening, Ms. Pawlik and I will pass out the notebook sheet #28.
Teachers
Students will be instructed to sort their collection of bones on this sheet.
 Crystal Depoo Davis
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd Subject/Content: Science Group Size: Date of Lesson: 11/29
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Students
Once their bones have been separated, they will reconstruct the rodent skeletons
by using the bone identification sheet.
Students
Optional depending on CT: Students will be instructed to use glue to attach the
bones to the sheet.
Students
Students attention will be directed to the anchor chart which will have the focus
question: In what ways are the skeletons of a rodent and a human similar?
Teacher Written on it.

Each student will be given a sticky note and instructed to write their answer on it
and place it on the anchor chart.
Students
When students finish and place their sticky note on the poster, they will be
instructed to wash their hands with soap and throw away any remaining pellet
Students materials

-end lesson-

What will you do if a student struggles with the content?

Some students may be hesitant to get hands on with the owl pellets because of the nature of what they
are. In cases of this, we will really encourage the student to participate. If they are adamant about not
wanting to, they will be instructed to observe their partner doing it and write down their observations in
their science notebook (usually when students begin finding skulls and get excited about it, this
encourages hesitant students to get hands on with the pellet.)

What will you do if a student masters the content quickly?

The nature of this lesson is good for students who excel at this because they have no limit on how much
they can explore.

Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd
Meeting your students needs as
people and as learners
Accommodations (If needed)
(What students need specific
accommodation? List individual
students (initials), and then explain
the accommodation(s) you will
implement for these unique
learners.)
Crystal Depoo Davis
Subject/Content: Science Group Size: Date of Lesson: 11/29
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If applicable, how does this lesson connect to the interests and cultural backgrounds of your
students?
Students recently learned about their own skeletons and the human body and they absolutely loved it and
engaged with that topic. This lesson builds off of that topic by asking them to compare their skeletons to
that of a rodent
If applicable, how does this lesson connect to/reflect the local community?
n/a
How will you differentiate instruction for students who need additional challenge during this
lesson (enrichment)?
Students who need enrichment will be encouraged to label their reconstructed rodent skeleton and fill in
any blanks by drawing them.
How will you differentiate instruction for students who need additional language support?
n/a
Pre-determined groups (avoiding placing students together that do not work well together)
Materials set up in advance on students desks
Directions will be written on the board as well as given orally
Anchor chart will be pre-written
Specific accomodations/things to take into account:
EW: Needs extra positive praise throughout
JS: Partner who will encourage him to participate
 Crystal Depoo Davis
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd Subject/Content: Science Group Size: Date of Lesson: 11/29
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Whole class: craves positive reinforcement and constant praise.

Materials For each student:
(What materials will you use? Why (1) Notebook sheet 27
did you choose these materials? (1) Notebook sheet 28
Include any resources you used. For each group:
This can also include people!) (2) owl pellets
(8) toothpicks
(5-6) paper plates or paper towels
White glue
For each class:
Plastic wrap
Tape
Gloves
Projector