1. Ecosystems / Third Grade Storyline on Ecosystems
http://www.tusd1.org/contents/depart/science/Documents/eco/ecosystems.pdf
Students use this document to help understand the term of ecosystems and how animals interact with the environment.
Ecosystems Vocabulary
Review important vocabulary that supports the understanding of ecosystems vocabulary from books they will read in this unit. Important words and terms will be found in the 3rd Grade Storyline on Ecosystems. Students create a word list of important terms with definitions. A list of words/terms will be found in the module attachments.
Ecosystems KWL Chart
Create a class KWL chart that will be used throughout this unit. This supports students understanding of how ecosystems and animal/plants interact with the environment. A KWL chart is a three column graphic organizer where students and teacher can write down what they know about ecosystems under the K column. Teacher will support students with W - “What will we learn” use the 3rd Grade Storyline on Ecosystems to help with support in this column. The W column will also get larger throughout the unit.
Parking Lot
Introduce the idea of “Parking Lot” which will guide students in how to ask questions to build inquiry.
To create a “Parking Lot” use a large piece of blank paper and title it “Parking Lot.” Students are encouraged to write down any questions or comments they have about Ecosystems on a post it. The teacher reviews and responds to the class for clarification or further learning.
2. Words to Know with Animal Interaction / Ecosystems Word Bank
Use the words from the KWL and Parking Lot to create a word bank of important words related to Ecosystems.
Students select two words to use to complete the Frayer Model.
Frayer Model
http://www.adlit.org/strategies/22369/
The Frayer Model – is a graphic organizer to aide in comprehension of vocabulary terms through illustrations, context clues, and comparing/contrasting like terms. The Frayer Model is used with vocabulary instead of spelling words.
Students use the Third Grade Storyline on Ecosystems to locate words to use with the Frayer Model.
Suggested words to use: ecosystems, organisms, balance, living, non-living, interaction, climate, weather, food webs, producers, consumers http://www.tusd1.org/contents/depart/science/Documents/eco/ecosystems.pdf
3. Night of the Pufflings, Bruce McMillan / Bubble Map
A Bubble Map is a graphic organizer to sort a main topic/idea and to link supporting details to the main topic/idea. Using a bubble map helps students stay on topic. Students use the Bubble Map with the “Culminating Task” from Achieve the Core http://achievethecore.org/file/758. The Bubble Map supports writing a paragraph to respond to the “Culminating Task.”
4. Look to the North, Jean Craighead George / Comprehending the text, Look to the North
Teachers can use partial or the entire Look to the North Lesson from Achieve the Core support students in comprehending the text, Look to the North. If using part of the lesson, it is highly recommended to use the first Additional Task on Foldable Books, which will be an assessment for student comprehension. Students select 5 events to written in chronological order. Suggestion: The Text Dependent Questions can be used in small groups.
Making a Foldable Book
How to Make a Foldable Book, Video Tutorial for Teachers
5. Scholastic Guided Reading / Notetaking for Animal Research
Select a comprehension strategy from the Literature Circle Document. Model the strategy. Students read a book about animals from the Scholastic Guided Reading Book List and complete the selected comprehension strategies from the Literature Circle Document.
In addition, while reading their book, students take notes on important information about their animal to use later when writing the animal research paper and when creating the pop-up book.
6. Writing Illustrated Informative Essay / Writing an Informative Essay
Students use their notes from Module 5 to write a 3-5 page/ multiparagraph draft with illustrations.
Provide a paragraph and/or essay templates to support students writing
Pop-up Rubric
As a class, create a rubric for the final animal pop-up book. The rubric should focus on what final product looks like, how many pages, how many illustrations, etc.
7. The Importance of Editing / Peer Editing Guidelines
Guidelines can be found on Read Write Think, http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson261/peer.pdf
Class Rubric, Presenting and Listening
Presentation and Listening Rubric
Before the presentations of their Pop-up books, the class creates a presentation and listening rubric. Creating the rubric allows students to understand how they present their work and how they listen to each other’s presentation.
8. Publishing Work / Making Pop-up Books
Tutorial videos on how to make a pop-up book.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLPl7ej3Zbk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KfLoRMoB5E
9. Presentations / Presenting and Listening Rubric
Class creates an expectations rubric for presenting and listening, before the actual presentation. Creating the rubric allows students to understand how they should present their work and how they should listen to each other’s presentation.
Gallery Walk
Students display their work around the classroom so others can walk around to look at their work. The walk is done silently as if one was at a museum or an art gallery. Have a group of students (3-5) present their story while the rest of the students walk around and listen. It is encouraged that the audience ask questions and provide positive feedback to the presenter. Presentation takes 2-4 days.
10. Student Feedback and Thoughts / Ecosystems KWL Chart
Students complete the class KWL chart on what they learned from the unit.
Scholastic Leveled Bookroom Adoptions / Level M
Bat Loves the Night, Nicoloa Davies
Dive: A Book of Deep, Melvin Berger
Level N
Owls, Gail Gibbons
Level O
Emperor’s Egg, The, Martin Jenkins
Level P
Coral Reefs, Jason Chin
Life in the Ocean, Claire A. Nivola
Level Q
All About Manatees, Jim Arnosky
Artic Lights Artic Nights, Debbie S. Miller
Level R
Buzz on Bees: Why Are They Disappearing?, The, Shelley Rotner
Warmer World, A, Caroline Arnold
Level S
Cod’s Tale, The, Mark Kurlansky
Lizards, Nic Bishop
Survival at 120 Above, Debbie S. Miller
Wacky Trees, D.M. Souza
Level T
Land Predators of North America, Erin Pembrey Swan
Life in the Oceans: Animals, People, Plants, Lucy Baker
Life in the Rainforests, Lucy Baker
Seahorses, Pipefishes and Their Kin, Sara Swan Miller
Name: ______Date: ______
Using Good Questions to Guide Your Research
After reading your Scholastic Guided Reading book, you probably have many questions. Having many questions is good because it means you are thinking deeply about your topic. Pick your six most important questions and list them below:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Measure your questions to see if they are an inch or a mile deep!
An inch deep question is one that requires a yes or no answer. Inch deep questions do not make good research questions.
Examples: Was the Declaration of Independence signed on July 4th, 1776?
Is Baltimore the capital of Maryland?
Did the United States win the World Cup in 2006?
Foot deep questions require short one or two word answers. Like inch deep questions, foot deep questions do not make good research questions.
Examples: How many people live in Maryland?
What is the average temperature in July?
Who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner?
Yard deep questions require you to read several paragraphs and put the information in your own words. Yard deep questions are good research questions.
Examples: How does a model rocket fly?
Which states have greater natural resources than Maryland?
What caused the American Revolution?
Mile deep questions require that you read several articles, think deeply about what you have read, and synthesize what you learned with what you know. Mile deep questions are great questions to guide your research.
Examples: How do culture, religion, and geography affect world hunger?
How can a schoolyard provide the living, non-living, and once-living factors necessary for the survival of a variety of native species?
How do American citizens decide who to vote for in a presidential election?
Using Your Questions to Guide Your Research
DIRECTIONS: Now that you have measured your questions, it is time to turn the yard and mile deep questions into an organizer to guide your research. Fill in your questions in the boxes below. Use your organizer to record the answers to your questions as you gather information. Do not forget to record WHERE you found the information in the source box. Use NoodleTools to help you cite the source correctly.
Topic:QUESTION #1: / QUESTION #2: / QUESTION #3:
SOURCE: / SOURCE: / SOURCE:
QUESTION #4: / QUESTION #5: / QUESTION #6:
SOURCE: / SOURCE: / SOURCE:
ELA, Office of Curriculum Development© Page 4 of 5
These modules are not an exhaustive list of resources and may be used by teachers to implement the quarterly standards and to meet the needs of students.