Focus Plan
TexarkanaIndependentSchool District
GRADING PERIOD: / PLAN CODE:WRITER: / L. Petty / COURSE/SUBJECT: / 5th grade science
GRADE(S): / 5th / TIME ALLOTTED FOR INSTRUCTION: / 2-3 class periods
TITLE: / A Blast From the Past
LESSON TOPIC: / Drawing conclusions from indirect evidence.
TAKS OBJECTIVE: / Objective 1: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the natural science.
FOCUS TEKS AND STUDENT EXPECTATION: / 5.2 Scientific processes. The student uses scientific methods
during field and laboratory investigations. The student is
expected to:
(C) analyze and interpret information to construct reasonable
explanations from direct and indirect evidence.
SUPPORTING TEKS AND STUDENT EXPECTATIONS: / 5.2The student uses scientific methods during field and
laboratory investigations. The student is expected to:
(A)plan and implement descriptive and simple experimental
investigations including asking well-defined questions,
formulating testable hypotheses, and selecting and using
equipment and technology.
(B) collect information by observing and measuring.
(C) analyze and interpret information to construct reasonable
explanations from direct and indirect evidence.
(D) communicate valid conclusions.
CONCEPTS / ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS/GENERALIZATIONS/PRINCIPLES
The student will understand that
Evidence / Scientists require evidence to make predictions about future occurrences and draw conclusions from the past.
Direct / Direct evidence is collected when you actually make an observation.
Indirect / Indirect evidence usually requires scientists to make an inference about what might have happened based on evidence that is often left behind.
History / Based on indirect evidence, scientists try to determine information about groups of people or other organisms who have lived in the past.
Current / This historical evidence is often used to gain more information about current organisms or events and can even be used to predict future events.
I. SEQUENCE OF ACTIVITIES (INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES)
A.Focus/connections/anticipatory set
Show Transparency – Indirect Evidence. Explain that these are molds of tracks found along what was once a
stream bed. Scientists have been asked to explain what the evidence shows. Get students to pretend they are
the scientists and brainstorm what the evidence shows. Students should be able to determine that there are 3
organisms in the picture, 2 of them possibly similar species. Lead them to the idea that one organism comes
in from the northwest corner (dragging its tail), possibly saw what was happening in the south of the picture,
lifted its tail and ran away. The evidence for running is theincreased distance between the foot marks. In the
bottom of the picture, a different species enters from the west and meets up with a different organism coming
up from the south. The organism from the south seems to try toavoid the other but there seems to be a
disturbance. The organism from the west seems to drag off the other one (there appears to be drag marks
between the paws of the other). Bring up the idea that the organism fromthe south might have flown away
and the organism from the west is dragging its tail because it is disappointed about not getting dinner. End by
saying that this is indirect evidence, evidence that scientists use to try to determine past events but not
observations. This is a little more formal than making predictions but still leaves some room for error.
B.Instructional activities
(demonstrations, lectures, examples, hands-on experiences, role play, active learning experience, art, music, modeling, discussion, reading, listening, viewing, etc.)
Give each student a 3”-4” clay pot and a paint brush. Allow 2-3 students to share a set of paints. Tell students
that they may paint anything on the pot using any colors that they want. Do not let the students put their
names or any other form of identification on the pots. Allow the pots to dry until the next class period. After
the pots dry, put each pot into a numbered paper lunch sack and use a hammer to break each potinto large
pieces (don’t get too small or they won’t be able to reassemble them). Have the sacks ready for the next time
the students come to class.
C.Guided activity or strategy
Give each student a paper sack (not their own). Make up a story about where the sacks came from. (This is
easier if more than one class does this because you can give sacks to a different class.) I told mine that these
broken pots had been discovered when the park in town was being built. The city has asked us to piece
together the pots and tell them as much as we can about the Texarkanians from our past. They will need some
help getting started. You can, for example, point out that each person probably painted the pot in their
favorite color(s). The variety of colors and patterns show a sophistication in art. Let them go from there by
stating that the people who painted the pots probably painted things that were important to them and have
the students finish the information.
D.Accommodations/modifications
None needed.
E.Enrichment
Students requiring enrichment may have a project reporting on cave paintings and the information that has
been deduced from them.
II. STUDENT PERFORMANCE
A.Description
Use the enclosed grading rubric, students should assemble their assigned pot and analyze any information
they can about the painter.
B.Accommodations/modifications
None needed.
C.Enrichment
Students requiring enrichment may be asked to make a powerpoint presentation to the class on the cave
paintings they have found.
III.ASSESSMENT OF ACTIVITIES
A.Description
Grade project – both the painted pot and the analysis of the pot they are given from another student.
B.Rubrics/grading criteria
Use grading rubric.
C.Accommodations/modifications
Students requiring accommodations may be graded with more leniency on the grading rubric or may be
allowed to use a peer tutor to help with the deductions about the painted pot.
D.Enrichment
Students requiring enrichment may be assigned as peer tutors or may be used to make a powerpoint
presentation of other cave paintings.
E.Sample discussion questions
1. Why might a culture do cave paintings? Answers will vary but should include: because it is pretty, they
like to draw/paint, they want to tell about things that are important to them, etc.
2. What type of information can be learned about a culture by the colors they use in their paintings?
Answers will vary but may include: the types of materials used can tell about what materials were
available and their favorite colors, how the pictures are done can show how artistic or sophisticated the
artists are, what is painted can show things that are in the area that are important to the artists, etc.
3. What might you be able to tell about the history of the area? You might find information about plants or
animals the people came in contact, weather or other problems they might have encountered.
IV.TAKS PREPARATION
A.Transition to TAKS context
- Which layer is the oldest rock layer?
(a) B
(b) C
(c) D
(d) E
- Which statement about the fossils is true?
(a) D is older than E
(b) B is older than a but younger than C
(c) E is the youngest layer
(d) D is younger than C and E
- The rocks shown are _____ rocks.
(a) sedimentary
(b) igneous
(c) metamorphic
(d) volcanic
B.Sample TAKS questions
17. This diagram represents water in a container. What process is taking place?
A Freezing
B Condensation
C Melting
D Evaporation
15. This table shows the movement of a snail over an 8-hour period. If the snail traveled at the same pace the
entire time, how far did it travel in hours?
A 130 cm
B 135 cm
C 140 cm
D 145 cm
37. The table shows the time it took to freeze water in two different salt solutions with different salt content.
According to the table ____.
A freezing rates are the same in each trial
B water with more salt takes longer to freeze
C water loses heat at a rate of 1oC per minute
D salt dissolves more quickly in small amounts of water
V. KEY VOCABULARY
indirect
sedimentary
evidence
fossil
molds
VI. RESOURCES
A.Textbook – None needed
B.Supplementary materials/equipment
Transparency – Indirect Evidence
Blast From the Past Grading Rubric
Sample powerpoint of cave paintings
C.Technology
- shows actual cave painting from
TainterCave.
- pictures of cave paintings from Europe
– has
different categories of pictures and also has some lesson plans.
VII. FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES
(reteaching, cross-curricular support, technology activities, next lesson in sequence, etc.)
A sample powerpoint presentation is included to show sample cave paintings from several different areas. All of these
pictures came from the sources listed above and the sites give information on their locations, time frames and what
they actually mean. For example, the horse and rider was made sometime after Europeans brought over the horse.
VIII.TEACHER NOTES
Before lab:
- Buy clay pots (enough for each child to have one).
- Have enough paintbrushes for each student to have one and enough paint for each group of 2-3 students to share a set.
- Have numbered paper lunch bags to put the painted pots in after they dry. (I had my students put their pots on a piece of white paper with their student number on the paper. They were not allowed to put their names on the pots at all.)
- Provide enough glue for each student to have a small bottle.
- No matter how many classes are doing the project, prearrange how pots will be switched so no student will get their own pot. If pots are done in the same classroom, they always seem to find out who has their pot and feed them information about the designs on the pot.