2
2
Meet the Micro:bits
Coding is easy and fun when students meet the micro:bits. Learn to write and download code, so you are ready to create your own scientific tools!
Meet the Micro:bits
Coding is easy and fun when students meet the micro:bits. Learn to write and download code, so you are ready to create your own scientific tools!
Student Edition
(English/Spanish)
Student Edition
(English/Spanish)
Student Edition
(English/Spanish)
California Wildfires
Watch Class Movie
teacher Prep
Lab sheet & activites
Class Movie
Watch Class Movie
Class Movie
Teacher Prep Movie
Lab Materials Needed
Blockey Koa Crate
from Kea STEMCrate
- 1 Springy Spring Scale per student
Student Lab Sheet
Survival Is in Our Genes: Genetics and the Environment Affect our Growth
Student Edition
(English/Spanish)
Teacher Edition
(English/Spanish)
From Molecules to Organisms MS-LS1-5:
Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms. [Clarification Statement: Examples of local environmental conditions could include availability of food, light, space, and water. Examples of genetic factors could include large breed cattle and species of grass affecting growth of organisms. Examples of evidence could include drought decreasing plant growth, fertilizer increasing plant growth, different varieties of plant seeds growing at different rates in different conditions, and fish growing larger in large ponds than they do in small ponds.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include genetic mechanisms, gene regulation, or biochemical processes.]
Pacing Guide:
Color Key: Green words- Hands-on Activity Black words- Book reading Blue words: Revisit the Phenomenon
Instruction day 1: Explore the Phenomenon
Summary: How can different beaks affect what you can eat?
Lesson Objective: Students use tools to represent various beak types and experiment with picking up different types of objects representing food. Students discuss the pros and cons of each type of beak tool.
Distance Learning adaptation: Have students use two spoons to try and pick up pieces of cereal (Cheerios are great, but most any cereal will do) off of a flat surface and put them into a cup. The more types of cereal the better! Can they think of other things they have at home to use as beaks? (Chopsticks, tweezers, bottle caps, etc.) What other things in their home could represent seeds or worms? (Grains of rice, grapes, trail mix, nuts, twist ties, bread tabs, etc.) Spend at least ten minutes as homework trying as many beak types and food types as you can think of, then come back as a class and discuss how various beaks worked or didn’t work for various foods.
Materials Needed: Tools to use as beaks - Toby tweezers (⅓ of the students need 1 pair)
- Scoopy spoons (⅓ of students need 2 spoons)
- Tedros test tube caps (⅓ of students need 2 caps)
Objects to use representing bird food: - Wooden marbles (10-15)
- Cheerios (20-30)
- Popcorn kernels (20-30)
- String or yarn (3-5 inches long, 10-20 pieces)
- Flat squares of paper (less than 1”x1”, 15-20 pieces)
- A bowl per team to put the seeds in once picked up
Introduction: Do birds have teeth? (No) What do they have instead? (Beaks!) I’m going to write up on the board the first ten types of birds that we can think of as a class. Give me an example of a type of bird found anywhere in the world! (Penguin, eagle, ostrich, flamingo, sparrow, parrot, etc.) Are all their beaks shaped the same? (No!) Today we’ll do an experiment about different types of beaks, you’ll get to be a bird!
Instructions: Prep for activity by setting out materials: 1 table/desk with spoons, 1 with tweezers, 1 with test tube caps, one collection bowl by each “beak” table. Have bowls of “food” ready to show.
-
After the introduction, demonstrate how to use the tools to the students (only the beaks touch the food, no part of your body; spoons: one spoon in each hand, caps: one cap in each hand, tweezers: only get to use one hand).
-
Show students what each “food item” represents (marbles = large seeds, Cheerios/popcorn = smaller seeds, paper squares = small flat seeds, string = worms). Each food item is worth 1 point.
-
Show where they will put the seeds they are able to hold onto, each team with their own bowl.
-
Break students up into their three groups and have them grab their “beaks”.
-
Spread out the food around the room! Food can be kept in bowls or trays, but we strongly suggest finding other ways to arrange it. Cheerios and popcorn could be laid out on a desk. Marbles, string or paper could be put on the floor. You can keep all the same food together or spread it out widely across the room.
-
Set a timer and give students 4-5 minutes to gather as much “food” as they can with their “beaks”.
-
Once the timer goes off, no more food in each team’s bowl. Have each team count how many items they got total. Which team won: spoons, tweezers or caps?
-
Use Guiding Questions to lead a class discussion.
-
Give students time to write their answers to the following question: Why do you think your beak worked for some types of food, but not other types of food?
Guiding Questions:
Ask each team: What types of food did your team have the easiest time picking up? Were any impossible to pick up?
Example: Our spoons could grab the wooden marbles most easily, but we couldn’t grab the pieces of paper very well. Our tweezers could grab the paper easily, but they were too small to grab the marbles. Our caps could pick up Cheerios and popcorn, but the paper was a lot of work! It was harder for us to hold onto our food to get it into the bowl.
Ask: Did you use any special techniques or angles?
Example: When I had the spoons I would put them sideways so it was easier to scoop. When I was using the caps I would start with them wide apart and kind of scoop under the food as much as I could to try and hold it.
Ask: Which team had the widest variety of food? What does that tell us about their beaks?
Example: The tweezers could pick up everything except for the wooden marbles and they were able to hold onto the food more easily, it wouldn’t drop before they put it in their group’s bowl. The tweezers can get almost any kind of food they want!
Wrap-up: Pair/share prompt or class discussion:
-
Our class of birds today had a lot of seeds to eat (and some worms). What other types of food can birds around the world eat? (Penguins and other ocean birds eat a lot of fish. Hawks can eat small mammals like mice and rabbits. Some birds eat fruits. Hummingbirds drink nectar. Etc.) How do you think this affects the type of beaks they have? (Some birds need to catch animals with their beaks, some need strong beaks to crack nuts, they all need to have a beak shape that helps them eat their particular types of food.)
-
Do birds that eat seeds help an ecosystem? (Yes, a lot of plants want their seeds to get eaten so the birds will spread them around and plant them in different places.) Do you think it is better for an ecosystem to have lots and lots of one type of bird with its particular beak, or do you think it is better for it to have lots of types of birds with lots of types of beaks? (More types of birds helps more types of plants! Encourage students to think of biodiversity in an ecosystem.)
Instruction day 2 (pages 133 - 134): Read and answer the riddle
Summary: Let’s start our new article, meet the author and solve the riddle.
Lesson Objective: Students are introduced to the new article on genetics and their impact on a species survival. Students form an argument to support their answer to a riddle.
Introduction: Look at the cover of the article, what is the title? (Survival Is in Our Genes) What do you think this article will be about? How do the cat’s genes help it survive? (It inherited traits from its parents to help it survive, ex: sharp teeth, warm fur and nocturnal eyesight.)
Instructions: Read about the author, Caitlin Perez. Teacher or student reads the bird’s directions for the riddle; remind students to write out their guesses before speaking them. Have students use the blue border to write as many ideas as they have. Students whisper their best answer to a neighbor and why. Have students share with the class what their best answer is and what part of the riddle they are using to support that answer. Reveal the answer (DNA or genetic information) and have students write it in the box to unlock the chapter. (Note: There could be other potential answers such as chromosomes or genes depending on the vocabulary your class is already familiar with.)
Guiding Questions:
Ask: Caitlin has lots of things she’s interested in! Talk with a neighbor and come up with at least two things about her that you think might have helped her write this article.
Example: I think her experience writing stories might help with the writing and her interest in biology/zoology made her curious about how genetics affect animals.
Ask: What clues in the riddle help you to come up with some guesses?
Example: “A complete set of instructions are held in every cell” makes me think that it has to do with genetic information.
Ask: What part or parts of the riddle were most helpful once you know the answer?
Example: The part that said “the information I hold would fill one million pages” because I know DNA is full of tons of information in a tiny space.
Wrap-up: Pair/share prompt: Discuss with a neighbor what you already know about DNA and genes. How do you get your DNA? (From your parents!)
Instruction day 3 (pages 135 - 136): Read, watch video, and discuss
Summary: Discuss diversity!
Lesson Objective: Students discuss biodiversity and its importance.
Introduction: What are traits all members of our class - including the adults - have in common? (We are all humans so we have eyes, ears, hair, a brain, etc. We all live in the same state. We all speak English, at least a little! Etc.) Find a neighbor and discuss what differences you have between each other. Do you think you are more similar to each other or different from each other?
Instructions: Read pages 135-137. Watch TedEd video about biodiversity, 4 minutes. Have students use the blue edge of page 136 to define biodiversity in their own words.
Video: Why is biodiversity so important?
Guiding Questions:
Ask: Why is it important that everything isn’t exactly the same as everything else?
Example: Not only would that be boring, it would make an ecosystem less able to survive. If anything bad happens (like a disease) it could wipe out all life, but if species are different then it is more likely that at least a few individuals will survive and be able to recover.
Ask: Can you think of how the different ecosystems on our planet help to create more biodiversity?
Example: Different types of species can live in different types of ecosystems. I couldn’t live underwater, but there are lots of species that can. Plants and animals that live in the rainforest are different from plants and animals that can live in a desert.
Wrap-up: Let’s imagine! (Class discussion): Imagine a simple forest ecosystem. Let’s imagine that there is only one type of tree living there: it’s all oak trees and there are no other plants of any type. The animals living in that forest would be very dependent on those oak trees! Give me some examples of an animal that could use the oak tree. (The deer need to reach the leaves to eat, the squirrels eat the acorns it produces, the woodpecker eats the bugs hiding under the bark and the owl makes its nest in its branches.)
If a new fungus is carried in by the wind and it slowly kills the oak trees over the course of five years, what happens to all the animals that live in that forest? (They would need to find another forest.) What do you think would have made the forest healthier in the first place? (If there were different types of trees because the fungus probably won’t harm every type.)
It’s not only important to have different species within an ecosystem, it’s important to have differences within a species as well. Maybe some of the oak trees don’t get sick from the fungus and they are able to drop acorns. What will happen then? (Those acorns grow into oak trees that also don’t get sick from the fungus, eventually making a healthier forest!)
Instruction day 4 (pages 137 - 138): Read and discuss
Summary: Read about genes and DNA, how do they make you who you are?
Lesson objective: Students discuss genes and DNA. Students understand that all animals get their body’s information from genes and DNA in their cells, given to them by their parents.
Introduction: You might be very different from a lion, but you do have something in common. The cells of your body and a lion’s body are both types of animal cells. They are certainly different from each other (your animal cells don’t help produce a golden fur) but you got your body’s information the same way that a lion got its body’s information: from your parents.
Instructions: Read pages 137-138. Students use the blue margins to write an example of a gene on page 137 and the purpose of DNA on page 138.
Guiding Questions:
Ask: On page 137 it says that “genes are units of heredity”, what does that mean?
Example: It means that you inherit your genes from your parents. Genes are units or chunks of DNA that instruct your cells on how to make your body. A gene could tell your body to make you have brown eyes like your mom or red hair like your dad.
Ask: On page 138 it says that DNA is short for Deoxyribonucleic Acid. You do not need to memorize that word! In some future grade you may need to know that, but for now I want you to just know what DNA is for. Who can help describe what our bodies use DNA for?
Example: DNA holds all our body’s information. Our cells use DNA to know how to build our bodies.
Extra: DNA has been called a blueprint (like an architect would use for a house), an instruction manual (like the ones that show you how to build furniture from IKEA) or even a cookbook! Can you imagine yourself as a bunch of ingredients that your parents mixed together to make you?!
Wrap-up: Pair/share prompt: We saw both lions and flamingos on these pages, which would you rather be? If you’re a lion you are the king of the savannah, but if you’re a flamingo you can fly and live on the beach… tough choice!
Instruction day 5 (pages 139 - 140): Read and discuss
Summary: Read about the nucleolus and how DNA is organized into chromosomes.
Lesson objective: Students learn about chromosomes and where they are stored in the cell. Students label a nucleus and nucleolus.
Introduction: Every cell in your body has a nucleus, you can imagine it has to be pretty small to fit inside your cells, but did you know that there is an even tinier structure inside a nucleus? Your body is made of tiny things inside of tiny things!
Instructions: Read page 139 and look at the microscopic photo. Label the nucleus and nucleolus in the drawing of the cell at the bottom of the page. (Ex: the main structure inside the cell with the megaphone would be labeled nucleus, one of its “eyes” could be labeled nucleolus or have students add a dark dot to represent a nucleolus within the nucleus.) Use the blue margin of page 139 to write about what is important about the nucleolus. Read page 140 and study the photos. Students write their observations of the chromosomes in the blue margin.
Guiding Questions:
Ask: I wonder why the nucleolus is so dark, do you have any ideas?
Example: I think it is dark because it is full of DNA which needs to have lots of information crammed into a tiny space.
Ask: Look at all the different shapes our chromosomes have! What do they have in common? How are they different?
Example: They all look fuzzy and segmented. One side is almost a mirror copy of the other side. Some chromosomes are shaped a lot like an X, others don’t seem as close to that shape.
Ask: What did you learn about Dr. Ernie Dupraw?
Example: I learned that he was able to take these pictures of chromosomes. I bet he had to really zoom in!
Wrap-up: Class discussion prompt: You have 23 pairs of chromosomes, do you think other animals have the same number? (Most other animals have a different number of chromosomes than us. Hermit crabs have 127 pairs! A fruit fly has only 4 pairs! The number of chromosomes can vary depending on the species and also the size of the chromosomes can be different. The number and size of our chromosomes help to make sure that humans only have babies with other humans. Your dad could never be a giraffe!)
Instruction day 6 (pages 141 - 142): Read, write, and watch video
Summary: Study the diagram to understand how DNA is stored in our cells.
Lesson objective: Students understand that DNA contains twists and coils to store lots of genetic information in the nucleus.
Introduction: You know how a bendy straw has a section that can be stretched or compressed? (Bonus points if you bring a bendy straw as a visual aide.) Before it’s used, the bendy section is compressed, then when you need it you can stretch it out. What shape does our DNA make when it is compressed into a tight structure? (X-shaped chromosomes) Let’s look at how it all works together.
Instructions: Read page 141 and answer the questions. Study the diagram on page 142. Have students write what they’ve learned so far about DNA and chromosomes in the blue margins of both pages.
Guiding Questions:
Ask: How would you say our DNA is organized in our cells?
Example: More than one way to answer this! DNA is organized in chunks of genes that determine our traits. DNA is organized in long strands that coil into chromosomes. Chromosomes are paired and stored in the nucleus/nucleolus.
Ask: There are a lot of twists in DNA! It has a twisted ladder structure in the far right part of the drawing, then it coils those long strands into more twists and spirals to make one side of an X-shaped structure. Why do you think it has so many twists and coils?
Example: It has so many twists because it is trying to put a lot of information into a tiny space.
Wrap-up: Watch the following YouTube video about genes, 4+ minutes. This video has more than you need to know for now, but it doesn’t hurt to hear it. What was something you learned from this video? (Genes code for proteins and those proteins are what make your body into the functioning system it is. Half of my genes are the same as a fruit fly’s genes!)
Video: What is a gene?
Instruction day 7 (pages 143 - 144): Read and discuss
Summary: How does an environment affect a species?
Lesson Objective: Students discuss how genes that are passed on are ones that help a species survive in its environment.
Introduction: If you were an animal living underwater, what would be a helpful thing to have to get oxygen from the water? (Gills) The genes that tell a fish’s body to make gills are going to be very useful for that fish! It will help it survive in its environment. Let’s talk more about that.
Instructions: Read pages 143 and 144. Watch the following YouTube video about natural selection, 2 minutes. Have students define natural selection in their own words in the blue section of page 144.
Video: Natural Selection Animation
Guiding Questions:
Ask: All living things need water in their cells, a lizard living in the desert must make cells that can survive with less water than you or I could. Where are the special instructions for making the lizard’s cells?
Example: Special instructions for making any part of a body is kept in the DNA in the nucleus of each cell.
Ask: If a lizard hatches and lives its life in a desert with just enough food for it to survive, how might it look different after one year compared to a lizard that lives in an area with lots of food to eat?
Example: I think the lizard living in the desert with less food will be smaller than a lizard that can eat anytime it wants.
Ask: No two lizards are identical, even if they’re related. If I am a slightly slower lizard than my sister, who is more likely to survive a fast predator like a bobcat? What does that mean about who is more likely to have baby lizards?
Example: Your sister is more likely to be fast enough to escape the predator. If you aren’t fast enough then you might get caught and eaten. You will not have babies to pass your genes to, but your sister will pass her faster genes on because she will live long enough to have babies.
Wrap-up: Questions about the video: How was the species trying to avoid the predator? (By being still and camouflaging in its environment.) Which types of the species were most successful? (The ones with the best color to match their environment.) How did the environment change for the species? (Rain caused grass to grow so the environment became much greener.) It might seem strange that the lighter-colored version of the species made green babies, but did you see green individuals at the beginning of the video? (Yes) So the genes to make them green still are possible, they just weren’t as likely to come up… until the environment changed!
Instruction day 8 (pages 145 - 146): Read, write, and discuss
Summary: Discuss the differences between two variations of the same moth.
Lesson Objective: Students observe and write about different colorations between two moths and the impact it has on their ability to camouflage.
Introduction: How do you dress? Do you prefer to wear common colors and patterns so you blend into a crowd? Or do you like to wear things to make you stand out, like neon, sparkles and polka dots? Sometimes what makes you stand out in one area may blend in if you were to go to a different area.
Instructions: Read page 145 and look at the pictures. Students use the blue margins to write down what both moths have in common and the white space at the bottom to write about what differences they notice. Students write down which species seems like it would have better camouflage and why in the blue space at the top of page 146.
Guiding Questions:
Ask: What type of ecosystem do you think the moth lives in? Why do you think that?
Example: I think it lives in a forest because it lives on the sides of trees.
Ask: Do you see anything interesting about the moth’s bodies that they have in common?
Example: They both have antennae shaped like a fern leaf. Both have bodies that look like they would be soft if I touched them.
Ask: How are the moths different?
Example: One is pure black and the bottom one is speckled.
Wrap-up: Pair/share prompt: If you were walking down the street or in a grocery store wearing a shirt that looked like the light variety of a peppered moth, you would probably stand out and people would notice you! Why do you think the light variety moth, with its crazy pattern, is better able to camouflage in a normal forest?
(The moth is trying to stay still on a patterned background. If it is all one color, like the black one, then it’s shape will be easier for a predator to spot. This is what helps zebras too, they better blend into grasslands if their shape is harder for the lions to see!)
Instruction day 9 (pages 147 - 148): Read, draw, and discuss
Summary: Why did the darker variety of peppered moth become dominant over the lighter variety? What does that teach us about environmental factors?
Lesson Objective: Students recognize that an environment can change and that change can affect which genes of a species will be more successful. Students draw a likely population of moths both before and during the Industrial Revolution based upon evidence in the article.
Introduction: Before there were factories there were small businesses in each village that would make what the people in that village needed to have made. What are some things you can think of that someone could make? (Smiths could make objects made of metal, like swords and tools. A seamstress could make clothes. A woodworker could carve tools out of wood.) Eventually there were so many people who wanted so much stuff that someone came up with an interesting idea: a factory! If you can make a lot of something faster than one person can then you have more of it to sell. Maybe you can even make it more cheaply than someone who does it by hand. This change in how stuff is made was called the Industrial Revolution and it had an impact on more than just humans!
Instructions: Read pages 147 and 148. Students decorate the drawings of the moths to how they think a moth population might look both before and during the Industrial Revolution. They can draw more moths as desired.
Wrap-up: Pair/share or class discussion prompt: How is this story an example of an environmental factor? (The environment caused the change in which genes were more successful. For thousands of years the moths were more likely to survive if they were lightly patterned because that was better camouflage for their environment. Once the environment changed then the darker moths were more likely to survive.)
Guiding Questions:
Ask: You’ve probably seen smoke before, possibly even coming out of factories. Smoke may remind you of clouds, but they have a lot more stuff in them. Smoke has tiny particles of whatever was burned floating around in it. What do you think eventually happens to those particles that float up in the air?
Example: They sink back down to the ground and can cover things in ash. I’ve seen ash from the air come to rest on cars and my backyard after a wildfire burned nearby.
Ask: Do you think an entire moth population before the Industrial Revolution had the same speckled pattern?
Example: No, it is likely that there was some variety in the patterns because the pattern didn’t need to be specific, just enough to let them camouflage. I bet some moths were more light than dark and some were the opposite.
(Remind students that they should have at least one mostly dark moth on the left side and one mostly light moth on the right side. They can draw extra moths as desired.)
Ask: What should the tree trunks look like in the background for each side?
Example: The trunk on the left side should be lighter and more patterned because their bark is naturally patterned. The trunk on the right side should be more black because the trees are covered in dark soot.
Instruction day 10 (pages 149 - 150): Read, draw, write, and discuss
Summary: Natural selection we can see!
Lesson Objective: Students use evidence to describe how natural selection occurred in the moth population due to an environmental factor. Students learn about how the Clean Air Act caused a second environmental change that resulted in the lighter variety becoming dominant again.
Introduction: Humans caused a huge change in the environment when they built lots of coal-powered factories! All the pollution they made was hard on the moths and bad for other species too, what other species do you think were affected by the pollution? (All of the species near the factories! The pollution was in the air, on the ground and in the water, affecting plants and animals.) Do you think humans living near the factories showed any symptoms of breathing in all that air pollution? (They probably coughed a lot more and got sick more easily because they couldn’t breathe as well.)
Instructions: Read the text on both pages 149 and 150. Students draw a moth at the bottom of page 149 and write about natural selection on page 150.
(Teacher support: In the teacher edition of this text it suggests it would be more correct to draw a dark-colored moth at the bottom of page 149, but the directions state to draw a moth from after the 1950’s. Our updated best answer is that a light-patterned moth would have better camouflage after the Clean Air Act.)
Guiding Questions:
Ask: The caption under the photo on page 149 says “In just 100 years’ time”, that seems like a long time to us! Why is it not very long when we think about natural selection?
Example: It usually takes longer than 100 years for an environment to change enough to influence an adjustment in which genes are more likely to survive. In this case, humans changed the environment very quickly!
Ask: Why is it that the peppered moth may have died out completely if it didn’t have darker varieties?
Example: If it was only light-colored and didn’t have any genes that made it darker then it is possible that all of the moths would have been eaten by predators able to find them before they could make enough babies to continue the species.
Ask: What evidence will you use to describe how natural selection favored one variety over another?
Example: On page 149 it says that there used to be few moths with darker colors, but by 1910 98% of the population had darker or totally black coloration. This coincides with their environment changing to darker colored trees so it is strong evidence.
Wrap-up: Optional video: Review of the concepts just learned over the last few pages. YouTube, 3 minutes.
Instruction day 11 (pages 151 - 152): Read, write, and discuss
Summary: Food sources can be an environmental change too! How do genetic factors help birds eat different types of food?
Lesson objective: Students will learn about Darwin’s studies of birds with different beak sizes. Students will use photographic evidence to determine a bird’s likely food source.
Introduction: We learned how the change in genes helped the peppered moth avoid predators as its environment changes. Now let’s learn about how natural selection can also help when it comes to being able to grab food. When you think about birds you see in your backyard or at the park, what do you think they eat? (Most students will say “worms”.) They do eat worms, but also they can eat other small animals like bugs and lots of birds eat seeds.
Instructions: Storytime! Watch the following video by Naturalist Kat about a finch that travels to a new island and discovers a new food source. Read page 151 and observe the drawings. Students look at the pictures on page 152 and discuss observations in pairs or as a class. Students write a description of the beak and the bird’s likely food source based upon the characteristics of the beak.
Guiding Questions:
Ask: Wow, can you imagine spending 5 years on a ship?! That is a big adventure! Once Darwin got to the Galapagos he saw that there were 19 major islands (127 total if you count the small ones!) Do you think animals could move between islands? What about plants?
Example: I think some animals could move between the islands if they could swim or fly. Plants can’t move by themselves, but maybe seeds either flew to different islands from the wind, floated in the water or a bird could have carried a seed across to another island by flying.
Ask: Why do the birds have different-shaped beaks?
Example: The birds that eat seeds need to crack the hard shell open so their beaks need to be big and strong. The birds who eat bugs need to have longer beaks so they can reach the bugs hiding under the bark.
Ask: If one island has a common plant with large seeds and another island has a common plant with small seeds, do you think the birds living on those islands will need to have different-sized beaks? Why?
Example: I think the bird living on the island with larger seeds will need a bigger and stronger beak to crack it open. A bird living on an island with smaller seeds won’t need to have such a big beak so it probably won’t have as big of a beak as the other bird.
Wrap-up: Storytime! Watch the following video about a finch that travels to a new island and discovers a new food source. (Insert Kat’s Adventurous Finch story video, currently in production.)
Instruction day 12 (pages 153 - 154): Read, write, and discuss
Summary: How can the length of your tail help you or hurt you?
Lesson Objective: Students discuss how different tail lengths can be helpful or harmful under different circumstances. Students write about the advantages of both a long tail and a short tail for creatures that live in a forest. Students begin to design an animal best suited to its forest ecosystem.
Introduction: What kind of ecosystem do squirrels live in? (In forests and parks; places with trees and nuts.) How would you describe a squirrel’s body to someone who has never seen one before? (Small rodent, soft light brown fur and a big floofy tail!) What do you think that fluffy tail is good for? (It helps them to keep their balance while they run on tree branches.) Today we get to create our own creature and one of the first features we will pick is its type of tail!
Instructions: Read pages 153 and 154. Students discuss the type of tail that would be most useful to a predatory animal that lives in a forest. Students write about the advantages of both a long tail and a short tail for creatures that live in a forest.
Guiding Questions:
Ask: Can you think of animals that have a long tail to help with balance, like in the drawing?
Example: Cats have tails like that, so do some monkeys. Lemurs and kinkajous too! Rats and possums have long tails they can use for balance as well. Their tails aren’t as round at the end, but they are pretty similar and used for the same purpose.
Ask: What about a shorter, puffier tail; what animals have tails like that?
Example: Rabbits and deer have shorter fluffy tails, chinchillas too! A bear has a short tail, but I’m not sure I would call it extra fluffy.
Ask: Which tail did you circle and why?
Example: I circled the long slender tail because the animal I am making is a predator that lives in the forest. That means I would be a better predator if I could balance more easily in the trees. I don’t have to worry about my long tail getting caught by another animal because I am the top predator, the other animals are scared of me!
Wrap-up: Write in the blue margins: Tell me more about your forest! Is it a tropical rainforest or more similar to one you might find in California? What country or continent do you live on? What is the weather usually like?
Instruction day 13 (pages 155 - 156): Read, write, and discuss
Summary: Finish building your forest predator! How does this relate to natural selection?
Lesson objective: Students finish designing their forest predator. Students explain how their choices resulted in a species that will be successful at catching prey and thereby allow them to live long enough to reproduce.
Introduction: We need some more adaptations for our forest predator. Let’s think about what features it needs to be good at catching prey. If it can easily catch prey then it can live long enough to have babies to pass its genes along to. Let’s start with talking about the kind of feet our predator could have.
Instructions: Read page 155 and help students decide which type of paw will be best for a predator. Students discuss with each other and then write as many reasons for having claws that they can think of. Read page 156 and help students decide which body type will best for a predator. Students discuss with each other and then write about how their choices are well-adapted to the forest ecosystem.
Guiding Questions:
Ask: How do a dog, wolf or coyote’s claws on its paws help it in the wild?
Example: Those animals can dig to find their prey that hides underground and they can scratch their body when they feel itchy. The claws also help them to keep from slipping when they run fast after prey above ground.
Ask: A big and heavy predator may be more scary to you and I, but why would it be better to be small and light if you are chasing your prey in a forest?
Example: Your body can move more easily through the trees if you’re up high or around the trees if you’re on the ground. A big body would be hard to move fast unless you could run in a straight line, and even then it would take a lot of energy and you might be too slow to catch fast prey.
Ask: Why is it that natural selection would encourage animals to have the adaptations we chose? Why would the opposite choices result in an animal that would have a harder time being a forest predator?
Example: Natural selection encourages my animal to have a long tail so my animal can better balance in the trees than it could with a short tail. Claws and a lighter body will make it easier to hunt prey in the trees. If I picked the opposite choices then I would have a harder time catching prey and probably not live long enough to have babies to pass my genes on to.
Wrap-up: Writing prompt: Use the blue margins to describe your animal’s prey. Does it climb trees or not? Is it an animal that already exists or did you invent a new one? How does it try to not get eaten by your animal?
Instruction day 14 (page 157): Write, draw, and discuss
Summary: Evaluate your forest predator and discuss how natural selection created your favorite animal.
Lesson objective: Students evaluate their animal design and consider any additional features they could add to improve its ability to survive. Students draw and discuss the features that their favorite animal has and how natural selection encouraged them to have these features.
Instructions: Read page 157. Encourage students to draw either a different version of their forest predator or draw their favorite animal and label the adaptations it has for its environment. After asking the Guiding Questions and getting students started on their drawing, put on the following video for students to watch while they work. YouTube video about the Rock Pocket Mouse experiencing natural selection that encourages a darker coloration where a population lives on lava rocks, 10 minutes:
Video: Natural Selection and the Rock Pocket Mouse
Guiding Questions:
Ask: Would you draw your forest predator any different from the drawing? What about it would you consider changing?
Example: I would give my predator larger ears so it could hear its prey better. I would give it stripes or spots so it could better camouflage in the forest.
Ask: What environment does your favorite animal live in? Is it more of a predator or more of a prey animal?
Example: My favorite animal is a kangaroo and it lives in grasslands and deserts. It is a prey animal so it needs to be fast, that’s why it has strong legs and a balancing tail to push off of. Having a pouch means the mom kangaroo can save her slower baby from getting eaten by dingoes or other large predators when she carries them away at top speed.
Instruction day 15 (page 158): STEM Vocabulary
Summary: Let’s review the words and ideas we’ve learned.
Lesson objective: Students demonstrate what they’ve learned throughout the article.
Introduction: We learned some big ideas in this article and some big words too! On our page today we will be reminded of what the vocabulary words mean and I bet you can think of good examples or interesting things we read about each of them. Maybe you can come up with your own examples! Let’s see what we remember on our own and what we need to flip back through the chapter to be reminded of.
Instructions: Read each sentence describing a vocabulary word. Have students work in pairs, small groups or as a whole class to come up with interesting things or examples for each vocabulary word. They should be writing at least one complete sentence for each word.
Examples:
Biodiversity: Biodiversity is interesting because it means there are a lot of organisms living together so they all have different ways to survive the same place! An example of biodiversity could be a rainforest full of hundreds of types of animals in a small area.
Genes: Genes are interesting because they are passed down from parent to child. An example of a gene is how I have a gene that makes my hair black like my dad.
DNA: DNA is interesting because it has a funny twisting shape. An example of DNA is that humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes made out of DNA.
Genetic factors: Genetic factors are interesting because they can be unique to that particular type of animal. An example of a genetic factor is how a lizard’s genes build its body to be able to survive with less water than a human.
Environmental factors: Environmental factors are interesting because they can change, like if an earthquake changes the landscape or humans cause pollution.
Natural selection: Natural selection is interesting because it helps an animal to be best suited to its environment. An example of natural selection is that a darker colored moth helps it to avoid predators when it is on darker colored trees.
Wrap-up: Pair/share prompt: What was the most surprising thing you learned in this article?
Instruction day 16 (page 159): Writing Workshop
Summary: Write it out! Demonstrate understanding of the concepts covered.
Lesson objective: Students demonstrate understanding of environmental factors, genetic factors and natural selection through explanatory writing. Students use evidence from the article to support their ideas.
Materials needed: Writing paper for each student
Introduction: One of the best ways to show that you’ve learned something is being able to explain it to someone else. I’m going to give you three questions to work on and I want to see how much of this article made sense to you.
Instructions: Read all three questions on page 159 and allow students to flip through the article as a reference. Discuss what each question is asking for, using the Guiding Questions if desired. Be clear about how much writing you expect of them for each question (A few sentences? Half a page? A full page?) Give the students time to write their answers to all three questions, consider playing nature sounds in the background as they write.
Guiding Questions:
Ask: What is the difference between an environmental factor and a genetic factor?
Example: An environmental factor is an aspect of a species’ ecosystem that it needs to adapt to (ex: if a lizard lives in a hot dry area). A genetic factor is the genes a species inherits from its parents (ex: a lizard is only able to survive if its parents passed along genes that help it survive the desert, like not needing to drink water).
Ask: Where does the author, Caitlin, first speak about biodiversity? What is helpful about biodiversity?
Example: On page 136 Caitlin talks both about diversity within a species (like different types of dogs) and diversity of so many types of species living on the planet (like plants, insects and mammals). Biodiversity is important because environments often change over time and diversity is what helps species change with their environments.
Ask: Remember what RACE writing stands for: restate the question, answer the question, cite from the text and explain your answer. Refer back to page 9 to review if you need more help with that technique. Can anyone give me an example of the first part, how can you transform the question into a statement?
Example: Genetic and environmental factors worked together to adjust the dominant color of the peppered moth population in Great Britain.
Wrap-up: Drawing prompt: Done with your writing early? Use some of your extra paper to draw an ecosystem full of biodiversity! Draw a rainforest, a tropical reef or any other ecosystem and fill it with plants and animals that could live there. How many different species can you imagine living together there? Use colors if you can!
Instruction day 17: Evaluate
Google Forms Quiz: Teachers can access what students understand through this google forms quiz.
Click the link to copy this google form into your personal Google classroom.
Click the link to copy this form into your Google classroom.
*No password is required for the quiz*
Coding Activity: Genetics Generator
Program an interactive genetic code
Students code a set of micro:bits to randomly select genetic traits.
Click the picture to access the coding activity