Is It Living Lesson 4

NGSS Lesson Planning Template
Grade/ Grade Band: 3-5th grade Topic: Is It Living? Lesson # __4_ in a series of _5___ lessons
Brief Lesson Description: Mission crew will need to sustain themselves when they land on Mars. This lesson helps students think about how
to support life and deal with misconceptions about what is living and what is not living.
Performance Expectation(s):
4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth,
behavior, and reproduction.
4-LS1-2 Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their
brain, and respond to the information in different ways.
Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will engage in a field research study to determine the conditions for supporting life on Mars. Based
on observations, categorizations, and evaluations about Earth conditions, students will begin a narrative about how to support the Mars
mission crew once they get established on the surface.
Lesson Level Narrative
The crew has landed on Mars and established a base camp. It is time to get to work on the planet and this requires a mode of
transportation. The crew will need to build and use a mars rover to drive across the planets surface, carry supplies, get to areas where they
will need to build their outpost, and explore the area. Your tasks as engineers is to engage in the engineering design process to: build a
rover out of cardboard; figure out how to use rubber bands to spin the wheels; and improve their design based on testing results.
Science & Engineering Practices: Disciplinary Core Ideas: Crosscutting Concepts:
Developing and Using Models to test LS1.A Structure and Function Systems and System models
interactions concerning the support of life Plants and animals have both A system can be described in
on Mars. internal and external structures terms of its components and their
that serve various functions in interactions.
Engaging in Argumentation from Evidence growth, survival, behavior, and
reproduction.
Students will construct an
argument based on their
observations about what is living
and what is not living. They will
come up with the best criteria for
supporting life on Mars.
Possible Preconceptions/Misconceptions:
Students will need to know that the atmosphere on Mars is thin and cannot currently support life on the surface. In addition, it is very cold,
has a carbon dioxide based atmosphere, and has a source of water, which is a BIG BINGO. Students will need to have this discussion with
you about what can happen on the surface to help transform the surface to support Earth based life. So, the mission crew would need
breathable air, use the water to support plant life, plants make O2 as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Preconceptions of students may
include seeing food as substances (water, air, minerals, etc.) that organisms take directly in from their environment Anderson, C., Sheldon,
T., Dubay, J. (1990). The effects of instruction on college nonmajors' conceptions of respiration and photosynthesis. Journal of Research in
Science Teaching, 27, 761-776. Students may also think that food is a requirement for growth, rather than a source of matter for growth.
They have little knowledge about food being transformed and made part of organism.
LESSON PLAN 5-E Model

ENGAGE: Opening Activity Access Prior Learning / Stimulate Interest / Generate Questions: (Present Problem & Solutions) MEGGAN
- ask the kids to recall last weeks vocabulary (through motion)
- friction
- acceleration
- potential energy
- kinetic energy
- grousers
- diagram: one side whats alive vs one side what is not
- on the board activity: how do you know something is alive?
EXPLORE: Lesson Description What should the teachers ask and do? What will the students do? (Brainstorm how they put the model
togther & build and test)
- ADOLFOOOOO
- You will receieve 3 cups, labeled A, B and C and hand lenses
- observe each cup and determine which one has life

materials- use 4 senses- DONT TASTE IT!!!!!
- observing each individually
- keep in mind our criteria for life!!!
EXPLAIN: Concepts Explained and Vocabulary Defined: (Refine and Repeat, Build/test)
- Astrobiology: study to find other planets in the universe that house people like Earth.
- 5 criteria of life:
- 1. It has to breathe. (Have everyone take a deep breathe in and out)
- 2. It has to use and produce energy. (Have everyone highfive their elbow partner)
- 3. It has to be able to move. (Have everyone pretend to run)
- 4. It has to react to stimuli. (Have everyone rub their arms with their hands, demonstrating cold)
- 5. It has to reproduce. (Demonstrate rocking a baby)
- Use a chart on the board and have the kids explain why each of their alive things are categorized that way,
ELABORATE: Applications and Extensions: (Refine and Repeat, Build/test)
Let's talk about what happened when you put the hot water.
Cup A: it has a greenish tint, it separates from the water, the sand stays in the bottom.
Cup B: twigs move around, it turns milky, it gives of a smell
Cup C: it bubbles, the sand absorbed the water
Remember that the five signs that something is alive are:

Reproduction
Responding to stimuli
Movement
Energy
Respiration
Which one is alive? How do you know?

B has yeast so it is alive. It is a member of the fungus family. When you add water it burps and releases carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is
what we breath out.
Give me some examples of things that are alive and things that are not alive
Alive: plants, moss, bacteria, coral, fongus
Not alive: objects, technology,
Why is it important to know what is alive or not?
-
EVALUATE: (Explain their solution)
Formative Monitoring (Questioning / Discussion):
- Can someone tell me what is one of the ways you know if something is alive? (repeat 5 times)
Summative Assessment (Quiz / Project / Report):
- Tell your partner something that is alive and how you know it's alive.
- On a sticky note write what you talked about. (to students)
Elaborate Further / Reflect: Enrichment:

Is It Living Lesson 4

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Is It Living Lesson 4

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Is It Living Lesson 4

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

NGSS Lesson Planning Template

LESSON PLAN 5-E Model

- observe each cup and determine which one has life

Remember that the five signs that something is alive are:

Which one is alive? How do you know?

Why is it important to know what is alive or not?

You might also like