GEMS project

TEKS ADDRESSED: (3) Scientific processes. The student knows that information and critical thinking are used in making decisions. The student is expected to: (A) make decisions using information; (5) Science concepts. The student knows that organisms, objects, and events have properties and patterns. The student is expected to: (A) describe properties ofobjects and characteristics of organisms; (6) Science concepts. The student knows that systems have parts and are composed of organisms and objects. The student is expected to: (A) sort organisms and objects into groups according to their parts and describe how the groups are formed; (C) record observations about parts of animals including wings, feet, heads, and tails.

CONCEPT STATEMENT: All animals and insects have several ways to get around, mostly with their legs however all species do not have the same amount of legs. Students need to understand that even animals and insects are different. Classification of species is essential for students to understand so that they can extend their knowledge of classifying in the older grades. Knowing that parts make up a whole is also essential for math. Whole and parts comes into play when working with fractions that the students will do later in their education. The most important math concept for this lesson is graphing. Students need to understand how to gather information, plot it on a graph and read the results.

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES:

Mathematics: Students will be able to: look at pictures of animals and insects, identify their legs and count the amount of legs they have, sort the pictures into different groups based on theamount of legs they have, and place them on a pictorial bar graph.

Science: Students will be able to: identify that animals and insects have parts that create their whole, describe pictures of animals and insects, look at insects with a magnifying glass, sort the different animals/insects into classification groups based on how many legs they have, and

RESOURCES:

Book, How Many Legs? (Nonfiction)
Tape and Marker
Magnifying glasses
1pre-made bar graph
Pictures of animals andinsects
a real lady bug, caterpillar, and spider (freeze dried)
Several paper plates with numbers on them indicating leg amounts
Scissors and glue sticks for each student

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS: Students need to be taught the safe way to handle and use a magnifying glass; how it should be held, how it should be cleaned and how to store it so that it does not get broken or scratched.

SUPLEMENTARY MATERIALS, HANDOUTS:

12 animal and insect pictures handout

12 pre-made graphs for each group

Engagement		Time: ________
What the Teacher Will Do	Probing Questions	Student Responses Potential Misconceptions
The class will begin this lesson in a large group on the carpet. Students will be sitting on their assigned shape in the circle. Respectful listening and asking will be reminded before the group starts.	1) Ask the students what the rules are of the large group? 2) If you want to share something with the group, how should you ask?	1) [Criss cross apple sauce, hands and feet to yourself and respect everyone on the rug] 2) [raise your hand and wait to be called on]
The teacher will ask the children to close their eyes and imagine if they had 8 legs.	1) Would having 8 legs change how you get ready in the morning? How? 2) Would riding a bike be harder or easier? Why?	1) [responses will vary] [ having 8 legs requires more pant holes and shoes to tie] 2) [responses will vary] [students will be expected to explain heir answer]

Exploration		Time: ________
What the Teacher Will Do	Probing Questions	Student Responses Potential Misconceptions
The teacher will show a picture of a person. After that discussion, the teacher will see what students think about other animals and insects.	1) How do humans get from place to place? 2) How many legs do humans have? 3) Do you think it would be hard to walk if we had more legs? Why or Why not? 4) Do all animals have the same amount of legs? 5) Do all insects have the same amount of legs?	1) Students could say cars or bikes, and the teacher should ask how do we get around even without those? [walk with our legs] 2) [2] 3) [several answers] 4) [no, some have more; if the incorrect response is given, the teacher will ask the student to think about an animal and see how many legs it has until the student comes up with an animal that has more than 2] 5) [no, some have more; if the incorrect response is given, the teacher will ask the student to think about an insect and see how many legs it has until the student comes up with an insect that has more than 2
The teacher will read the book, How Many Legs?, to the group making sure to see if the students have prior knowledge. Each page the students will be asked how many legs the animal in the picture has?

Explanation		Time: ________
What the Teacher Will Do	Probing Questions	Student Responses Potential Misconceptions
After the story, the teacher will show several pictures of animals and insects to the group and the class will identify the legs and count them.	1) How many legs does ____ have?	1) [Based on the picture, the responses will vary. If a student says the wrong amount, we will count the legs as a group.]

Elaboration		Time: ________
What the Teacher Will Do	Probing Questions	Student Responses Potential Misconceptions
The teacher will break the class into 3 small groups and each group will be given some pictures of animals and insects as well as a real insect in a dish.	1) Please work as a group and decide how many legs each insect and animal has as well as the one in the dish by using your magnifying glass. Place them on the plate that has the correct number on it indicating how many legs.	1) [peer checking will occur once the group is back together]

Evaluation		Time: ________
What the Teacher Will Do	Probing Questions	Student Responses Potential Misconceptions
Once the groups are finished the class will gather back on the large rug and the teacher will share the responses from each group. As she shares, she will place them under the correct column on the bar graph.	1) How many does each column have? 2) Which group has the most animals and insects under it? 3) Which has the least under it?	1) [varying responses based on the pictures selected by the teacher] 2) [varying responses based on the pictures selected by the teacher] 3) [varying responses based on the pictures selected by the teacher]
After the group is finished with the graph, students will work in pairs and cut out and place pictures of animals and insects on their individual graph for an assessment.	1) As the teacher walks through the groups, if one is spotted that is incorrect the teacher will ask to re-count it and double check it is in the right area.	1) [Based on an assessment]