curriculum
Example Lesson Plan:
Unit - Bugs
Grade - Kindergarten
by: J. Cousineau
Purpose: The purpose of this unit is to teach kindergarteners about bugs. Bugs are vital to our survival as humans and through this introductory unit on bugs, students will learn how bugs are an important part of our food chain and how they can be a help and a hinderance to crops. Through this unit, students will gain a greater understanding of, and respect for, bugs.
Unit Outcomes:
1. Students will learn about the importance of bugs to our survival.
2. Students will understand how bugs contribute to the food chain.
3. Students will understand the difference between helpful bugs and destructive bugs.
4. Students will learn about the environments in which bugs live (what they eat, how they multiply) and how humans must protect it.
NGLS
1. K-ESS3-1. Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live. [Clarification Statement: Examples of relationships could include that deer eat buds and leaves, therefore, they usually live in forested areas; and, grasses need sunlight so they often grow in meadows. Plants, animals, and their surroundings make up a system.]
2. K-ESS3-3. Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of human impact on the land could include cutting trees to produce paper and using resources to produce bottles. Examples of solutions could include reusing paper and recycling cans and bottles.]
3. K-LS1.1. Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive. [Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns could include that animals need to take in food but plants do not; the different kinds of food needed by different types of animals; the requirement of plants to have light; and, that all living things need water.]
4. K-ESS2-2. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs. [Clarification Statement: Examples of plants and animals changing their environment could include a squirrel digs in the ground to hide its food and tree roots can break concrete.]
Day 1 - Lesson 1
Objectives: The SWBAT discuss insects and their importance in a group discussion. (UO# 1; NGLS: K-ESS2-2)
Materials: SMART board; plastic bugs; bug picture cards; ipads; clipboard; class list with room for notes
Anticipatory Set: The teacher will be dressed as a lady bug when the students walk into the classroom. In the front of the room will be several geranium plants with plastic ladybugs on it. The SMART board will have a power point of bug photos streaming.
Procedures:
1. Greet students on the carpet and ask them what they notice about the room today.
2. Ask students to share what they know about bugs. Write their thoughts on poster board chart of "What we know". (pre-assessment)
3. Ask students what their favorite bugs are and list the bugs they name on the board. Take a vote to see which bug is the most popular. Save the results for math class later when we can do a bar graph of the most popular bugs which will be hung in the room. Bugs will also be used in math as we continue to learn about number values and counting.
4. Have students stand up and move around according to how they think bugs move (do this for a two minutes - 'freezing' and changing to a different bug every 30 seconds)
5. Ask students to look at the power point again and to point out which bugs they don't know that interest them the most. The teacher will make note of the bugs students are interested in.
6. Ask students if there are other bugs they know about or want to know about that we haven't discussed or seen yet. The teacher will make notes next to student names on the clipboard.
7. Ask students if they know what a bug or insect needs to have in order to be called an insect. From the student responses shape the definition of insect to be: six legs and one or two pairs of wings. *** all bugs are insects but not all insects are bugs! Bugs have different mouth parts! Insects have a mouth part (proboscis) that rolls up (think butterfly or bee) but a bug's proboscis doesn't roll up.
8. Ask students what bugs/insects they can think of that fit this definition. Teacher will also have insect photo cards to prompt discussion.
9. Students return to their tables. Hand out plastic bugs and bug cards to each table.
10. Have students take a few minutes to play with the bugs and look at the cards.
11. Students will match the plastic bugs to the bug cards and discuss with their tables how the bugs are alike and different. Share ideas with class while teacher writes findings on the board.
12. Ask class if our plastic bugs meet the definition of six legs and 1-2 pairs of wings. Ask if any of our bugs just insects?
13. Collect bugs and cards and pass out ipads.
14. Ipads will have the game Bug Catcher Game from PBS Kids opened and ready to go.
15. Students will play the game for ten minutes.
16. Collect ipads.
Closure:
Bring students back to the carpet and ask them to share what new information they learned today and what they would like to learn more about (Progress Monitoring). Teacher will make notes on the poster about what we learned so far and also make notes on the clipboard about what they want to know more about. Tell students that tomorrow we will read about bugs, play a fun bug game, and get to pick a bug we each want to learn more about!