Introduction
When a kangaroo is born, it is blind and has no fur. It is about the size of a peanut. It climbs into its mother's pouch to finish developing. The young kangaroo stays there for months to eat, sleep, and grow.
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What do you think might happen if a baby kangaroo left its mother's pouch too soon?
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How do living things grow and change?
Task
Student, in pairs, will conduct a research on one animal. Each student will use the information to create an informational brochure about his/her particular animal.
These brochures will be printed by the school after being corrected to be distributed to the students of other classes and the parents during the science fair. The purpose of distributing these brochures is to:
- Spread awareness about the importance of animal kingdom
- Make people more sympathetic with animals; especially tiny ones like insects, butterflies and ants.
Process
Before starting your task, watch the following videos to become more familiar with the topic:
Students, in pairs, will choose an animal to conduct a research about.
Students will create a 6-sided informational brochure about the animal. It needs to include:
Two or more graphics (picture) showing the animal.
General information about the animal’s physical and internal characteristics (weight, color, body covering, invertebrate or vertebrate, cold or warm blooded)
Information about its life cycle (stages of life, number of babies it has, name given to its young, tell whether it gives birth to live babies or eggs)
One or more pictures of where the animal lives. (its habitat)
Information about its habitat (Describe what it needs in its environment to survive.)
Information about how the animal protects itself.
Other interesting information (Is it endangered? Tell other unique facts that make it different from other animals.)
Document and Cite the source of the facts and graphics used in the brochure.
Evaluation
Category |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Content accuracy/Presence |
All facts in the brochure are accurate and present. |
99-90% of the facts in the brochure are accurate and present. |
89-80 % of the facts in the brochure are accurate and present. |
Fewer than 80 % of the facts in the brochure are accurate and present. |
Vocabulary/Scientific terms |
The student correctly use several scientific terms and define unfamiliar words. |
The student correctly use few scientific terms and define unfamiliar words. |
The student tries to use scientific terms, but 1-2 word incorrectly. |
The student does not incorporate scientific terms. |
Spelling & proofreading
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No spelling errors remain after the teacher reads and corrects the brochure. |
No more than one spelling error remains after the teacher reads and corrects the brochure. |
No more than three spelling error remain after the teacher reads and corrects the brochure. |
Several spelling error remains after the teacher reads and corrects the brochure. |
Organization |
The brochure has excellent formatting and very well-organized information. |
The brochure has appropriate formatting and well-organized information. |
The brochure has some organized information with random formatting. |
The brochure’s format and organization of material are confusing to the reader. |
Graphics/Pictures |
The graphics go well with the text, and there is a good mix of text and pictures. |
The graphics go well with the text, but there are so many that they distract from the text. |
The graphics go well with the text, but there are too few and the brochure seems “text-heavy”. |
The graphics do not go with the accompanying text or appear randomly chosen. |
Conclusion
At the end of this unit you will be able to:
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Tell what the characteristics that can help us classify animals are.
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Know how to classify animals into major groups based on characteristics and behaviors.
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Know how to describe the various characteristics of living things using picture books, videos and stories.
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Know that some characteristics and behaviors are inherited and some are learned or acquired.
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Know how different animals grow and change during their life cycles.
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Know the stages of life of living things.
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Pose questions about the growth and development of familiar animals; and about similarities and differences between animal and human growth.
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Use a variety of resources to find info about the life cycles of living things.
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Create a brochure of the growth and development of an animal they chose during its life cycles and the group where it is sorted based on its characteristics and behaviors.
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Sequence pictures/illustrations of the animals.
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Use written language and pictures to record research about animals.
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Communicate with other students and parents.
- Humans and animals grow and change during their lives. They can make more humans and animals like themselves (reproduce). They also eventually die.
Credits
References:
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Straight, C., & Runion, N. (n.d.). Animal Life, Habitats and Camouflage. Retrieved from: http://middleschoolpts.weebly.com/animals-research.html.
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Wiggins, Grant and J. McTighe. (1998). Understanding by Design Unit Template: Animal Growth Change. Retrieved from: https://www.srsd119.ca/departments/teacherinformation/ILD/Grade2/grade2science/unitsscience2/AnimalGrowthChange.doc
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[3asafeer]. (2018, February 1). If You were Born a Kitten'. --> --> -->. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/M6TyqflTgSI.
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[It’s AumSum Time]. (2015, November 17). Life Cycle of a Butterfly. --> --> -->. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/O1S8WzwLPlM.
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[It’s AumSum Time]. (2015, September 25). Life Cycle of a Frog. --> --> -->. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/FIXoJYbBls0.
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[Makemegenius]. (2015, November 26). Vertebrates and Invertebrates animals - Video for kids. --> --> -->. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/d-BEu50zWHE.
Teacher Page
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Lara Gh.
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Teacher student at MUBS, Modern University of Business and Science.
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Studying Teaching Diploma in Math and Science for Elementary Classes.
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Special tutor.