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SOUTHERN LEHIGH SCHOOL DISTRICTScience Essentials

Grade 3 Science

Agriculture and Society (revised August 2006)

Pennsylvania Academic Standards:4.2.4A. Identify needs of people.

Identify plants, animals, water, air, minerals and fossil fuels as natural resources. Identify how the environment provides for the needs of people.

4.2.4B Identify products derived from natural resources. Identify products made from trees. Identify by-products of plants and animals. Identify the sources of manmade products (e.g., plastics, metal, aluminum, fabrics,

paper, cardboard). 4.2.4C. Know that some natural resources have limited life spans.

Identify renewable and nonrenewable resources used in the local community. Identify various means of conserving natural resources. Know that natural resources have varying life spans.

4.4.4A. Know the importance of agriculture to humans. Explain the influence of agriculture on food, clothing, shelter and culture from one

area to another. Know how people depend on agriculture.

4.4.4B Identify the role of the sciences in Pennsylvania agriculture. Identify common animals found on Pennsylvania farms. Identify common plants found on Pennsylvania farms. Identify a fiber product from Pennsylvania farms. Identify the parts of important agricultural related plants (i.e., corn, soybeans,

barley).4.4.4C Know that food and fiber originate from plants and animals.

Define and identify food and fiber. Identify agricultural products that are local and regional. Identify an agricultural product based on its origin.

4.4.4D Identify technology and energy use associated with agriculture. Identify the various tools and machinery necessary for farming. Identify the types of energy used in producing food and fiber. Identify tools and machinery used in the production of agricultural products.

4.7.4A Identify differences in living things. Identify local plants or animals and describe their habitat

4.5.4A Know types of pests. Identify classifications of pests. Identify and categorize pests. Know how pests fit into a food chain.

4.5.4B Explain pest control. Know reasons why people control pests. Identify different methods for controlling specific pests in the home, school and

community. Identify chemical labels (e.g., caution, poison, warning).

4.5.4C Understand society’s need for integrated pest management. Identify integrated pest management practices in the home.

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Identify integrated pest management practices outside the home.

4.8.4A Identify the biological requirements of humans. Identify several ways that people use natural resources.

4.8.4B Know that environmental conditions influence where and how people live. Identify how regional natural resources influence what people use.

4.8.4D Know the importance of natural resources in daily life. Identify major land uses in the community. Know that there are laws and regulations for the environment. Identify local and state laws and regulations regarding the environment. Identify and describe the role of a local or state agency that deals with

environmental laws and regulations.

Overarching and Essential Questions:What are food and fiber?What are some ways people use natural resources?What are the roles of natural resources and agriculture in Pennsylvania?Why is it important to be concerned about our environment?

Essential Understandings:Food and fiber come from plants and animals.Local/regional agricultural products provide food and fiber.Natural resources are important to a community and need to be managed wisely.

Assessments: Performance Tasks, ProjectsIs A Pest/Is Not A Pest flip book-Students will create a flip book that shows when an insect or other animal becomes a pest and when it serves a purpose in an ecosystem.

Assessments: Quizzes, Tests and Academic Prompts*Common assessment available on server

Assessments: Other Evidence (e.g., observations, work samples, dialogues)

Assessments: Student Self-Assessment

Students will need to know . . . (targeted understandings):Vocabulary: agriculture, natural resources, renewable resources, nonrenewable resources, farming, food, fiber, livestock, orchards, truck farms, fossil fuels, timber, minerals, polluted, waste, conserve, manufacturingFood and fiber come from specific plants and animals.Different tools and machinery are used in the farming and production of agricultural products and manufactured products.There are local and state laws and regulations that help protect the environment. Natural resources need to be conserved.The reasons why and ways we try to control pests.

Students will be able to do . . . (targeted skills):Identify local examples of plants and animals that give us food and fiber.Identify the major agricultural products and natural resources of our region.Identify situations when something is a pest.Explain environmental issues of Pennsylvania.

Teaching and learning experiences:

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What are natural resources? (2 days)What are renewable and nonrenewable resources? review from 2nd grade

Use C38-39 to define natural resources and create a natural resources list. Use C40-41 to define renewable and nonrenewable resources. Have students fill out the Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources Charts

(attached) to show how these Pennsylvania resources are used. There are additional pages for the students to refer to on the chart.

Next, split the class in half. Have one half read Positively Plastic pp. F22-23 and the other half reads Glass Is Great pp.F34-35. Each should complete the chart that goes with their reading. Then have the students pair up and share what they learned about these products made from PA Natural Resources. While both of these products are recyclable, they are nonrenewable. Have students consider how that makes a difference.

Why are resources important?

They provide us with food and fiber. (2-3days) Use the Explore Activity, Where Does Food Come From? On B15 to get students

thinking about our dependence on plants and animals. Read page B12 Depending on Plants and Animals to learn about the many ways that

people are dependent on plants and animals for more than just food. Use the Food and Fiber Tchart (attached) to put examples of food under the food category and products made from fibers like cotton or wool under fiber. The dictionary is the best resource for definitions of food and fiber.

Conduct the Tomatoes to Ketchup, Chicken to Omelettes class activity (attached) to match sold foods with their raw food source.

An alternative activity is to use the Matching Activity (attached) to match foods with the source they originate from.

Have students read about George Washington Carver on pp. C18-C19 to learn about the many products that he created from plants and how he helped the soil too.

They help us meet our needs to survive. (1-2 days) Go to www.marketplaceforthemind.state.pa.us to learn about agriculture in PA.

Students can create a Made in PA mini-poster highlighting other products that are made in Pennsylvania.

The website “Pennsylvania Agriculture, Products for the Planet” gives many examples of products from these areas. Students can work in small groups to explore these items. The reading level is above Grade 3, but it has very detailed pictures. Each team could gather information about one area. They could make a poster or some other visual to share, making sure to highlight things local to our area.

How are agricultural products raised? (2 days) Read Aloud From Farm to Dinner Table Macmillan McGraw-Hill leveled reader A

from Unit 3.4 Week 1 to introduce the concept of food production. Go to www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/vitualfarm/main.html and break students into

groups. Have each group research a different form of farming in PA and create a poster or presentation. They should consider what products are being raised, what they are used for, and what tools and machinery are used.

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http://www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/vitualfarm/main.html

http://www.marketplaceforthemind.state.pa.us/


What are pests? (2 days) Ask students what it means to be a pest. Then ask students of a time when they

thought an insect, spider, or other animal was being a pest. Explain that the word pest is a human word used to describe something that gets in our way of doing something else. Use the Brainstorming Sheet (attached) to guide your discussion.

Follow the Friend or Foe lesson plan (attached) to get students to examine times when living things that we would normally consider pests are actually being helpful Students will create their own Is a Pest When…Isn’t A Pest When…flipbook.

The Wanted Dead or Alive activity (attached) introduces rodents as pests as well. Read Aloud Purple Loose-strife Macmillan McGraw-Hill leveled reader O from

Unit 3.6 Week 5 to introduce the concept of invasive plants as pests. Read about nature’s garbage disposals, Decomposers, on pages B18-19. The Quick

Lab on B19 further illustrates how living things break down over time and return to the soil. Decomposers help to create new soil. Compost piles are a great home for decomposers.

How can they be controlled? (1 day) Identification is the first step. Use the Invertebrate Mini-book to introduce students

to the characteristics of insects and spiders. Use the Insects and Spiders Chart to compare them.

Use the Possible Control Methods flier (attached) to help students consider appropriate ways for dealing with pests. Refer to the list of Beneficials in the Garden and Pests in the Garden for more examples. Students could also use this list to identify potential problems for gardeners and other insects that could help to naturally get rid of these animals or insects.

What are some environmental problems facing the people of PA? (1 day) Read pp. C42-43 to learn about three forms of pollution. Have students make a

flipbook with three sections: Water Pollution, Air Pollution and Land Pollution. Under each flap, students should write examples of each type of pollution.

Use the Waste and Air Source Fact Sheet to learn more about Air Pollution. Use the Fast Forward Activity to consider the short term and long term effects of

choices made by people in PA.

How can we protect our natural resources? (1 day) Read and discuss Conserving Energy on pp. F50-51, How Can You Conserve

Resources on C44, and Cars of the Future pp. C46-47 which talks about alternative forms of energy.

As a follow-up activity, have students create posters suggesting ways to protect our natural resources.

Materials and Resources:DEP map of PAPennsylvania’s Ag Commodities sheet“Pennsylvania Agriculture, Products for the Planet” website

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Where Does It Come From? Lesson (agriculture counts- www.usda.gov/nass/)www.agclassroom.org/pa resources for PA agricultureFast Forward activity4-H Virtual Farm (www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/virtual farm/main)Wanted Dead or Alive activityFriend or Foe activityMacmillan McGraw Hill Language Arts connections: From Farm to Dinner Table (Level A) Unit 3.4 Week 1 Purple Loose-strife (Level O) Unit 3.6 Week 5

Accommodations: Follow established IEP/504 Plans.

Enrichments:

Time: 12 lessons

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http://www.agclassroom.org/pa


Grade 3 Science

Ecosystems and Endangered Species (revised August 2006)

Pennsylvania Academic Standards:3.3.4A Know the similarities and differences of living things. Identify life processes of living things (e.g., growth, digestion, reacting to

environment). Know that some organisms have similar external characteristics (e.g., anatomical

characteristics; appendages, type of covering, body segments) and that similarities and differences are related to environmental habitat.

Describe basic needs of plants and animals.3.3.4B Know that living things are made up of parts that have specific functions. Identify examples of unicellular and multicellular organisms.

3.3.4C Know that characteristics are inherited and, thus, offspring closely resemble their parents. Identify characteristics for animal and plant survival in different climates. Identify physical characteristics that appear in both parents and offspring and differ

between families, strains or species.3.3.4D Identify changes in living things over time. Compare extinct life forms with living organisms.

3.5.4A Know basic landforms and earth history. Describe fossils and the type of environment they lived in (e.g., tropical, aquatic,

desert).3.5.4D Recognize the earth’s different water resources. Identify and describe types of fresh and salt-water bodies.

4.3.4A Know that plants, animals and humans are dependent on air and water. Know that all living things need air and water to survive.

4.3.4C Understand that the elements of natural systems are interdependent. Identify some of the organisms that live together in an ecosystem. Understand that the components of a system all play a part in a healthy natural

system. Identify the effects of a healthy environment on the ecosystem.

4.6.4A Understand that living things are dependent on nonliving things in the environment for survival. Identify and categorize living and nonliving things. Identify basic needs of a plant and an animal and explain how their needs are met. Identify plants and animals with their habitat and food sources. Describe how animals interact with plants to meet their needs for shelter. Understand the components of a food chain. Identify a local ecosystem and its living and nonliving components. Identify a simple ecosystem and its living and nonliving components. Identify animals that live underground.

4.6.4B Understand the concept of cycles Explain the carbon dioxide oxygen cycle (photosynthesis).

4.6.4C Identify how ecosystems change over time.

4.7.4A Identify differences in living things. Explain why plants and animals are different colors, shapes and sizes and how these

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differences relate to their survival. Identify characteristics that living things inherit from their parents. Explain why each of the four elements in a habitat is essential for survival. Identify local plants or animals and describe their habitat.

4.7.4B Know that adaptations are important for survival. Explain how specific adaptations can help a living organism to survive. Explain what happens to a living thing when its food, water, shelter or space is

changed.4.7.4C Define and understand extinction. Identify plants and animals that are extinct. Explain why some plants and animals are extinct. Know that there are local and state laws regarding plants and animals.

Overarching and Essential Questions:What do living things need for survival?How are groups of animals different from each other?How do these differences help them survive in a certain environment?How are things interdependent in an ecosystem?How do ecosystems change over time? What are factors that cause environmental changes?What happens to an organism when it doesn’t adapt to environmental changes over time?How can plant and animal populations be protected?

Essential Understandings:Living things need air, food, water, and space.Vertebrate animals are classified as amphibians, mammals, fish, birds and reptiles.Some types of invertebrate animals are insects and spiders.Plants and animals have physical adaptations that help them survive in the environment in which they live.Plants, animals and nonliving things depend on each other for survival. Ecosystems are in a constant state of change. Changes in one part of an ecosystem affect the other parts of the ecosystem.Environmental and human factors cause changes to an ecosystem and its inhabitants.Organisms that do not adapt to environmental changes over time may become endangered and eventually extinct.Personal and governmental actions can protect plant and animal populations.

Assessments: Performance Tasks, Projects Write a radio announcement that persuades the community to protect living things.

Tell the community about the specific problem, why it’s a problem and make at least 3 suggestions about how to improve the problem.

Biome Internet Research Project Observe the Peregrine Falcon Project on the dep website

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Assessments: Quizzes, Tests and Academic Prompts*Common assessment available on serverOther possible assessments: Animal Classification Assessment Think of an ecosystem in our area. Draw a picture of this ecosystem and label it.

How are at least 2 plants and animals in this ecosystem dependent on each other for survival?

Given a picture of an animal in its environment the student will describe the physical adaptations that help it to survive in that environment.

Students could be given a situation in which a plant or animal population is threatened. Students will identify the threat and make 2 suggestions for how the plant or animal population could be protected. (Dilemma cards)

Assessments: Other Evidence (e.g., observations, work samples, dialogues)


Students will need to know . . . (targeted understandings):Vocabulary: organism, camouflage, adaptations, defenses, characteristics, ecosystem, endangered species, extinction, overpopulation, population, species, habitat, competition, niche, predator, prey, scavenger, decomposer, food chain, community, food web, producer, consumer, cellsConcepts reviewed from 1st grade: Characteristics of living things Plant needs (sunlight, air, water, food)/animal needs (air, food, water, shelter/space) What local ecosystems are (pond, forest, meadow)-a community of living organism’s

and their interrelated physical environment What fossils are and how they are formed What information can be gained about an organism’s environment and adaptations

from studying fossilsNew concepts: Organisms are made up of cells. Plant and animal cells have many of the same parts,

but plants have chloroplasts which help them make their own food. Vertebrate animals are classified as amphibians, mammals, birds, fish and reptiles. Insects and spiders are invertebrate animals that contribute to an ecosystem and have

adaptations for survival. Living things are all a part of the food web. They also need to understand that living and nonliving things are interdependent in

an ecosystem and that changes to one part of the ecosystem can affect the ecosystem as a whole.

There are different ecosystems around the world, and they have determining factors such as precipitation, seasonal changes, and temperatures. Students should be introduced to forest, desert, polar, ocean, wetland, and grassland ecosystems. They aren’t expected to have mastered the individual characteristics of each ecosystem. They need to have awareness that precipitation, seasonal changes, and temperature determine the type of ecosystem. Animals have a variety of adaptations that allow them to survive. These include:

camouflage, body coverings (color and material), appendages, strength of senses, defenses, and being cold/warm-blooded. Offspring inherit these characteristics from their parents.

Living things need to get their basic needs met within the space in which they live.

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Factors that contribute to endangerment. (ex. overpopulation, habitat destruction, disease, overconsumption, introduced species, pollution)

Ways that plants and animals are being protected in Pennsylvania and our community (laws, regulations, refuges, captive breeding, reintroduction, etc).

Students will be able to do . . . (targeted skills): Classify a given animal in its appropriate group (vertebrate or invertebrate and

simple classes within). Provide examples of a variety of adaptations and the different ecosystems in which

they can be found. Identify plants, animals and nonliving things that make up an ecosystem: Tell how plants and animals meet their need for food, water, air, shelter/space within

an ecosystem. Identify how an ecosystem changes over time. Describe a local ecosystem and its characteristics (plants, animals, nonliving things). Analyze how a change to an ecosystem affects the other living things within that

ecosystem. Identify the factors that contribute to endangerment (see above). Identify ways to protect plant and animal populations. Analyze how an endangered species needs to adapt or be protected in order to

prevent extinction. Identify a modern extinct species and the causes of its extinction. Analyze what

could have been done to save the species from extinction.


This is the longest and most comprehensive unit of the year; however it is one of the most important because of the number of standards that it addresses. The following lesson suggestions use materials that are available to all third grade teachers. You may replace an activity or materials with something else as long as the same concepts are addressed. Please do not teach all of units A and B since there will not be time to do everything the text provides.

Unit Hook: Why do some living things survive and others become extinct? (1 day) Follow the Teacher Directions and Student sheet in order to review the Scientific

Method as well as the concepts of extinction and information gained by studying fossils. (Students also use page S1-S7 in Macmillan McGraw-Hill text to observe.)

For additional information on fossils use pages C22-25.

What are the Features of Living Things? (review) (1 day) Read pages A6-A9 together and create a class web with Living Things (organisms)

in the center. Add Grow and Change, Reproduce, Respond to Changes in Environment, and

Usually Communicate, as spokes off of the center of your web as you discuss each concept. It may help to add examples off of each of these circles since they are provided in the text.

Display in the classroom to refer to throughout the unit. Brainstorm a list of living and nonliving examples.

Living Things Are Made Up of Cells (introduction only) (1 day) Use the Comparing Plant and Animal Cells chart from Reading in Science Resources

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p.2 along with pages A10-A11 to introduce cells to students. The 2 things that all students need to know are that plant cells contain green chloroplasts that help them make their own food and that all living things are made up of cells.

If there is time, make Cell Pizzas to show the parts of cells. Students must request chloroplasts (green pepper) if they want to make plant cells. (directions attached)

Needs of Plants (review from second grade) pages A16-A19 (20 min.) Make a class web with Plant Needs in the center and Minerals, Water, Sunlight, and

Air as the spokes. Then have students find how the plant parts help the plant to get its needs met and add those details to the chart. (ie. off of Air, you could write Leaves use it to make food.)

See Extension Idea, labeled Plant Adaptations.

What Do Animals Need to Survive? (20 min.) Have each student generate a list of 6 things that he/she couldn’t live without. Next, read page A40 to find out what scientists have learned all animals need to

survive. Next, go back to each student’s list and match each thing to the need it fulfills (ex.

Chocolate=food) anything that doesn’t fit a true need like a car is classified as a want.

Make a class web that shows Animal Needs with Food, Air, Water, and Space as the spokes to refer to throughout the unit.

How Are Animals Classified? (2 days) To introduce the concept of classifying, use the Explore Activity: How Are Animals

Classified? on p. A69, the Alternate Explore Activity Classifying Buttons (Activity Resources p. 34) or have students bring in stuffed animals and make suggestions for different ways they could be grouped (size, color, body covering).

Next, use the Definition Organizer and information on page A70 to introduce the vocabulary Vertebrates and Invertebrates.

Next, use the information on pages A71-A74, pages A53-55, and Animal Group Teaching Posters to complete the Animal Groups Chart. If you did the stuffed animal activity, you could have students identify the group their animal fits in and how they know it.

Review Insects and Spiders Chart from IPM section of the Agriculture and Society Unit (attached).

To reinforce the learning of the characteristics of the animal groups, play Animal Group Bingo from time to time throughout the unit (attached).

For Extension Ideas for advanced learners use Inquiry Skill Builder: Comparing Animals on page A66 (Activity Resources pp.30-31) or Make an Animal Book on page A80. There is a scoring rubric for the animal book in the Teacher’s Edition.

Why Do Living Things Live Where They Do? (1 day) Show a picture of a fish (or a live one) and ask students why fish don’t live in

deserts. On the board or chart paper, draw the outline of a pond. Add some rocks, soil, and

water. Make magnetized Ellison die cuts of spiders, insects, frogs, fish, turtles, red flowers and yellow flowers and place them in and around the pond. Ask the students to name the ecosystem that they see. (They should remember pond ecosystems from their study of local ecosystems in first grade.) Remind them that ecosystems are made up of living and nonliving things. Ecosystems are sometimes called environments or biomes.

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Next, have them classify each of the things on the picture as living or nonliving. Explain that all of the living things within an ecosystem make up a community. Have them name living things from the list that make up a community.

Next, point out that there are different kinds of plants and animals in this community of living things. Have them name the different groups. Explain that all of one kind of a plant or animal is called a population (ie. red flowers).

Next, introduce the word habitat and explain that living things make their homes within ecosystems.

Point out that each of the populations within an ecosystem needs to get its needs met there. Ask students to consider how a fish gets its needs met in a pond ecosystem: breathes in water through gills to get oxygen(air), rocks and plants can provide shelter from predators, other plants or animals that live in the water are food for the fish.

You could use pages B6-7 and the Definition Organizer to record the meanings of each of the new vocabulary words.

Language Arts Connection: Read Animal Homes Main Selection 3.3 Week 5 in Macmillan McGraw-Hill. The Guided Reading book Amazing Mammal Builders (level A), Amazing Bird Builders (level O), and Amazing Insect and Spider Builders (level B) also explore the topic of adapting for survival.

Exploring Ecosystems (1-2 days) Use the mini-books found in the Habitats: ScienceWorks for Kids Series and the

ecosystems shown on pages B8-10 to explore the various ecosystems found in the world.

Have students identify examples of plants, animals, and nonliving things found in these ecosystems. (Reading in Science Resources p. 64 and Activity Resources p. 39 have students analyze pond and forest communities. Pages B20-21 shows a desert community.) Also have them notice things like differences in temperature, rainfall, and precipitation (ie. snow and ice cover polar habitats for long periods of time, deserts have less rainfall). This should be a general overview.

For advanced learners, students could use the Ecosystem Research Packet.

Living Things in an Ecosystem Depend on One Another for Gases in Air (15 min.) Read pages B26 and 27 and give each child a role as plant or animal. Then have the

plants give oxygen to the animals and the animals give carbon dioxide to the plants. (Role cards are attached)

Living Things in an Ecosystem Depend on One Another for Food (1 day) Begin by introducing what food is and the definitions for producers and consumers

using pages B16-17 in text and the definition chart. Then use What Makes Up a Food Chain? Diagrams from Reading in Science

Resources p. 69 to explore how the parts of a food chain work together. Make sure students understand that even carnivores depend on animals that eat plants to get their energy.

Use the information on pages B20-21 to have students see how multiple food chains are interdependent. Ask students what would happen if the coyote was removed from the food chain.

Use the Food Web Cards(attached) and string to have the kids act out the food web Competing for Food and Water (1 day) Read about predators, prey and scavengers on pages B28 and 29. Then define competition on page B42. Next, use the Quick Lab: Musical Chairs (Activity Resources p. 54) or the I Need

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My Space simulation (attached) to simulate competition in nature. Have students consider what would happen to one population if there were too many of another.

Every Living Thing Has Their Own Niche (15 minutes) Pennsylvania’s definition of the word Niche is “the role played by an organism

in an ecosystem; its food preferences, requirements for shelter, special behaviors and the timing of its activities (e.g., nocturnal, diurnal), interaction with other organisms and its habitat.” This is a more comprehensive definition than the one that is supplied in our textbook.

Read the Read Aloud Forest Night, Forest Bright (found in Teacher Resources Section of your library.) Define the words nocturnal and diurnal. Consider how being nocturnal or diurnal helps animals to avoid competition.

How Do Plants Depend on Animals? (20 min.) Use the Book Guide Information Hunt so students can discover how plants depend

on animals.

Adaptations for Survival (2-3 days) Use the Explore Activity: How Does the Shape of a Bird’s Beak Affect What it Eats?

on page B49 to begin to explore the topic of adaptations. (You could use sunflower seeds in shells instead of peanuts if needed.)

Read B50-54 and fill out the Definition Charts for the types of adaptations. (attached)

Have students interpret the chart How Do Animals in Different Environments Adapt? from Reading in Science Resources p.96.

Have students read pp. A63-65 and A22-23 and create a flip book that shows four different adaptations and how they help each animal or plant. The adaptation should be on the outside and what it helps the living thing to do should be on the inside.

(ie. Outside: White fur helps a polar bear…Inside: keep warm and blend in with the snow around it.) Use the Brownie Activity to have students consider how the adaptations to the

Brownie are like adaptations in nature (attached). Language Arts Connection: Read Penguin Chick Main Selection 3.1 Week 4 in

Macmillan McGraw-Hill to learn about how penguins are adapted to the environment in which they live. The Guided Reading book Blue Whales of Antarctica (level A), The Weddell Seals of Antarctica (level O), and The Wandering Albatross (level B) also explore the topic of adapting for survival.

How Do Animals Respond to Changes in Their Environment? (2 days) Read pp. A46-47 to learn about animals that hibernate and migrate. Read about the

Monarch Butterfly Migration on pages A48-49. Begin a chart called Types of Changes in Environment with two columns, Natural

Causes and Human Causes. Add seasonal changes under Natural Causes. Use the simulation to explore Changing Ecosystems: Explore Activity, What

Happens When Ecosystems Change on B59. Read pp. B60-62 and add other types of changes under the correct columns. Next, conduct the Deadly Links Experiment to see the effects of pollution on the food

chain. Also, introduce the term overpopulation to explain that if one died out, there would be too many of another type of animal or plant left.

Finally, read about what living things can do to respond to changes in environment: adapt to those changes, perish, or relocate (B63).

Language Arts Connection:

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Read Aloud the guided reading book Purple Loosestrife (level O) from Unit 3.6 Week 5 in Macmillan McGraw-Hill to learn about invasive species. The Guided Reading books Curious World of Beetles (level A) and Aliens in the Water (level B) from Unit 3.6 Week 5 also explore changes in ecosystems. The Main Selection Whose Habitat is It? from Unit 3.1 Week 3 explores humans taking over animal habitats. The guided reading books from that week are A Year at the Pond (level A), Saving the Rainforest (level O) and The Deep Green Forest (level B)

What Happens to Living Things that Don’t Adapt or Relocate? (1 day) Read about what leads to endangerment and extinction on pages B64 – B 67. Talk

about why some animals become endangered or extinct and define endangered and extinct on the definition chart. Add reasons animals die out to the Changes in Ecosystems list.

The Quick Lab, Crowd Control p. B65 can reinforce the idea of competing for space and its affect on populations, if needed.

Language Arts Connection: Read Endangered Animals of the Everglades Guided Reading Book Level A Unit 3.3 Week 3 in Macmillan McGraw-Hill to learn about how animals are being threatened.

For advanced learners use the Extension Idea, “Why are endangered animals hunted?” (attached) is a good resource for this topic. The teacher can have students investigate the animals on the sheet using library resources and the web links provided in the resources section. Another option would be to have students work in small groups to complete the sheet, discussing why each item in the box would or would not apply to each animal.

What is Being Done to Protect Organisms and Ecosystems? (1 day) Begin by reading about the wildlife conservationist, Dr. Francisco Dallmeier, in the

text pages B70 – B71. Discuss how people all over the world are working to protect the environment and the things living in it.

Also, refer to page B65 for other ideas. Add that we can learn more about these issues and make people aware of what is happening.

Read about the changes to rainforest ecosystems on pages B34-35 and B70-71. Have students identify threats to the ecosystems, why the ecosystem is important and to suggest ways that the rainforest could be protected. Have students use the Problem and Solution worksheet to record their research and suggestions (attached).

Language Arts Connection: Read Saving the Sand Dunes Main Selection 3.3 Week 3 in Macmillan McGraw-Hill to learn about how sand dunes are being protected.

Unit Wrap Up: (15 minutes) Remind students of the question from the beginning of the unit when we were

examining dinosaur fossils, “Why do some living things survive and others become extinct?” Have students give two reasons why some livings things die out and two reasons why other living things survive.

Materials and Resources:Macmillan McGraw-Hill Texts and Teacher ResourcesMacmillan McGraw-Hill Treasures Anthology and Guided Reading booksHabitats- Science Works for Kids SeriesTeacher Directions and Student Sheet for Unit Hook ActivityVarious Definition Charts

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Brownie activityDeadly Links activity (Project Wild)Adaptation Lesson and Interest CentersRainforests Problem/Solutions WorksheetBook Guide Information Hunt: Plants Depend on AnimalsForest Night, Forest Bright Read Aloud available in all librariesI Need My Space simulationFood Web Role CardsPlant and Animal Air Cycle Role CardsChanging Ecosystems CardsAnimal Classification Bingo Boards and CardsAnimal Classification Chart (blank)Comparing Insects/Spiders chart (completed from Agriculture & Society Unit)

Accommodations: Follow IEP/504 Plans

Enrichments: Plant Adaptations Investigation Inquiry Skill Builder, Comparing Animals (Activity Resources pp.30-31) Make an Animal Book p.A80 (Rubric in Teacher’s Edition) Does Our Habitat Have Everything Wildlife Needs? #8 activity Ecosystem Research Packet. Habitat Food Chain #4 activity Why Are Endangered Animals Hunted? Investigation

Time: 20 lessons

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Grade 3 Science

Forces Through Simple Machines (revised August 2006)

Pennsylvania Academic Standards:3.4.4 B Know basic energy types, sources and conversions.

Identify energy forms and examples (e.g., sunlight, heat, stored, motion) Know and demonstrate the basic properties of heat by producing it in a variety

of ways.3.4.4 C Observe and describe different types of force and motion.

Identify characteristics of sound (pitch, loudness and echoes) Describe various types of motions. Compare the relative movement of objects and describe types of motion that are

evident. Describe the position of an object by locating it relative to another object or the

background (e.g., geographic direction, left, up).3.6.4 C Know physical technologies of structural design, analysis and engineering, finance, production, marketing, research and design

Identify and group a variety of construction tasks. Identify the major construction systems present in a specific local building. Identify specific construction systems that depend on each other in order to

complete a project. Identify transportation technologies of propelling, structuring, suspending,

guiding, controlling and supporting. Know skills used in construction.

3.7.4 A Explore the use of basic tools, simple materials and techniques to safely solve problems.

Describe the scientific principles on which various tools are based. Group tools and machines by their function. Select and safely apply appropriate tools and materials to solve simple

problems.

Overarching and Essential Questions:What is energy?How do things move?How can machines be used to make “work” easier?

Essential Understandings:Energy is the ability to do work.Energy can come from a variety of sources.A force can change an object’s motion.Machines can be used to make work easier.

Assessments: Performance Tasks, Projects Design a how-to brochure for gym class that describes each of the 4 ways a force can

change an object’s motion. Choose a sport that will best show all 4 ways. Experiments

Assessments: Quizzes, Tests and Academic Prompts

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*Common assessment available on server Give students a “problem” card. Design a way to solve the problem using simple

machines. Explain your design in words and pictures. Include the type of energy used and how the machine made the work easier.

Quiz identifying the sources of energy found in different pictures like: windmill, sailboat, something melting, car, electric fan, human eating and a waterwheel.

Assessments: Other Evidence (e.g., observations, work samples, dialogues)Journal of simple machines activities

Assessments: Student Self-AssessmentWrite about the simple machines activity that helped you learn the most. Explain why it helped you learn.

Students will need to know . . . (targeted understandings):Vocabulary: work, position, energy, friction, gravity, lever, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, wheel and axle, screw, gears, motion, force, at rest, time, distance, speed, direction, work, simple machine, compound machine, soundForms of energy

stored- fuel, batteries, food motion- wind, water electricity light (solar) heat sound

Machines make work easier by changing the direction or amount of force needed to move an object.The definition of work -Work occurs when there is a change in motion.Energy is needed to do any kind of work.Forces are pushes and pulls. They can cause an object to move, change direction, or stop.Friction is the force that occurs when one object rubs against another. Gravity pulls objects toward Earth.Friction produces heat energy.

Students will be able to do . . . (targeted skills):Explain how each simple machine helps us reduce the amount of force needed to perform a task.Describe the position of an object relative to another object (above, below, left, right, north, south, under, over, in front, etc.)Describe the relationships between the motion of objects in “if/then” terms. (ex. If I pull down on the rope, then the object goes up.)Make an object move or change. Identify the type of movement or change and the energy sources used.


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What is motion and how is it measured? (1 day) Use the Explore Activity, How Fast Do You Move? on page E5 to get students

thinking about motion. Following the experiment, ask students how we knew that they moved and how we

knew how fast that they moved. Build background by reading about position, distance, motion, and speed on pages

E6-E9. Have them use these vocabulary words to explain the experiment. Record word meanings and examples on the definition charts. Have students practice describing the relative position of object’s in the room. If there is time, use the suggestion on Teacher’s Edition p.E9 to explore ways to

speed up or slow down the motion of a toy. The Quick Lab, Measuring Distance on E7 could also be used to have students

further explore motion as a change in position.

What are forces? (1-2days) Begin the discussion with the Get Ready suggestion on Teacher’s Edition p.E12 to

get students to consider things they push and pull throughout their day. Next have students read through the Explore Activity, Why are Some Objects Harder

to Pull? on p. E13. Explain that in order to conduct this experiment, we need to learn how to use a special tool called a spring scale. Use the Resources page R10 in their back of their textbooks to introduce this tool.

Conduct the experiment. Have students consider whether nonliving objects are able to move on their own. Read pp. E14-15 together to define forces and to learn what forces can do. Use Reading in Science Resources p. 233 for students to show what they’ve learned

about forces acting on objects.

What are some types of forces? (1-2 days) Use two magnets to demonstrate attraction and repulsion as a magnetic force at

work. (Review from first grade) Use Newton’s Notion lesson (attached) to demonstrate the force of gravity at work.

This could be done as a teacher demonstration or student experiment. Next, read more about the force of gravity and its impact on weight on pages E16-17. Next, have students rub hands together to introduce friction creating heat. Then

squirt a little school hand lotion or liquid soap between their hands to demonstrate the reduction of friction.

Read pp. E26-27 to learn more about friction. Record information on Forces Organizer (attached). If there’s time, students could further explore varying degrees of gravity and the

impact on weight by using the Inquiry Skill Builder activity on E18. If there’s time, students use the Quick Lab, Marbles in Motion on E27 or Car Races

(attached) to further explore friction and its effect on motion.

What causes changes in motion? (1 day) Students explore the concept of work being the force that changes the motion of an

object by working in cooperative pairs to conduct the Explore Activity, What Causes a Change in Motion? on page E37 or by playing a class game of Tug of War. If playing Tug of War, have students brainstorm ways to guarantee a winner and then have them consider how they could have a “fair” game. The Alternate Explore Activity, Moving Hanger from Activity Resources p. 134 could be used instead.

Read pp. E24-25 to learn about the different changes in motion; starting, stopping, slowing down, changing direction, speeding up. Reading in Science Resources

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p.237 and 239 are complimentary follow-up activities.

What is work? (1 day) Begin with reading p. E38 to discover the scientific definition of work. Then have students complete the Explore Activity, What is Work? On E37. (If done

in this order, the experiment could be used as an application and assessment of student learning.)

If there is time, have students create a “Work Montage” as described under the Inclusion Activity on page E37.

How Hard Are You Working? (attached) is way to show that the amount of work can be measured.

Exit Journal: Make a list of five things that you did today that are examples of work.

What is energy? (1 day) Read text pages E39 to introduce the concept of energy and some of its forms. Have students create a Sources of Energy flip book to show the categories of stored,

motion, heat, light, sound, and electricity. Send students on a hunt through the book to find examples of sources of energy. See

the attached guide for the Sources of Energy Hunt. Discuss the examples that students found.

How can you make work easier? (1 day) Use the Explore Activity, How Can You Make Work Easier on p. E43 or the

Alternate Explore Activity, Ways to Lift to get students to consider using tools to assist with moving objects.

Machines make work easier (3-6 days). Read a book about the invention of a specific machine from the past aloud to the

class. Discuss: How did this invention make work easier? What kind of energy/power made this machine work? As a follow-up, students can identify machines found in their classroom or home that make work easier. Keep this list for use throughout the unit.

Each simple machine could be introduced to the whole class or the teacher could set up centers for students to explore the different simple machines and how they reduce the force needed to move an object.

Students will explain the motions performed by the simple machines in “if/then” terms (ex. If I pull down on the rope, then the object goes up.)

Students can record what they’ve learned about each simple machine on the Simple Machines organizer (attached).

Activities to teach simple machinesLever How Levers Work diagram in Reading in Science Resources p. 257 Background information pp. E44-46 Quick Lab, Make A Lever p. E46 You Look Familiar/Lots of Levers Center (attached) Show What You Know About Levers (attached)

Wheel and Axle Background information p. E47 What are Other Simple Machines? diagram Reading in Science Resources p. 258 Make a Wheel and Axle mini-poster using magazine photos Activity 9: A Simple Machine materials found in Science in a Nutshell kit A160-162

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Pulley Background information p. E48 One, Two, Three-Pull activity (attached) Salute The Flag (attached) materials found in Science in a Nutshell kit A99-100 Show What You Know About Pulleys (attached)

Inclined Plane Explore Activity, How Can A Ramp Make Work Easier? p.E53 What is an Inclined Plane? Diagram from Reading in Science Resources p. 263 Let it Slide experiment (attached) Background information pp. E54

Wedge Background information pp. E55 Is It A Wedge? Activity sheet (attached)

Screw That’s Screwy and Round and Round activity sheets (attached) Background information pp. E56

Review of Machines Ideas Bring in toy construction equipment, cars, tow trucks, fire trucks, etc. and consider

the various simple machines found on the equipment and discuss what they do. Simple Machines Scavenger Hunt (attached) Have students go on a class/school

scavenger hunt looking for simple machines at work. They should identify the simple machine being used even if it is within a complex machine and explain how it makes work easier. (Optional: Have students use a digital camera to collect their evidence. They could use the pictures in many ways including creating a power point presentation, a picture dictionary, a bulletin board display, or an ABC book.) This could also be used as an extension activity.

Simple Machines Treasure Chest- Fill a box with a variety of examples of simple machines. Have students categorize items found in box.

Jigsaw the David Glover Simple Machines books or make them available at appropriate centers for students to use for additional examples (sets found in library).

Use Delta Science kit to explore simple machines and how they make work easier. Simple machines are the building blocks for more complex machines.

Simply Marvelous Machines (attached)-suggestions for exploration and mini-book How We Got the Job Done Flap Book (attached)

Putting it all Together (1 day) Teacher will give a different picture to small cooperative groups. Each group will

identify the type of movement or change and the energy type used. (Pictures can be found in magazines or materials. They should illustrate everyday activities that involve work such as a machine digging a hole, person mowing lawn, sports scenes, people using tools)

Materials and Resources:Science. Macmillan McGraw-Hill Grade 3.Delta Science Module- Science in A Nutshell Kit: Simple MachinesSupplemental- computer program “The Way Things Work”David Glover Simple Machines Books: (book sets in library) Wheels and Cranks

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Springs Screws Ramps and Wedges Pulleys and Gears Levers

Macmillan McGraw Hill Language Arts connections: Unit 3.5 Week 3 Thrill & Chills (Level O) Up, Down or Open-Moving Machines (Level B)

Accommodations: Follow IEP/504 plans.

Enrichments: Writing Link on E29- Tell how to play the game using vocabulary words. Gravity Games on E64 (scoring rubric in Teacher’s Edition on page E64) Machines Make an Amusement Park Fun on E64 (see scoring rubric TE E64) Patent Office Application page 60 Delta Science Module (attached) The Science Museum pages 71-73 Delta Science Module (attached) Design (and possibly build) a complex machine reflecting the students’

knowledge and understanding of simple machines. They should be able to explain how their machine makes work easier and what type of energy it uses.

“Dissect” a complex machine from home to document the types of simple machines that make it work. Students will create a visual representation such as a diagram or flowchart showing how work is performed within the machine.

Time: 13-16 days

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Grade 3 Science

Watersheds and Wetlands (revised August 2006)

Pennsylvania Academic Standards:4.1.4A Identify various types of water environments.

Identify the lotic system (e.g., creeks, rivers, streams).Identify the lentic system (e.g., ponds, lakes, swamps).

4.1.4B Explain the differences between moving and still water.Explain why water moves or does not move.

4.1.4C Identify living things found in water environments. Identify fish, insects and amphibians that are found in fresh water.Identify plants found in fresh water.

4.1.4D Identify a wetland and the plants and animals found there.Identify different kinds of wetlands.Identify plants and animals found in wetlands.Explain wetlands as habitats for plants and animals.

4.1.4E Recognize the impact of watersheds and wetlands on animals and plants.Explain the role of watersheds in everyday life.Identify the role of watersheds and wetlands for plants and animals.

4.3.4A Know that plants, animals and humans are dependent on air and water. Identify things that cause sickness when put into the air, water or soil. Identify different areas where health can be affected by air, water or land pollution. Identify actions that can prevent or reduce waste pollution.

4.8.4C Explain how human activities may change the environment. Identify everyday human activities and how they affect the environment. Identify examples of how human activities within a community affect the natural

environment.

Overarching and Essential Questions:What are wetlands and watersheds?How are they important to life?How do changes in the water effect the health of the environment and the things living in it?

Essential Understandings:Wetlands are areas that are saturated by surface or ground water for a duration of time. Wetlands include swamps, bogs, marshes and similar areas. Watersheds are areas in which all water, sediments, and dissolved materials flow or drain from the land into a common river, lake, ocean, or other body of water.Living things depend on water systems for many of their needs (could include habitat, food, drinking water, air, reproduction, etc.)Changes in water quality affect the users. Wetlands help the environment by reducing flooding, filtering pollutants, providing shelter for reproduction and growth of living organisms.

Assessments: Performance Tasks, ProjectsWrite a letter to the local newspaper telling the benefits of wetlands and informing people of ways in which they can protect them.

Assessments: Quizzes, Tests and Academic Prompts

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*Common assessment available on server

Assessments: Other Evidence (e.g., observations, work samples, dialogues)Experiments, flipbooks, models


Students will need to know . . . (targeted understandings):Vocabulary: lotic/moving water, lentic/still water, bog, marsh, swamp, wetland, watershed, creeks, rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, pollutionExamples of lotic and lentic water (concepts of moving and still taught in first grade)Wetlands are areas that are saturated by surface or ground water for a duration of time.Watersheds are areas in which all water, sediments, and dissolved materials flow or drain from the land into a common river, lake, ocean, or other body of water. Water generally moves from areas of higher elevation to lower elevation and from small streams to increasingly larger bodies of water.Changes to one part of a watershed affect the rest of the watershed.The benefits of wetlands for living and nonliving things.Certain actions can prevent or reduce water pollution.

Students will be able to do . . . (targeted skills):Identify fresh and salt-water bodies (ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, oceans).Identify characteristics of wetlands and the plants and animals found in them.Identify plants, fish, insects and amphibians found in fresh water.Identify their local watershed.Identify actions that can prevent or reduce water pollution.

Teaching and learning experiences:This unit should be completed after the Ecosystems and Endangered Species unit. Since wetlands are a type of ecosystem, students can build on the knowledge from that unit. Choose from among the suggested instructional activities to meet the standards.

Introduction/Hook:

Where does water come from and how do we use it? (2 days) Use the Water, Water Everywhere lesson (attached) to introduce the amount of water

found on Earth and ways that it is used. (Students could make posters rather than a big book.)

Use The Natural Water Cycle Hand Out to introduce the water cycle that includes the movement of water beneath the soil and transpiration of water by plants and animals. (If possible, make signs for the various steps and have students act out the movement of water through the water cycle. The concepts of percolation and transpiration will be new to them.)

On p. C33 of the Teacher’s Edition under Exploring the Main Idea is an easy demonstration comparing the amount of water absorption by sand and soil.

The Water’s Journey activity is a review from second grade; however the Community Water Cycle illustration is excellent since it includes both well water and public water systems. Students need to know where water goes and comes from and to consider how they use water.

Pages C30-C31, C33 and D18-D19 in the Macmillan McGraw Hill text also introduce and review these concepts.

Reading in Science Resources p. 184 has students analyze 4 of the steps in the water

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cycle. Reading in Science Resources p. 133 has students examine how much salt water and

fresh water are found on Earth. Reading in Science Resources p. 134 has students take a closer look at groundwater.

What is a watershed? (1 day) Lead the Branching Out activity to demonstrate the flow of water from areas of

higher elevation to lower elevation. (A modified version of this activity could be done outside using a white shower curtain to cover piles of small rocks or other objects to create high and low spots.)

Other options are to do the Explore Activity, Where Do Lakes Form? on p. C39 in which students create clay models with differing levels of elevation or the Streams, Lakes and Rivers model (attached) which also demonstrates watersheds and water absorption by soil.

After completing the activity identify the watershed in which the school is located by going to the website, www.wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/. This will allow you to identify your watershed. It would be a good idea to do this in the lab or using a projection device so that all students can see.

An alternative website is www.depweb.state.pa.us which has a Just for Kids option where students can click on the water button to learn more about watersheds. We are a part of the Delaware River watershed.

What is a wetland? (1-2 days) Begin by reading students the big book, Wetlands to give students a general

overview of what wetlands are and why they are important.. Tie in with their study of ecosystems. Each type of wetland is a unique ecosystem. Wetlands are parts of watersheds. Use the Teacher’s Guide to lead an in depth discussion of the book. Also discuss the fact that some wetlands contain fresh water while others contain saltwater.

Follow up with part 1 of The Field Trip: What Is A Wetland? pp.12-15 to introduce types of wetlands.

What are Some Different Kinds of Wetlands? (2-3 days) *Focus on Freshwater*Choose from the following activities to use as centers or whole class experiences. You can have all students go to each center or split the class into groups. Most of the centers are hands-on, so allowing each student to experience at least 2 is best.

Create a Scene -In this activity students will learn about a freshwater marsh, which is very common in our area. They will listen to or read a passage and create a picture using their imagination and given pictures. Give students copies of pages 43-48 from the book, Habitats on Ponds and Other Freshwater Habitats (attached). Have them read the mini-book and use it to complete the cut and paste activity on pages 47 and 48. Have students think about a pond that is near them or that they have visited. Have them write about the things that they remember seeing at or near the pond. They can use their mini-books as a word bank. Hidden In the Marsh-Create the model of the animals that hide in the marsh grasses. Have students compare the animals that live in Midwestern marshes to those found in eastern marshes. Freshwater Wetlands- Have students choose to read about marshes, bogs, or swamps and make a flip book telling 4 facts about it. If possible, the teacher should take the students out to the wetland area on the school property. The “Wet’n’Wild” activity (attached) gives some good ideas on how

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to do this study. The objective is for students to determine if the area is a wetland and then identify which type of wetland it is. They should also try to identify some plants and animals they might see and tell how these plants and animals depend on each other for their needs. The Naturalist’s Journal (attached) gives some suggestions for taking notes.

Why Are Wetlands Important? (2 days) Go back to the big book, Wetlands, that was read at the beginning of the unit.

Review the functions of wetlands that were discussed. They are near the end and are: prevent flooding, filter water and provide food and homes for animals. The experiments How are sponges and wetlands alike? and What do filters and wetlands have in common? (Student Page 16 attached) will help students understand the functions of flood control and filtration.

Read Part 2 of The Field Trip to learn more about other reasons wetlands are important.

Have students look at the Nature’s Nurseries pages (attached) to see what types of eggs are laid there.

Use the Wetland Metaphors Activity to review the many reasons why wetlands are important.

How and Why Do Wetlands Change? (2 days) Lead the From Pond to Land Experiment to demonstrate the natural changes that

wetlands go through over time (From Wetlands Teacher’s Guide pp.11-12 attached).

Read about threats to wetlands in The Field Trip Part 3(attached.) Read about how people change Earth’s surface on C63 of the Science textbook. Read pp.C42-43 in Science textbooks to learn about the effects of pollution. The

Quick Lab, Cleaning Water on p.C43 demonstrates how Earth cleans its own water. The Inclusion suggestion C43 and Advanced Learners suggestion C42 are also helpful.

The Water Under Foot groundwater model demonstrates pollution underground. It might be helpful to make a graphic organizer or flipbook to bring all of these

experiences together.

How Do Changes in An Ecosystem Affect Those Around It? (1 day) Use the Sum of the Parts Activity (attached) to demonstrate how pollution

accumulates. (use the modified activity on 269) Have students consider how changes to the ecosystem affect the users.

Read “Why So Many Eggs?” on pp. A58-59 of the Science textbook to learn about how changes to pond ecosystems pose new threats for the survival of frog populations.

How can people help? (1 day) Read Part 4 and 5 of the Field Trip (attached) to learn what is being done and what

kids can do to help preserve wetland areas. Read and discuss How Can You and Your Family Protect Our Water? (attached) Check out the website www.ecokidsonline.com and click on Topics to choose Water

Conservation Around the House.

Materials and Resources:Macmillan McGraw-Hill Science text- Grade 3

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Wetlands by Marcia Freeman- big book and teacher’s guide“The Field Trip” packet from Wild Things 2000: Wading Into Wetland – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Prince William NetworkWater, Water Everywhere activityThe Natural Water Cycle handoutWater’s Journey activityBranching Out activityStreams, Lakes, Rivers activitywww.wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/www.depweb.state.pas.us/justforkidsCreate a Scene activityHabitats: ScienceWorks for Kids Series pages on Ponds and Other Freshwater HabitatsHidden in the Marsh activityFreshwater Wetlands info from Wading into Wetlands by National Wildlife FederationWet’n’Wild activityNature’s Nurseries picturesWetland Metaphors activityHands on Wetlands: From Pond to Land experimentWater Under Foot groundwater modelSum of The Parts activityHow Can You and Your Family Protect The Water? handoutwww.ecokidsonline.com for Water Conservation Around The HouseWET Webliography- This site gives links to many websites on the topic of wetlands. Macmillan Mc-Graw Hill Language Arts Connections

A Year at the Pond leveled reader Unit 3.1 Week 3 Level A Estuaries: Where Oceans and Rivers Meet leveled reader Unit 3.3 Week 3 Level B

Accommodations: Follow IEP/504 Plans

Enrichments: Participate in the project Frogwatch USA sponsored by the National Wildlife

Federation. See sheets in the resources section. This project helps scientists collect information of frog and toad populations. The best thing about it is that they do this by listening to their songs/calls.

A great extension to this unit would be to make the school community aware of the wetland that is on its property. Students could design a way to share this information with the rest of the school. They should incorporate all areas they have studied:

The type of wetland on the property The plants and animals that live there How these plants and animals depend on each other for survival How this wetland benefits the school and surrounding community The watershed that this wetland is a part of Ways we can make sure that it stays clean and healthyGroups of students could be responsible for each of the items listed above. The information could be shared on a bulletin board or in the lobby of the school.

Time: 12-14 lessons

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