Science Benchmark Clarification, Instruction, and Assessment

Benchmark Clarification:
Plants and animals may have similar and/or different features. Plants and/or animals may be put into groups based on similarities and differences.

K-2 groups will:

• Compare and contrast plants (bean) and animals (dog)
• Compare and contrast body coverings (feathers on a robin, scales on a trout)
• Compare and contrast edible parts and non-edible parts (apple on a tree, leaves on the same tree)

3-5 groups will:

• Compare and contrast flowering (tulip) and non-flowering (philodendron) plants
• Compare and contrast vertebrates (snake) and invertebrates (worm)
• Compare and contrast endoskeletons (human) and exoskeletons (lobster)

Key Concepts (voc.)/Tools:
Words describing plant and animal parts:

• backbone
• skin
• shell
• limbs
• roots
• leaves
• stems
• flowers
• feathers
• scales

Animals that look similar:

• snakes
• worms
• millipedes

Flowering and non-flowering plants:

• pine tree
• oak tree
• rose
• algae

Instructional Example SCI.III.2.E.2

Benchmark Question: How are groups of living things classified?
Focus Question: How can observable characteristics help us classify animals?

Read a biography of Gregor Mendel to students and discuss his contributions to the classification of living things.

Glossary of terms

• GENES are the particles of heredity.
• Each gene has two parts or determinants which are also called ALLELES. Determinants of alleles occur in two different forms, often denoted by using upper and lower case letters.
• When the two alleles are alike, they are HOMOZYGOUS
• When the two alleles are different, they are HETEROZYGOUS
• The actual genetic composition of an organism is the GENOTYPE
• The physical appearance of an organism is the PHENOTYPE

References

Experiments in Plant Hybridization. Gregor Mendel. Cambridge, Harvard University Press. 1965.
Mendel’s Principles of Heredity. W. Bateson. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. 1909.
Dictionary of Scientific Bibliography. Charles Coulston Gillispie. Charles Scribner & Sons. New York. 1974. Vol. IX, p. 277-283.

Divide students into groups of four. Provide each group with a container filled with approximately twenty different items. Ask each group to find a small, inconspicuous item in the container. Appoint one student in each group to be the "timer" and record how long it takes the group to find the item.

Challenge each group to divide the items in their container into three groups or categories. Groups then will explain the criteria they used to group the items. All of the items will then be returned to the container and the students will divide the items into four groups or categories, again providing their rationale. Repeat the process once more, this time challenging the groups to create five subdivisions.

With the items still sorted into five categories, ask each group to find another small, inconspicuous item and have the "timer" record how long it takes the group to find the item. Bring the whole class together and discuss the differences in the two times. (Reflect on how categorizing the items made it easier to find a specific item.)

As a class, use one of the team’s groupings and further subdivide. The class will then create a graphic organizer of the new groupings.

Animals.

Backyard Series. Kingfisher

"Bones or Not?" Sing the Science Standards (Songbook/CD).

Creatures Features. AIMS.

Graphic organizer software.

It Could Still Be…Series. Children's Press.
Jackson, Ian. Very Mixed Up Animals. Millbrook Publishers, 1998.

Sorting All Sorts. AIMS.

Classroom Assessment Example SCI.III.2.E.2

Post the six animal characteristics (backbone, skin, shell, limbs, feathers, and scales) (See Key Concepts). Have students brainstorm a list of animals for each of the six categories. Students should then choose two of the categories. Challenge each student to consider the similarities and differences among the animals in the categories he or she has chosen and to create one more division for each category based on personal observation. Each student will then design a graphic organizer (See graphic organizer in resources) that begins with animals (Level I) and is divided into two of the posted categories (Level II). From there, the student will divide each of the two chosen categories once more based on personal observation (Level III). The graphic organizer is then completed by adding the names of the animals from the original brainstormed list (Level IV).

(Give students rubric before activity.)

Benchmark Clarification:
A life cycle is a series of stages through which all living things (organisms) progress.

Students will:

• Sequence the life cycle stages of plants (seed, plant, flower, fruit)
• Sequence the life cycle stages of animals (egg, young, adult) (egg, larva, pupa, adult)

Key Concepts (voc.)/Tools:
Life cycle stages:

• egg
• young
• adult
• seed
• plant
• flower
• fruit
• larva
• pupa

Real-World Context:
Common plants and animals:

• bean plants
• apple trees
• butterflies
• grasshoppers
• frogs
• birds

Instructional Example SCI.III.2.E.3

Benchmark Question: What are the life cycle stages of living things (organisms)?
Focus Question: How do plants change as they grow?

Together, students will plant seeds and create a routine to care for and observe the plants. Students will observe the plants using measurement tools and as many of the five senses as possible. The class will begin recording common observations in a journal as modeled by the teacher. Use of computers or digital cameras would be appropriate. More mature students may record their own observations over a series of days or months. Students will measure the growth of the plants on a daily basis over several weeks and will record the information they gather using a table that will be the basis for a student-generated graph. Students will draw and label (classify) the four stages (seed, plant, flower, fruit) of the plant life cycle they have observed.

Animal Lives Series. Kingfisher.
From…To…Series. Orchard.
How & Why Series. CTP
How Things Grow Series. Childrens Press.
Life Cycle Book. AIMS.
Life Cycles Series. CTP.
Life Story Series. Troll.

Seeds

Classroom Assessment Example SCI.III.2.E.3

Students will complete a panel drawing (comic strip) showing the life cycle stages of a plant or animal. Each panel should correspond to one stage in the plant or animal’s life cycle. Drawings must include speech bubbles explaining the stage and what is happening to the organism.

(Give students rubric before activity.)

Benchmark Clarification:
All plants and animals have life requirements. Plants and animals obtain and use energy (sunlight and food) from their environment (water, air, minerals, space, and habitat) in a variety of ways. A basic understanding of photosynthesis (link to Glossary) is essential.

Students will:

• Compare and contrast how plants obtain and use energy directly from the sun and convert it to produce their own food to how animals use plants or other animals for their food

Photosynthesis: The formation of a carbohydrate from water and carbon dioxide using the sun’s energy.

Key Concepts (voc.)/Tools:
Life requirements:

• food
• air
• water
• minerals
• sunlight
• space
• habitat

See SCI.III.5.E.2

Real-World Context:
Germinating seeds:

• beans
• corn

Aquarium or terrarium life:

• guppy
• goldfish
• snail

Instructional Example SCI.III.2.E.4

Benchmark Question: How do living things obtain and use energy?
Focus Question: How do the life requirements for a plant and animal compare?

Students will plant a seed in soil (for example, grass, corn, bean, Wisconsin Fast Plant). In a journal, students will record growth and life requirements (See Key Concepts) Students’ data should contain what the plant needs to survive over a short period of time. The class will create a chart to organize and record data. This chart should include life requirements and energy sources. Students will then observe either an animal (e.g., mealworms) in the environment, classroom, or home and record observations for the same amount of time.

Students will work in small groups to complete a Venn diagram comparing their plant and animal. Groups will report their results to the class. The class will generalize that animals require food from another source while plants use the sun’s energy to make their own food. The class should conclude that while habitats and food sources may differ, the need for air, food, water, minerals, sunlight, and space are similar.

Habitat Series. Barron’s.
Himmelman, John. Dandelion’s Life. Childrens Press, 1999.
Maestro, Betsy. Why Do Leaves Change Color? Harper, 1994.

"Special Needs." Sing the Science Standards (Songbook/CD)

Classroom Assessment Example SCI.III.2.E.4

Students will create a graphic organizer displaying the following information for a selected plant and animal: food, air, water, sunlight, habitat, and food source. Using this information, students will construct a labeled three-dimensional model (diorama) that compares the life requirements of their plant to their animal. (Students should use half of the box for the plant, half of the box for the animal.)

(Give students rubric before activity.)

Benchmark Clarification:
All plants have parts that perform a specific function (job) to keep the plant alive. Each part of a plant works to support a plant’s life.

Students will:

• Explain how roots anchor the plant and take in water and minerals
• Explain how stems provide support and carry water, minerals, and food to all parts of the plant
• Explain how leaves make food (site of food production)
• Explain how flowers produce fruit and attract pollinators (bees, birds, etc.)
• Explain how fruits hold and disperse seeds
• Explain how seeds carry embryos (link to Glossary) for new plants

Embryo: An undeveloped plant within a seed.

Key Concepts (voc.)/Tools:
Plant parts:

• roots
• stems
• leaves
• flowers
• fruits
• seeds

See SCI.III.4.E.2, functions of selected animal body parts.

Real-World Context:
Common edible plant parts:

• bean
• cauliflower
• carrots
• apples
• tomatoes
• celery
• spinach

Instructional Example SCI.III.2.E.5

Benchmark Question: How does each part of a seed plant support the plant’s life?
Focus Question: What are the functions of seed plant parts?

Begin by reading a biography about plant expert Katherine Esau.

As a review of plant parts and their functions, have children in small groups play "Concentration" where they match a plant part card with the correct function card (link to Benchmark Clarification SCI.III.2.E.5). Lead class discussion to insure correct matches. Provide examples of foods that represent each part of a plant:

Have students identify each item. In small groups, as food is passed to each group, have students classify each food as a root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit, or seed. Have groups record their placements on a chart or board visible to everyone. Through class discussion, clarify the part of the plant each food represents.

Resources/References:
Webliography

Mayes, Susan. What Makes a Flower Grow? Usbourne, 1989.

Plant parts

"Salad Nutrition Chart." Grow Lab: Activities for Growing Minds.

"Seed Plants." Sing the Science Standards (Songbook/CD).

Classroom Assessment Example SCI.III.2.E.5

Students will create a salad made of plant parts. They will incorporate each plant part in the salad. They will identify the part and the function of each part through a written "menu," a labeled diagram, or an oral presentation about the salad.

(Give students rubric before activity.)