Structure and Function of Living Systems through Process and Rationale Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan Template - Annotated
TEACHER

DATE

SUBJECT Science

GRADE LEVEL Kindergarten

UNIT OF STUDY Life Science

LESSON TITLE Structure and function of living systems

TARGETED STATE CONTENT
Mn 0.4.1.1.2 Identify the external parts of a variety of animals, including humans. Example: Heads, eyes, legs, and ears on animals and humans.

CENTRAL FOCUS
What are the different observable physical characteristics of animals and humans?

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will compare and contrast the structures of common animals, elephants, lions, dogs, fish, snakes, and birds.

ACADEMIC LANGUAGE DEMANDS/LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS
Language function: compare and contrast
Vocabulary: alike, scales, gills, beak, wings, offspring, fur, claw, trunk, tail, living things, habitat
Students should learn how to utilize their observation skills to see similarities and differences in the structures of animals. They need to compare and contrast the photos of animals while verbally giving a description.

LESSON TIMELINE/INSTRUCTIONAL PATHWAY
Introduce the topic of animals. Start a discussion with the students by asking the following questions: Do you have pets at home? Have you been to the zoo? What is your favorite animal?
Ask volunteer students to get some toy animal models in a box. Let them look at each animal and identify which ones they are familiar with. Ask questions that will provoke curiosity and understanding, such as the following: Are animals living things or non-living things? How many legs does this animal have? What do you think this body part is for? Do you know another animal with feathers?
After tapping into their background knowledge and brainstorming about animals, discussing different body parts will start. The animals will be classified depending on the habitat to understand the parts concerning their essential functions better. The flashcards and toy models of animals will be used in this discussion as well.
Bloom's taxonomy will be applied to identify, describe, compare, and contrast the different observations. In addition, the application of past experiences and knowledge will be incorporated to promote further understanding of the structures of the animals.
The Animal Parts song will be played for the class to sing and dance along to. Then, an example artwork will be shown as part of the instructions for the next activity. Next, the students will be asked to draw using the coloring materials that were discussed. Instructions will be repeated twice to promote understanding. The art activity will last for 10 minutes, and during the activity time, the teacher will roam around to check on the students' progress. Assistance wi...