Spark 101 Lesson Plan Video Presentation Title: Species Diversity and River Quality Unit of Instruction: Adaptation Subject/Course: Fourth Grade Science Standard(s): 4th Grade TEKS (10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms undergo similar life processes and have structures that help them survive within their environment. The student is expected to: (A) Explore how adaptations enable organisms to survive in their environment such as comparing birds' beaks and leaves on plants; Objective(s): Students will be able to: Discover adaptations of species within the Potomac River and apply this knowledge to create their own species. Assessment/Demonstration of Learning: Students will create their own species with adaptations and explain what each adaptation enables this animal to do. These adaptations will relate specifically to the habitat their living in. Resources Needed: Computer to stream Spark video Vocabulary worksheet, scissors to cut out words Science journal Writing Utensil Spark 101 Reflective Journal Learning Log Student Template 3 Spark 101 ©2015 Sarah Kubasik, College of Education Student, The University of Texas at Austin Page 1 of 4 Lesson Component Time Allotted Activator (Prior to showing the video presentation) Time: 15 minutes Problem/Motivation (Part I of video) Time: 6 minutes Problem Solving Activity (Describe process for identifying possible solution(s) to the problem presented) Time: 5 minutes Solving the Problem (Part II of video) Time: 2 minutes Comparing Solutions and Meaning (Describe process for identifying possible solution(s) to the problem presented) Spark 101 ©2015 Grouping: Independent Pairs Small groups (3-5) Whole group Time: 5 minutes Grouping: Independent Pairs Small groups (3-5) Whole group Teacher Procedure Pair students with a partner to complete a vocabulary activity (see last page) covering important words for both the video and lesson. Students will cut out the words and definitions and work as a team to match these; the teacher will circle the room for assistance and to check for understanding. After about 8-10 minutes the class as a whole will go over the correct definitions and students will leave this activity on their desk for a reference during the video. Show this first segment of the video to your students, letting them know that they will be working on solving the real-world problem after viewing. Remind them to listen for the key vocabulary words we reviewed. Pause video at 3:35 to tell students to pay extra close attention to the upcoming part (specifically deals with adaptations). Discuss the first section of the video and answer any questions students may have. Then help the students to develop a class definition for a healthy river, encouraging students to use key words such as “biodiversity” or “species” from the vocabulary activity on their desk. Have a thumbs-up scale check for students to show how healthy they think the river is (thumbs all the way up for A+, middle for a C, pointing all the way down for an F, or anywhere in between). Explain in the next part of the video that we will see a professional give the river a grade on how he healthy thinks it is. Checks for Understanding Provide opportunities for questions to be answered. The students will be contributing to the definition as a group and will be participating as a class in thumbs up grading of the river. Show this second segment of the video to your students, letting them know that they will be comparing their solutions to the actual solution shared by the industry professional(s). Have the students compare their class definition of a healthy river to Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s definition. Ask, “What could we add to our definition?” Have students record a new definition of a healthy river as well as one way they could make the river grade more accurate in their science journals. Checks for Understanding Students will record their definition and idea for improvement, which can be read and graded at a later time. Teacher can also circle the room during the activity to monitor. Sarah Kubasik, College of Education Student, The University of Texas at Austin Page 2 of 4 Future Impact and Meaning (Part III of video) Future Impact and Meaning (Have students reflect on how solving the problem might relate to current or future goals) Summarizer/Closure Assessment (if applicable) Time: 2 minutes Show this third and final segment of the video to your students, letting them know that they will be reflecting on their thoughts related to pursing possible education pathways and careers presented in the video. Have students talk in small groups (tables) about what they learned from the video. Did they know this was a career option? Is this something they could see themselves doing, why? What classes do they think are most important for an environmental career? After three-minute discussion students will have five minutes to complete the Reflective Grouping: Journals/Learning Logs Student Template 3. Independent Checks for Understanding Pairs Review the template, each section should: Small groups (3-5) Be completed Whole group Contain at least one to two ideas Be written in complete sentences Relate accurately to the video Include a question related to this topic Explain to the students that this video was so valuable because not only did we learn Time: about the overall health of a river and possible careers in this field of work; we also 5 minutes were able to see real-life species adaptations in video. Assist the students in developing a class list of adaptations seen in the video for Potomac River species (tail, body shape, shell, teeth). Briefly have students turn to a partner and discuss what each of the adaptations enabled the animal to do. In their science journals, have students create their own species to live either in or near a river. They should give their species two to three adaptations (different than the ones we saw in the video) and write an explanation for what each of the adaptations enables their animal to do and why this animal would thrive with these adaptations in a river environment. Additionally, have students create a name for their animal and draw a quick sketch of what it would look like. Time: 8 minutes Additional Notes (if needed) CK12 Connections (if available) . OpenStax Connections (if available) NA Spark 101 ©2015 Sarah Kubasik, College of Education Student, The University of Texas at Austin Page 3 of 4 Student Resource Spark 101 ©2015 Sarah Kubasik, College of Education Student, The University of Texas at Austin Page 4 of 4