Science
SCI.III.2.1
Strand:
Using Scientific Knowledge in Life Science
- Organization of Living Things
Standard:
Benchmark:
Grade: 1
All students will use classification systems to describe groups of living things.
Explain characteristics and functions of observable body parts in a variety of
animals.
Constructing & Reflecting:
SCI.I.1.1 - Generate reasonable questions about the world based on observation.
SCI.I.1.2 - Develop solutions to problems through reasoning, observation, and investigation
SCI.I.1.5 - Develop strategies and skills for information gathering and problem solving.
SCI.II.1.3 - Describe ways in which technology is used in everyday life.
SCI.II.1.4 - Develop an awareness of and sensitivity to the natural world.
Vocabulary / Key Concept
Context
Observable characteristics:
• fur
• scales
• feathers
• horns
• claws
• eyes
• quills
• beaks
• teeth
• skeleton
• muscles
• exoskeleton
Vertebrate and invertebrate animals:
• humans
• cows
• sparrows
• goldfish
• spiders
• insects
• crayfish
Functions:
• insulation
• support
• movement
• food-getting
• protection
Knowledge and Skills
Resources
Benchmark Clarification:
Coloma Resources:
Animals can be sorted by their observable body
parts. Students will categorize an animal according
to its characteristics and how the characteristics
work.
Newbridge Early Science Program “big books”
and teaching guides:
-Squirrels All Year Long (vertebrates)
-Busy As a Bee (invertebrates)
-A Butterfly is Born (invertebrates)
-The World of Ants (invertebrates)
Examples:
• Insulation: fur, feathers, blubber
• Support: exoskeleton (outer), endoskeleton
(inner)
• Food-Getting: claws, beaks, teeth
• Protection: quills, horns, claws, eyes
• Movement: legs, wings, fins, webbed feet
Students will:
• Categorize an animal according to its
characteristics and how those characteristics
work
• Categorize vertebrates — animals with a
backbone
• Categorize invertebrates — animals without
a backbone
Newbridge Discovery Links “little” readers with
reproducible Home/School Connections blackline
masters:
-Ants (invertebrates)
-Fly, Butterfly (invertebrates)
-How Do Frogs Grow? (invertebrates)
-Animals Hide (vertebrates)
Various animal cards from Science Poster Series
Community Resources:
Sarett Nature Center
Curious Kids Museum
Blackline Master of Squirrel (attached)
Other Resources:
•
Webliography.
http://mtn.merit.edu/mcf/SCI.III.2.E.1.html
Instruction
Benchmark Question: What are the functions of
observable body parts of animals?
Focus Question: It’s a part; what’s its function?
The story Squirrels All Year Long focuses on how
squirrels gather food, provide and create shelter,
and keep themselves warm in colder
months/seasons.
Assessment
Informal:
Show various animal pictures (mammal, insect,
bird). Have students identify what each animal
uses for
A insulation
B support
C movement
D food-getting
E protection
After, or during, the reading of the big book, the
teacher needs to use the terminology listed under
knowledge and skills. This will provide specific
exposure to the vocabulary.
Teacher’s Comments
Use classification systems to describe groups of living things.
With the help of the big yellow bird or the purple dinosaur, children at an early age sort "which one
doesn't belong." There is a tremendous diversity of life forms. With over 1,500,000 identified organisms,
biologists need some way of organizing these life forms so they can be studied.
Students informally observe a wide variety of living things in and out of school. Just like scientists, they
note similarities and differences in their observations. At the elementary level, students focus on
observable characteristics. These informal categories will be challenged with the acquisition of
additional knowledge of anatomical differences, in particular those characteristics that are not
observable.