Science
SCI.III.2.1
Grade: 2
Strand:
Using Scientific Knowledge in Life Science
- Organization of Living Things
Standard:
All students will use classification systems to describe groups of living things.
Benchmark:
Explain characteristics and functions of observable body parts in a variety
of animals.
Constructing and 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
Plant, animal, fur, scales, feathers, skin, leaves, bark,
beak, teeth, wings, fins, legs, walk, fly, swim,
backbone, no backbone, shells, stems, roots, flowers,
seeds, insects, vertebrate, invertebrate, mammal, reptile,
bird, fish, amphibian, lungs, gills, skeleton, antennae,
thorax, abdomen
Vertebrate and invertebrate animals:
This benchmark will be covered through other
benchmarks. (See Knowledge and Skills section on the
next page.)
•
humans
•
cows
•
sparrows
•
goldfish
•
spiders
•
insects
•
crayfish
Knowledge and Skills
Resources
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.
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
Benchmark Clarification:
This benchmark will be completed after the other units
are completed. By reading the Big Book on Butterflies,
Robins and Maple Trees.
Other Resources:
Michigan Teacher Network Resources
http://mtn.merit.edu/mcf/SCI.III.2.E.1.html
SCoPE Unit – 2nd Grade - The Characteristics,
Needs, and Development of Living Things
http://www.michigan.gov/scope/0,1607,7-15510710_13476_13479-35611--,00.html
BCISD Classroom Resources – Life Science
http://www.remc11.k12.mi.us/bcisd/classres/lsci
ence.htm
Explore and enjoy photos, information, and even
sounds of hundreds of animals in the fascinating
Animal Bytes database from Sea World.
----------------------------------------------------------------Resources (continued from column on right)
http://www.teachersdomain.org/K2/sci/life/colt/subtopic_plants.html
All About…Series. Scholastic.
Backyard Series: Are You a…? Kingfisher.
Know It All Series. McClanahan.
Look Once, Look Again Series. CTP.
National Audubon Society. First Field Guide Series.
Scholastic.
Pictures of animals at the Oregon Metro Zoohttp://www.zooregon.org/
http://www.seaworld.org/animalbytes/animal%5
Fbytes.html
Teachers’ Domain – Multimedia Resources –
video clips, narratives and photos of animals
and their adaptations. Lots to choose from –
AWESOME site!
Science of Living Things Series. Crabtree.
Instruction
Assessment
Benchmark Question: What are the functions of
observable body parts of animals?
Focus Question: It’s a part; what’s its function?
Assessment
Each student will invent an animal that shows an
observable body part for each of the following
functions: insulation, support, movement, food
Students will select a familiar animal to analyze. All
getting, and protection. Each student must present his
observable body parts of the chosen animal will be
or her design in one of the following forms:
listed. Then students will work to put each of the body
parts into at least one of the function categories listed in storybook, flipbook, multi-media presentation, 3D
model, or drama.
the Benchmark Clarification Section.
This presentation must also include a written
explanation of the body’s observable characteristics
and the function that each fulfills. Written
presentations may be in one of the following forms:
story, poem, song, or report.
(Give students rubric before activity.)
Scoring Rubric
Criteria: Completeness of design
Apprentice - Designs one observable body characteristic for
two or fewer of the functions.
Basic - Designs one observable body characteristic for three of
the five functions.
Meets - Designs one observable body characteristic for all five
functions.
Exceeds - Designs more than one observable body
characteristic for one or more of the five functions.
Criteria: Explanation of function
Apprentice - Relates one observable body part to fewer than
three of the five functions, including details.
Basic - Relates one observable body part to three of the five
functions, including details.
Meets - Relates one observable body part to each of the five
functions with accurate details.
Exceeds - Relates all observable body parts to each of the five
functions with accurate details.
Teacher Notes:
http://www.misd.net/mibig/
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.