ED 3601
Science Minilesson Plan
1
Minilesson Plan
Name: Jane Doe
Grade: Grade 2
Unit: Topic E Small Flying/Crawling Animals Topic: Feeding Habits/Food Chains
Length: 20 minutes
Date: February 13, 2006
Alberta Program - General Outcomes:
2-10 “Describe the general structure and life habits of small flying and crawling animals.”
Alberta Program - Specific Outcomes:
• Identify each animal’s role within the food chain…identify the animals as plant eaters, animal eaters or
decomposers. (knowledge)
• Carry out simple procedures identified by others. (skill)
• Describe what was observed with captioned pictures and oral language. (skill)
Lesson Objectives:
Students will:
1. Carry out a procedure to determine the house cricket’s food preferences.
2. Record observations of house crickets’ food preferences.
3. Identify the house cricket’s role in the food chain as plant eater (vegetarian) or animal eater
(carnivore).
Materials:
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12 live house crickets
small plastic aquariums (2)
magnifying lenses (2)
bran flakes (6 flakes)
forceps (2)
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small pieces of carrot (6)
small pieces of cooked meat (6)
small pieces of hotdog (6)
copies of worksheet (6)
transparency of worksheet
Procedure
Introduction (3 minutes):
1. Attention-Grabber: Show the class a bowl of cereal and a hamburger (or breakfast burger).
Ask: Which would you prefer for breakfast? Hands-up for cereal. For the burger? Does
everybody eat the same things for breakfast? What about animals? What do cows and horses
have for breakfast? How about lions and wolves? It the same with small animals like insects,
spiders and worms: some prefer plants for food and others prefer animals.
2. Advance organizer: Today we are going to find out what kind of food crickets like these prefer
to eat (show them to students). The foods they will choose from are: bran flakes, carrot,
hamburger, and hotdog.
3. Prior knowledge/initiating: Have students orally predict which foods the crickets would like
best and record the results on the board. How many think they will like the cereal best?
Carrots? Hamburger? Hotdog? OK, Let’s investigate!
Body (15 minutes):
Introduction to Activity (4 minutes)
1. You will work in one group of two and a group of three. Each group will get a miniaquarium with two crickets. When I say, the materials handler will come up and get the
aquarium for your group and the assistant. Then the assistant materials handler will get the
forceps and the dish with the food for your group.
ED 3601
Science Minilesson Plan
2
2. You will then carefully place the four pieces of food in different parts of the aquarium
(demonstrate with empty aquarium), and observe what foods the crickets eat.
3. Hand out the worksheet ‘Plant-eater or Animal Eater?’ You will record your observations
record this on your worksheet here, using pictures and words (demonstrate) and when you are
finished you will answer the question at the bottom: What kinds of food do crickets prefer?
4. The rules for this investigation are: (1) do not touch or mistreat the crickets, (2) do not let
the crickets out of the aquarium. Check-for understanding questions: What’s the first thing
you do once you have the materials? The second? Are you allowed the touch the crickets? Do
you have to write anything down? What? Where? Start instruction: “OK, come and get your
crickets.”
Plant-Eater or Animal-Eater Activity (11 minutes)
1. The students conduct the investigation.
2. I will monitor the group to assess whether they are carrying out the procedure, working
well with others, and recording observations appropriately on the worksheet.
3. Give a one-minute warning, and when time is up call for attention and start clean-up.
Closure (2 minutes):
1. Consolidate Learning: ASK: So what did you find out about what crickets like to eat? Group 1?
Group 2? Summarize the results on the board in a simple table: bran flakes carrot meat hotdog
ASK: What do our results show: are crickets plant-eaters, meat-eaters, or both? OK, can you
please hand in your worksheets for grading now?
2. Feedback: How did you like studying the crickets today? Was this a good activity? Why? Give
specific feedback on the skills students demonstrated, and their communication and teamwork.
Assessment Methods
1. Objective 1: Informal observations of students carrying out the procedure.
2. Objective 2: Students’ captioned pictures recorded on the activity worksheet.
3. Objective 3: Oral responses during the closure, and written responses on the activity
worksheet.
Educational Resources Used:
Alberta Education. (1993). Elementary Program of Studies. Edmonton AB: Alberta Education.
Campbell, S. (1992). Explorations in science level 2: Creatures and crawlers. Toronto, ON:
Addison-Wesley
Edmonton Public Schools (1997). Topic E: Small crawling and flying animals. Edmonton Public
Schools.
Hallet, I. (1995). Breeding and raising the house cricket, Acheta domesticus. Retrieved January
15, 2007 from http://www.anapsid.org/crickets.html
Science Alberta Foundation. (2006). Lets Do Science 2.