Grade 4 Life Science Unit (4.L.2)
Decision 1: What will students learn in this unit?
Students will know that living things derive their energy from food. Students will also know that humans
have needs for vitamins, minerals, and exercise in order to remain healthy.
Standards Addressed:
1. Science: 4.L.2 Understand food and the benefits of vitamins, minerals, and exercise
2. Reading Informational Text: RI.4.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational
texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4-5 text complexity
band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
3. Math: 4.MD.1, 4.NBT.4
4. Writing
5. Technology
6. Other
What do I want my students to KNOW, UNDERSTAND and be able to DO at the end of this unit?
Know
Understand
1. Students know that living
things derive their energy from
food.
2. Students know that humans
have needs for vitamins,
minerals, and exercise in order
to remain healthy.
3. Students know that vitamins
and minerals are found in
healthy foods, as well as
dietary supplements.
4. Students also know that
movement is essential to the
growth, development and
maintenance of the human
body and its systems.
1. Plants produce their own food,
while other organisms must
consume plants or other
organisms to meet their energy
needs.
2. The function of vitamins and
minerals in the human body.
3. Vitamins and minerals are
included in a variety of foods
they consume.
4. The role of exercise in
maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Do
1. Classify substances as food or
non-food items on their ability
to provide energy.
2. Explain the role of vitamins and
minerals in maintaining a
healthy body.
3. Exercise to maintain a healthy
body.
Decision 1 – What will students learn in this unit?
Decision 2: Assessment
Plan for how students will indicate learning and understanding of the concepts in the unit.
How will you assess learning?
Possibilities/options:
Pre-assessment
Short answer tests or quizzes
Student logs, journals and informal writing
Lab activities
Formal writing assignments
Informal or formal student Interviews, conferences, observations etc.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Describe the performance, product, or project that will be the culminating activity
for the unit.
The student’s assignment for the Culminating Activity includes:
Unit essential question or “I Can” statement for the culminating activity.
A thorough description of the activity including steps or task analysis in
completing the culminating activity.
A copy(ies) of the rubric(s) you will use to assess the culminating activity or any
other aspects of the unit.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Decision 2 – Assessment
Decision 2: Assessments – Rubric Reminders:
Scale
1
2
What does each number or adjective in your scale mean?
Indicators
Criteria
Decision 2 – Assessment: Rubric Reminders
3
(Proficient)
4
Decision 3: Student Learning Map
Key Learning Targets:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Students know that living things derive their energy from food.
Students know that humans have needs for vitamins, minerals, and exercise in order to remain healthy.
Students know that vitamins and minerals are found in healthy foods, as well as dietary supplements.
Students also know that movement is essential to the growth, development and maintenance of the
human body and its systems.
Concept:
Concept:
Concept:
Food as an Energy Source
Necessary Nutrients
Healthy Food Choices
Lesson LT(s):
Lesson LT(s):
Lesson LT(s):
I can determine that living things
derive their energy from food.
I can explain the role of vitamins
and minerals for a healthy body.
I can classify healthy vs. nonhealthy foods based on nutritional
value.
Vocabulary:
Vocabulary:
Vocabulary:
dietary supplements
essential
food label
minerals
nutrients
substance
vitamins
healthy
nutritional
value
Concept:
Concept:
Lesson LT(s):
Lesson LT(s):
Vocabulary:
Vocabulary:
consume
consumers
derive
energy
food
living
non-living
organisms
produce
producers
Concept:
Movement is Essential
Lesson LT(s):
I can explain how movement is
essential for the growth,
development, and maintenance of
a healthy body.
Vocabulary:
development
exercise
growth
maintenance
repair
Decision 3 – Student Learning Map
Decision 4: Launch Activities
Hooks and Links
Develops student interest and links prior knowledge. Provides the Student Learning
Map and the key vocabulary to students.
Guiding Questions:
1. How are you going to get students engaged?
Show Gregory the Terrible Eater, from the following website:
www.discoveryeducation.com
2. How are you going to develop student interest and link their prior knowledge?
Use an anticipation guide
3. How are you going to start the Student Learning Map of the unit with students?
Using technology, preview the first concept whole group with students.
4. How are you going to preview key vocabulary with students?
Using technology, preview the vocabulary for the first concept whole group with students
Decision 4 – Launch Activities
Decision 5: Acquisition Lesson One
Language Objective(s), where appropriate:
Lesson Essential Question(s) or “I Can” Statement(s):
I can determine that living things derive their energy from food.
Activating Strategies: (Learners Mentally Active)
Have students independently create a list of things that they need to survive. Upon completion, students
will work collaboratively in pairs to share their ideas for survival needs.
Acceleration/Previewing: derive, energy, food, producers, consumers
Teaching Strategies: (Explain and Model; Collaborative Pairs; Distributed Guided
Practice; Distributed Summarizing; Graphic Organizers)
Using responses from students created during activator, create a class list of survival needs. Teacher
will focus on the need for food and energy, by connecting prior learning about producers and
consumers, from Ecosystem studies. Students will complete a food chain flow map showing the
transfer of energy from one living thing to another.
Distributed Guided Practice/Summarizing Prompts:
Summarizing Strategies: Learners Summarize and Answer Essential Questions
Record important lesson vocabulary along with a quick write about today’s lesson.
Lesson Resources
Decision 5 – Acquisition Lesson Planning
Decision 5: Acquisition Lesson Two
Language Objective(s), where appropriate:
Lesson Essential Question(s) or “I Can” Statement(s):
I can determine the role of vitamins and minerals for a healthy body.
Activating Strategies: (Learners Mentally Active)
Students make a list of foods that they believe will give them the most energy.
Acceleration/Previewing: (key vocabulary) substance, nutrients, vitamins, minerals, food label
Teaching Strategies: (Explain and Model; Collaborative Pairs; Distributed Guided
Practice; Distributed Summarizing; Graphic Organizers)
Share some ideas about good energy source foods and introduce food label samples to compare and
contrast nutritional facts for certain foods.
Play Nutrient Machine game from www.nourishinteractive.com
Distributed Guided Practice/Summarizing Prompts: (prompts designed to Initiate Periodic Practice or Summarizing)
Summarizing Strategies: Learners Summarize and Answer Essential Questions
Quick write in science journal describing three foods that you like that could provide vitamins or
minerals.
Lesson Resources
www.nourishinteractive.com
www.nutritionnc.com
Decision 5 – Acquisition Lesson Planning
Decision 5: Acquisition Lesson Three
Language Objective(s), where appropriate:
Lesson Essential Question(s) or “I Can” Statement(s):
I can determine the role of vitamins and minerals for a healthy body.
Activating Strategies: (Learners Mentally Active)
Whole group Word splash for vitamins and minerals.
Acceleration/Previewing: (key vocabulary) dietary supplements, essential
Teaching Strategies: (Explain and Model; Collaborative Pairs; Distributed Guided
Practice; Distributed Summarizing; Graphic Organizers)
Students will take notes in their science journals using a graphic organizer and information from their
teacher. The graphic organizer will enable students to list the definition of a vitamin, a mineral,
examples of each, and examples of foods that are high in specific vitamin and mineral content.
Distributed Guided Practice/Summarizing Prompts: (prompts designed to Initiate Periodic Practice or Summarizing)
Summarizing Strategies: Learners Summarize and Answer Essential Questions
Parking lot: Students will write down on a sticky note one question they have about vitamins or
minerals.
Lesson Resources
www.kidspot.com lists vitamins and minerals chart for teacher reference.
Decision 5 – Acquisition Lesson Planning
Decision 5: Acquisition Lesson Four
Language Objective(s), where appropriate:
Lesson Essential Question(s) or “I Can” Statement(s):
I can classify healthy vs. non-healthy foods based on nutritional value.
Activating Strategies: (Learners Mentally Active)
Create on paper a healthy meal.
Acceleration/Previewing: (key vocabulary) healthy,
nutritional, value
Teaching Strategies: (Explain and Model; Collaborative Pairs; Distributed Guided
Practice; Distributed Summarizing; Graphic Organizers)
Introduce the My Plate concept and discuss balanced healthy meals.
Distributed Guided Practice/Summarizing Prompts: (prompts designed to Initiate Periodic Practice or Summarizing)
Summarizing Strategies: Learners Summarize and Answer Essential Questions
Lesson Resources
Decision 5 – Acquisition Lesson Planning
Decision 5: Acquisition Lesson Five
Language Objective(s), where appropriate:
Lesson Essential Question(s) or “I Can” Statement(s):
I can classify healthy vs. non-healthy foods based on nutritional value.
Activating Strategies: (Learners Mentally Active)
Small groups will classify a mystery food label as a healthy or non-healthy food item and predict what
that food might be.
Acceleration/Previewing: (key vocabulary)
Teaching Strategies: (Explain and Model; Collaborative Pairs; Distributed Guided
Practice; Distributed Summarizing; Graphic Organizers)
Whole group discuss possible food items that label represents.
Read aloud Investigation 4, Food Labels, from FOSS Science Stories.
Pass out practice food labels for students to examine and determine nutritional value.
Distributed Guided Practice/Summarizing Prompts: (prompts designed to Initiate Periodic Practice or Summarizing)
Summarizing Strategies: Learners Summarize and Answer Essential Questions
Quick write: Explain the purpose of the food label.
Lesson Resources
Decision 5 – Acquisition Lesson Planning
Decision 5: Acquisition Lesson Six
Language Objective(s), where appropriate:
Lesson Essential Question(s) or “I Can” Statement(s):
I can explain how movement is essential for the growth, development, and maintenance of a healthy
body.
Activating Strategies: (Learners Mentally Active)
Brain breaks or exercise dice – have students get up and exercise.
Acceleration/Previewing: (key vocabulary) development, exercise, growth, maintenance, repair
Teaching Strategies: (Explain and Model; Collaborative Pairs; Distributed Guided
Practice; Distributed Summarizing; Graphic Organizers)
Distributed Guided Practice/Summarizing Prompts: (prompts designed to Initiate Periodic Practice or Summarizing)
Summarizing Strategies: Learners Summarize and Answer Essential Questions
Lesson Resources
Decision 5 – Acquisition Lesson Planning
Decision 6: Extending Thinking Activities
Include extending activities for several lessons in the essential units.
Cause/Effect
Compare/Contrast
Deduction
Justification
Induction
Analyzing Perspective
Error Analysis
Abstracting
Evaluation
Classifying
Constructing Support
Writing Prompt
Decision 6 - Extended Thinking Activities
Decision 7: Differentiating the Unit
What accommodations will you make in order to meet the varied interests, learning styles, and
ability levels of all students?
choice menus
compacting
grouping
seating
visual, auditory, kinesthetic activities
scaffolding
real world meaning
interests
Decision 7 – Differentiating the Unit
Decision 8: Unit Calendar
Determine the most viable sequence for the experiences, activities, and lesson and create a
timeline.
Decision 8 – Unit Calendar
Decision 9: Resources
Provide graphic organizers, links, book titles, websites, etc. that provide support for teaching this
unit.
Decision 9 – Resources
Unit Designers:
Date: January 22, 2013
Name
School
Etowah
Maria Gass
Brittany Crisp
Mills River School
Wendy Cutchins
Fletcher
Debbie Haddad
Edneyville
Becky Marks
Edneyville
Unit Designers