Lesson Plan 1-Science
Introduction
Ms. Schwager
3rd grade
Counting Bones
Dubuque Elementary
11/7/2011
Students
21 3rd grade students; 13 boys and 8 girls; 3 TAG students and 2 students below 3rd grade math
level; all students learn best with hands on activities and lessons.
Content Standards
Iowa
Science as Inquiry
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Ask questions about objects, organisms, and events in the environment
Plan and conduct simple investigations
Use tools to gather data and extend the senses
Use mathematics in scientific inquiry
Use data to construct reasonable explanations
Communicate investigations and explanations orally, in writing or through drawings
Follow appropriate safety procedures when conducting investigations
Life Science
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Apply and understand fundamental human body parts and their functions
National
Science as Inquiry
CONTENT STANDARD A:
As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students should develop
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Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
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Understanding about scientific inquiry
Life Science
CONTENT STANDARD C:
As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students should develop understanding of
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The characteristics of an organism
Instructional Objectives
Given time in class, students will determine the number of bones in the body with an accuracy of
90%.
Assessment Plan
I will observe each student’s participation during each activity. At the end of the lesson, students
will complete the “Counting Bones” worksheet, and I will evaluate how each student’s work.
Rubric- Counting Bones worksheet
If the
student...
1/1 (100%)
Pass
Fail
identifies the correct number of
arm bones, leg bones, skull
bones, and torso bones with no
errors.
cannot identify the correct
number of arm bones, leg
bones, skull bones, and torso
bones without any errors.
Instruction
Engage:
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Explain, “We are going to investigate the human body by observing it in action!”
Put students in groups of two and say, “Each team will need a piece of paper, pencil, and
book to write on.”
Tell the students, “I will give each team a jump rope. Take turns jumping rope with your
partner. When your partner is jumping, watch which parts of his or her body come into
action. Write down what you see on the piece of paper. Try to find which parts of the
body move when a person jumps rope.”
Lead the class outside to a big space and give each team a jump rope.
Say, “Be sure to jump rope carefully and keep the swinging rope away from other
groups.”
Give students 10-15 minutes to jump rope and write down their observations.
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Take students back into the classroom to discuss observations
Ask each group to, “Tell the rest of the class what parts of the body you observed that
came into action. “
Let each group share their findings.
Explore:
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Tell students to, “Think about the bone system in the body. “
Ask questions to focus their attention
- “Do your bones move when you jump rope?” (wait for student responses)
- “Where are your bones?” (call on student to answer- inside your body)
- “How can you tell where your bones are?” (call on students to respond- feel for hard
parts inside)
- “What do you call the whole system of bones?” (ask student to answer- skeleton)
- “How many bones do you think you have in your skeleton?” (ask several students)
Explain, “A skeleton is a system of bones. We are going to count the bones to find out
how many there are in the human skeleton.”
“We will work in groups of four, and each group will be responsible for counting the
bones in one part of the skeleton.”
Put students into groups of four. (have groups decided before lesson)
Assign two groups to each of the subsystems: leg (including foot), arm (including hand),
head or skull (not the neck), torso (including neck, shoulders, and hips).
Let the students begin the count.
Explain:
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After students have been working for about 10 minutes, ask for their attention.
Ask, “How do your bones feel?” (call on student for answer)
“If your bones are hard, how do our bodies bend?” (Ask student for answer)
Say, “Feel your bodies where two bones come together. Bones do not bend, so places
where arms, legs, and fingers bend are places where separate bones come together. These
places are called joints.”
“Can anyone point out the joints in our bodies?” (Call on several students)
After joint discussion say, “You can continue to count the bones in your assigned groups.
When your group is done, have one person write the count on a piece of paper.”
Elaborate:
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Draw a chart on the whiteboard. Explain, “One person from each group can come up and
write their group’s counts in the chart.”
Average the results and add up the total. Results might look something like this:
Skeleton subsystem
Arm
Leg
Torso
Head
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Count
42, 46
44, 36
35, 31
11, 3
Total
Average
44
40
33
7
124
As, “How will we know if we missed any bones when we counted?” (call on several
students)
Hang up the skeleton photo where all students can see it. Allow time for the students to
look at the photo and ask questions.
Ask students to, “Notice the different sizes and shapes of the bones in the legs, arms, ribs,
and backbone.”
Point out the areas on the skeleton where joints are located.
Evaluate:
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Explain, “After looking at the skeleton photo, we are going to recount the bones in the
human skeleton. Each group will be able to look at the posters to help them.”
Give students 10-15 minutes to recount bones.
Distribute “Counting Bones” worksheet to each student and explain, “Each group can fill
out this paper together. Do your best and turn it in at the front table when you are
finished.”
Instructional Materials/Resources
Jump ropes
paper
pencils
skeleton photo
8 skeleton subsystem posters
whiteboard
“Counting Bones” worksheet
“Counting Bones” answer key
References
Science, L. H. (2005). FOSS-Human Body. Berkeley: Delta Education.
Differentiating and Accommodating Instruction
Differentiated Instruction
I will review the number of bones in the human body with the students before they are given the
worksheet to complete as an assessment. During each activity, I will walk around and help
students and answer any questions they may have.
Accommodations for Special Needs
Students will be grouped appropriately for jumping rope and counting bones. Those students
who may need extra help will be grouped with TAG students or students who work well with
others. The posters and visuals will help students understand the materials and information. I will
also read the worksheet with the student before he or she completes it for assessment.
Reflection
*will complete after lesson