FOOD CHAIN

Science can become quite boring with the same old lecturing and questioning.  I loooove Scholastic resources as supplementation for lesson plans.   I enjoy using the Magic School Bus resources for  explaining how food chain works using videos, the white board and pop corn! You may think that  the Magic School Bus is rather outdated. In essence, it delivers the objective and students get engaged so much, that by my own experience, some of them end up checking out  their books and using other resources such as games, science facts,quizzes and experiments.

SC.4.L.17.3

Benchmark Description:

Trace the flow of energy from the Sun as it is transferred along the food chain through the producers to the consumers. Question: What is your favorite kind of insect? Ms. Frizzle: Bees are my favorite, even though there are 20,000 different species of bees. They are very productive, they produce delicious honey for humans. We also wouldn't have vegetables or flowers without bees pollinating. Popcorn Chain Going Hands-On The Magic School Bus kids really get into the food chain: They're swallowed by a tuna fish. With this activity, your kids get to eat while they act as links in the food chain. The popcorn bags stand for food energy that is passed along the links in a food chain from the sun, to plants, to plant-eaters, to meat-eaters. What You Need Copies of POPCORN CHAIN page Scissors Markers Yarn Tape 12 baggies of popcorn Talk About It Ask children: What is a food chain? What are some examples of plants and animals that are links in a food chain? What might happen in a food chain if one link is harmed by pollution? What To Do Choose roles for children: 1 sun, 12 plants, 6 plant-eaters, and 3 meat-eaters. Kids color and cut out their symbols and tape them to yarn to make necklaces. Have children spread out around the room, or go outside if possible. The sun holds all 12 bags of popcorn. She gives one bag to each plant. The plants eat half of the popcorn to have energy for growing and living. Each plant-eater takes a bag from two plants and eats half of the remaining popcorn. Each meat-eater takes a bag from two plant-eaters and eats the rest of the popcorn.  Next Stop Kids can trace a food chain from a favorite food. They might try pizza, a jelly bean, or tuna fish. One can use these resources as part of science centers and reinforcement while  students play and test!

PBS LESSON PLAN RESOURCES

What? Free lesson plan resources  on the TV station website?

Yes! One as a future educator  can take advantage of PBS teaching resources for free!  The reason why I love their resources sooooo much is because they have STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) related videos, handouts and lessons that apply to any STEM subject.

Science

TECHNOLOGY

ENGINEERING

MATH

MA.B.2.3.1.3: finds measures of length, weight or mass, and capacity or volume using proportional relationships and properties of similar geometric figures (for example, using shadow measurement and properties of similar triangles to find the height of a flag pole).

Shadow Math

Objective : Students will be able to measure the length of shadows to estimate the height of something very tall.

Goal: To explore proportional reasoning in solving a measurement problem.

Time: 45 minutes

Space: Outside on a bright, sunny day

Materials

• tape measure
• ball of string
• 2 objects 4 feet and 2 feet tall

For your child:

• “Shadow Math” handout (pdf)
• pencil or pen
• ball of string
• scissors
• tape measure

Preparation

Time: 30 minutes

• Find a tall object outside (flagpole, tall pine tree) that casts a shadow whose length can be measured.
• Select 2 objects about 4 feet and 2 feet tall that can be used to cast shadows outside. (A child can be the 4-foot tall object.)
• Optional:  Preview the episode or clip, and if using them with your child, cue up the videos via the links above.

Directions

TIP: This activity works best mid-morning or mid-afternoon when shadows are longer than the height of the objects casting them.

1. Start a discussion with your child about shadows. Ask: What can you tell me about your shadow? (Responses might include shadows are attached to feet, resemble body shapes, sometimes are longer and sometimes shorter.)
2. Optional: Use the episode or clip to further explore this idea.
3. Outside, stand the 4-foot tall object and the 2-foot tall object side-by-side in direct sunlight. Ask: What can you tell me about these two shadows? (The taller object casts the longer shadow. One shadow looks to be about twice the length of the other shadow.)
4. Have your child measure the 4-foot and 2-foot tall objects to confirm that one is twice as tall as the other.
5. Now have your child cut 2 pieces of string to the lengths of the shadows cast by these objects. Use these string lengths to demonstrate that one is twice as long the other. Ask: What can you tell me about the relationship between the two shadows and the two heights? (They are each twice as tall or twice as long as the other. The objects and their shadows share the same relationship.)
6. Take your child to the tall object you’ve selected. Ask: How could we measure the height of this? Ask: How can we use what we just learned about objects and their shadows to estimate the height of this object?
7. Give your child a copy of the handout, pencil, tape measure, string and scissors. Review the handout together. Explain that she should measure shadow lengths in as straight a line as possible to keep measurements accurate.
8. Allow time for your child to do the activity, then discuss the results.

 You could use this to help recording measurements:

Related Video

• Watch Related Episode
• Target Age
  8-11
• Learning Goals
  Pre-Algebra; Measurement

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Take It Further

Share this activity’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) connections and invite your child’s comments:

Scientists and engineers often use proportionality — the mathematical relation between two quantities — to figure out unknown measurements. Before more sophisticated tools were invented, early explorers such as Lewis and Clark used proportionality to measure and record the widths of rivers for their maps.

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Talk About It

Ask: What did you learn today that you didn't know before?

COMPREHENSION ESSENTIALS

      Characters’ Characteristics Chart Map

Reading? What? Understanding what I read? What do you mean Ms. Garcia?

We all have experienced difficulty comprehending certain texts throughout our career.    Reading readiness needs to start  in elementary years, so students don't struggle with understanding what is being read.  Comprehension may turn boring with the same old paper.   For reading, I recur to http://www.fcrr.org which is the Florida Center for Reading Research.  This is  part of the  teacher reading development at SBBC and has scientific research strategies that have been proven . They have awesome non-monotonous reading plans as well as kid friendly maps such as the one below found at http://www.fcrr.org/curriculum/PDF/G2-3/2-3Comp_1.pdf.  Some of the strategies used in this series of books in 2nd grade are PWA (picture word association), QAR (question-answer relationship) and a comprehension map in the form of two kids intertwined with a VENN diagram to compare characters.

 Grade Level:   Second

Next Generation Sunshine State Standards:                      

LA.2.1.7.7 The student will compare and contrast characters and settings in one text.

I.                   Learner Objective:

·         The student will be able to describe, compare and contrast characters in text.

II.                Core Activity:

·         Begin activity by showing a picture of a boy and a girl together to engage picture word association (PWA) while students are seated on the carpet.

·         Ask students to predict the girl and boy family relationship.

·         Ask who has siblings and if they get along well.

·         Introduce the Magic Tree House # 1 book: Dinosaurs Before Dark.

·         Ask students what they see in the cover of the book to activate picture word association (PWA), formulate questions and ask students to predict what will happen in the story.

·         Text chunk by reading two chapters every day.

·         Teacher does think aloud by asking previously formulated questions on a sticky note.  Questions to think aloud are: who are Jack and Anny, how are they related, how are they alike and how they are different.  

·         Ask students to predict what will happen in the subsequent chapter.

·         Ring a bell to transition to the closure activity.

·         During the days that the story is read, student are to keep a diary/reading journal where they summarize the chapters read as well as illustrating by making pictures of the read chapters.

III.             Closure Activity/Assessment:

·         After Dinosaurs Before Dark is read, teacher does a Question-Answer Relationship (QAR).

·         Then, teacher provides the students with characters’ characteristics chart map that has two pictures of people with an oval between their arms that serves as a Venn diagram.

·         The  questions/commands are:

·         Head: Name of the character.

·         Shirt: What would you do if you were the character?

·         Left shirt sleeve: How does the character look like?

·         Right shirt sleeve: What things does the character do?

·         Left leg of pants: Do you like the character? Why or why not?

·         Right leg of pants:   Something important about the character.

·         Teacher will model by going over the questions.

·         Assess by accuracy of answers in the characters’ characteristic chart map.

IV.             ESE and ESOL strategies/accommodations:

·         A13 Use of illustration/Tactile graphic images:  Display picture of the cover of the book as well as illustrations in the chapters.

·         A8 Modeling:  Model and guide through activity.

·         C6 Labeling:  Label characteristics map with characters’ name and their descriptions.

·         C7 maps: Characters’ characteristics chart map.

·         F1 Activating and/or building prior knowledge.

·         F6 QAR.

·         F7 Read Aloud.
Upon completion of this book the teacher may reward the student by using:

 For further Magic Tree House resources visit: http://www.magictreehouse.com/#home?intro=0.  It has game and activities that can be used as teaching resources or as part of reading centers.

  Broward Enterprise Educational Portal

Once we become formal Broward Schools  educators, we can take advantage of  the BEEP  (http://beep.browardschools.com) tool found in their website.  Curriculum lesson plans, videos, charts, graphs along with ESOL and ESE accommodation and strategies are included. 

     This is my favorite lesson  on the first days of school when an ELL student comes in the classroom  PETRIFIED because he/she does not speak English or it is very limited.  The strategies used are visuals, manipulatives (that I always use in the classroom)  as well as:

ESOL Strategy A8 Modeling

ESOL Strategy A11 Provide Meaningful Language Practice

ESOL Strategy D4 Music/Songs/Jazz Chants/Raps 

ESOL Strategy F1 Activating and/or Building Prior Knowledge 

	Elementary Level Organizer Lesson Plans: ELEM. PreK-5: DISTRICT-APPROVED Lesson Plans Browse | Search | Create ELEMENTARY LEVEL (PreK - 5th Grade) Lesson Plans: ELL LP 001 School Days Day 1 << Back      Copy | Print Title : ELL LP 001 School Days Day 1 GRADE LEVEL : ..PreK-5th SUBJECT AREA : ESOL Elementary Creator : ELL WRITING Team DESCRIPTION / ABSTRACT OF LESSON : This unit focuses on understanding the classroom environment. Students learn names of classroom items and language describing what students do in school. OBJECTIVE(S) AND/OR COMMON CORE STANDARDS : Communicate with gestures, actions, and verbal formulas. Use one or two word responses and chunks of language. Use language purposefully (e.g., to clarify, refuse). TEACHER MATERIALS / TECHNOLOGY CONNECTIONS : Manipulative Chart: Introduction with Audio CD p. 7 Oral Language Audio CD, Parts 1-3, Tracks 1-3 Function Mini Lesson: TM p. 8 Picture Cards 1 Optional Centers: Content Corner, Oral Language Workshop, Listening Post, Technology Time TM p. 6. This link from United Streaming may help with the presentation of the main concept of this lesson. The video segment is 0:10 minutes long. Click on either the title of the segment or the United Streaming icon below and a new window will launch and the segment will begin to play. When it has finished close the window. You may use the controls in the video player to stop the video for discussion or rewind it at any time. It is strongly recommended that you preview any segment prior to showing it to your class. TITLE: Pencil Sharpener  STUDENT MATERIALS / TECHNOLOGY CONNECTIONS : Unit 1: Manipulative Chart: Pg.9 Unit 1: Manipulative Chart: Pg.10 Duration : 20 Minutes ESSENTIAL QUESTION / KEY VOCABULARY : Key Vocabulary Backpack Funtion Mini-Lesson: Ask for assistance or permission GROUPING FOR INSTRUCTION : Small Group,Whole Group STEPS TO DELIVER LESSON : Setting the Scene 1.) Use gestures and simple language to talk about what students do at school. 2.) Introduce Picture Card 1: backpack. Say the word and have students repeat it. 3.) Show them a backpack with school items inside (pencils, books, crayons, paper, etc). Point to the backpack while saying the word. 4.) Tell students they can bring things they need for school in a backpack. Say It! Name each item as you take it out of the backpack. Have students choose an item and show how they use it. Invite students to name the items as they are able. Example Teacher Prompt Stage 1 Is this a pencil? Point to the papers. Is this a notebook or a ruler? Example Students Response Stage 1 yes/no; nods/shakes heads; points to/hold up object; responds correctly as able Example Teacher Prompt Stage 2 What is this? What do we use in school? Example Students Response Stage 2 names object, as able GUIDED PRACTICE : Creating Comprehensible Input 1.) Distribute Unit 1: Manipulative Chart: Pg.9 and Unit 1: Manipulative Chart: Pg.10 of the Newcomer Kit Masters. Point out the backpack and the other classroom items. 2.) Read the text, pausing often, as you use gestures, pointing, and other techniques to make the song comprehensibile. INDEPENDENT PRACTICE : Introducing the Audio CD 1.)Play Part 1 of the Oral Language CD, the spoken song. As you say the song, track the print on the Manipulative Chart with a pointer. Replay Part 1 several times, encouraging students to chime in whenever they can. 2.) Play the song at natural speed, Part 2. Continue to Play Part 3, making clar lip movements without exaggerating. Revisit Part 3 several times to help students learn the song. DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION : Teaching Resources for Florida ESE ESE Accommodation Poster ESOL Strategy A8 Modeling ESOL Strategy A11 Provide Meaningful Language Practice ESOL Strategy D4 Music/Songs/Jazz Chants/Raps  ESOL Strategy F1 Activating and/or Building Prior Knowledge  Optional Centers: On Day one of each week, model each activity for students before they begin working independently. Content Corner Provide real backpacks. Have pencils, rulers, crayons, notebooks, and folders available for students to use as they "get ready for school." Listening Post After practicing the Chant in class, students may revisit it on the Oral Language Audio CD. Include a copy of the chant so students can follow the print as they listen to the chant. Technology Time Students can use the Interactive Language and Phonics CD-Rom for practice with unit vocabulary, letter recognition, phonemic awareness, phonics skills, grammer skills, and English Basics. Encourage students to complete the Unit 1 scene activities on the CD-ROM. Oral Language Workshop Place laminated copies of the Manipulative Chart for this unit in this center. Invite students to manipulate the chart independently, replacing the word backpack with the names of the other items on the cards. LESSON CLOSURE : Function Mini-Lesson Ask for Assistance 1.)Show students an open backpackwith several school items inside. 2.) Drop the backpack, spilling the items onto the floor. Model asking for assistance saying Can you help me? Repeat the question. Begin to pick up the items and place them back in the backpack as you use gestures to invite students to help you. 3.) Pass the backpack to a students and continue the exercise in a similar manner. Say It! Encourage students to say Can you help me? as they are able. Have each student take a turn carrying the backpack and asking for help. Example Teacher Prompt Stage 1 Model askingCan you help me? Example Students Response Stage 1 shrugs shoulders, points to backpack and items on the floor; Says Help? or Help me?, as able Example Teacher Prompt Stage 2 Model askingCan you help me? Example Students Response Stage 2 Says Can you help me?, as able ASSESSMENT : Encourage students to complete the scene activities on the Interactive Language and Phonics CD-ROM during their center time so they will be prepared to take the Unit 1 Test by the end of Week 2. Broward ESOL Strategies (2007): Broward DISTRICT Broward K-12 ESOL Instructional Strategies (2007)   A. Instructional Modifications based on Level of English Proficiency   A8 Modeling   A11 Provide Meaningful Language Practice*   D. Other Audio/Visuals   D4 Music/Songs/Jazz Chants/Raps*   F. Other Strategies   F1 Activating and/or Building Prior Knowledge   * Marzano's High Yield Strategy Jurying Profile : Elementary ELL Jury Jury Admin Profile : Elementary ELL Jury Admin      Date Created : April 28, 2008     Date Modified : April 14, 2009