KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate:

Hillary Dankel and Natalie Schafer_ Date: 10/29/15____

Cooperating Teacher:
Group Size:

25

Subject or Topic:

Coop. Initials
Allotted Time:
Reptiles

1 hour__ Grade Level: ____3______

Section

010

STANDARD:
Standard 3.1.3.A1 Describe characteristics of living things that help to identify and
classify them.

I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes):

The third grade students will label the life cycle of a sea turtle by taking part in a whole
class discussion based on a power point presentation.
The third grade students will model the structure of sea turtles by constructing sea
turtles out of clay after reading the book Ill Follow the Moon.
The students will summarize information about reptile characteristics, habitats, and
specific adaptations by completing a unit test on the previous lessons.
II. Instructional Materials
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ansWZq7yULE (Finding Nemo Video Clip)
- Life cycle fill in worksheet (see attached)
- Life cycle PowerPoint presentation (see attached)
- Ill Follow the Moon by Stephanie Lisa Tara (book about sea turtles hatching
- Air dry clay (enough for each student)
- Unit test (see attached)

III. Subject Matter/Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea, outline of
additional content)
A. Prerequisite skills
1. Fine motor skills to work with clay
2. Understands concept of aquatic habitat
3. Understands characteristic of reptiles from Lesson 1

B. Key Vocabulary
1. Hatchling: A recently hatched baby sea turtle or other animal
2. Sea turtle: Air breathing reptiles that live in the ocean and are able to spend
hours under the water. There are 7 species of sea turtles, and all are
endangered.
3. Endangered: A type of animal or plant in danger of becoming extinct,
mostly through human actions
4. Carapace: Hard outer covering or upper part of turtle shell
5. Migration: To move from one area to another, often for reasons such as
feeding. For example, sea turtles often travel thousands of miles across an
ocean.
6. Flipper: A broad flat limb (as of a sea turtle, seal or whale) used for
swimming.
C. Big Idea
1. What are sea turtles and why are they endangered?
2. What can we do to help sea turtles?
D. Content
1. Sea turtle hatchlings become disoriented by bright beach lighting and run
the wrong way instead of into the ocean.
2. Sea turtles are endangered because of pollution, climate change, bycatch,
and poaching
3. A sea turtles life cycle occurs as follows:
a. Mother migrates to where she was born and lays eggs on a beach
b. Sea turtles hatch 6-8 weeks later and swim to the ocean, they are very
vulnerable during this time
c. Young sea turtles are easy prey but remain in the ocean after they hatch
for up to 10 years
d. Adult sea turtles can live to be 100 and can grow to be 3-4 feet long
IV. Implementation
A. Introduction
1. To introduce this lesson, the teacher will ask the students if they remember the
riddle from the previous lesson:
a. I have four legs and a tail.
I have no teeth.
I can swim and dive underwater.
I carry my house around with me.
I am a...
2. The teacher will play the following video to answer the riddle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ansWZq7yULE (Finding Nemo Video Clip)
3. After the video plays, the teacher will ask the students to call out what reptile
they will be learning about (expected answer: sea turtles or turtles)
4. The teacher will ask students what they already know about sea turtles and
have a few students raise their hands to answer.

B. Development
1. The teacher will introduce the key vocabulary and write the words on the
word wall.
2. The teacher will hand out the sea turtle life cycle worksheet. (see attached)
3. The teacher will give a PowerPoint presentation on the life cycle of a sea
turtle and the students will fill out the worksheet. (see attached)
4. The teacher will review the answers to the worksheet with the class.
5. The teacher will collect the worksheet from the students to grade the
students on completion.
6. The teacher will read Ill Follow the Moon and ask students questions to
assess focus and comprehension.
7. After the story, the teacher will discuss factors that threaten sea turtles such
as habitat destruction, bycatch, and poaching.
8. The teacher will review the key vocabulary with the students so they
understand the structure of sea turtles.
9. The teacher will hand out clay and blue construction paper to each student.
10. The teacher will introduce an activity about sea turtles.
a. The teacher will explain that the students will create a model of a sea
turtle using clay.
b. The students will use plastic utensils to create patterns on the sea
turtles shells and flippers.
c. The teacher will give students 15-20 minutes to complete their turtles.
d. The teacher will float around the room to make sure the students are on
task and making the right structures.
e. The students will write their name on the blue construction paper and
set their turtles on top of the paper.
11. The students will place their turtles and paper onto a separate table to let
the turtles dry.
12. The teacher will tell the students to clean up their areas and wash their
hands if they need to.
13. The teacher will hand out a review sheet on reptiles for the upcoming unit
test. (see attached)
14. The teacher will work with the students to complete the review sheet.
15. The teacher will share the test blueprint with students so they know what
to expect.
16. The teacher will answer any final questions regarding the unit test.
17. The teacher will show a video of sea turtles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIffdbFZMPQ
18. The teacher will ask students if they remember the threats to sea turtles
discussed previously
19. The teacher will remind students that pollution can be very dangerous to
sea turtles because they confuse trash for food.
20. The teacher will ask students if they know how they can help with these
problems.
21. The teacher will review with students that recycling, picking up trash, and
using special lights near the beach are all ways to protect sea turtles.

C. Closure
1. The teacher will remind students to use their review sheets to study for the
unit test.
2. The teacher will tell students that next week they will be talking more about
recycling and helping the environment.
D. Accommodations/Differentiation
1. To accommodate for Justin, a 3rd grade boy with Down Syndrome, the
teacher will create a different version of the unit test at his level.
2. To differentiate for Jake, a 3rd grade boy, with visual impairment the
teacher will provide the unit test with a larger font.
E. Assessment/Evaluation Plan
1. Formative
a. The teacher will use a checklist to make sure the students are on task
during the clay activity.
2. Summative
a. The teacher will give a unit test on reptiles to assess the students
mastery of content from the previous lessons.

V. Reflective Response
A. Report of Student Performance in Terms of Stated Objectives (Reflection on
student performance written after lesson is taught, includes remediation for
students who fail to meet acceptable level of achievement)

Remediation Plan

B. Personal Reflection (Questions written before lesson is taught. Reflective

answers to question recorded after lesson is taught)

1. How could this lesson be improved?

2. Were the students engaged throughout the entire unit?

C. Resources (in APA format)

Education rainbow turtle and conservation vocabulary. (2015). Retrieved October
29, 2015, from Save the turtles inc website:
http://costaricaturtles.com/education-rainbow/turtle-conservation-vocabulary/

Finding nemo turtle scene. (2013, November 24). Retrieved October 29, 2015,
from Youtube website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ansWZq7yULE
Sea turtles animals for children. (2014, March 31). Retrieved October 29, 2015,
from Youtube website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIffdbFZMPQ

Chelsey. (2015, May 5). Clay sea turtle art activity for kids. Retrieved October 29,
2015, from Buggy and buddy website:
http://buggyandbuddy.com/clay-sea-turtle-art-activity-for-kids/

Checklist for Clay Turtle Activity

Student

Shows
understanding
of key
vocabulary

Needs to
review key
vocabulary

On task
during
clay
activity

Not on
task
during
clay
activity

Completes
Life cycle
sheet on
sea turtles

Name:____________________________

Date:_________________

Reptile Review Sheet

Characteristics:
1. ____________________: (cold blooded), body temperature is controlled
by the environment
2. ____________________: hard, bony plates that reptiles use as protection
and so they do not dry out
3. ____________________: an animal that has a back bone

Habitats:
Match each habitat to its description.
1. Aquatic Habitat______
2. Desert______
3. Grasslands______
4. Rainforest ______

a. Temperate climate, not enough

rain for a forest to grow but some
plants
b. Oceans, rivers, lakes
c. Many plants and animals, lots of
rainfall
d. Very little rainfall, dry soil and
few plants and animals

Adaptations:
1. A reptile with no legs that slithers, and uses venom or strong muscles
to squeeze prey is a _________________.
2. A reptile with a hard shell to protect it from predators is called a
________________.
3. Changing colors to blend in to a habitat is called
___________________.
4. Special ________________ help reptiles to dig or grip onto trees or
rocks to climb.
5. A chameleon can look in 2 directions at once; this is called
_______________ _____________.

Chameleons:
List 2 reasons chameleons use camouflage:
1. ____________________________________________

2.

____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________

Sea turtles:
1. A baby sea turtle is called a _________________________.
2. Put the life cycle of the sea turtle in the correct order
____ Turtles spend all of their time in the water to eat and grow
____ Turtles become adults and migrate long distances to lay their
eggs.
____ Turtles hatch from their eggs and run to the ocean
____ Mama turtle lays eggs on a sandy beach where she was born.
3. Write 2 reasons why sea turtles are endangered:

1. __________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
2. __________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

Reptile Review Answer Key:

Characteristics:
1. Ectothermic
2. Scales
3. Vertebrate
Habitats:
1. B
2. D
3. A
4. C
Adaptations:
1. Snake
2. Turtle
3. Camouflage
4. Claws
5. Binary vision
Chameleons:
1. To hide from predators and prey
2. To communicate with other chameleons (e.g. say if theyre mad)
Sea Turtles:
1. Hatchling
2. 3
4
2
1
3. Acceptable answers:
- Habitat pollution or destruction
- Disorientation from beachfront lighting
- Poaching
- Bycatch

Name:___________________________ Date:___________ Score:_______

Reptile Unit Test

Multiple Choice: Circle the best answer for questions 1-4.
1. Which of the following is a characteristic of a reptile?
a. Reptiles have feathers
b. Reptiles are cold blooded
c. Reptiles only live in water
d. Reptiles are warm blooded
2. An animal that has a backbone is also called a _________.
a. skeleton
b. mammal
c. amphibian
d. vertebrate
3. Which of the following is a way to describe a reptiles scales?
a. Furry patches that keep a reptile warm
b. Bumps in reptiles skin that feathers grow out of
c. Bony plates that protect the reptile
d. Pieces of reptile teeth that fall out
4. True or false: A reptiles scales help keep their skin from drying out
a. True
b. False
Matching:
Match the habitats in column 1 with their descriptions in Column 2.
Column 1
Column 2
____ 1. Desert
a. Temperate climate, not enough rain for
a forest to grow
____ 2. Rainforest
b. Extreme temperatures, very little
rainfall, few plants and animals
____ 3. Aquatic Habitat
c. Oceans, lakes, rivers
d. Lots of rainfall, many plants and
____ 4. Grassland
animals

Fill in the blank:

Use the word bank below to complete the questions.
Turtle
Snake
Camouflage
Crocodile

Binary vision

1. A chameleon can look in more than one direction at once; this is also called
______________ _____________.
2. A reptile with a hard shell that can live on land or in water is called a
_____________.
3. The mama Nile _______________ is different because instead of leaving her
eggs, she stays with the babies after they hatch.
4. A chameleon uses ________________ to blend in with its environment.
5. A reptile with no legs that uses venom or strong squeezing to catch its prey is a
______________.
Short Answer:
Chameleons use camouflage to blend in with leaves on trees. Sometimes, they turn bright
colors. Write one or two sentences to explain what else chameleons change colors for.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Order:
Number the stages of a sea turtles life cycle in the correct order (1-4)
_____ Mama sea turtle lays eggs on the beach where she was born
_____ Adult sea turtles migrate to find mates and lay eggs
_____ Young turtles spend lots of time in the ocean to eat and grow
_____ Baby turtles hatch and make their way into the ocean
Application:
When we learned about sea turtles, we learned that they are considered endangered. This
means not enough are surviving, and they could become extinct. We talked about what
you can do in class to help keep sea turtles safe in their ocean homes. Write a way you
can help the sea turtles here:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Answer Key for Reptile Unit Test

Scoring: Each answer is worth 1 point, the application section is worth 2
points. There are 20 points to the test overall.
Multiple Choice:
1. B
2. D
3. C
4. A
Matching:
1. B
2. D
3. C
4. A
Completion:
1. Binary Vision
2. Turtle
3. Crocodile
4. Camouflage
5. Snake
Short Answer:
Answers that mention any of the following:
Chameleons change bright colors to communicate with other chameleons or
animals, as a warning or defense mechanism
Sequencing:
1.
4.
3.
2.
Application:
Acceptable answers:
Dont litter, clean up trash, keep the beach clean, dont catch sea turtles in
fishing nets, turn off the lights by the beach at night

Name:_____________________________

Date:________

Stages of a Sea Turtle Review

1) In the 1st stage of a sea turtles life mama turtle
lays __________.
2) Only 1 in 1,000 ___________ will survive to
adulthood.
3) Sea turtles are considered ___________ when
they are still growing.
4) ___________ can live up to 100 years.
5) Sea turtles ____________ long distances to lay
their eggs.