Design Topic: Earths Resources Subject(s): Science Grade(s): 3rd grade Designer(s): Emily Kooiman

Understanding by Design
Unit Cover Page

Unit Title: ___We Affect the Earth______ Grade Levels: __3rd grade_________
Topic/Subject Areas: ___Earths Resources______________________
Key Words: _organisms, resources, disasters, stewardship, interdependency____
Designed By: __Emily Kooiman__________ Time Frame: __3 weeks___
School District: Regent University

School: Teacher Ed & IDS Dept.

Brief Summary of Unit (including curricular context and unit goals):

This unit on the Earths Resources is intended for a 3rd grade science classroom. The
goals of this unit are for students to learn through exploration, investigation,
observation, and research. Concepts that the students will learn are interdependence,
humans effect on resources, the effect of natural events on earth and living organisms,
and how to be a part of taking care of our earth.

Unit design status:

X Completed template pages stages 1, 2, 3

X Completed rubrics

Completed blueprint for each performance task

Directions to students and teacher

Materials and resources listed

x Suggested accommodations

x Suggested extensions

Status: x Initial draft (date: __10/17/14__)

Peer Reviewed x Content Reviewed

Revised draft (date: ____________)

Field Tested

Validated

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)

Anchored

STAGE 1 DESIRED RESULTS

Unit Title: All Living Things Connected
Design Topic: Earths Resources Subject(s): Science Grade(s): 3rd grade Designer(s): Emily Kooiman
Established Goals (cite specific VA SOL):
The student will investigate and understand that natural events and human influences can affect
the survival of species. Key concepts include, a) the interdependency of plants and animals; b)
the effects of human activity on the quality of air, water, and habitat; c) the effects of fire, flood,
disease, and erosion on organisms; and d) conservation and resource renewal.
Virginia Science Standard of Learning, Grade 3

Understandings: Students will understand that

(Provide 3 to 5)

Essential Questions:
(Provide 3 to 5)

Students will understand that plants and animals

depend on each other for food and shelter.
Students will understand that natural disasters
occur such as fires, flood, or erosion and these
factors directly affect living species.
Students will understand that there are specific
actions that humans can take to preserve species
such as conserving our natural resources and
recycling.
Students will understand conserving the earths
resources has an immediate effect on plants and
animals.

How do animals help plants survive?

How do plants help animals survive?
Can the way we as humans live our daily lives
affect the lives of species?
What would life look like if humans lived
independently from other human beings?
To what extent are our lives interdependent?
In the same way, what would it look like if
species lived independently from each other?
How could disease among humans affect
species?

Students will know:

(Give at least 5)

Students will be able to:

(List at least 5 skills)

What a living organism is

Explain why animals and plants are dependent
Who an environmentalist is
on each other
What interdependence means
Analyze the effects of human actions on
Examples of interdependence among animals
animals, plants, and resources that effect
and plants
organisms
The beginning stages of the life cycle and
Describe the effects that fire, flooding, erosion,
photosynthesis
and disease have on organisms
What an herbivore is
Create a conservation plan for their school to
The ways in which plants give life to animals
put into effect to better the lives of organisms
(creating clean oxygen and providing food)
around them
What resource renewal is and how to participate Pick one natural disaster and write a report on
in it in their own lives
how it directly affects organisms
Types of natural disasters including fires,
Identify specific examples of animals and what
flooding, erosion, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis,
plants they are dependent upon for life.
Source:
Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe
and
earthquakes.
Investigate2005)
different ways that pollution occurs 2
That natural disasters affect organisms in
in the world around yousmog in air, chemicals
multiple ways including destroying habitat,
that get into the water, and sewage (where does it
destroying plants which are a food resource, and
go?)

Design Topic: Earths Resources Subject(s): Science Grade(s): 3rd grade Designer(s): Emily Kooiman
STAGE 2 ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Performance Tasks:
Other Evidence:
(Briefly describe 1 to 3 authentic assessments)
(List 3 including MC quiz)
School Conservation Plan- using the GRASP
model, students create a conservation plan for an
elementary school to encourage responsibility
with resources.
Natural Disaster Skit- have the class split up into
groups of 4 and act out the 4 different types of
natural disasters that we learned about
volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and fires.

Journal Entry- this pre-assessment tool is used to

gather students knowledge prior to the beginning
of this unit. Have students bring out journals and
answer in 2-3 sentences this question, Name one
way in which how we live and the choices we
make affect the lives of animals?
Quiz- a multiple choice quiz to be taken at the
end of the unit to assess definitions and concepts
Prompt- ask the students, What would life look
like if humans lived independently from each
other? Have students reflect on this question by
themselves, then in small groups, and then have
one spokesperson from each group share to the
whole class what their group came up with.

Student Self-Assessment and Reflection

(List at least 2)
Journal Entry- after the lesson on volcanoes, draw a picture of a volcano and write 2-3 sentences on
why volcanoes are dangerous.
Self-assess your groups School Conservation Plan. Answer these three questions in your journal in 12 sentenceswhat did you like about this project, what was the hardest part about this project, and
what was the easier part about this project?
STAGE 3 LEARNING PLAN
Summary of Learning Activities:
(list by number here and then complete the week-by-week planning calendar below using the same
information)

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)

Design Topic: Earths Resources Subject(s): Science Grade(s): 3rd grade Designer(s): Emily Kooiman

1.

Ask students, Why is this brave little

bird inside the crocodiles mouth? Why isnt the crocodile eating the bird? (Homi Bhabha, 2013). H
2. Introduce the concept of interdependency using the hook about the crocodile and plover bird. H
3. Introduce the essential questions and the culminating project, School Conservation Plan. W
4. Begin journal with studentsin this they will record answer to questions, observations, and
vocabulary words. E
5. Begin lesson on interdependence of plants and animals. E
6. Do jobs and roles interdependence activitysitting in a circle, each student receives an index card
with a job on it and a ball of yarn is rolled to each student whose role depends on the other role for
goods and services (Vermilion Schools, n.d.). E
7. Prompt- ask the students, What would life look like if humans lived independently from each
other? Reflect, share in small group, share to class. E-2
8. Draw a vocabulary word chart in journal for interdependency (word chart has components: word,
definition, three examples, one picture, and a connection). E
9. Inside-Outside Circles for essential questions, how do animals help plants survive? and how do
plants help animals survive? (Rutherford, 2012, p. 93). Student writes the answer to his or her
question on the back on the index card and then shares in the circle. R, E-2
10. Journal entry on, Name one way in which how we live and the choices we make affect the lives of
animals. R
11. Introduce lesson on the effects that humans have on environmentanimals, plants, and resources. E
12. Discuss major resources that are essential to life (humans, plants, and organisms) through Exclusion
Brainstorming (Rutherford, 2012, p. 108).
13. At home, observe what resources you and your family use. Create a T-chart of cause and effect of
humans use of resources. E
14. Investigate different examples of pollution through students going to different stations representing
the different types of pollution. Students then record the affects in their journal that they think this
type of pollution has on the environment. E
15. Draw vocabulary word chart for stewardship in journal. E
16. Teach on resource renewal and what the students responsibility is in stewarding resources. E
17. Have students brainstorm in groups how they could conserve resources (preparation for GRASP
assignment). E-2, O
18. Introduce School Conservation Project.
19. KWL chart on natural disastersfire, flood, disease, erosion.
Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)

Design Topic: Earths Resources Subject(s): Science Grade(s): 3rd grade Designer(s): Emily Kooiman

20.

See, Think, Wonder for this picture on

forest fires (Rodriguez, 2013). H, E
21. Make booklets with 7 different tabs for vocabularyfloods, fires, disease, erosion, volcanic
eruptions, tsunamis, and earthquakes. E
22. Essential question, How could disease among humans affect species? E
23. Natural Disaster Skit- have the class split up into groups of 4 and act out the 4 different types of
natural disasters that we learned aboutvolcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and fires. E-2, T
24. Journal entry- student draws a picture of one natural disaster that was taught and writes 2-3
sentences on how it is harmful to environment and living species. E-2, T
25. MC quiz on unit. E
26. School Conservation Plan prep-work with group. E
27. Finish School Conservation Plan. E, T, R
28. Self-assess your groups School Conservation Plan. Answer these three questions in your journal in
1-2 sentenceswhat did you like about this project, what was the hardest part about this project, and
what was the easier part about this project? (Note to teacher: rubric is attached). E-2

References
Homi Bhahba Centre for Science Education. (2013). Crocodile and the plover bird. Retrieved from
http://coglab.hbcse.tifr.res.in/teacher-resources/multimediaresources/symbiosis/crocodile-and- the-plover-bird
Rodriguez, J. (2013). Colorado wildfires 2013 maps, updates: Black forest fire sparks wider evacuations,
2 deaths. Retrieved from 2013-maps-updates-black-forest-fire-sparks-wider-evacuations-2deaths-latest- info-video-photos-98030/
Rutherford, P. (2012). Instructions for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria: Just ASK Publications.
Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)

Design Topic: Earths Resources Subject(s): Science Grade(s): 3rd grade Designer(s): Emily Kooiman
Vermilion Parish Schools. (n.d.) Activity 3: Specialization and interdependence. Retrieved from
http://www.vrml.k12.la.us/3rd/homework/ss/ss/3rd_ss_units/un5/3rd_Un5Act3/Un5Act3.htm

Stage 3 Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

Consider the WHERETO elements. You must include enough instruction for 15 lessons. If you require more
instructional days, copy and paste the calendar template onto an additional page below. Do not exceed 6 weeks.

Week One:
Day 1, Monday Hook- crocodile and plover bird.
Introduce concept of interdependency.
Essential questions.
Day 2, Tuesday Introduce journals.
Lesson on interdependence.
Jobs and roles interdependence activity.
Day 3, Wednesday Prompt- what would life look like if humans lived independently from each other?
Vocabulary word for interdependence.
Day 4, Thursday Inside-Outside Circle activity for essential question.
Journal entry on our choices affecting animals.
Day 5, Friday Introduce lesson on human effect on environment.
Discuss major resources essential to life.
Week Two:
Day 6, Monday T-chart on causes and effects of humans on resources.
Investigate different examples of pollution.
Day 7, Tuesday Vocabulary word for stewardship.
Teach on resource renewal.
Brainstorm resource conservation in groups.
Day 8, Wednesday Introduce School Conservation Plan project.
KWL chart on disasters.
Day 9, Thursday See, Think, Wonder for forest fire picture.
Vocabulary booklets.
Day 10, Friday Introduce School Conservation Plan project.
KWL chart on disasters.
Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)

Design Topic: Earths Resources Subject(s): Science Grade(s): 3rd grade Designer(s): Emily Kooiman
Week ThreeDay 11, Monday Journal entry on a disaster.
MC quiz.
Day 12, Tuesday Prep for school conservation plan.
Day 13, Wednesday School Conservation Plan cont.
Day 14, Thursday Finish School Conservation Plan.
Day 15, Friday Self-assessment on School Conservation Plan.

GRASP Rubric

How did I
do?
Response to Topic

I followed complete
instructions by
incorporating every

I used most of the

portions of the
GRASP model but

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)

I neglected significant
portions of the GRASP
model.
7

Design Topic: Earths Resources Subject(s): Science Grade(s): 3rd grade Designer(s): Emily Kooiman
part of the GRASP
model.
Creativity

Grammar &
Neatness
Presentation

I put a lot of effort

into my project by
using creative ideas
visuals, props,
kinesthetic skills.
I used correct
grammar, sentence
structure, and
neatness.
I presented ideas well
and connected well
with my audience
during presentation.

neglected to include
some parts of the
model.
I used some creative
ideas such as visuals,
props, or kinesthetic
skills.
I had more than 3
grammatical or
structural errors in my
project.
I presented some
ideas of my project
but did not
communicate the
whole project.

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)

I did not use creativity

in my project.

I had 5 or more
grammatical or
structural errors in my
project.
I did not communicate
the ideas of my project
in a way that the
audience could
understand.