USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (S 2014) Name:

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Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Group Date of Lesson:
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What Standards (national
or state) relate to this
lesson?
(You should include ALL
applicable standards. Rarely
do teachers use just one:
theyd never get through
them all.)
Lesson Content
SC.5.L.17.1- Compare and contrast adaptations displayed by animals and plants to
enable them to survive in different environments, such as life cycle variations, animal
behaviors, and physical characteristics.
SC.5.N.1.5- Recognize and explain that authentic scientific investigation frequently does
not parallel the steps of the scientific method.

Essential Understanding
(What is the big idea or How do different types of feathers help birds survive?
essential question that you
want students to come away How do living things survive and change?
with? In other words, what,
aside from the standard and
our objective, will students
understand when they finish
this lesson?)

Objectives- What are you

teaching?
(Student-centered: What will
students know and be able to
do after this lesson? Include
the ABCDs of objectives:
action, behavior, condition,
and degree of mastery, i.e.,
"C: Given a sentence written
Students will be able to:
Compare and contrast feathers as adaptations birds use to survive
Explain that some investigations do not follow the steps of the scientific method.
Recognize the adaptations that allow plants and animals to survive in their
environment.
USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (S 2014) Name:
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Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Group Date of Lesson:
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in the past or present tense,

A: the student B: will be able
to re-write the sentence in
future tense D: with no errors
in tense or tense contradiction
(i.e., I will see her
yesterday.)."
Note: Degree of mastery does
not need to be a percentage.)

Rationale
Address the following I am teaching this because they will be tested on the end of the year science test
questions: They will need this background knowledge when getting more in depth in higher
Why are you teaching this grades with how plants and animals survive in their environments.
objective? I am teaching this through investigation so that the students have a way to relate
Where does this lesson fit back to this topic and will remember this better because they were able to
within a larger plan? investigate and come up with conclusions on their own.
Why are you teaching it
this way?
Why is it important for
students to learn this
concept?

Evaluation Plan- How will

you know students have Formative:
mastered your objectives? Collecting the chart of observations from the 3 feathers and their inferences
Turn and talk to a partner telling them one thing you learned from the investigation
Address the following: Summative:
What formative evidence What is one thing you learned today? Write on sticky note and put on number.
will you use to document
student learning during
this lesson?
What summative evidence
will you collect, either
USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (S 2014) Name:
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during this lesson or in

upcoming lessons?

What Content Knowledge

is necessary for a teacher
to teach this material?

What background
knowledge is necessary for To ensure students have prior knowledge I will begin by reviewing the terms observe
a student to successfully and infer.
meet these objectives? To observe means to use your senses to learn about an event or object.
To infer means to use what you know and what you observe to draw conclusions.
How will you ensure
students have this Have students say examples of observations.
previous knowledge? For example: The feather is white
Who are your learners?
What do you know about Have students say examples of inferences
them? For example: This feather is white to keep the bird cool
What do you know about
their readiness for this Have students talk with their groups about characteristics among animals and discuss
content? how they can be useful to the animal.
For example: long neck of giraffe

What misconceptions
might students have about Difference between an observation and an inference
USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (S 2014) Name:
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Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Group Date of Lesson:
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this content?
Difference between an investigation and an experiment

Teaching Methods
(What teaching method(s) will
you use during this lesson?
Examples include guided
release, 5 Es, direct
instruction, lecture,
demonstration, partner word,
etc.)
Lesson Implementation
Investigation, group discussions
H.O.T-
Ask Why is it important for the bird that the water slides off?
Tell me more about how the feather reacted from wind, what does this mean for the
bird?

Step-by-Step Plan Time Who is Each content area may require a different step-by-step format. Use
(What exactly do you plan to responsibl whichever plan is appropriate for the content taught in this lesson.
do in teaching this lesson? Be e (Teacher For example, in science, you would detail the 5 Es here
thorough. Act as if you needed or (Engage/Encountering the Idea; Exploring the Idea;
a substitute to carry out the Students)? Explanation/Organizing the Idea; Extend/Applying the Idea;
lesson for you.) Evaluation).

Where applicable, be sure to Ahead of time set up each group with 3 feathers, hand lens,
address the following: dropper, cup of water, and mini fan.
USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (S 2014) Name:
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Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Group Date of Lesson:
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What Higher Order

Thinking (H.O.T.) questions What are we doing in science today?
will you ask? Today in science we will make observations and inferences about
How will materials be feathers as adaptations birds use to survive. We will recognize the
distributed? adaptations that allow plants and animals to survive in their
Who will work together in environmentstudent reading from board
groups and how will you
determine the grouping? Today we are going to be exploring how different types of feathers
How will students help birds survive
transition between
activities? We will be observing and making inferences. What does it mean to
What will you as the observe? To infer?
teacher do? Observe means to use your senses to learn about an object or event
What will the students do? To infer means to use what you know and what you observe to draw
What student data will be conclusions.
collected during each
Have students name examples of each.
phase?
What are other adults in
Hand out Investigate Bird Feathers chart. Explain we will be using
the room doing? How are
this to write down our observations.
they supporting students
learning?
On page 9 of the red spiral book are the directions of your
What model of co-teaching
investigation. Make sure to read through the directions before
are you using? starting so your whole group understands what you will be doing.

With each feather, you will observe what it looks like with the hand
lens, measure the feather with the ruler, hold the feather in front of
the mini fan and use the dropper to place 3-4 drops of water on the
feather. Make sure to record your observations after each step.
After you have followed the directions for each feather, use this
sentence starter to make your inference in your journals below your
chart:

I observed _______, so I infer ___________ write on the board.

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (S 2014) Name:
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Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Group Date of Lesson:
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As a class, write 3 observations and inferences.

Go through each feather and discuss observations during each step,
then make inferences together:

We are going to talk about our observations and write our

inferences together. When I write you write I use this phrase
when I model, and the students know to follow along with me.

Down Feather:
Observations: soft, fluffy. Blows in the wind. Gets wet.
I observed the down feather is soft and fluffy, it blew in the wind,
and got wet from water, so I infer this feather keeps birds warm,
does not help it fly and does not protect it from rain and wind.

Contour Feather:
Observations: fluffy and smooth, the fluffy part blows in the wind
and the smooth part does not move, the fluffy part got wet and the
smooth part did not, the water slid of.
I observed the contour feather is fluffy and smooth, part of it blew in
the wind and the other part did not move, and the fluffy part got wet
while the smooth part did not, so I infer this feather keeps the bird
warm, helps the bird fly, and can protect the bird from the
environment.

Flight Feather:
Observations: smooth, does not move in the wind, water slides off
I observed the flight feather is smooth, is sturdy when held in front
of the fan, and the water slides off, so I infer this feather helps the
bird fly and protects the bird from rain and wind.

Turn in Investigate Bird Feathers chart

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (S 2014) Name:
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Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Group Date of Lesson:
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Pick a student from each table to share their observation and

inference.

Turn and talk with your partner and tell them one thing you learned
from this investigation

Repeat objective

Why is this important for us to learn?

It is important for us to learn how feathers are used because we are
recognizing the kind of adaptations plants and animals have that
allow them to survive in their environment.

Talk with your groups about characteristics among animals and

discuss how they can be useful to the animal. For example, long
neck of a giraffe. Why is it useful for the giraffe to have a long neck?
Come up with other examples and explanations.

Each group share 1 thing they talked about

Read vocabulary, each student copies word and definition into

journal
Discuss examples of each word with group

Exit ticket:
What is one thing you learned today?

What will you do if a student struggles with the content?

I will sit with the group and help lead them through the investigation. Probing
USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (S 2014) Name:
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Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Group Date of Lesson:
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with prior knowledge and questions.

What will you do if a student masters the content quickly?

I will give them an article on examples of how birds use their feathers. This
way they can use what they investigated and read about it to make
connections.

Meeting your students If applicable, how does this lesson connect to the interests and cultural
needs as people and as backgrounds of your students?
learners

If applicable, how does this lesson connect to/reflect the local community?

How will you differentiate instruction for students who need additional
challenge during this lesson (enrichment)?

How will you differentiate instruction for students who need additional
language support?

I will supply them with a vocabulary worksheet that is fill in the blank so the
student does not have to write every definition.

Accommodations (If
needed) Student C.F uses a keyboard to type his responses.
(What students need specific
accommodation? List
USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (S 2014) Name:
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Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Group Date of Lesson:
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individual students (initials),

and then explain the
accommodation(s) you will
implement for these unique
learners.)

Materials
(What materials will you use? 3 bird feathers, ruler, hand lens, cup of water, dropper, fan, Investigate Bird Feathers
Why did you choose these chart, instruction page, science textbook, science journals
materials? Include any
resources you used. This can
also include people!)