Structures of Life
Investigation 4: Meet the Land Snail
Part 1
Land Snails at Home
Students observe land snails and learn how to handle them carefully. Students become familiar with snail structures and behaviors, and set up an appropriate habitat that will provide for the needs of the snails in the classroom.
3. Lesson set up and Management
1.3.L.1 Recognize that living things need constant energy supplied from food or light.
1.3.L.3 Describe how its environment, other life forms and availability of food and/or other resources influence an organism's behavior and ability to survive.
2.1.5 Record and report observations, explanations, and conclusions using written and oral expression.
Land snails require water, food, air and space.
The structures of animals have particular functions that help them survive.
The shell of the land snail helps protect it during dry conditions.
3. Lesson set up and Management
Materials:
1. Make sure student sheet No. 17 is in student packet.
2. Prepare the snails' homes according to Page 9 in Investigation 4.
3. Have small, fresh carrots or other veggies ready to put in the snail's home. Change veggies and clean homes every 3-5 days.
4. Secure terrariums with large rubber bands. Snails are strong and will push the tops off if they are not secured.
5. Keep spray bottle of water handy to keep snails moist.
6. Set up schedule for observing, feeding, and cleaning the snails' homes. Use Page 12 in Investigation 4 for procedures.
7. Remember that you are still observing the plants and crayfish.
8. Refer to the FOSS Science Storybook page 25 for a complete list of snail facts.
Student Management:
1. Keep all materials at the station at which the students are working. Let the students go to each workstation and explore.
2. Set rules and guidelines for observing the animals during non-science times.
3. Keep Moving! If you are constantly moving, it will keep everyone on task.
4. Watch for the child who may want to experiment inappropriately with the snail.
1. You can lengthen or shorten the time on any lesson.
2. Use pages 2 & 3 to help guide further inquiry at the end of every part.
3. If kids are afraid of touching snails, use cheap rubber gloves. Your custodian may be able to supply gloves.
4. Give students time to discuss their observations with each other.
5. Keep word banks and content inquiry charts up so students can see and have more time to copy later, if needed. It's nice if you can keep them up all the time and just add to them as you go.
6. Keep the snails in a different part of the room away from the crayfish; this will allow you to set up a rotation schedule for observing. You can schedule a group at the plant, at the crayfish and at the snails without everyone crowding into one area. Remember that you are now observing the plants, crayfish and snails. Set up a good schedule that won't take a lot of class time.
7. Ask the custodian for some cleaning supplies that you can keep in your room. You will need something to wash the snail slime off the desks.
Writing Support:
1. Have students reflect on the day's lesson in their journal.
2. Start and finish each lesson with a KWLQ chart. ("What do I know?" "What do I want to know?" "What have I learned?" and "Are there any more questions to investigate?")
3. Have students write all word banks and inquiries in their journals.
4. Write stories about a day in the life of a snail.
Reading Support:
1. Read FOSS's Science story A Snail's Journey.
2. Check the Resources section of the teacher's guide for more reading suggestions, or the literature link on this site.