Structures of Life
Investigation 3: Meet the Crayfish
Part 3
Crayfish At Home
Students investigate crayfish behavior by observing them in different habitats.
3. Lesson set up and Management
1.2 Systems-Identify the parts of a system, how the parts go together, and how they depend on each other.
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.
1.3.L.4 Know humans and other living things depend on their natural environment, and can cause changes in their environment that affect their ability to survive.
Crayfish require clean, cool water, food and space.
Behavior is what an animal does.
Habitat is where an animal lives.
3. Lesson set up and Management
Materials:
1. Make sure student sheets No. 14 and 15 are in their student packet.
2. Be nice to crayfish. They are real animals!
When observing how crayfish react, be careful only to hold items next to crayfish. Do not poke the crayfish. |
Another example of how crayfish react to pencils. |
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 crayfish.
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 students are afraid of touching crayfish, use 2 plastic spoons to scoop them up to place into the basins.
4. Give students time to discuss amongst themselves their findings.
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. Remember to continue to observe and measure your plants.
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.
Reading Support:
Check the Resources section of the teacher's guide for more reading suggestions, or the literature link on this site.