Organisms
Lesson 11
What's Happening in the Aquarium?
Lesson 11 provides a scheduled opportunity for students to observe changes in plants, animals and the aquatic habitat. Students will complete data recording and write about organisms in the aquarium. Previous lessons have been primarily EXPLORE lessons with some REFLECTION. This lesson and Lesson 12 provide specifically for activities in the REFLECT phase of the learning cycle.
3. Lesson set up and Management
SYSTEMS GLE 1.1.6 Understand characteristics of living organisms: identify observable characteristics of living organisms and observe and describe characteristics of living organisms.
SYSTEMS GLE 1.2.6 Know that living things are made of small parts: Observe and show how living things look different under a magnifier.
SYSTEMS GLE 1.3.10 Know that plants and animals need a place to live: observe and show how organisms live in specific places and describe how animals depend on plants or other animals for food and describe how animals depend on plants or other animals for shelter.
INQUIRY GLE 2.1.4 Understand that models represent real objects, events, or processes: Create a simple model of a common object, event, or process.
INQUIRY GLE 2.1.5 Understand how to record and report investigations, results, and explanations
INQUIRY GLE 2.2.1 Understand that all scientific observations are reported accurately even when the observations contradict expectations.
INQUIRY GLE 2.2.2 Understand that observations and measurement are used by scientists to describe the world.
- Students understand that changes happen in the aquarium and its organisms by observing, discussing and recording those changes.
- Students record data using pictures and written observations.
3. Lesson set up and Management
Materials:
- Students will need the Freshwater Picture, Record Sheet 5-B from the Organisms Teacher’s Guide or the science notebook pages from lesson 5.
- If aquariums are housed on a rolling cart it can be easier to deliver them to the various groups of students for observation. Don’t have students carry their aquariums as they are too full and hard to keep a grasp upon.
Observing the aquarium
Dedicate a couple of pages to aquarium observations.
Student Management:
- Be sure the class questions and comparison charts for snails and guppies are up and visible for students in order to focus them on earlier discussion as they begin their observation.
- Review with students what organisms and how many of each were placed in the aquarium. There was one each of Cabomba and Elodea (water plants), two snails and one male and one female guppy.
- The bulleted questions provide teachers with a good running dialogue to engage in as students observe and record changes in the organisms and habitat.
- The "Clipboard Cruise" idea would work well here. As teachers circulate around the room questioning and observing, note comments and who made them. This provides the teacher with an observation record as well as items for the class charts. It can be a time saver as teachers can already list some observations students have made about changes in the aquariums on class charts ahead of time.
- The final activity for this lesson is a language arts rich activity and provides great integration between science and writing. It makes a nice writing prompt for students to respond to. Prompt the students to write or dictate stories about their aquarium, either fiction or nonfiction. Encourage them to illustrate as well. Consider doing this Final Activity during writing time.
- The students' writing as well as teacher observations and "Clipboard Cruise" provide assessment opportunities.
Writing Support:
- The final activity for this lesson is a language arts rich activity and provides great integration between science and writing. It makes a nice writing prompt for students to respond to. Prompt the students to write or dictate stories about their aquaria, either fiction or nonfiction. Encourage them to illustrate as well. Consider doing this Final Activity during writing time.
- The writing students do as well as teacher observations and "Clipboard Cruise" provides assessment opportunities.
Reading Support:
- Organisms in the aquaria will die. An excellent book for discussing feelings about death is The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst.
Math Support:
- Give students a math word problem focusing on the organisms in the aquarium to practice their problem solving skills. Example: 1) Group A put an Elodea into their aquarium. They added one Cabomba, two snails and two guppies. How many organisms did they put into the aquarium? Use pictures and words to explain your answer. 2) The female guppy had seven babies. How many organisms are in the aquarium now?
- Have students write word problems using their aquarium as a focus.