Organisms
Lesson 12
What's Happening in the Terrarium?
Lesson 12 provides a scheduled opportunity for students to observe changes in plants, animals and the terrarium habitat. Students will record data and write about organisms in the aquarium. Previous lessons have been primarily EXPLORE lessons with some REFLECTION. Lesson 12 provides 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 terrarium 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:
- The pill bugs and Bess beetles/millipedes are likely to be hidden under leaf litter, wood chunks or moss. Students may need to use a pencil (use the eraser end) to gently poke around to find the animals. Be careful not to dig up the tree or the moss.
- Students will need the Woodland Picture, Record Sheet 4-B from the Organisms Teacher’s Guide or the science notebook page from lesson 4.
Students can write observations in
science notebooks.
Student Management:
- The bulleted questions in the Organisms Teacher’s Guide can serve to deepen students’ observations and understandings. These questions include:
- Has any organism, plant or animal changed? How?
- Are there more of beetles/millipedes or pillbugs that there were before?
- Are any organisms missing? What do you think happened to them?
- Have any other parts of the terrarium changed?
- What do you think the pillbugs and beetles/millipedes are eating? How do you know?
- Where in the terrarium did you find the pillbugs/millipedes?
- Some of the possible changes in the animals, plants, and terrariums are:
- the seedling may have grown, been dislodged, turned brown, or died
- the moss may have developed spore stalks, died, turned yellow or been broken apart by the animals
- pill bugs may be different colors (brown, gray, black) and larger due to molting
- their may be baby pill bugs
- pill bugs, beetles/ millipedes may have died
- beetles/ millipedes may have dug tunnels
- 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 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 writing students do as well as teacher observations and "Clipboard Cruise" provides 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:
- Read a book about life in a forest such as How the Forest Grew by William Jaspersohn and then students can create a diorama or triorama depicting a woodland scene and write about it.