Essay on Teaching Science

Submitted By lciuzio
Words: 5099
Pages: 21

M/S/T Unit Plan Title: Exploring Biomes

Grade Range: Second

Time Frame: Five days

Introduction- 50 minutes

Activity one- 2 days

Activity two- 2 day

Activity three- 2 days

Conclusion- 1 day

Source List and Modifications:

Inspiration for our unit plan came from our observations during fieldwork 3 and information found on teacher geared websites. We researched biomes on the internet and applied our own knowledge to create the following lesson plans. The sites that we used are:

• http://www.starsandseas.com/SAS%20Ecology/SAS%20biomeproj/biome_project.htm - The information we took for this website helped us pick the six biomes we wanted to focus on during the unit.

• www.scholastic.com- This is where we found the books to use for our unit.

• http://www.instructorweb.com/lesson/biomeidentify.asp - We used the lesson found on this site as the template for our unit. We took the major focus point of identifying and describing biomes, and the use of books to engage students, but modified the activities to obtain these goals. Besides changing the activities we also modified the lesson to make it inquiry based instead of direct instruction.

• http://www.brainpopjr.com- This website is applied during activity one, where the students will explore facts, games, and videos on biomes.

Science Focus Concept and Curricular Connections:

In this unit, the science focus concept will be biomes. Students will gain a firm understanding of what a biome is, characteristics of specific biomes, learn about what plants and animals inhabit the following biomes: tundra, desert, ocean, tropical rainforest, temperate rainforest, and grassland, and understand why certain animals and plants live in specific environments by the end of the unit. They will use technology and other resources to gain this understanding. The technology concepts the students will gain from this unit will be to explore the internet using given websites in order to research information. The math concepts the students will gain from this unit will be to use manipulatives to help complete both written and verbal explanations, and to organize their thought process.

Content Knowledge Summary:

The unit of study we chose is biomes. Biomes are the world's major communities where insects, animals, plants and people live in a certain type of climate. The biomes we chose to study for the unit are the tundra, desert, tropical rainforest, temperate forest, ocean and grassland. Each biome has specific characteristics that make it unique and the best environment for its organisms. The tundra biome is the coldest and driest of all biomes on earth. There is very little rainfall in the tundra; it rains less than ten inches a year. It has long winters and very short summers. In the winter the temperature can reach -50°F. Many lichens, mosses, and small shrubs flourish in the arctic tundra. The plants that live in the harsh weather usually adapt by being short and grouped together to resist winds and to be protected. You might find lemmings, caribou, and arctic hares in the tundra. Polar bears flourish in the cold tundra. The rainforest is a unique biome with characteristics including a lush and warm climate all year long. The average temperature in tropical rainforests ranges from 70 to 85° F. The rainforest is home to many different plants and animals. Rainforests are known for their huge trees and canopies that block out most of the light from the forest ground. Many plants in the rainforests have adapted leaf shapes that help water drip off the plant. Over 2,500 species of vines grow in the rainforest. Some vines, called lianas, are sometimes as big around as a person. Tropical rainforests are home to half the plant and animal species on Earth. Scientists. A common characteristic found among mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, is an adaptation to living in trees.