DIXIE STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION UNIT PLAN TEMPLATE Elementary Semesters 3 & 4

Teacher Candidate _______________Lauralynn Defngin_____________________ Grade Level ____3rd_____ Content Area ______Science Living and Nonliving_________ Step 1 DESIRED RESULTS
A. Contextual Factors

7 Boys 11 Girls 10 ELL 2 Vision Impaired (Jocelyn, Ronny) 1 SPED (Ghannon) 2 Behavior 2 Students being referred to SPED 4 speech
B. Utah State Core or Common Core Curriculum Standard

Standard 2 Students will understand that organisms depend on living and nonliving things within their environment. Objective 1 Classify living and nonliving things in an environment. 1. Identify characteristics of living things. 2. Identify characteristics of nonliving things. 3. Classify living and nonliving things in an environment. Objective 2 Describe the interactions between living and nonliving things in a small environment. 1. Identify living and nonliving things in a small environment composed of living and nonliving things. 2. Pose a question about the interaction between living and nonliving things in the environment that could be investigated by observation.
C. Enduring Understanding/Big Idea

Students will understand the characteristics of living and nonliving things.

D. Essential Questions/Guiding Questions

What are the characteristics of living things? What are the characteristics of nonliving things? How do you know if something is living? What is organism? What is reproduce? What is movement? How do you know that (something) is living or nonliving? Do they reproduce?

Do they need air? Do they need water? Do they need food? Do they need move on their own? Do they grow? What do all living things need? What do you notice about the interaction between the living and nonliving thing in this given environment?
E. Concepts

Students will know the characteristics of living and nonliving things in an environment.
F. Skills

Students will write about how (something) is living or nonliving. Students will know how to classify living and nonliving things. Students will be able to describe the interaction of living and nonliving things in an environment. Step 2 ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
1. Pre-Assessments Students will be given a pre-assessment of living and nonliving things. (Common Assessment of Living and Nonliving Things) 2. Formative Assessments/Evidence *Students will share the characteristics of living and nonliving things and I will observe. * I will ask questions and students will clarify. *Writing from murder mystery. *Observing during scavenger hunt. *Separating items to living or nonliving section. 3. Summative Assessments/Evidence *Give post-assessment. (Same as pre-assessment) *Student writing during all lessons.

Step 3 Lesson Objectives with Instructional Strategies Lesson 1: Learning about living and nonliving things. Standard 2: Students will understand that organisms depend on living and nonliving things within their environment. Objective 1: Classify living and nonliving things in an environment. Learning Activity: Give pre-assessment. Students collaborate with one another about each key vocabulary word. Students identify living and nonliving things in the classroom and discuss why they are living or nonliving. Lesson 2: Murder Mystery of Living Town

Standard 2: Students will understand that organisms depend on living and nonliving things within their environment. Objective 1: Classify living and nonliving things in an environment. Learning Activity: Students will solve a Murder Mystery of Living Town. Students will be put into groups. There are 9 clues. For each clue students are to answer the questions to move on to the next clue. Each clue question has something to do with living or nonliving things and students are to explain their answers as to why they believe each suspect is living or nonliving. (See attached documents) Lesson 3: Classifying items into living or nonliving things in a chart. Standard 2: Students will understand that organisms depend on living and nonliving things within their environment. Objective 1: Classify living and nonliving things in an environment. Learning Activity: Students are given 10 items on their desks and they are to classify items on their T-chart to either living or nonliving things by writing the name of each item. Lesson 4: Identifying characteristics of living and nonliving things. (Scavenger Hunt) Standard 2: Students will understand that organisms depend on living and nonliving things within their environment. Objective 1: Classify living and nonliving things in an environment. Objective 2: Describe the interactions between living and nonliving things in a small environment. Learning Activity: Students will go on a scavenger hunt outdoors. Students are given Scavenger Hunt worksheets. Students will go out to two different environments. They will go out to the playground and a tree/grass environment where students will check off living and nonliving items that are in the given environment. They will then discuss with their groups the interactions between living and nonliving things. Lesson 5: Living and Nonliving things in an Environment Standard 2: Students will understand that organisms depend on living and nonliving things within their environment. Objective 1: Classify living and nonliving things in an environment. c. Classify living and nonliving things in an environment. Objective 2: Describe the interactions between living and nonliving things in a small environment. a. Identify living and nonliving things in a small environment (e.g. terrarium, aquarium, flower-bed) composed of living and nonliving things. Learning Activity: I will show an environment on the smart board (e.g. aquarium,

forest, tundra, flower-bed). I will have students collaborate with their table throughout the lesson why items are living and nonliving. For example, I will ask the questions do they need air? Do they need water? Do they need food? Do they reproduce? Do they move on their own? Do they grow? Students will then fill out Ticket out! Worksheet determining one thing they learned about the interaction of living and nonliving things in an environment and also writing what the characteristics of living and nonliving things are. Lesson 6: Review Lesson/Game-Fly Swatter Standard 2: Students will understand that organisms depend on living and nonliving things within their environment. Objective 1: Classify living and nonliving things in an environment. b. Observe and record the effect of changes upon the living organisms and nonliving things in a small scale environment. Learning Activity: Students will slap with a sly swatter the word that matches the description or definition of a word. We will review the walk aways, vocabulary words, living and nonliving things and how living and nonliving things are classified. Then I will give the post assessment.

DIXIE STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION UNIT PLAN TEMPLATE Semesters 3 & 4 ***PLANNING TEMPLATE***
Teacher Candidate __________________________________________________________________________ Grade Level ____________ Content Area ____________________________________________________ Step 1 DESIRED RESULTS
A. Contextual Factors Describe the demographics of the classroom (race/ethnicity, gender, IEP, ELL, GATE, etc.). Describe the academic data results of the students thus far (grades, attendance, discipline factors, etc.)

B. Utah State Core or Common Core Curriculum Standard Provide the core standard as written by USOE (Include pertinent standard and
objectives for this unit)

C. The Enduring Understanding/Big Idea is:

Aligned with the core standard. Is written in student-friendly language (can the students understand it?). The key generalization or enduring understanding students will take with them. Identifies the larger concepts you want students to wrestle with and understand at a deep level across time and cultures. Is brief (5-10 words is best). Is conceptual

D. Essential Questions/Guiding Questions are:

Are used to guide assessments and instruction. Invite students into the learning process. Are open-ended, yet focus inquiry into a specific topic. Non-judgmental, but answering them requires high-level cognitive work. Succinct a few words that demand a lot. Contain emotive force and intellectual bite (e.g., Whose America is it? When are laws fair?)

E.

Concepts Based upon the Utah State Core or Common Core standard, what do students need to know?

F.

Skills
Based upon the Utah State Core or Common Core standard, what will students be able to do?

Step 2 ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

A. Pre-Assessments Aligns with enduring understanding/big idea and key concepts and skills. Aligns closely with standard (criterion-reference). If applicable, includes the scoring guide/rubric. B. Formative Assessments/Evidence Aligns with all key concepts and skills. Aligns closely with standard (criterion-reference). Includes scoring guides/rubrics. C. Summative Assessments/Evidence Aligns with enduring understanding/big idea and comprehensive concepts and skills. Aligns closely with standard (criterion-reference). If applicable, includes scoring guide/rubric.

Step 3 INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES/LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Identifies each lesson objective that completely align with the standard, then lists the instructional strategies and learning activities that will provide students with the information and activities that will allow them to proficiently understand the enduring understanding/big idea and are aligned with the standards-based assessments. Makes certain that strategies are developmentally appropriate for the age and gradelevel. Utilizes research-based strategies that produce high-yield results. Utilizes expository and persuasive writing. Focuses on strategies and learning activities that have the students actively do the content.

Adapted from: McTighe, J., & Wiggins, G. (2005). Understanding by design, 2nd ed. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.; Ainsworth, L. (2003). Unwrapping the standards: A simple process to make standards manageable. Denver, CO: Advanced Learning Press.