6

th
Grade Science- Animal Unit (Chapter 1, Section 4)
Lesson 4: What are worms?
A.) Learning objectives:
Students will be able to describe characteristics of all worms
Students will learn the three major phyla that worms are classified into
Students will understand how the organs interact in body systems that carry out every
day function and behavior (ie. respiratory, circulatory, digestive, reproductive, etc)
Students will learn about the important role earthworms play in the environment
Students will be able to identify major structures and organs inside of the
earthworm
Students will learn the life cycle of earthworms
Students will compare and contrast the anatomy of the frog to that of a human
Students must demonstrate safe and proper use of laboratory equipment and
dissection tools
Students will work collaboratively with small and large groups

B.) Standards
NEW JERSEY CORE CONTENT CURRICULUM STANDARDS
5.3.4.A.3- Essential functions of the human body are carried out by specialized
systems: Digestive, Circulatory, Respiratory, Nervous, Skeletal, Muscular,
Reproductive
5.3.8.A.2- During the early development of an organism, cells differentiate and multiply
to form the many specialized cells, tissues, and organs that compose the final organism.
5.3.12.E.2- Estimate how closely related species are, based on scientific evidence (e.g.,
anatomical similarities)
5.3.4.D.1- Plants and animals have life cycles (they begin life, develop into adults,
reproduce, and eventually die). The characteristics of each stage of life vary by species.
5.1.12.D.1- Science involves practicing productive social interactions with peers, such as
partner talk, whole-group discussions, and small-group work.
5.1.8.D.3- Demonstrate how to safely use tools, instruments, and supplies.

NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
MS-LS1-3 - Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system
of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.

COMMON CORE STANDARDS
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.3- Follow precisely a multistep procedure when
carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.9- Compare and contrast the information gained from
experiments, simulations, video or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a
text on the same topic.
6
th
Grade Science- Animal Unit (Chapter 1, Section 4)


C.) Content Knowledge:
Teachers must have knowledge of earthworm behavior and necessary requirements for
life. The teacher must know how to safely care for and handle earth worms. The teacher
should be experienced with the procedures for dissecting an earthworm and should be
familiar with the anatomy of worms.

D.) Materials:
Earthworms
Large tray
Paper towels
Spray bottle with water
Large cardboard
White board/ markers
Textbook
Pencil/pen
Plain paper
Hand out on earth worm facts
Dissection procedure hand
out
Preserved earthworms
Gloves
Dissection kits
Projector/ laptop for videos

E.) Description of your lesson:
ENGAGE: (5 minutes-10 minutes)
Ask students to think about what they already know about earthworms. As a class,
generate a list of known facts about earthworms (this list should remain on the board for
the entire lesson so it may be referenced later on). Have students pose questions about
what they would like to know about earthworms.

EXPLORE: (10-15 minutes)
Place the tray of earthworms in the center of the table and let the students (if they want
to) pick up and observe the earthworms. The teacher must explain how to properly handle
earthworms. The students should observe the worms, discuss the anatomy, and make a
hypothesis that explains how earthworms move. The students will be given a plain sheet
of paper and pencils and will be asked to draw the worm and label what they think is the
front end, back end, head, mouth, brain and heart.

EXPLAIN: (10-20 minutes)
Students will watch a BBC video The amazing life of earthworms in which the life
cycle and behaviors of earthworms are addressed. The video also discusses the various
species of earthworms, methods of studying earthworms and the importance of
earthworms in the environment. The video also answers many questions such as: what
earthworms eat and how they reproduce. After the video, a brief discussion will compare
6
th
Grade Science- Animal Unit (Chapter 1, Section 4)
what the students thought they knew to what they learned in the video. Students will then
learn the anatomy of the earth worm, using a virtual earthworm dissection
(http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/virtual_labs/BL_14/BL_14.html). Students will
volunteer to label parts of the anatomy and then the students will work collaboratively to
decide if the labels are correct.

*end of class session 1*

ELABORATION: (1 hour 20 minutes- 2 separate class sessions)
Class session 2- Students will use their knowledge of earthworms to make a hypothesis
about whether worms prefer dry or moist conditions. They will participate in an
experiment outlined in their textbook, which instructs them to place worms in the center
of a tray lined with half moistened and half dry paper towels. They will be instructed to
leave the worms in the center and cover the tray with a large sheet of cardboard and set
aside for five minutes. After 5 minutes, the cardboard will be removed and the students
will observe where the earthworms preferred to be.

While this experiment is being conducted, the class will read from the section in their
textbook on worms. The information in the textbook will be compared to the information
written on the board as well as what was learned in the video and virtual dissection
activities.

Before the end of the class period, students will be given the dissection protocol and it
will be briefly read and discussed in order to prepare them for the dissection.

Class session 3- Dissection
Students will watch a YouTube video of an Earthworm dissection, while performing their
own dissection. The video will serve as a guide for what they should see as they observe
and begin making incisions in the earthworm. Throughout the dissection, students will be
asked questions and will make comparisons between what they are observing in the
earthworm and what they know about frogs, fish and humans.


EMBEDDED ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION:
Day 1 lesson-
Students will be assessed formatively by their participation during the initial
discussion and the handling of the earthworm.
Students will be assessed as they participate in discussion during the video and
also during the virtual earthworm dissection activity
6
th
Grade Science- Animal Unit (Chapter 1, Section 4)
Students will also be asked to read the section on earthworms and answer
questions from their text book (these answers will be used to assess their
comprehension of the material they have been asked to read)
Day 2 lesson-
The hypothesis the students make about earthworm preference of dry or moist
conditions will allow the teacher to assess their understanding of earthworm life
style/behavior
For homework- Students will be asked to write a protocol for investigating whether
earthworms prefer rough or smooth conditions. Their lab protocol must include a
purpose, hypothesis, material list, and complete procedure.
Day 3 lesson-
Students homework assignment will serve as an assessment of their ability to create a
lab protocol to investigate a specific topic, their understanding of worm behavior, and
their knowledge of the scientific method
Students will be observed during the dissection for proper use of laboratory
equipment and use of the protocol
Students will be asked to identify structures within the earthworm as they are
discussed on the video
Students will be assigned an Earthworm Worksheet that asks questions involving
material from all three lessons. This will be the primary source of evaluation for this
lesson.
Students will be given a quiz on earthworm anatomy in a following class session

F.) Handouts/Journals
Journal- Plain paper for completing a drawing and labeling of the earthworm
Earthworm Fact Sheet (Q & A)
Earthworm Worksheet (to be completed after the dissection)
Earthworm Dissection Protocol from Modern Biology, Holt.

G.) References:
Textbook- Prentice Hall Science Explorer; Animals Book B. Pearson Education 2009
YouTube- BBC the Amazing World of Earthworms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZHTerOJYMA
Virtual Dissection:http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/virtual_labs/BL_14/BL_14.html
Dissection Procedure: http://www.biologyjunction.com/earthworm_dissection.htm
Dissection Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9HHS1uPFSo