Unit Title: Plants and Animals

Grade: Second Grade

Summary: Students will participate in a 15/16-day unit to learn many facets of animal and plant survival. Students will learn about what it takes for
animals and plants to survive, the life cycles animals and plants go through, the importance of animal conservation preserving animal habitats.
Students will use strategies such as creative problem solving, mystery, and compare and contrast to investigate these topics.

Author: Bree Bosse: 2013-2014

Unit Big Idea:
Animal and Plant Survival
Life Cycles of plants and animals
Animal Conservation and habitat conservation

Essential Question:
1. What are living things and what do they need to survive? What do plants need to survive? What do animals need to survive?
2. What is a life cycle? How does a living thing go through a life cycle?
3. How can human behaviors impact an animal habitat?
4. What is animal endangerment?
Assessments:
Diagnostic:
KWL
Informal class discussions to access prior
knowledge
Word Splashes
Formative/Ongoing:
Plant and Butterfly observation journal
KWL
Synthesis Activity in Mystery Lesson:
Report to Environmental Protection
Agency w/ diagram and product
Wraparound discussion in Mystery
Lesson (informal observation)
Synthesis Activity in Compare and
Contrast Lesson: Choice Board products
Summarizing Activity in CC Lesson:
TOTD
CPS Guided Imagery Reflection
Summarizing Activity for CPS Lesson:
Shapely Debrief reflection
ALL handouts from students will serve as
an ongoing/informal assessment of
student progress and understanding
Anecdotal notes on student conversation
Summative:
Synthesis Activity in Creative Problem
Solving Lesson: Letter to Governor
(assessed with rubric and checklist for
students)
Performance Task with Rubric
Post-Assessment
Resources:
All Lessons:
Books:
Why Do Leaves Change Color? By Betsy Maestro
A Tree Is A Plant by Clyde Robert Bulla
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
What is a Food Chain? By Bobbie Kalman
Butterfly Garden by Margaret McNamara
Where Butterflies Grow by Joanne Ryder
A Butterfly is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long
Egg to Chicken by Camilla de la Beoyere
Tadpole to Frog by Camilla de la Beoyere
National Geographic Kids: Caterpillar to Butterfly by Laura Marsh
National Geographic Kids: Seed to Plant by Kristin Baird Rattini
National Geographic Kids: Frogs! By Elizabeth Carney
Plant Secrets by Emily Goodman
City Green by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan
The Seeds of the Milkweed Written and Illustrated by the Second Grade Students of East End Elementary in Little Rock, Arkansas
The Magic School Bus: Plants Seeds-A Book About How Living Things Grow
Come Back, Salmon by Molly Cone
--Variety of Magic School Bus Books
--Student Science Textbook and workbooks

Leveled Harcourt Readers:
Below Level: Life Cycles
On Level: Changing Shapes
Above Level: What are Some Life Cycles?
Science Vocabulary Readers:
-Sunflower Life Cycle
-Chick Life Cycle
-Frog Life Cycle
-Horse Life Cycle
-Butterfly Life Cycle
-Ladybug Life Cycle

Technology:
Videos from Discovery Education:
-The Magic School Bus: Goes to Seed
-The Magic School Bus: Hops Home
-Magic School Bus: Cracks a Yolk
-The Magic School Bus: Gets Planted
-The Magic School Bus: Butterfly and the Bog Beast
-TLC Elementary School: Our Natural World
-Animal Life Cycles
-Living and Nonliving Things
The Discovery Ed video segments on Life Cycles http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=74AE57B9-C6B7-495F-A6DB-
A2ED3829BDB7&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=DSCE
(Introduction, amphibians, mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, & insects)

Other websites:
-ChickscopeSee how a chicken develops in the egg and what is happening each day of the 21-day period-- How does an egg develop from the time it is
laid to the time it hatches? Come explore with us the fascinating 21-day life cycle of the embryological chick.-
http://chickscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/explore/embryology/
-Shows a real chick being hatched from an egghttp://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/genetics/chicks_movie.html
- www.wwf.org to explore animal conservation
-Various zoo websites to explore ways zoos help inform the public about the importance of protecting animals and their habitats-- www.sandiegozoo.com (has live
cams of animals), www.zooatlanta.com
-www.defenders.org
-www.animalexplorers.com

Brainpop Jr.:
Freshwater habitats (optional)
Plant Life Cycle
Butterfly Life Cycle
Frog Life Cycle
Extinct and Endangered Species


Manipulatives/Equipment/etc.:
Handouts from ALL lessons (included on modeled lesson)
iPevo Interactive board
Computers
iPads (various apps for products)
projector to watch videos
Letter writing paper
Materials for students final products
Chocolate Chip cookies
Chart paper and markers
Magnifying glasses and additional tools to motivate and increase students interest
Initial clues
o Before Picture: color photo copy of page 9 from Come Back, Salmon
o After Picture: color photo copy of pages 41 and 42
Cold Case Files with cut out clue cards for each group (differentiate for groups)Make it seem like a real briefcase (primary source type of documents)

Standards to address in Unit:

Content Area Standards

Second Grade
Science:
S2CS6b. Science involves collecting data and testing hypotheses
S2E3a. Recognize effects that occur in a specific area caused by weather, plants, animals, and/or people.
S2L1. Students will investigate the life cycles of different living organisms.
a. Determine the sequence of the life cycle of common animals in your area: a mammal such as a cat or dog or classroom pet, a bird such as a chicken, an
amphibian such as a frog, and an insect such as a butterfly.
c. Investigate the life cycle of a plant from a seed and by recording changes over a period of time.
d. Identify fungi (mushrooms) as living organisms.
S2CS1. Students will be aware of the importance of curiosity, honesty, openness, and skepticism in science and will exhibit these traits in their own efforts to
understand how the world works.
a. Raise questions about the world around them and be willing to seek answers to some of the questions by making careful observations and measurements
and trying to figure things out.
ELA/Writing Content:
ELACC2W1: Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the
opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

Third Grade Science:
S3L1d. Explain what will happen to an organism if the habitat is changed
S3L2a. Explain the effects of pollution (such as littering) to the habitats of plants and animals.
First Grade Science:
S1L1. Students will investigate the characteristics and basic needs of plants and animals.

TAG Objectives:

Higher Order and Critical Thinking Skills
2. The student responds to questions with supporting information that reflects in-depth knowledge on a topic.
3. The student conducts comparisons using criteria.
4. The student makes and evaluates decision using criteria.
11. The student draws based upon relevant information while disregarding irrelevant information.
14. The student identifies and illustrates basic principles and the foundational concepts that are central to understanding the essence of a field of study.

Advanced Communication Skills
1. The student uses written, spoken, and technological media to convey new learning or challenge existing ideas.
2. The student produces written and/or oral work that is complex, purposeful, and organized, includes relevant supporting examples and manipulation of language.
3. The student creates products and/or presentations that synthesize information from diverse sources and communicate expertise to a variety of authentic audiences.
7. The student responds to contributions of others, considering all available information.
8. The student participates in small group discussions to argue persuasively or reinforce others good points.
10. The student supports and defends his/her own opinions while respecting the opinions of others

Advanced Research Skills
1. The student uses a variety of print and non-print resources to investigate a topic of interest.
5. The student gathers, organizes, analyzes, and synthesizes data from multiple sources to support or disprove a hypothesis.
6. The student develops and uses systematic procedures for recording and organizing information.
7. The student evaluates research methodologies and data to detect validity, bias, reliability, and applicability to real-world problems and/or solutions.
8. The student allows for and accepts alternative interpretations of data.
10. The student defends research findings in a presentation or exhibit.

Creative Thinking and Problem Solving
2. The student designs, applies, evaluates, and adapts a variety of innovative strategies to when problem solving (e.g., recognizes problems, defines problems,
identifies possible solutions, selects optimal solution, implements solution, and evaluates solution).
3. The student incorporates brainstorming and other idea-generating techniques (synectics, SCAMPER, etc.) to solve problems or create new products.
4. The student demonstrates skills in fluency and flexibility to solve problems or create new products.
5. The student develops original ideas, presentations, or products through synthesis and evaluation.
6. The student, independently or through collaboration with classmates, clarifies, illustrates, or elaborates on an idea for product improvement.
9. The student recognizes and assumes risks as a necessary part of problem solving.
10. The student monitors and reflects on the creative process of problem solving for future applications.

Know:
Organisms/plants may not survive if their
habitat is changed.
Pollution occurs when the environment is
contaminated with harmful substances.
Human behaviors such as littering, driving,
industry, and development impact the
environment.
Plants need specific things for survival and
know what these things are
Animals need specific things for survival and
know what these things are.
Some animals are endangered
Animals go through developmental changes
from conception, through adult, to death.
The developmental changes are called life
cycles.
Most common animals start their life cycles
from fertilized eggs.
The eggs develop to the young forms of the
animal which later develop into adult forms.
Common animals such as cats, birds, frogs,
and butterfly undergo these life cycle
changes.
Most plants develop from seeds (which are
like the fertilized eggs of animals).
Seeds germinate, grow and develop to
become mature plants.
The matured plants produce flowers from
Understand:
Every living thing thrives in habitats suited
for its needs.
What you do has an impact on your
environment.
The relationship between the health of a river
as a whole and health of the living creatures
in it.
The role that humans play on keeping our
environment clean.
The role habitats play in plant and animal
survival
The role that food chains play in plant and
animal survival
The rules of brainstorming
That people are largely responsible for the
endangerment of animals
The importance of protecting animals and
preserving their habitats
All animals undergo certain changes as they
develop through their life cycles.
All plants undergo certain changes as they
develop from seed to maturity.


Do:
Identify forms of pollution.
Describe how pollution affects the environment
and the plants and animals that live in it.
Describe ways to protect the environment.
Supports and defends his/her opinions while
respecting the opinions of others.
Gather, organize, analyze, and synthesize data
from multiple sources to support or disprove a
hypothesis.
Discuss information in a group and work
together to draw conclusions based upon
relevant information while discarding
irrelevant information.
Teach others about a topic they have studies
Be able to compare and contrast different
topics
Participate in a creative problem solving
activity
Design, apply, evaluate, and adapt a variety of
innovative strategies to when problem
solving (e.g., recognizes problems, defines
problems, identifies possible solutions,
selects optimal solution, implements
solution, and evaluates solution).
Incorporate brainstorming and other idea-
generating techniques (synectics, SCAMPER,
etc.) to solve problems or create new products
Observe and describe the life cycle of a common
which seeds are developed.
The seed produced by flowers can again
germinate to repeat the cycle of the plant.


favorite pet.
Observe and describe the life cycle of a
butterfly.
Draw and label the sequence of the life cycle
of the chosen pet.
Grow a plan (a grass, a pea, kidney ban, etc.)
from seed to maturity.
Observe, record and describe the changes
seen at each stage of the growth and
development of the plant from a seed to a
matured plant.
Draw and label the observed changes from
seed to a matured plant.
Major Unit concepts, vocabulary and artifacts:

Vocabulary:
Lesson One: plants, animals, survival, living, nonliving, life cycle
Lesson Two: Plant, Seed, Roots, Stem, Flower, Fruit, Germinate/sprout
Lesson Three: Pupa/chrysalis, Larva/caterpillar, Adult/Butterfly, Amphibian, Egg, Tadpole, Adult (Frog)
Lesson Four: Pollution, habitat, river, salmon, life cycle, detective/mystery/evidence/hypothesis
Lesson Five: Poaching, personal gratification, personal gain, exotic, encroaching, development, extinct, endangered
Lesson Six: Performance Task
**Lesson One: Plant and
Animal Survival (Compare
and Contrast) (2 days)
Essential Questions:
What are living things and
what do they need to
survive?
What do plants need to
survive?
What do animals need to
survive?

Lesson Two: Plant Life
Cycle (2 days)
Essential Questions:
What is a life cycle?
How does a living thing go
through a life cycle?
How do seeds become
adult plants?
Lesson Three: Animal Life
Cycles (3 days)
Essential Questions:
How Does a living thing go
through a life cycle?
Why are the early stages of
a frog or butterfly not like
the adults?
How are a plant and
animal life cycle the same?
Different?
**Lesson Four: Human
Impact on Rivers and
Animal Habitats (Mystery)
(3 days)
Essential Questions:
How can human behaviors
impact an animal habitat?
How can human behaviors
harm rivers and other
bodies of water?
Why is it important to have
clean rivers?
What can people do to help
maintain clean rivers?



**Lesson Five: Animal
Endangerment (CPS) (3
days)
Essential Question:
What is animal
endangerment?
Do people have the right to
kill animals for sport,
recreation, personal
gratification or personal
gain?
How can we help solve the
problem of animal
endangerment?
Artifact & Evidence:
(See Model Lesson #1 for more
detail- this lesson will take
approximately 2 science blocks
to complete)
-Introduce Unit & performance
task
-Discuss nonliving vs. living
things
-KWL on plants and animal
- Compare and Contrast
Lesson on Plant and Animal
Survival (will go into Day 2)
-Add to KWL
Artifact & Evidence:
Day One:
- Review what plants need to
survive
-Discuss parts of a plant & how
they come from a seed (watch
Brainpop Jr. Parts of a Plant)
-SW begin to germinate seeds
-SW begin their plant
observation journal (will
continue to observe for entire
unit)
-TOTD

Day 2:
-Hook: Brainpop video on
Plant Life Cycle and/or book
on plant life cycles
-SW complete a diagram the
plant life cycle
-SW observe their seeds & see
the roots start to pop out of the
seeds and discuss the
vocabulary words
-Add to KWL
Artifact & Evidence:
Day One: Butterfly Life Cycle
-KWL or Word Splash to
access background knowledge
on butterflies
-Watch video on butterflies
-Introduce LIVE caterpillars in
classroom
-Discuss journals for butterfly
observations
-SW begin journaling (will
continue throughout entire
unit)
-Add to KWL
Day Two: Frog Life Cycle
-KWL on Frogs
-Watch brainpop or discovery
education
-Create a diagram
-reading passage with comp.
questions
-revisit KWL

Day Three: Bird and Life
Cycle
-Discuss Life cycles in general
and discuss similarities
-Use Eggscopic website to
observe chick developing in the
egg over the 21-day period
-Read a book or watch a quick
video
-Compare the life cycles of all
animals and plantsfrogs and
butterflies are very different as
young than they are as adults
what about birds? Mammals?
-TOTD
Artifact & Evidence:
(See Model Lesson #2 for more
detail- this lesson will take
approximately 3 science blocks
to complete)
-Hook
-Mystery Lesson
-Synthesis activity- SW write a
report, draw a diagram, and
create a product
-SW present their product to
the class
-Summarizing activity
Wraparounds discussion


Artifact & Evidence:
(See Model Lesson #3 for more
detail- this lesson will take
approximately 3 science blocks
to complete)
-Guided imagery activity
-Guided imagery reflection
-Discuss Rules of
Brainstorming
-CPS Lesson
-Synthesis activity: Letter
writing
-Summarizing activity
Shapely Debrief reflection

Lesson Six:
Performance Assessment
(two-three days)
Come onride on the MAGIC
SCHOOL BUS
Students should show evidence
of understanding that all living
organisms go through a life
cycle and be able to show and

explain each part of a
particular organisms life cycle.

Artifact & Evidence:
-Teacher will explain
performance task to students
ensuring that they understand
the task.
-SW use everything they have
learned this unit and use
information gathered through
research, plant journal,
butterfly journal, activities,
handouts, reading passages,
textbook, videos, anchor texts,
etc. to to sell a life cycle trip
on Ms. Bosses MAGIC
SCHOOL BUS, explaining each
stop that your traveler will
experience along the way.
-SW produce a product for
teacher to evaluate
-SW present product
-Grade with rubric
-After students finish
Performance task, they will
take post-test for the unit.