Portfolio

Sophie Cahlamer
Standard: “2.LS.3 Classify living organisms according to variations in specific physical

features (i.e. body coverings, appendages) and describe how those features may provide an

advantage for survival in different environments.”

Grade Level: 2nd

Big Picture Purpose

The standard that I want to teach is based on the life science of animals. The main

purpose of the lesson will be to get students thinking about how different animals live, what they

require, what helps them, and what can hurt them. This also can help them in the future when

they learn more in depth about classification of animals. They will be able to put different

animals into categories based on their look, diet, and even climate. This can also get them

thinking about characteristics of different habitats. When thinking about how animals survive it

is important to consider their surroundings. Students can look at habitats and pick out what

resources there are there that help the animals live (kind of food, water, temperature, etc.) and

what things that can be treacherous to their safety. With this lesson we want to get students to

gain a better understanding for the natural world around them and understand how animals live.

This is something that is used in biology courses from elementary school to college so it is

important that they gain an understanding for it now. Although this is a second grade standard I

do not think that it is important that we teach them the proper classification of animals, but just

to expose them to the idea of classification

Goals
1. Students will be able to identify the different physical features animals have and how it

allows them to live in their natural habitat. For example, they will be able to understand

that animals with lots a fur often live in cold climates, while animals with scales will live

in hotter climates. Another example is them being able to understand that fish’s gills

allow them to breathe underwater and that birds’ wings allow them to fly.

2. Students will be able to identify the differences between organisms of different families.

This means that they will be able to notice the differences between animals and put them

into premade groups. This will allow them to understand that a robin as more in common

with a penguin then a polar bear does, or other questions along those lines. While the first

goal was centered around identifying the physical characteristics of the animals, this goal

is about comparing those characteristics to other animals and putting them into premade

category.

3. Students will be able to group animals in classifications they create themselves. As well

as using premade categories they will also be able to look at any group of animals and put

them into groups that they make up on their own. It will be up to them to put the different

animals in group on their own.

 Lesson One: Create Your Own Animal

(I saw a worksheet for a lesson like this on https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Design-

Your-Own-Animal-and-Habitat-Activity-603239 .)

After learning about different kinds of animals and what they physical characteristics

allows them to do, the students will be able to put their knowledge to the test with this activity.

In this activity they will be able to create their own animals that lives in a habitat of their

choosing. Based on the habitat they will have to make the animal have characteristics that would

allow the animal to be able to live there. For example, if they wanted their animal to live in the

mountains maybe they would make a creature that could fly around then or had sharp claws that

help them climb. The students will have to draw a picture of the animal they have created in their

natural habitat, as well as a written explanation of the different characteristics they added that

will help them survive.

Purpose: The main purpose of this activity is for them to show what they have learned about

how different animals can survive using different parts of their body. This project helps to

achieve the first goal which is based around the students being able to identify key characteristics

that animals have that they couldn’t live without.

Justification: I chose this because it allowed students to show what they know but in a creative

that will keep your students engaged in the activity. It would be just as easy to give them and

animal to research and have them do a write up of their finding about the characteristics of it, but

I feel like especially at second grade level there are time when you have to allow them to be

creative and imaginative. Not only is this activity more fun but it also achieves the goals I set for

the class and is effective in them showing what they learned.

Modifications/Preparations: This was already made for the correct age group so I will have

very minimal modifications. Because I like to make things on my own, I would not use that

worksheet, but instead just have the students draw it on a blank piece of paper. But for the

preparations they would first need to have been taught a lesson about the different characteristics

of animals to lay the basis of knowledge that they need to complete this activity. I had in mind a

PowerPoint that would go over examples of animals in different habitats to give them ideas of

different characteristics that serve animals of many habitats. The students will also need art

supplies and blank paper to be able to bring their creation to live as well as lined paper and

pencils to write their explanation.

Work Produced: The student will turn in the picture of the animal in the habitat that they

created as well as a half page to a page long explanation of five of the different characteristics

they gave the animal.

Efficacy: I will determine of the student understood the concepts I was trying to teach by

looking at how well their animal matched up with the environment they placed them in. If they

had a desert habitat but hade the animal be completely covered in fur and live in a tree, it would

be clear that they did not understand the concept. But if they gave the animal scales or feet that

can more quickly over sand, it would be clear that they did understand.

Lesson Two: Classifying Individually

(Lesson found at: https://theteacherbag.com/animal-classification/. This webpage has lots of

lessons, but I will be talking about the one that is the seventh picture down.)

In this activity students will put animals into their proper family classifications. They will

make pockets in their notebooks where they will put cut out pictures of the different animals they
are classifying. This helps them learn the proper classifications of animals and what it means to

be a mammal, reptile, bird, etc.

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to make sure that they know how to classify animals

when they are given the classification, which is achieving the second goal that I had set for them.

They learn what it means for the animals to be in each classification as well as sorting them

independently.

Justification: I chose this lesson because I feel like it is something that is very straight forward

and very easy to tell if the student understood the content. While it may not be as engaging or

hands on as other lessons it is important to be able to clearly see what they do and do not

understand. Also, there is value in being able to do something independently as opposed to in

groups.

Modification/Preparation: I would modify the lesson by making it a little more in depth.

Instead of doing it all on one page of the notebook I would have each classification have its own

page so they can also write notes about characteristics of each one. I would also eliminate the

popsicle sticks and just have the students put the picture directly into the pocket, as this way it is

easier to keep as notes. To prepare for the lessons the students will need glue sticks, scissors,

paper to make the pockets with, and

Work Produced: The students will make the pages in their notebooks as the finished product of

this assignment.

Efficacy: I will be able to have an understanding of what level the students are at by looking

over their notebook pages to make sure that the animals had been sorted correctly.

Lesson Three: Classifying as a Group

 (Lesson I Created).

For this activity I will split the class into groups of 4-5 and assign them all a spot on a

whiteboard in the classroom. On every white board there will be pictures of 25 different animals.

As a group the students will have to categorize the animals into groups of their choosing and

name the different categorizes by writing them on the white board.

Purpose: The main purpose of this lesson is for students to learn how to put animals into

categories that they create themselves, which achieves the third goal. Instead of giving them

premade classifications they get to be creative with how they sort the animals. This can also

show them that there are many ways to classify animals because they will have to work with

other students who all have different ideas for how to do go about it. Maybe some students will

want to classify them by the number of legs they have, and one will want to do it based on what

kind of covering they have. This lesson can allow them to notice the differences in animals for

themselves.

Justification: I chose this lesson because it can show students that there are many ways to be

categorize animals. It also allows students to put things into groups on their own so in some ways

it is a more independent project, even though they are working in groups. Also, working in

groups is something that I have found can keep students engaged and work as a team.

Modifications/Preparations: This is a lesson I made on my own so it was made with his age

group in mind so there are no modifications that need to be made. To prepare for the lesson you

would have to make sure you have enough magnets and markers for the students to complete

their work. You also have to print off picture of 25 animals that they will be sorting. This lesson

does not take a long time to prep for.

Work Product: The work the students will produce is their categorizations which they will

present to the class when everyone is done. As a group they will explain the different categories

they put the animals in and why they did it that way to the class. I will also take picture of all of

the boards so that I can remember what each group put.

Efficacy: I will be able to tell if the students have mastered the content based on what animals

are in the categories. If they put a fox in a category for animals that have wings, it would be clear

that they still need additional help on this lesson.

Assessment

To assess how the students did I will do a short quiz to make sure that they all have a

good understanding of what was meant to be taught in all the activities. On the quiz there will be

a matching section where you draw a line from the animal to the family that it belongs in. There

will also be a part where there will be a description of an animal and they have to choose what

kind of habitat it would be in based on the animal’s characteristics. Also, there will be a section

where they sort animals from a word bank into an array of categories like if it has wings, fur, eats

plants, or even the number of legs it has. I will grade these quizzes and help to work with the

students I can tell need improvement in their understanding.

Across the Curriculum

Many of these lessons already span across multiple subjects. The first activity tied into art

when it allowed them to draw and create their own animal. The second lesson would have

included lots of writing about the different families, which can help the students practice their

writing skills as well as science. I could also tie this into history and do a lesson over how we

started to classify species in the first place, taking into account the history of classification.
Screenshot of lesson two:
Screenshot of lesson one: