Does anyone have any ideas for lessons/activities to teach this disciplinary core idea to 4th graders: Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.
Hi Ashley, I am currently working on this as well. Maybe it would be worth it for both of us to do some exploring and planning together. I have never taught elementary before, but have experience in middle and high school.
Hi Ladies, I pulled up some lesson plan ideas from Science and Children for you to take a look at:Teaching Through Trade Books: Pondering PlantsPlants on the MoveFlower PowerIs it Made of Parts?Discovering Flowers in a New Light You might also like to check out the Sci Guide on Organisms: Grades K-4 SciGuides contain gobs of lesson plans on selected concepts. Hope this helps. Good luck! Carolyn
Caroline, I followed a few of your links that you posted in your reply to Ashlee and I loved the resources. I am still very new to the learning center and I don't always have time to look deeper. WOW. the SCI GUIDE was so deep with resources I will have to take time in the summer to follow them all.I also really liked the article on assessment probes. This is something I have been very eager to develop for my classroom. I think I may actually close out this school year with suggestions from the Discovering Flowers in a New Light. We have an abundance of wild flowers and azaleas in bloom around my school so I'm thinking it may be time to pull out the microscopes and investigate the structure of flowers for the last week of school. I hope Ashlee was helped by your post, I know I was!
Hi Dianne, Thank you for your post. I am so pleased the resources were helpful. If you decide to do a flower dissection, the Peruvian lily is easily accessible at most grocery stores in the fresh flowers section, and it is an inexpensive choice. One or two bunches will have enough individual flowers for a small class. You could also ask a funeral home if they ever have leftover flower arrangements available for free. Gladiolas have several flowers on a stalk and are a favorite for funeral arrangements. Have fun! Carolyn
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