I LOVE ANIMALS! ( A Didactic Unit for Science)

Subject: SCIENCE                                          

 

Title of the Unit: I LOVE ANIMALS              Course / Level: 3rd Primary Education  

Introduction.

In this unit, pupils learn more about animal's classification, their diet and how they can reproduce. Pupils will revise animal's vocabulary and learn new concepts making a final project about an endangered animal.

A key factor of this unit is its integral development of English language skills alongside. Language and vocabulary are carefully graded and introduced within the Science context.

 

Language skills will be systematically developed alongside target concepts throughout the unit. Pupils are encouraged to use sentences right from the start to enable free expression as soon as possible.

 

Pupils are introduced to skills of scientific investigation, collecting evidence by observing and noticing things around them, either by recording their findings in charts or by drawing, labelling or writing their results.

 

Learning outcomes.

-      To review the life processes of animals.

-      To describe animals.

-      To understand that animals can be classified according to different criteria and to recognise some of these criteria.

-      To differentiate between vertebrates and invertebrates.

-      To classify animals according to different criteria.

-      To recognise and name some vertebrates and invertebrates.

-      To describe vertebrates and invertebrates.

-      To learn the characteristics of invertebrates.

-      To differentiate between oviparous and viviparous animals.

-      To describe how oviparous and viviparous animals are born.

-      To classify some animals according to their diet.

-      To differentiate between carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.

-      To name some carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.

-      To recognise and identify different animals' coverings, and to understand why they have them.

-      To read a cartoon for enjoyment.

-      To read a factual text about protected spaces.

-      To do a piece of guided writing about animals in danger of extinction.

-      To review unit content.

-      To undertake a simple self-assessment on unit content.

Tasks.

Pupils will achieve these tasks through the following activities that I explain in the lessons.

Tasks:

In lesson 1: To identify, differentiate and classify vertebrates and invertebrates animals.

In lesson 2: To identify and describe vertebrates and their body parts.

In lesson 3: To identify and describe invertebrates.

In lesson 4: To investigate insects through an internet activity.

In lesson 5: To investigate and differentiate oviparous and viviparous.

In lesson 6: To identify animals according their diet: carnivorous, herbivorous and omnivorous.

In lesson 7: To know different animal's covering.

In lesson 8: To make a project about an animal in danger.

Activities.

Lesson 1: Classifying Animals

In this lesson we achieve the main objectives:

-To review the life processes of animals.

-To describe animals.

- To understand that animals can be classified according to different criteria and to differentiate between vertebrates and invertebrates.

 

We work this vocabulary as key language:

Vertebrate, backbone, spine, invertebrate, exoskeleton, shell, soft body, mammal, fish, bird, reptile, amphibian.

Verb 'Can' to express ability

 

Main activities:

• Opening routine. With an animal poster, ask pupils to tell you about what they can see. Talk about the names of these animals, if they're living or non-living things and the three life processes of animals.
• In this link, there are power points presentations to talk with the pupils and check the previous knowledge and other activities to practice:

http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/science/science2d.htm

 

• Classifying animals.
• Animals quiz.
• Match and write sentences about vertebrates.

 

Lesson 2: Vertebrates.

In this lesson we achieve the main objectives:

-      To identify some vertebrates.

-      To describe vertebrates and name some of their body parts.

-      To describe how vertebrates reproduce and breathe.

 

We work this vocabulary as key language:

Mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians.

 

Main activities:

• Opening routine. With an animal poster, ask volunteers to name the two main animal groups and sub-groups, to tell you the difference between vertebrates and invertebrates. You may build a table and complete it during the lesson.

VERTEBRATES
(k) What I now	(W) What I want to know	(L) What I learnt
-There are 5 types of vertebrates.

• Listen and read about vertebrates.
• Write a text about a vertebrate animal with examples done. Write this text on the board as an example:

____________ dolphins/bats/penguins are _________________ mammals/birds/fish/reptiles/amphibians. They live ____________ in water/on land. They breathe with __________________ gills/ lungs.

 

Lesson 3: Invertebrates.

In this lesson we achieve the main objectives:

-      To identify the characteristics of invertebrates.

-      To identify some invertebrates and describe them.

 

We work this vocabulary as key language:

Invertebrate, backbone, shell, thick/thin, exoskeleton, soft body, lay eggs

 

Main activities:

• Opening routine. Animal circles. Make two large circles on the floor using ropes or draw these on the board. Put the vertebrate and invertebrate card in each them. Ask pupils to put the animal picture into the right group. Encourage them to say 'A spider is an invertebrate' / 'A cow is a vertebrate'.
• To see images about these topic, you can use this link:

http://www.teachingandlearningresources.co.uk/classification01.shtml

 

• Listen and read about invertebrates' bodies. Complete the sentences.
• Classify invertebrates.

INVERTEBRATE
Soft body	Hard shell	Thin exoskeleton	Thick exoskeleton

 

 

Lesson 4: Let's Investigate! Insects.

In this lesson we achieve the main objectives:

-      To identify and name the main parts of insects bodies. To recognise some characteristics of insects.

-      To gain a very basic understanding of metamorphosis.

We work this vocabulary as key language:

Invertebrate, insects, head, antennae, herbivore, larvae, oviparous, thorax, abdomen, legs, wings, metamorphosis, pupa

 

Main activities:

• Opening routine. Ask pupils to point and say sentences about invertebrate, such as A worm has a _________ , A snail has a _______ , A crab has a _________ , A beetle has a _________ .
• Use internet to investigate and write about an insects. Pupils will have different pictures about insects. With a mirror they see how the reflection is the same. Pupils will draw the other half of each insect and find out information about them.
• You can provide this link to your pupils and you can use to make extra activities:https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/category/topics/bugs-and-insects

Lesson 5: How animals reproduce

In this lesson we achieve the main objectives:

-      To differentiate and identify between oviparous and viviparous animals.

-      To describe how oviparous and viviparous animals are born.

 

We work this vocabulary as key language:

Viviparous, oviparous, lay eggs, hatch, incubate, born live, mammals.

 

Main activities:

• Opening routine. Revise that pupils have learnt about insects first, you may build up a spider diagram on the board.

• Listen and read the three life processes of living things (Nutrition, reproduction and interaction).

• Identify the viviparous and oviparous animals in photos. Ask the pupils say which animal groups are oviparous (invertebrate, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians) and which group is viviparous (mammals).
• Revise the vocabulary with this app:

http://LearningApps.org/display?v=ps7ey1jdn15

 

Lesson 6: What do animals eat?

In this lesson we achieve the main objectives:

-          To classify some animals according to their diet.

-          To differentiate and identify between carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.

We work this vocabulary as key language:

Herbivore, carnivore, omnivore.

 

Main activities:

• Opening routine. Review contents. Make two circles on the floor to classify the animals into viviparous and oviparous. Children will have cards and they will put on the correct circle.
• Listen and read the text about what animals eat. Draw this diagram on the board to classify animals.
• Ask pupils to write sentences like these:

A giraffe is a herbivore.

A hen is an omnivore.

A tiger is a carnivore.

 

 

Lesson 7: Animal coverings

In this lesson we achieve the main objectives:

-          To identify different animal's covering.

-          To gain an understanding as to why animals have different coverings.

 

We work this vocabulary as key language:

Skin, fur, feathers, scales, camouflage, predator

 

Main activities:

• Introduction to Animal covering. Show pupils a woolen jumper and a thin cotton T-shirt. Ask 'Which clothes do you wear on a hot/cold day?'. Show pupils a pair of thick gardening gloves and ask 'When would someone use these? Why?

• Show the animal poster to speak about the different covering animals.

• Say the animal coverings chant.
• Listen and read a text about how these coverings protect the animals.

Lesson 8: My final project.

In this lesson we achieve the main objectives:

-          To use the concepts learnt in the unit to do a poster presentation about animals in danger.

                                                           

Main activity: My science presentation.

1. Choose an animal that is in danger of extinction.
2. Find out about your animal using the internet and other reference sources. (They should do this for homework and bring the information with them to the next class).
3. Try to include the following information. A description of the animal, vertebrate – invertebrate, herbivore – carnivore – omnivore, what it eats, how it reproduces, where it lives and what protective covering it has.
4. Write a text using your information. (see a model as reference)
5. Find photos or draw pictures of your animal.
6. Present your project to the class.

Resources and Materials.

-  Flashcards

-  Poster animals

- Apps: http://LearningApps.org/display?v=ps7ey1jdn15

 

-  Internet links:

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/insects/06.html

 

http://www.amentsoc.org/insects/what-bug-is-this/adult-key.html#a2

 

http://www.bugbios.com/

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGmjHxN8VQs

https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/category/topics/bugs-and-insects

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/preschool/animals.htm

http://www.arkive.org/education/teaching-resources-5-7

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/132152570293633138/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/315040936413228380/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/41869471511884607/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/382594930823619376/

Methodology and class distribution:

These are the four aspects on which the CLIL approach is based:

- Autonomous learning.                           

- Cooperative learning.

- Task-based approach.

 

There are also other aspects to take into account:

- Students will be in contact with significant communicative and comprehensible data, which are near to their interests.

- The previous knowledge of the unit will be taken into account.

- Students should learn to learn, they should be provided with strategies that will allow them to develop autonomous learning.

- We should promote the pupils' positive attitude towards the Foreign Language.

                                                                                

A variety of personalisation activities are included to motivate and provide context to learning.

Reading texts are intended to introduce the pupils to the reading of scientific texts.

Project and presentation pages provide pupils with guided writing practice, at the same time allowing them to input their own information within a specific framework. This move towards autonomous writing acknowledges the pupils' increased confidence and ability to write in English.

 

Pupils to become more autonomous learners. Pupils are encouraged to think for themselves through discovery-based learning. Pupils are encouraged to do more pairwork activities to give them greater confidence in English. The pupils should be encouraged to do activities in pairs or alone as much as possible.

 

Other activities will be worked in group, such as investigate in internet.

 

 

• Timing:

This DU will be carried out through 3 weeks. It consists of 8 lessons. Each lesson is divided into the following parts: warming up activities, input, practice, reinforcement and out of class activities.

• See more details of the unit, activities, diagrams and pictures on: http://1drv.ms/1Nj2orL
  

                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                                         by DIVINA FERNÁNDEZ