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Stephanie Beckles
Science - S1L1d: Students will investigate the characteristics and basic needs of animals:
Compare and describe various animalsappearance, motion, growth, basic needs.
Summary: Using background knowledge and criteria, students will make a decision about
which animal is better.
Enduring Understanding: At the end of this lesson the students will have used higher order
critical thinking skills to make a decision.
Essential Question: How can decision making be reflected in informational literature and
science?
Evidence of Learning:
What the students should KNOW: Students should be able to compare animals, take
notes, and make a decision based on criteria.
What the students should BE ABLE TO DO: Communicate their decisions and their
justifications in a small group or as part of a whole-class discussion.
Procedure:
Hook: Lead a discussion in which children relate their own decision-making experiences,
for example, how would you decide who is on your team for a game of soccer.
Background Information: Read the book Who Would Win? Lobster VS. Crab (showing
it on the IWB with the document camera), and complete the T-chart which shows facts
from the book for each animal. Do this with children as you go. They write on their own tchart at the same time. Clarify any questions students may have.
Criteria: With student input, create a list of criteria that the students will use to compare
the two animals. (E.g. size, weaponsclaw type/spikes, eyes, armor). Use the Who has
the advantage? checklist in the back of the book and have children look at their t-chart
and decide which of these things (size, shell, claws, legs, teeth, speed, tail) would make the
best criteria for deciding which animal would win the fight.
Decision Making: Students will use the criteria checklist to make a decision about which
animal they think would win.
Communicating the decision: Allow students to communicate their decision and their
justification in their table small group.
Synthesis Activity: Have students write and draw about their decision in their Science
Journal.
Extension Activity: Provide time for students to reflect and share their personal
thoughts and feelings about the content and their decision-making process.
Assessment: Take pictures of the children as they are working. Use a rubric to grade
children on the various elements of the decision making process.
Technology Integration: Use the document camera to display the picture during the
Background Information section. Use the Interactive Whiteboard to show the t-chart and
criteria chart as a model for children to complete their charts.
Decision Making
Criteria
Lobster
Crab
Animal
Total
Points
For each criteria, give the solutions a score: 1=bad, 2=great. Then add
up the scores for each solution. The highest score wins!
TAGHO/CTS
#3: The student
Below the
Approaching the
Meets the
Exceeds the
Standard
Standard
Standard
Standard
No decision made.
Decision made is
partially based on
criteria.
Student participates in
investigation and
discussion some of the
time.
Student participates in
investigation and
discussion most of the
time and is able to
compare animals using
one criteria..
Student participates in
investigation and
discussion all of the
time and is able to
compare animals using
different criteria.
conducts
comparisons using
criteria.
TAGHO/CTS
#4: The student
makes and
evaluates decisions
using criteria.
ELA1.RI.7: Use
illustrations and
details in a text to
describe its key
ideas.
ScienceS1L1d:
Students will
investigate the
characteristics and
basic needs of
animals: Compare
and describe
various animals
appearance,
motion, growth,
These journal
entries show
the synthesis
activity.
Overall, I really liked this activity, and could see myself using it with first grade students again. They were
engaged, for the most part, and the lesson moved along at a good pace for them. Having done the criteria
activity in the Creative Problem Solving lesson, helped the children to be more comfortable with using criteria
in this lesson. Also, modeling the criteria chart, really helped them work on their own chart independently.
I only had time to have a few students complete the extension activity, and it was very interesting that the
students who are currently in TAG, view this as a new skill that they can use to make decisions, but the other
students (non-TAG) said that it is easier just to do rock-paper-scissors.