Daily Life Lab PBL Plans for Third Grade

11, 2015
Monday
Pre-Assess
Whole group
discussion and
charting of
responses: What
kinds of living
organisms are likely
to be in our schools
Life Lab garden? In
the Life Lab pond?
Entry Event
Walking tour of Life
Lab.
Students take their
science journals and
record what living
organisms they see
in the two areas of
the TCK Life Lab.

Tuesday
Entry Event
Feedback
Compile the results
from the tour of the
LL by eliciting their
help in placing the
organisms on a large
tree map as follows:
Living Things in Our
Life Lab
Garden

Pond

Plant Animal Plant

Animal

Wednesday
Analyze
In pairs, students
will analyze the data
provided in the tree
map and be able to
answer questions
such as How many
more _____ than
______ are in the LL?
Which area has
more types of
plants? How many
more? Which area
has more types of
animals? How many
more?

EL Strategies:
Strategic partnering
to help with
questions about the
data.

Sharing of journal
writing.
EL Strategies:
Picture cards of
plants and animals
likely to be found in
our area to help with
naming.

Week # 1

EL Strategies:
Continued use of
picture cards as
needed.

Intervention
Lesson:
Small group lesson
for those having
difficulty with
comparing the

Thursday
Front Load
At an earlier time,
model how to take
their data and
create a bar graph
showing amounts of
the most prevalent
types of
plants/animals in the
LL. Model creating
summary
statements based
on the data.
Create
In pairs, students
create scaled bar
graphs using the
collected data from
their life lab tour.
Analyze
In pairs, students
use their bar graphs
to make a few
summary
statements about
their data.
EL Strategies:
Strategic partnering.

September 7
Friday
Investigation
In pairs, students
revisit the LL and
digitally photograph
various organisms.
In class, print the
photos and add to
the tree map.
Research
On-line research of
names of organisms
in photos if
unknown. Label
photos.

EL Strategies:
Strategic partnering
for photos and
labeling research.

numbers.

Daily Life Lab PBL Plans for Third Grade

Monday
Engage
Show the Sesame
Street clip of Kermit
singing, On My
Pond.
Introduction of
Driving Question
How can we
make the Life Lab
a better
environment for
the organisms
that live there?
Pre-Assessment
In their science
journals, students
write their initial
response to the
driving question.
Announcement
Tell the students
which of the two
areas of the lab will
be their area of

Week # 2

Tuesday
Front Load
(Concepts of area
and perimeter
already taught.)
Model how to
measure area and
perimeter (in metric
units) using the
classrooms
dimensions.

Wednesday
Create
Model how to use
the dimensions to
make a map of the
two main areas of
the LL. Then
students, in groups
of 4, create a group
map of their area of
focus.

Investigate
Students are split
into two groups.
One group will find
the dimensions of
the garden area and
one group will find
the dimensions of
the pond area. They
record their data in
their science
journals. * Extra
adult supervision
will be needed in the
pond area.

Present
Groups present their
maps with the
dimensions,
perimeter, and area.

EL Strategies:
Strategic partnering,
modeling, classroom
posters showing
area, perimeter.
Intervention

September 14-18, 2015

Thursday
Front Load
Vocabulary: climate,
habitat,
environment.
Research
Students do on-line
research on an
organism of their
choice currently
living in their LL
area of focus.

Friday
Research
Continue on-line
research in the
computer lab that
was started
yesterday. Post list
of websites to
encourage the use
of more than one
source.

EL Strategies:
(Same as below)
Intervention
Lesson:
Individual help with

EL Strategies:
Meet with students

focus, pond or
garden. (Use their
above written
responses as the
guide.)

EL Strategies:
Prior modeling,
added guidance as
needed.

Lesson:
Small
group/individual
mini-lesson on
perimeter and area.

Intervention
Lesson:
Measurement help
as needed.

Daily Life Lab PBL Plans for Third Grade

Monday
Engage/Front Load
Show The Magic
School Bus episode
105, Hops Home
and discuss what
they learned about
animal habitats.
Post responses in a
circle map.
Writing
In their science
journals, write to the
prompt What
makes a good
animal habitat?

Tuesday
Engage/Front Load
Show The Magic
School Bus episode
111, Goes to Seed
and discuss what
they learned about
plant growth and
habitats. Post
responses in a circle
map.
Writing
In their science
journals, write to the
prompt What do
plants need to
survive?

finding most
and survey what
appropriate web
information they
sites for their area of have found,
focus, and
clarifying any
rephrasing or
unknown
reading aloud any
vocabulary.
information as
needed.

Week # 3
Wednesday
Presentation
Guest presenters
from the UC
Cooperative
Extension San
Joaquin County will
conduct 30 minute
activities that
students will rotate
through in groups of
6. Activities include:
checking for soil
types, healthy
watering amounts,
the role of worms in
soil, and identifying
pond plants and
animals.

September 21-25, 2015

Thursday
Review
Using the posted
thinking maps (tree
and circle maps),
lead a discussion on
what information
students have
gathered about the
LL.
Investigation
In focus groups,
students meet and
decide on one
improvement for
their area of the LL.
They create a poster
showing their area
and their idea of an

Friday
Present
Groups present their
posters with their
ideas to improve the
LL.

EL Strategies:
Provide any needed
vocabulary. Elicit
verbal responses
prior to writing.

EL Strategies:
Provide any needed
vocabulary. Elicit
verbal responses
prior to writing.

Feedback
During whole class
discussion, elicit and
post student
responses on their
learnings from the
presentations.

Daily Life Lab PBL Plans for Third Grade

2015
Monday
Front Load
Using a multi-flow
thinking map, talk
over different
scenarios for change
in the LL and what
the possible results
may be from those
changes. Examples
may include
more/less water,
mulch added, more
pond oxygenation,
etc.

Tuesday
Analyze
In their focus
groups, students will
create a multi-flow
map involving the
current situation in
the lab and their
improvement idea.

improvement.

EL Strategies:
Thinking maps,
posted vocabulary

Week # 4
Wednesday
Present
Focus groups
present their multiflow maps to the
class, then begin
working on their
final presentations
for Friday.

EL Strategies:
Strategic groupings

Thursday
Preparation for
Presentations
Groups will continue
their preparations
for the following
days presentations
of their findings.

Sept. 28 Oct. 2,
Friday
Present
Groups present their
findings on how to
improve their focus
area of the Life Lab
to the class and
invited guests.
Presentations will
include visuals (map
of Life Lab, photos,
drawings, multi-flow
thinking map
showing
cause/effect of
improvement),
proposed

EL Strategies:
Vocabulary help as
needed.

improvement, and
possible needed
materials or
resources.

EL Strategies:
Meet with each
focus group over the
next three days to
ensure full
understanding and
participation.
Intervention
Lesson:
(See above)

Daily PBL Plans

Monday

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Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Dates
Friday

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