Lesson Plan : Life Cycle of a Salmon

Teacher Name:
 Monica Simmons
Grade:
 Grade 3
Subject:
 Science

Topic:
 Something Fishy: Life Cycle of a Salmon
Content:
 
Goals:
 The student will summarize a science-related article from an encyclopedia and draw appropriate conclusions based on the information presented. The student will take relevant notes on a specific science topic (salmon). The student will draw a simplified diagram to illustrate the life cycle of a fish (salmon). The student will describe a fish (characteristics of the salmon) and its habitats.
Objectives:
 The student will select and use manual and automated versions of general and specialized encyclopedias to gather information about salmon. The students will use alphabetical order to locate information on salmon in the appropriate volume of a print encyclopedia. The student will use guide words, headings, and subheadings to locate information about salmon in a print encyclopedia. The students will use appropriate search strategies and terms in an automated encyclopedia to locate information on salmon. The student will use call numbers to locate nonfiction materials about salmon
Materials:
 General and specialized (wildlife) sets of encyclopedias An overhead projector, screen, and transparencies Visual organizer for students to organize facts (see example) Professional Resource
Introduction:
 Begin with a fiction story about "the big one that got away" or about salmon. After reading or telling one of these stories aloud to the class, ask questions about fishing, salmon, etc. Have any of the students ever caught a fish? What kind of fish was it? Where did they go fishing? Do the students like to eat fish? What is their favorite kind? Has anyone in the class ever tasted salmon before?
Development:
 Next, explain the assignment to the class. The students will research salmon to learn about habitat and characteristics. They will compose a brief paragraph on the fish. Afterwards, the class will submit facts and the accompanyng paragraph to the teacher for evaluation.
Practice:
 Project overhead transparencies of the form students will use to compile facts. Review the basic reference sources that are available to the students as they work on their project: print and automated general and specialized encyclopedias and nonfiction books. Review terms that students should use in searching for information. Discuss the Dewey Decimal Classification numbers of materials that may be useful and review the location of the Dewey section with a map of the library media center. Discuss the characteristics of salmon that the students must research: physical description, habitat, diet, reproduction, predators, and habits
Accommodations:
 
Checking For Understanding:
 
Closure:
 
Evaluation:
 Each student will use a print or automated encyclopedia and/or nonfiction book to identify at least six characteristics of a salmon's life cycle, summarize the scientific facts in a brief descriptive paragraph, and construct a game board based on the life cycle of the salmon.
Teacher Reflections:
 

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