Developmental Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate: Abigail Elsavage Date: 4/14

Group Size: 20 Students Allotted Time: 50 minutes

Subject or Topic: Lesson #4 Plant Shelter Grade level: 3rd

Common Core/PA Standard(s):

● 3.1.3.A2 : Describe the basic needs of living things and their dependence on light,
food, air, water, and shelter.

● NGSS: 3-LS3-2 Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced
by the environment.
Learning Targets/Objectives:
● The students will be able to describe how plants provide shelter for animals.

Assessment Approaches: Evidence:

1) Anecdotal notes 1. Observational
2) Foldable 2. Students will create a foldable about
how plants provide homes for animals.

Assessment Scale:
● 3 points on rubric = proficient
● Under 3 points on rubric = below basic

Subject Matter/Content:

Prerequisites:
● Students must have some knowledge about the basic needs of plants and animals.
● Students must have some knowledge about wants and needs.

Key Vocabulary:
● Cover: Cover are the resources in the environment that wildlife use to hide from
predators. They are places where animals go to get out of the bad weather.

Content/Facts:
● How plants provide shelter for animals
○ Plants provide homes for animals
■ Bird nests
■ Caves
■ Beavers build lodges
■ Rabbits live in burrows
 ○ Plants provide a nesting place
○ Plants protect animals from weather
○ Plants provide safety/hideout from predators

Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies:
● The teacher will write the essential question on the board:
○ “How do plants provide shelter for animals?”
● The teacher will pass out a paper for students to write the answer to the essential
question on.
○ At this point, students may not know the answer. Use this as a pre-assessment
to see what your students know already.
● *Allow students 5 minutes to write their response.
● Once students are finished writing, tell students to turn and talk to a partner about what
they wrote.
● *Allow students 3 minutes to discuss through a turn and talk.
● Collect all the papers and skim through them.
● Pick out your favorite “wrong” answer and post it on the board.
● Explain to students that they will learn why that answer is wrong throughout today's
lesson.

Development/Teaching Approaches

● Do the “shelter inquiry activity” with the students.

● Pass out various objects for students to create an animal.
○ Feathers, beads, popsicle sticks
● Allow students 10 minutes to build their animal.
● Inform students that its a very sunny day and the students must construct a shelter to
protect their animal from the hot sun.
● Next, pass out various materials that were found outside (sticks, leaves, flowers, and
grass)
● Give students 15 minutes to construct their shelter.
● This part of the lesson is the inquiry. The teacher wants the students to find out how
plants can be made to construct shelter.
● As the students are constructing their shelters, walk around the room and observe.
● When students are finished, ask students to share what they built and why.
● Read aloud the story Forest Bright, Forest Night or play the YouTube video:
https://youtu.be/ZiLnskPREKc
○ Stop along the way to ask engaging questions.
● Play the following video (10:46): https://youtu.be/7Sc2sOIXhOc
● Pass out a guided notes sheet that students will fill out during the video.
● Next, go to the following website: https://www.timeforkids.com/k1/animal-homes/
○ This website has many animal homes examples. Review the photos with the
children and discuss the various ways animals use plants and vegetation to
build homes.
● Next, construct a foldable with the students.
 ● Pass out white construction paper and crayons.
● The foldable will be 4 sections
○ 1. Plants provide homes for animals
○ 2. Plants provide a nesting place
○ 3. Plants protect animals from weather
○ 4. Plants provide safety/hideout from predators
● As the students create their foldable, the teacher will create a giant foldable on a big
anchor sheet.
● The teacher will fill in the foldable on the anchor sheet and the students will follow
along.
● The teacher will introduce the vocabulary term “cover”.
○ Cover: Cover are the resources in the environment that wildlife uses to hide
from predators. They are places where animals go to get out of the bad weather.
● The teacher will introduce the class to the class roosting box.
○ A roosting box is used to protect animals from harsh winds, rain, snow, or heat.
It is what birds can use for protection.
● The teacher will take the students outside to set up the roosting box somewhere near
the recess yard. Students are encouraged to look at the roosting box during recess to
see if any birds are going in or out of the box.

Closure/Summarizing Strategies:

● To close the lesson, play the game “4 corners”

● Place 4 different forms of plant shelter in each corner of the room.
○ Under a tree
○ Nest made out of twigs
○ Log cabin
○ Cave in a tree
● Ask the students to go to the place that would give them the best form of protection
○ You are a human and need a warm place to sleep. Where would you go?
○ You are a bird about to lay bird eggs. You want a safe place to lay eggs where
other animals cannot harm them. Where would you go?
○ You are a bear and want a warm place to go when it is snowing. Where would
you go?
○ You are a squirrel and want to get out of the hot sun. Where would you go?

Accommodations/Differentiation:
Follow all IEPs
● Since student A struggles with following along in videos, give student A a guided note
sheet that is already filled out.

Materials/Resources:
● Inquiry materials
○ Plant resources (leaves, grass, sticks)
○ Animal resources (toothpicks, popsicle sticks, feathers, beads)
 ○ Inquiry worksheet
● Essential question worksheet
● Guided notes sheet
● Paper for the foldable
● Crayons
● Anchor chart paper
● A roosting box
● Forest Bright, Forest Night https://youtu.be/ZiLnskPREKc
● Website: https://www.timeforkids.com/k1/animal-homes/

Reflective Response:
Report of Student Learning Target/Objectives Proficiency Levels
Remediation Plan (if applicable)
Personal Reflection Questions
Additional reflection/thoughts
Name:__________________________________ Date:________________________________

Essential Question

How do plants provide shelter for animals?

Directions: Please answer the question using full sentences.

Plants provide shelter for animals by

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`
 Inquiry Activity

Name:________________________ Date:_____________________________

Directions:
1. Using the various materials provided, construct an animal of your choice.
2. Read the scenario below.
a. It is a very sunny day and it is 110° outside. Your animal needs a safe place to
get out of the hot sun.
b. You have been provided with various plant resources.
c. Using the resources provided, what can you do to get your animal out of the hot
sun?
3. You have 20 minutes to complete the activity.
4. When you have completed the activity, answer the questions below?
____________________________________________________________________________

1. What did you create to keep your animal safe from the sun and why?

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2. What basic need are you supplying your animal with?

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