Shawn Turpen

1
Shawn Turpen

• Ring-O Assignment
• Third Grade

2
The Story of the Easter Bunny

• An elderly couple's petite white rabbit observes,
  assists, then eventually takes over the task of
  weaving baskets, coloring eggs, concocting candy,
  and delivering the gifts to village children.
  When the man and woman become too old to continue
  their labors, the bunny moves the operation to
  the woods, where he works inside a hollow tree,
  assisted by other rabbit friends. Tegen's text
  teems with sensory details the eggs were "...the
  color of daffodils and of soft new leaves and of
  robins' eggs and of violets." Lambert's
  watercolors make merry with spring's pastels,
  providing detailed images of the cozy cottage
  kitchen as well as the rabbit den. However, some
  children may be concerned when the rabbit
  preserves the tasks' secrecy by leaving the
  humans when they are too frail to carry on.
  Nevertheless, this visually splendid story with
  folktale rhythms makes a good choice for holiday
  sharing.

3
The Story of the Easter Bunny by Katherine
TegenActivity 1 Title- (Bunny, Rabbit,
Jellybean!)

• What You Need
• One guess record sheet for each player
• Pencil for recording guesses
• What to Do
• 1. In this game, players will compete to try to
  guess a secret number which has been set by a
  leader. The leader should think up the number,
  being sure that there are no repeating digits
  (the numbers 232, 444, or 355, for example, would
  all be forbidden). The leader should jot down the
  number on a piece of paper for private reference
  during the game.
• 2. Players must try to guess the number.  The
  leader will respond with clues
• If NO digits are correct, the leader says,
  Bunny!
• If any one digit is correct, but its in the
  wrong place, the leader says Rabbit!
• If one digit is correct AND in the right place,
  the leader says Jelly!
• If two digits are correct AND in the right
  place, the leader says Jelly Jelly!
• When players have guessed all three digits in
  the correct order the leader will say Jelly
  Jelly Jellybean!
• 3. Each time they guess, the players should write
  down their proposed number, along with the
  leader's response and any special logical
  deductions, so they can keep track of their
  reasoning. Here's an example of the results of
  one game at our house

4
(No Transcript)
5

• Activity 1.continued
• What's going on? In order to find the answer,
  players must call upon a series of math reasoning
  skills that actually underlie success for years
  to come. They must know how to eliminate numbers,
  how to place numbers in their correct columns,
  and how to narrow their choices given new
  information. As you build math skills, this is a
  great game to play over and over it's also lots
  of plain, old-fashioned fun.

6
Math and Language Arts Indicator, Gardner
Multiple Intelligence

• Math 3.1.4 Identify any number up to 1,000 in
  various combinations of hundreds, tens, and ones.
• LA
• 3.4.8 Revise writing for others to read,
  improving the focus and progression of ideas.
• 3.7.1 Comprehension Retell, paraphrase, and
  explain what a speaker has said.
• GMI Verbal Linguistic

7
Activity 2

• Title - Easter Egg Hunt
• (Review of basic math facts)Subject - MathGrade
  Level - 3/4This lesson is intended to be a fun
  review of basic math facts. In grades 3 and 4
  students are expected to retain basic math facts
  and sometimes do not have practice using them.
  With such an emphasis on testing students tend to
  sit at their desk and do pencil and paper
  computation. There is nothing wrong with that,
  but it can get boring! This is a way to make
  review a little more interesting.
• MATERIALS
• Plastic eggs (the number depends on how much time
  you want to spend and how many groups you are
  going to have.)
• Pencils, paper, and Easter baskets.
• PROCEDURE
• 1. To set up the activity put a math problem in
  each egg. It can be addition, subtraction,
  multiplication, division, etc..To make it easier
  on myself I have labeled all the eggs with a
  group number. Then I put the same problem in each
  group's egg. So I may have 10 problems but 30
  eggs.Hide the eggs outside, in the classroom, or
  put them into stations.
• 2. Divide the students into groups of two or
  three.
• 3. Give each group a number.

8
Activity 2.continued

• 4. Each group should have paper and pencil and
  everyone has to work out the problems.
• 5. Each group will hunt for the eggs with their
  numbers and solve the math problems. As they find
  the eggs they put them in their basket (which
  allows them to do the clean up). Each child
  solves the problem, by first writing the problem
  on his/her paper and then by writing the answer.
  This allows you to check the problems.
• 6. When they are finished they go to a designated
  area for checking. If they have any wrong they
  must re-work their problem. If it is all correct
  then they can complete another activity. If you
  go outside then you could have them jump rope,
  play catch, etc. until the other are done. They
  could read, play math games, or help another
  group.
• CLOSURE
• Work problems that seemed to be difficult for
  the class as a whole. Take this time to review
  facts

9
Math and Language Arts Indicator, Gardner
Multiple Intelligence

• Math
• 3.1.5 Compare whole numbers up to 1,000 and
  arrange them in numerical order.
• 3.1.6 Round numbers less than 1,000 to the
  nearest ten and the nearest hundred.
• LA
• 3.4.6 Evaluation and Revision Review, evaluate,
  and revise writing for meaning and clarity.
• 3.4.8 Revise writing for others to read,
  improving the focus and progression of ideas.
• 3.7.2 Connect and relate experiences and ideas to
  those of a speaker.,
• 3.7.3 Answer questions completely and
  appropriately
• 3.7.15 Follow three- and four-step oral
  directions outside
• 3.4.3 Create single paragraphs with topic
  sentences and simple supporting facts and
  details.
• GMI Bodily Kinesthetic- Naturalistic when taken
  outside

10
One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent All
About Money (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library)

• The Cat In the Hat puts to rest any notion that
  money grows on trees in this super simple look at
  numismatics, the study of money and its history.
  Beginning with the ancient practice of bartering,
  the Cat explains various forms of money used in
  different cultures, from shells, feathers,
  leather, and jade to metal ingots to coins
  (including the smallestthe BB-like Indian
  fanamand the largestthe 8-foot-wide,
  ship-sinking limestone ones from the Islands of
  Yap!), to the current king of currency, paper.
  Also included is a look at banking, from the use
  of temples as the first banks to the concept of
  gaining or paying interest, and a step-by-step
  guide to minting coins. A fascinating
  introduction is bound to change young readers
  appreciation for change!

11
One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent All
About Money (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library)
by Bonnie WorthActivity1 Title - It's On Sale!

• Primary Subject - Math
• Grade Level - 3-4-5 For 2/3 people in a
  group.
• Materials piece of paper (for doing the math)
  a weekly advertisement from a grocery store or
  department store. (Have enough of these to use in
  your room with groups of 2/3 people)1. Students
  decide on roles (customer, clerk, store
  manager)2. Decide on one set amount- 50.00
  75.00 etc3. Students "shop" by selecting items
  that are in the advertisement. As the teacher you
  can decide on items that "need" to be purchased.
  For example if grocery shopping groups must "buy"
  one gallon of milk, at least 3 pounds of meat, at
  least four vegetables (canned or frozen), 1 snack
  item, etc. Or tell the students that they must
  spend within 5.00 of the set amount. If the set
  amount is 50.00, then they would have to spend
  at least 45.00.4. When customer is done
  shopping, the clerk must "check" the customer's
  math. For a group of 3 students the store manager
  settles any disputes by checking both the
  customer's and the clerk's math.5. Switch roles
  and start all over again.Extensions This
  activity is a good one around Thanksgiving and
  Christmas when the "big catalogs" come out. Or
  look for vacation guides and plan a trip using
  the same idea. Students would have to plan meals,
  gas mileage, hotels stays, etc.

12

• What You Need 
• Collection of several old greeting cards (or you
  can make your own)
• Dollar bills and coins (5 one dollar bills and
  several of each coins (half-dollars, quarters,
  dimes, nickels and pennies)
• Unlined paper to make your cards and markers to
  decorate you them (if you make them yourself)
• Several shoppers and one cashier
• What You Do
• Begin this activity with a warm up. Show your
  child a greeting card, toy or book and state the
  price. Have him arrange his bills and show what
  he would use to buy the card. Provide him with
  assistance if needed. Challenge him to come up
  with different dollar and coin combinations to
  reach the same amount.
• You will need to either collect (you can use
  cards that are already used) or make a collection
  of greeting cards and write prices ranging from
  one to five dollars on the backs of the items. 
  If you decide to make your own greeting cards,
  have your child make cards for various occasions
  using the unlined paper. Be sure he writes the
  prices on the backs. When the cards are
  completed, display them on a table for a
  "shopper" to browse the selection.
• Choose one person to be the cashier for the card
  shop and at least one more person to be a
  shopper. Recruit Moms, Dads, siblings,
  grandparents, etc. to shop or take turns being
  the cashier in the card shop. Each person will
  select a greeting card and will give the cashier
  the appropriate number of bills and coins. The
  cashier should check that the amount is
  correct. You may want to have the shopper count
  the dollars and coins aloud for the cashier.
  (Everyone will most likely need to share the same
  money and use it more than once for multiple
  purchases.)
• Allow your third grader to take turns playing
  both the role of the cashier and the shopper.

13
Math and Language Arts Indicator, Gardner
Multiple Intelligence

• Math 3.1.5 Compare whole numbers up to 1,000 and
  arrange them in numerical order.
• LA 3.7.15 Follow three- and four-step oral
  directions
• GMI Interpersonal

14

• Activity 2
• Title - Food Inventory Math with Grocery Sales
  AdsPrimary Subject - Math Secondary Subject -
  Other (Life Skills)Grade Level - 2-4
• Materials Needed
• (1) clipboard for each student
• (2) 2 pencils
• (1-2) sheets of white paper
• (1 set) grocery store sales ads per student (Ex
  Bi-Rite, Giant Food, Safeway, Kroger or any food
  store sales ads in your area.)
• Directions
• Instruct the students to plan a simple meal or
  snack.
• The student will focus on making up the menu on
  the first sheet of paper, including a list of
  ingredients that they will need to purchase to
  prepare the meal.
• When the students have completed their list, pass
  out the grocery sales ads to each student.
• Now the student will search through the sales ads
  and write down the prices of the ingredients that
  are on sale and how much each ingredient costs,
  using the dollar sign () or the cents sign ()
  in preparing the list.
• If there is an ingredient on their list that is
  not on sale, they will record the amount of the
  item when they go to the grocery store and print
  it next to the ingredient on their list when they
  return.

15

• Now plan a trip to the grocery store with your
  class. If you can not take a field trip with the
  class, then assign the trip as homework. Again,
  the purpose of the trip is to locate the price of
  the items on the ingredients list that were not
  in the sale ads.
• When all of this is completed, then the student
  must add up their own list of what it will cost
  them to prepare each of their meals. Sometimes
  the ads will give a 25 cent, 50 cent or 1.00 off
  coupon or even "buy one get one free." The
  student will add up the total and then place the
  coupon amount under the total and subtract the
  amount of each coupon. Ex If they have a "buy
  one get one free" offer and a loaf of bread costs
  1.39, then the student would write on the paper
  coupon buy-one-get-one-free and then subtract the
  amount of the free item which would be 1.39.
• When each student has completed what it would
  cost to prepare each of their meals, sit in a
  circle in the classroom and let each of the
  students name ingredients and tell what they
  saved and what coupons were involved.
• The next time you have a math lesson, sit in a
  circle with the class and decide which one meal
  to prepare.Either go on another field trip to
  the grocery store or assign each student an item
  to bring in to contribute to the meal plan.
• Prepare the meal as a class and discuss if they
  think that the meal was economical or a good
  value for the money. Was it worth it?
• Have the students place their grocery sale ads
  and the two papers showing their work into an
  envelope or a file folder and save it in case you
  do this again. Then they can do a comparison and
  see which meal was more cost effective.

16
Activity 2 continued.

• Suggestions
• This is good lesson for teaching the value of
  coupons, as well as the sale values of each item
  that is on sale.
• The clipboard is good to have, so that the
  student has something to lean against when they
  are writing down prices.
• For a variation, you could also have the students
  collect coupons and use small white envelopes to
  organize them in. Print on the front of the
  envelopes Household Cleaners, Shampoo,
  Vegetables, Breads, Meat, Frozen Foods, etc. They
  could use the coupons to make math problems up or
  even math word problems.
• A student could also use the coupons to make up a
  "Eating Healthy" poster for health class or a
  "How to Use Coupons" poster for math class.

17
Math and Language Arts Indicator, Gardner
Multiple Intelligence

• Math 3.1.5 Compare whole numbers up to 1,000 and
  arrange them in numerical order.
• LA 3.7.15 Follow three- and four-step oral
  directions
• GMI Interpersonal

18
Activity 3

• Title - Time is Money
• Primary Subject - Math Grade Level - Third
  Grade
• OVERVIEW Students will learn what total cost
  means in this lesson. The students will help set
  up the classroom like a store. Students will buy
  items in the store, which will help them with
  addition and counting money.
• TIME REQUIRED 45 minutes
• OBJECTIVES Students will1. Add items
  together to find total cost.2. Line numbers up
  according to the decimal points.

19
Activity 3 continued.

• MATERIALS AND RESOURCES 1. graph paper2.
  pencils3. notebook4. markers5. pencil
  sharpener6. erasers7. folders8. calculator9.
  chalk10. chalkboard11. handout12. worksheet
• PROCEDUREIntroductionTell the students that
  we are going shopping today. Each student will
  buy two items, and take them to the cash
  register at the front of the room. This project
  will teach them to add and count money. Since we
  are going to be working with money, it is
  important to rememberto use a dollar sign. It is
  also important touse a decimal point to separate
  dollars andcents to get the right total.

20
Activity 3 continued.

• Main Activity Give each student a handout
  with the prices foreach item. Give them
  differentitems to buy. We bought a calculator
  (20.00)and folders (.99). When we add these
  two numbers together, it is like adding two
  wholenumbers without the decimal point, 2000
  99 2099 or 20.00 .99 20.99. Ask the
  students if they have any questions.
  Workanother problem together as a class,
  notebook(2.00) pencil sharpener
  (4.95)6.95. Write some problems on the
  chalkboard for thestudents to answer on notebook
  paper.Problem 1. graph paper pencils .75
  .50 ?Problem 2. markers erasers 1.00
  .25 ?Problem 3. pencils pencil sharpener
  .50 4.95 ?Problem 4. calculator notebook
  20.00 2.00 ?Problem 5. folders markers
  .99 1.00 ?Have a student come up to the
  board and write the answer to one of the
  problems, replacing thequestion mark with the
  right answer. Make surethe student uses a dollar
  sign and a decimalpoint in their answer. Repeat
  the process untilall the problems are answered.

21
Activity 3 continued..

• Closure/ConclusionPass out worksheets with
  problems for thestudents to complete as
  homework. Allow them towork in teams on the
  worksheet during theremaining class period.
  Answer any questions.Remind them that this
  activity was about addingand counting money to
  find total cost.
• EVALUATION These students were given worksheets
  to complete for homework. After the worksheets
  were completed, the students brought them back to
  be checked for a grade. After checking the
  worksheets, I administered a quiz to see what the
  students had learned.Follow up
  Lessons/Activities Go over the problems that
  were assigned on the worksheet as homework. Grade
  the quiz, and go over those problems also. Answer
  any questions. Work problems on the board the
  student's have questions about. Make sure they
  know what they missed and why.

22
Math and Language Arts Indicator, Gardner
Multiple Intelligence

• Math
• 3.1.4 Identify any number up to 1,000 in various
  combinations of hundreds, tens, and ones.
• 3.1.5 Compare whole numbers up to 1,000 and
  arrange them in numerical order.
• LA 3.7.15 Follow three- and four-step oral
  directions
• GMI Logical Mathematical

23
The Drop in My Drink Story of Water on Our
Planet

• The story of a drop of water. The reader is taken
  back thousands of years to see where the Earth's
  water came from, and how life began in the oceans
  and later moved onto land. The author describes
  the water cycle, discusses environmental issues,
  and provides a collection of facts on water.

24
The Drop in My Drink Story of Water on Our
Planet by Meredith Hooper

• Activity 1 TITLE  The Water Cycle
• GRADE LEVEL   Appropriate for grades 2-4
• OVERVIEW  The water cycle explains the sun
  heating the
• earth's surface water so that it evaporates. 
  This vapor
• gathers in  clouds which rise to the cold air. 
  When those
• clouds become too heavy to float, they release
  their
• moisture as precipitation.  The precipitation
  collects in
• lakes or oceans after siphoning through soil or
  running down
• rivers.  It then evaporates and repeats the cycle
  once
• again.
• OBJECTIVE(s)  Students will be able to
• 1.  Explain how the water cycle recycles the
  earth's
• water supply.
• 2.  Make use of the knowledge of landforms
  learned in
• social studies.
• 3.  Form a hypothesis on how/why the water cycle
  works.
• 4.  Use language arts skills of writing and
  drawing to
• explain how the cycle works.

25
Activity1.continued

• RESOURCES/MATERIALS
• Assemble these materials
•   soil
•   water
•   small margarine bowl
•   large, clear plastic container. or an old
  aquarium
•   plastic wrap
•   plastic trees, animals, boat, etc. are optional
•   tape or large elastic band
•   bag of ice (optional)
•   heat lamp (optional)

26
Activity 1.continued

• ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES
• 1.   Arrange the soil in the container to make
  mountains,
• plateaus, hills, etc., and a lake basin. Place
  the
• margarine bowl in the lake basin.  Fill the bowl
  with
• water.  The plastic toys may be added to appeal
  to the
• children's imaginations.  Cover the container
  tightly
• with plastic wrap and secure it by means of tape
  or the band.
• 2.   Discuss what is expected to happen in the
  container.
• 3.   Depending on the amount of sun, the project
  may take 1-
• 3 days.  In order to speed the process, a bag of
  ice
• may be placed on one end of the covered
  container,
• while a heat lamp is focused on the other.
• 4.   Watch for condensation  on the plastic "sky"
  of the
• container.  When enough moisture collects, it
  will fall
• onto the landforms as precipitation.
• 5.   Compare the hypothesis to actual results by
  discussion.
• 6.   Encourage the students to draw the water
  cycle using
• arrows to show the flow.
• 7.  Ask the students to write a paragraph
  explaining their

27
Science and Language Arts Indicator, Gardner
Multiple Intelligence

• Science
• 3.1.2 Participate in different types of guided
  scientific investigations, such as observing
  objects and events and collecting specimens for
  analysis.
• 3.1.3 Keep and report records of investigations
  and observations using tools, such as journals,
  charts, graphs, and computers.
• 3.1.4 Discuss the results of investigations and
  consider the explanations of others.
• 3.3.5 Give examples of how change, such as
  weather patterns, is a continual process
  occurring on Earth.
• LA 3.5.5 Write for different purposes and to a
  specific audience or person.
• GMI Naturalistic

28
Gentle Giant Octopus

• The Giant octopus's tentacles can grow to 150
  feet, but in this graceful work the deep-sea
  creature seems tender and vulnerable. Wallace
  (previously paired with Bostock for Think of an
  Eel) uses two types of narrative. Facts are set
  in wavy lines of text, running concurrently with
  a story about a mother octopus's gestation,
  parturition and death. The story brims with
  poetic turns of phrase a Wolf eel "darts from
  the shadows. His teeth strike like daggers. He
  rips off a tentacle. Then sinks like a nightmare
  deep into his den." The mother octopus defends
  herself through escape (shooting backward "by
  sucking in seawater and pumping it out"),
  camouflage (turning "very pale or very dark
  within seconds") and hiding ("Octopuses don't
  have any bones, and they can squeeze through the
  tiniest of holes"). Safe in her den, she lays
  eggs that "hang from the roof like grapes on a
  string." Bostock's thoughtfully composed
  watercolors are tactile, accurate and extremely
  attractive rubbery tentacles undulate or creep
  on powerful suction cups bubble-like babies swim
  up from their rock-bound nursery, out of which
  the mother's listless eye peers? Their nursery
  will become her crypt. This seamless weave of
  text and illustration offers a welcome
  counterpoint to popular depictions (e.g., Verne's
  and others) of the octopus as deep-sea villain.

29
Gentle Giant Octopus by Karen WallaceActivity 1

• Title - Watching My Mealworm Grow Primary
  Subject - Science Grade Level - 1-3
  Topic/Unit Life Cycles
• Content
• Students will learn about the life cycle of
  mealworms while taking care of their needs and
  observing their metamorphosis.
• Students will learn
• The different life cycles of a mealworm egg,
  larva, pupa, adult
• The different parts of an insect head, abdomen,
  thorax, 6 legs, antennae
• Essentials for living food, shelter and water
• How to care for a living organism
• Scientific theory making observations,
  hypothesis, results and conclusions.

30
Activity 1..continued

• Learning Resources and Materials
• Small clean baby food jar for each student's
  mealworm environment
• Carrots
• Mealworms
• Paper towel
• Oatmeal
• Mealworm Journal
• Development of Lesson
• Introduction
• First prepare the students by teaching the basics
  needed for this project, explain the different
  stages in the life cycle of insects, the body
  parts of an insect and relate it to a human's
  body, the essentials needed to live, and how to
  care for a living organism (could relate to a
  house pet dog, cat, hamster, etc.).
• To focus the students interest, let them know
  they will become parents during this project and
  take care of their very own baby mealworm. They
  will watch them grow up and care for them by
  observing their environment.
• This lesson can easily be connected to their past
  experiences for those that have had a family pet,
  or younger sibling, etc.

31
Activity 1..continued

• Methods/Procedures
• The best strategy for the project would be to let
  each individual care and observe their own
  mealworm. However if funds are minimal, this
  could be done as an entire class together
  watching a single mealworm's life.
• Every week the student will watch and observe
  their mealworm and keep a journal of their
  findings. Once a week the student will record the
  following observations of their mealworm color,
  length, texture, noise, movement, number of body
  segments, number of legs, and presence of
  antennae. They will also draw a picture of what
  they see.
• The students will learn through this project from
  linking prior knowledge of insects (introduced to
  the students before the project began), and also
  they will be able to talk amongst themselves and
  compare notes with each other. The required list
  of observations the students are to record will
  guide them to specific learning.
• After a month of observations, the mealworm
  should be an adult. At this time a discussion
  will take place to determine all of the student's
  findings. As the teacher, ask questions to dig
  out knowledge from your students. Link questions
  to see that your students have learned the
  different life stages of their mealworms.

32
Activity 1.continued

• Assessment/Evaluation
• To evaluate the students, collect their journals
  at the end of the week. Determine according to
  your rubric whether they are on the right track
  and grasping the correct ideas.
• Interpret their drawings and read into their
  observations.
• Provide feedback to the students to ensure they
  continue on the right track. It is important to
  give your students feedback to ensure they are
  learning.
• Closure
• To help the students reflect on what they have
  learned, ask a series of questions based on their
  recorded observations. Go over the project as a
  class as to what was expected and then go over
  the information taught before the project began.
  Review the key concepts, such as the different
  stages of the life cycle, the different body
  parts of an insect and the essentials needed to
  live. With this knowledge, now go back and
  determine which parts of the body were developed
  in the different stages of the mealworm. What
  were the mealworms' essentials? What did they
  need to live (carrot, oatmeal, etc)?
• For future curriculums, depending on how the
  students grasp this project, you could include
  more key terms and concepts, or fewer.

33
Science and Language Arts Indicator, Gardner
Multiple Intelligence

• Science
• 3.2.3 Keep a notebook that describes
  observations and is understandable weeks or
  months later.
• LA
• 3.4.6 Evaluation and RevisionReview, evaluate,
  and revise writing for meaning and clarity.
• 3.4.3 Create single paragraphs with topic
  sentences and simple supporting facts and
  details.
• GMI Verbal-Linguistic

34
Why Do Leaves Change Color?

• In the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
  series, this is an informative concept book that
  explains what happens to leaves in autumn as they
  change colors and then separate from the tree.
  Krupinski's bright gouache-and-colored pencil
  illustrations show a boy and a girl playing in a
  country landscape that changes with weather and
  light. There are also detailed pictures of leaves
  in different sizes, shapes, and colors. Maestro
  includes simple instructions for making a leaf
  rubbing and for pressing leaves, as well as
  suggestions for places to visit where the fall
  foliage is special.

35
Why Do Leaves Change Color? By Betsy Maestro

• ACTIVITY 1 Title Sculpt the Seasons!
• Topics Fall, Third Grade, Arts and Crafts
• Celebrate the changing seasons with your child as
  he creates a seasonal sculpture that explores the
  possibilities of three dimensional artwork.
  Combine nature, the environment, and artistic
  process into one fantastic lesson.  Encourage
  your child to make observations, and then
  translate them into his own unique masterpiece.
• This activity will aid in the development of
  aesthetic awareness, help to build an art
  vocabulary, and foster nature based scientific
  inquiry.
• What You Need
• Thin gauge bendable wire (available at most arts
  and craft stores as well as some hardware stores)
  
• Modeling clay in browns or tan colors
• Tissue paper in fall colors such as red, brown,
  orange, and yellow
• Glue
• Optional Wooden block base
• Paper
• Pencil (and/or colored pencils)

36
Activity 1continued

• What to Do
• 1.      Accompany your child outdoors (bring
  paper and pencils along). Ask your child to
  observe the fall trees. Have him draw what he
  sees. Try using colored pencils for a more
  realistic effect.
• 2.      Bring the sketch inside as a point of
  reference for your child's tree sculpture! Give
  your child a small length of wire (the actual
  size will depend upon how large your child wants
  his tree to be). For a smaller tree, start with a
  seven-inch piece for the trunk and several
  smaller pieces for the branches. Make sure to
  instruct your child on wire handling safety, as
  the wire edges are sharp.
• 3.      Ask your child to bend the smaller pieces
  of wire (branches) around the larger wire
  (trunk). This will create an armature for the
  sculpture. For reference, compare this to a
  bodys skeleton - this will be the structure that
  supports the clay that your child will mold
  around the outside.
• 4.      Add clay to the trunk and branches. Have
  your child tear of small pieces of modeling clay
  and mold them carefully around the wire to create
  a tree sculpture. Try using several different
  shades of brown and tan combined together for a
  unique appearance.
• 5.      Optional Use a small wooden block as a
  base for the sculpture. Have your child mold an
  extra base of clay down onto the block, forming
  tree roots. A good amount of clay will be needed
  to hold the structure. Encourage your child to
  experiment with the amount needed to make the
  sculpture structurally sound.
• 6.      Add fall leaves by having your child tear
  pieces of tissue paper to make leaves. Glue the
  leaves onto the branches. For an extra special
  touch, If you are using a base, have your child
  glue excess tissue paper leaves onto the block
  surrounding the tree to create piles of fallen
  leaves.
• When he/she is done, they will have an festive
  sculptural work of art that celebrates the fall
  season and can be displayed in your home with
  pride! Extend this art activity into all four
  seasons. Make a tree for the winter, spring, and
  summer to compare with his colorful fall
  creation.

37
Science and Language Arts Indicator, Gardner
Multiple Intelligence

• Science
• 3.6.5 Observe that and describe how some changes
  are very slow and some are very fast and that
  some of these changes may be hard to see and/or
  record.
• LA 3.7.15 Follow three- and four-step oral
  directions
• GMI Naturalistic

38
The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds A Book About
How Living Things Grow

• Ms. Frizzle's class is growing a beautiful
  garden. But, Phoebe's plot is empty. Her flowers
  are back at her old school! So, the class climbs
  aboard the Magic School Bus. And, of course, the
  kids don't only go back to Phoebe's school, but
  they go inside one of Phoebe's flowers! Follow
  the kids' adventure and learn how living things
  grow.

39
The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds A Book About
How Living Things Growby Joanna ColeActivity 1

• TitleBag the Beans
• PurposeTo develop thinking skills. To learn to
  see numerical relationships and how to solve
  complex problems by manipulating objects and
  solving equations.
• ContextStudents' beliefs and understanding of
  mathematical inquiry remain relatively unclear
  throughout their academic lives. Some of the
  misconceptions that students carry are there is
  only one correct way to solve any math problem
  mathematics problems have only one correct
  answer mathematics is done by individuals in
  isolation mathematical problems can be solved
  quickly or not at all and mathematical problems
  and their solutions do not have to make sense.
  (Benchmarks for Science Literacy, p. 334.)
  Because of this, students limit their
  mathematical behavior. It is important,
  therefore, that students be exposed to a wide
  array of concrete representations to help develop
  a foundation for the higher abstract ideas
  associated with mathematical inquiry. In this
  lesson, students will work with manipulatives
  (beans) to create and solve problems, some of
  which have more than one correct answer.
• Planning AheadMaterials
• Black, lima, and red beans
• Sandwich bags
• Bag the Beans student sheet
• Bag the Beans teacher sheet

40
Activity 1.continued

• MotivationTo begin the bean exploration, have
  students work in pairs to sort several beans into
  different piles according to a rule they make up.
  Ask each group the following questions
• How many piles of beans did you make?
• How would you describe each of the piles you have
  made?
• What was your rule?
• Have students group the beans according to a
  different rule and ask the same questions. They
  can repeat this several times, creating as many
  different rules as possible to sort the beans.
  There are many different ways to sort beans and
  other items. By challenging students to sort the
  same items using different categories, the
  students develop thinking skills by looking at
  the same problem in different ways. Such thinking
  skills are necessary for students to understand
  and analyze mathematical situations using
  algebraic symbols and solving equations, as
  theyre required to do in the following activity.
  If your students need more practice with
  sorting before continuing with this lesson, they
  could do the Flood! game on the Between the Lions
  (PBS Kids) website. In this activity, books float
  by in groups of five, but each shelf only holds
  three books. To fill the shelves, students need
  to choose three books whose titles share a common
  theme.

41
Activity 1.continued

• DevelopmentDistribute the Bag the Beans
  student sheet and have students work in pairs to
  pack eight bean bags following the rules outlined
  on the student sheet. Have them record the number
  of beans for each bag on the student sheet.
  While students are working on this activity,
  ask questions such as the following
• Can you set up a ratio or an equation to help you
  determine the answer?
• Why do some problems have one correct answer
  while other problems may have more than one
  correct answer?
• This activity demonstrates that when students
  solve problems using manipulatives, the solution
  almost reveals itself. In addition, students
  develop confidence in their answers even when
  they differ from those of their neighbors.
  AssessmentAssess student understanding by
  checking their answers on the Bag the Beans
  student sheet. (See the Bag the Beans teacher
  sheet for answers.) In addition, have each
  student make up at least one new rule for filling
  the bags, and have them give their rules to
  others to solve. In order to address the
  benchmark idea, Results should always be judged
  by whether they make sense and are useful, it
  will be important for students to reflect on and
  evaluate their rules. Extensions You could
  use beans as counters in the classroom. For
  example, you could plan your next class party by
  solving problems with beans, such as how many
  bottles of juice will be needed if you use one
  bottle for every four people.

42
Math and Language Arts Indicator, Gardner
Multiple Intelligence

• Math
• 3.6.1 Analyze problems by identifying
  relationships, telling relevant from irrelevant
  information, sequencing and prioritizing
  information, and observing patterns.
• LA
• 3.7.15 Follow three- and four-step oral
  directions.
• 3.7.8 Clarify and enhance oral presentations
  through the use of appropriate props, including
  objects, pictures, and charts.
• GMI Visual-Spatial

43
Bones Our Skeletal System

• In his instantly recognizable style, Simon
  addresses the anatomy and function of bones and
  muscles. Describing bones as being like "the
  framework of a building," he emphasizes that they
  are living parts of the body, protecting organs
  and manufacturing blood cells and platelets.
  Explanations of joints, fractures, and arthritis
  are also included. In Muscles, the three kinds of
  muscle and their functions are discussed. In
  addition, the effect of exercise and diagnosing
  injuries are covered. In both books, the
  full-paged illustrations are great and include
  full-color photographs, MRI scans, X rays, and
  excellent drawings.

44
Bones Our Skeletal Systemby Seymour Simon
Activity 1 Title-Lung Power

• Students will explain how a model is different
  from the real thing
• but can be used to learn something about the real
  thing.
• For the teacher transparency of Black Line
  Master (BLM) Lung Power
• For each group of students 2-liter soda bottle,
  large balloon, latex glove,
• masking tape, 2 rubber bands
• A. Pre-Activity Preparation
• 1. Cut the bottoms off all of the 2-liter
  bottles.
• 2. Check for any students who are allergic to
  latex.
• B. Pre-Activity Discussion
• 1. Ask students What is a model? Have
  students brainstorm
• examples of models, such as toy trains or play
  kitchens.
• 2. Have students compare models to the real
  things they represent.
• 3. Explain that although they are not identical,
  models can help us
• learn about real things.

45
Activity 1.continued

• C. Student Activity
• 1. Explain that a model of the respiratory system
  can be used
• to understand how we breathe.
• 2. Divide the class into small groups and give
  each group
• the materials needed to build the models.
• 3. Demonstrate as you instruct students to put
  the fingers of the
• latex glove through the mouth of the bottle and
  put the mouth
• of the glove over the mouth of the bottle. Use a
  rubber band to
• secure the mouth of the glove over the mouth of
  the bottle,
• and put tape over the rubber band to make an
  air-tight seal.
• 4. Explain that the glove represents the mouth,
  nose, trachea, and
• lungs. Tell students that the oxygen they breathe
  in goes from the
• mouth and nose down through the trachea and into
  the lungs. The
• trachea, or windpipe, is the tube that connects
  the mouth and

46
Activity 1.continued

• 6. Instruct students to secure the piece of
  balloon by taping it to the
• bottle along its edges (an airtight
  connection is necessary for the
• model to work).
• 7. Explain to students that the balloon
  represents the diaphragm,
• which is a big, sheet-like muscle at the
  bottom of the chest cavity
• and just above the stomach.
• 8. Explain to students that the diaphragm helps
  people get air in
• and out of their lungs by moving up and down.
  Ask students to
• place their hands just above their stomachs.
  Ask Can you feel
• your diaphragm at work?
• 9. Have students gently apply pressure to the
  balloon diaphragm on
• their model lung. Ask students How does the
  glove react when
• the diaphragm moves up and down? The glove
  expands and
• contracts, taking in air and releasing it
  just as the lungs do.

47
Activity 1.continued

• D. Lets Have a Look
• 1. Show students the transparency of the BLM Lung
  Power. Point
• out the mouth, nose, trachea, and lungs and
  compare them to
• the model.
• 2. Explain that two other very important parts of
  the respiratory
• system are not seen in the model. They are the
  bronchial tubes
• and the alveoli. Ask students Is your model
  just like the
• respiratory system? How are they different? Did
  the similarities
• help you learn about the respiratory system?
• 3. Ask student volunteers to use their models to
  explain how
• the respiratory system works.

48
Science and Language Arts Indicator, Gardner
Multiple Intelligence

• Science
• 3.6.3 Explain how a model of something is
  different from the real thing but can be used to
  learn something about the real thing.
• LA 3.7.15 Follow three- and four-step oral
  directions.
• 3.7.8 Clarify and enhance oral presentations
  through the use of appropriate props,
  including objects, pictures, and charts
• GMI Visual-Spatial, Interpersonal and
  Intrapersonal