4thGradeLifeScience:OhDeer!

Author:RabeaMcCullough
Datecreated:04/01/201512:06AMEDTDatemodified:04/20/201510:48PMEDT

VITALINFORMATION
TotalNumberofStudents

31.16boysand15girls.

Area(s)StudentsLiveIn

Urban.

Free/ReducedLunch

13%

EthnicityofStudents

16areWhite,3areHispanic,10areAsian,and2areofmixedrace.

EnglishLanguageLearners

2EnglishLanguageLearners.BothareclassifiedasEarlyAdvanced.

StudentswithSpecialNeeds

6studentshaveIEPs.Onestudenthasautismandreceiveshelpfromafulltime,personalaide.Onestudentreceives
only30minutesofpulloutamonthformath.Twostudentsreceiveabout90minutesofpulloutforbothmathand
languageartsskills.Onestudentreceivesanhourofpulloutformath.OnestudentispulledoutforSpeechand
Languageforastutter.

Subject(s)

PhysicalEducation,Science

TopicorUnitofStudy

Thislessonbelongsinthelifesciencesunitinwhichstudentslearnaboutecosystemsandtheirvariousandessential
components.

Grade/Level

Grade4

Comments

KEYCONCEPTS&STANDARDS
BigIdea&Essential
Questions

Whataretheessentialcomponentsthatanorganismneedstosurvive?Howdoesachangeintheamountof
resourcesinanecosystemaffectthepopulationoftheanimalcommunity?

LearningOutcome(s)

Studentswillrecognizefood,water,andshelter,asessentialcomponentsforanorganism'ssurvival.
Studentswillunderstandthatvariationintheamountofresourcesanorganismcanobtainaffectsthepopulationof
organismswithinanecosytem.

Summary

Standards

Studentswillplaythegame"OhDeer!".Thisgameinvolvesstudentsactingouttheconstantchangethatispresent
withintheenvironment.Assomestudentsactasdeerandothersasresources,studentswillnoticehowtheamountof
resourcesortheamountofdeeraffectoneanother.

CACaliforniaK12AcademicContentStandards
Subject:Science
Grade:GradeFour
Area:LifeSciences
SubStrand2:Allorganismsneedenergyandmattertoliveandgrow.Asabasisforunderstandingthisconcept:
Standarda:Studentsknowplantsaretheprimarysourceofmatterandenergyenteringmostfoodchains.

Subject:PhysicalEducation
Grade:GRADEFOUR
Standard:Standard1:Demonstratemotorskillsandmovementpatternsneededtoperformavarietyofphysical
activities.
Area:BodyManagement
Concept1.2:Changedirectionsquicklytomaintainspacingbetweentwoplayers.

Comments

ASSESSMENTS
Assessment/Rubrics

Thisassessmentwillbeformative.Studentswillplaymultipleroundsofthegameandthenparticipateinadiscussion
following.

Comments

MATERIALSANDRESOURCES

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InstructionalMaterials&
Technology(handouts,etc.)

Students'bodies
Alarge,openspace
Aloudvoice
Whistle
ScienceNotebooks
Pencils
Picturesofwhatdeereatandthetypeofteeththeyusetochewthem.

Comments

IMPLEMENTATION
SequenceofActivities

Teacherwillbeginthelessonintheclassroom.
Teacherwillaskstudentstoreviewwhattheyhavelearnedsofarinthelifesciencesunit.
Teacherwillexplaintostudentsthattheywillbeplayingagameinwhichtheywillrecreatetheinteractivepartsofan
ecosystem:Studentswillbedeerorthevariousresourcesadeerneedstosurviveandinteractwithoneanother.
Teacherwillaskstudentstohypothesizewhattypeoffoodadeerwouldneedtosurvive.Teacherwillaskstudentsto
hypothesizeusingtheirknowledgeofwheredeerlive,wheretheyareonthefoodchain,andwhattypeofteeththey
have.(Teacherwillfollowwithfactualinformationonthedeer'sdiet).
Theteacherwillhavethestudentslineuptogooutsidetoplaythegame.
Theteacherwillusealoudvoicetoinstructstudentsonhowtoplaythegame.
Explanationofthegame:
Theclasswillbedividedinhalf,withonehalfactingasthepopulationofdeerandtheotherhalfactingas
resources.
Therearethreedifferentresourcesthatthesedeerneed:food,water,andshelter.
Thoseactingasresourcescanchoosewhichresourcetheywouldliketobecome:Foodissymbolizedbytwohands
ontheirbelly,waterissymbolizedbytwofingersovermouth,andshelterissymbolizedbytwoarmsheldina
triangleformationabovehead.
Thoseactingasdeergettochoosewhichresourcetheyneed.
Studentswilllineupintwolines,withonehalf(deer)facingawayfromtheotherhalf(resources).
Bothlineswillhave5secondstodecidewhichsymboltoholdup.
After5seconds,studentswillturnaroundtofaceoneanother,andthenwalkaroundtofindsomeoneholdingthe
samesymbolbutfromtheoppositeside.(Studentscannotchangetheirsymbolafterthispoint).
Ifadeerisabletofindaresource,he/shebringstheresourcealongwithhim/herbacktohis/hersideandthe
resourcebecomesadeer.
Ifadeerisnotabletofindaresource,itdiesandbecomesaresource,movingtotheotherside.
Ifaresourceisnotabletofindadeer,itreturnstoitssidetoonceagainbearesource.
Theteacherwilldividethestudentsintothetwogroupsandhavethempracticemakingthethreedifferentsymbols.
Studentswillplaymultipleroundsofthisgame.
Theteachermayelecttoaddpredatorsafteracertainnumberofroundstoshowhowcarnivoresandherbivoresinteract
withoneanother.
Oncenumerousroundshavebeenplayed,theteacherwillcallstudentsbackintoagroupandgobackuptothe
classroom.
Studentswilltakeouttheirsciencenotebooksandwriteaboutwhattheynoticedastheroundsofthegame
progressed.
Studentswillshareouttheirnoticingswiththeclass.

GroupingStrategies

Allstudentswillplaythisgametogether.Studentswillwriteindividuallyintheirnotebooks.Studentswillshareoutwith
multiplestudents.

DifferentiatedInstruction

Ifastudentissomehowdisabledonthedayofthislesson,theteacherwillmaketheareainwhichthegameisplayed
smallersotherewillbelessmovementinvolved(ifthestudentisabletomovearound).

Comments

REFLECTIONS
PriortoLesson
PostLesson
Comments

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