Grade level: Fourth Grade

Content Area: Science

Colorado Academic Standard: Standard 2 Life Science: Use evidence to develop a scientific explanation
of what plants and animals need to survive (DOK 1-3)
WIDA Standard: Reading ELP Level 3: Developing- Identifying words or phrases to determine the type
of explanation.
Vocabulary words chosen: (Identify whether they are Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3)
Flower-Tier 1
Food chain- Tier 3
Pollen- Tier 3
Minerals- Tier 3
Prey- Tier 3
Oxygen- Tier 3
Predator- Tier 3
Life cycle- Tier 3
Habitat- Tier 3
Seed- Tier 3

Overview of Activity (explanation/instructions) - Be detailed enough for a substitute to use this in

your absence:
For this lesson the students will define the vocab words using their textbook. They will use these definitions
to develop a meaning of the words. Then the hold a discussion to compare the terms to each other and
discuss which terms correlate with some of the other terms. They will make connections to the students life
experiences. Since most students will have some sort of idea of these vocab words from their primary
language the students will take time to connect the word to their prior knowledge. This will help with
comprehension of the terms. After that the students will research the terms individually, and find out more
information about them. This might include looking up articles on line, library books, and of course the
textbook. Finally the students will complete a crossword puzzle. The clues given are ideas about the vocab
terms and at this point the students will not have a list to choose from. So they can be assessed on how well
they have learned the words and their meanings. The clues will define the vocab terms and the students will
complete the crossword spelling each knew word correctly.

Justification for the Activity (with citations from the readings)- Explain how this supports students
oral language development. Be detailed enough that it is clear that you have read the readings in
depth. Be sure to cite at least two sources.
This activity will support ELLs in different ways than normal. Since these terms are terms that are likely to
have word of equivalence in the language of the ELL. Since the EL can make these connections the
comprehension of the word will come more easily than the spelling. The crossword is a fun way for
students to demonstrate their knowledge of the vocabulary but also how it is spelled with hints on how
many letters will be in the word. Reading is a high complex, language-based process that integrates the
readers world and experiential knowledge, her knowledge of text structure and features, and her ability to
make sense of written symbols. It involves making meaning from print in a variety of contexts, and it is
thus intimately connected with language development. This is important because the more the students
read about each term the more they will understand what it means. The crossword will assess how much
they are learning to spell the word, as in hopes the more the students are reading the word, the repetition
will help them learn the spelling, much like a sight word.

Artifacts All materials and documents needed to deliver your activity (instructions for students,
handouts, photographs of realia, technology, examples, etc.):