Grade 4 Lesson 7: Web of Life Reference to English Interconnections Lesson

Science Standard(s): Standard 5 Objective 2 Content Objective(s): Language Objective(s):Students will identify common plants and animals in a given environment and describe some the interactions between them by participating in a large group activity and applying their learned knowledge on their exit tickets.

Puedo describir las interacciones entre las plantas y los animales en un determinado ecosistema participando en una actividad en grandes grupos y aplicando el conocimiento aprendido en una evaluación de salida.

Students will be able to explain how two animals are connected in the web of life by participating in a circle activity with a group of students.

Puedo explicar cómo se relacionan dos animales en la red de la vida participando en una actividad en círculo con mis amigos.

Essential Questions:

How do plants and animals interact in any given environment?

Required Academic Vocabulary for Word Wall:Listen: Carnívoro, herbívoro, omnívoro, plantas, organismo, red, interrelacionado, relacionado, luz del sol, aire, agua Speak: Carnívoro, herbívoro, omnívoro, plantas, organismo, red, interrelacionado, relacionado, luz del sol, aire, aguaRead: Carnívoro, herbívoro, omnívoro, plantas, organismo, red de la vida Write: Carnívoro, herbívoro, omnívoro, plantas, organismo, red, interrelacionado, relacionado, luz del sol, aire, agua

Sentence Frames:Soy un/una _____.Un/Una __________ está relacionado con un/una ____________ porque ____________.

Materials: Vocabulary Cards for Carnivore, Herbivore, Omnivore Plant and Animal Name Tags String or Yarn Web of Life exit ticket

Additional Lesson Vocabulary:Carne, plantas, vegetariano,

Lesson: Instructional Time: 30 minOpening: (3 minutes) Have the students read the objective to their partners and discuss what they think they will learn today. As partners, have them discuss what they already know about the topic. Have each partnership come up with at least one thing that they would like to know more about the topic.Hook/Introduce the Topic: “Vamos a organizar una cena para las plantas y los animales de Utah que hemos estado estudiando. En primer lugar, tenemos que planear el menú. Me pregunto qué les gusta comer. Hemos invitado a plantas, herbívoros, carnívoros y omnívoros”. Question:“¿Qué es lo que comen?”Have students talk with their partners or in small groups: Plantas: fabrican su propio alimento usando la luz del sol, necesitan agua y nutrientes Herbívoros: animales que comen plantas (vegetación) Carnívoros: animales que comen carne (otros animales) Omnívoros: animales que comen plantas y carneGo over the vocabulary until they know it well.Introduction to New Material: (10 minutes)

The Web of Life:“Todos los elementos de un ecosistema dependen de otros elementos de ese ecosistema para vivir. Todos estamos relacionados. Veamos de qué manera…” Gather a small group of students into a circle. (One student per forest card) Pass out the Forest Plant and Animal Name Tags. Have the students identify what plant or animal they are and read the

information on the card.Explain that all things depend on sunlight, air, and water to live. All students/organisms are connected to these elements. Place these nametags in the center of the circle on the ground. The activity can begin with any student. Give one end of the ball of string to a student. Have them say the name of their organism for the whole group to hear. Ask them to look around the circle and find another student that either depends on or can be connected to them. Help them

tell what the connection is, then they will toss the ball to that student or the teacher can pass it to them. This student holds on to a point on the string and continues the connection or influence by identifying another student. Continue passing the ball of string around until all the students are connected at least once. You will have built a connective

web between all the students. Step into the center of the web. Pick a single string and pluck it. Question:“¿Quién sintió las vibraciones de la cuerda?” All do. Question:“¿Qué ocurriría si sacamos un elemento del hábitat? Por ejemplo, todos los mosquitos mueren a causa de los pesticidas o se retira un árbol muerto”.Have students discuss with someone sitting next to them, and the share their responses with the class. Ask students to pick one organism in the system that seems less important than the others, and have him drop his string. Ask if anyone else was connected to that organism, and have them drop their string. After one or more have dropped out, ask

the students again to identify an organism that seems less important and repeat the procedure. If anyone was connected to any of those students, they drop their string.

Continue until everyone has either dropped their string or they were not connected in a way that they were affected.

Guided Practice: (10 minutes) Divide the class into two groups Give one group the Wetland Animal Cards. Post your Sentence frames Have the Wetland Animal group come sit down first in front of the other students. Show them how to pass the yarn or string so that it doesn’t tangle up.

Use the modeling cycle:Teacher And Group of Students Do:Sit down with the circle of students. Hold the end of the yarn and hold up your animal. Tell all students to hold up their animals so we can see which ones they have. Use the sentence frame to say your animal, “Soy un/una ___________”. Pick an animal in the circle that you are connected to. Toss your end of the string to the student holding that animal. Prompt that student to say, “Soy un/una __________” so the class knows which animal it is. Show the class the sentence frames they will all use to talk with a partner, or someone next to them. “Un/Una __________ está relacionado/a con un/una ____________ porque ____________”. Model how the students are to use the sentence frames to talk about their organisms and those connected to it by using the sentence frame. After all students have the chance to talk with their partners, the original person who tossed the string (you, as the teacher) will state the sentence frame out loud with your reasoning, “Un/Una __________ está relacionado/a con un/una ____________ porque ____________.”

Group of Students Do:Repeat the process prompting the use of sentence frames and discussions in partners. As the teacher, facilitate the conversation in the group and in partnerships.

All Students Practice:Have students continue the pattern of tossing the string and using the sentence frames. The students NOT in the group observing are also talking with a partner using the sentence frames. After this group finishes, have the other group of students sit in a circle and pass out the Desert Animal Cards. Have them participate with tossing the string while the other students talk with partners at their seats. The teacher helps facilitate the practice and prompts students to use the sentence frames.

Discussion:

Question:“¿Qué ocurre cuando eliminamos un eslabón del ecosistema?” Have students talk with their partners or in small groups: Organisms that depend on it are affected.Question:“¿Qué ocurre cuando una parte de la red se pierde?” Have students talk with their partners or in small groups: Many others are lost or affected.Question:“¿De qué maneras se puede alterar la red de la vida?” Have students talk with their partners or in small groups: Human impact, draining wetlands, clearing trees, disease, drought, etc.Independent Practice:(5 minutes)Use your document camera to help the students understand the directions for the exit tickets. They may have confusion with the portion about where they were connected in the web of life. When students finish, have them discuss their answers with someone sitting next to them, or with their assigned partner.

Closing: (2 minutes) Have the students reread the objective with you as a class. Have them turn to their partners and tell them one thing that they learned today that they wanted to learn. Give them a chance to share what part of the lesson they enjoyed the most.

Encourage students to look for animals around them, even those living in their homes, and think about what they depend on to survive. If they can, have them make a list of things that animal needs to survive and provide an opportunity in a future class period for the student to share with a partner or with the class.Assessment:Observe partner and class discussions during guided practice to assess mastery of content and language objectives.Collect Exit Tickets to assess mastery of content objectives.Observe conversations about Exit Tickets to assess mastery of language objectives.Extra Ideas:

La red de la vida¿Qué comen las plantas y los animales?

Plantas: _______________________________________________

Herbívoros: ___________________________________________

Carnívoros: ____________________________________________

Omnívoros: ____________________________________________

¿Cuál es el organismo que se les asignó? _________________________

¿Cómo estaban relacionados en la red de la vida?

Antes: ______________________________________________

Después: _______________________________________________

¿Qué aprendieron de esta actividad?

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

Luz del sol

Aire Agua

Red del bosque

Álamo

Carpintero escapularioPicea azul

Tuza

Ardilla voladora norteña

Comadreja de cola larga

Cernícalo americano

Polilla halcónGrévol

engoladoCiervo muloRosa

silvestreMusaraña vagabunda

Mosquito

Oso negro

Hormiga carpintera

negra

AlceZorro rojo

Red del desierto

Rata canguro de la Gran

CuencaLechuza

vizcacheraEscarabajo

tigre

Coyote

Berrendo

Artemisa

Enebro occidental

Lagarto de cuernos cortos

Hormiga cosechadora

Tejón

Alforfón rojo

Tirano

Murciélago pálido

Yuca

Polilla de la yuca

Tortuga

Cactus

Buitre de TurquíaLiebre

Red del humedal

Barquero de aguaAvoceta

americana

Libélula

Espadaña

Algas

Artemia

Castor americano

Salamandra tigre

Rana toro americana

Trucha tigre

Junco báltico