unit two • second grade life cycles in the delta...

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UNIT TWO • SECOND GRADE

Life Cycles in the Delta

San Joaquin County Office of EducationOffice of Science and Special Projects

Funding provided byCalifornia Bay-Delta Authority

DELTA STUDIES CURRICULUM


Contents

Overview ................................................................................... 1

Story Line.................................................................................. 3

LESSON 1:Blossoms to Berries.................................................................... 5

LESSON 2:Where’s My Mom? .................................................................... 13

LESSON 3:A Caterpillar Takes Wing .......................................................... 21

LESSON 4:Life Inside The Egg ................................................................... 27

LESSON 5:Make Room For a Salamander .................................................. 31

Assessments for Unit Two.......................................................... 35

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LIFE CYCLES IN THE DELTA

Overview

CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CONTENT STANDARDS FOR GRADE TWO

Life Science

2. Plants and animals have predictable life cycles.

Understandings❚ Organisms produce offspring of their own kind, which eventually resemble the

parents.❚ Different living things of the San Joaquin Delta have different life cycles.❚ Living things have specific needs to complete their life cycles.❚ Flowers and fruits are associated with reproduction in plants.

Essential Questions�How are life cycles of one group of animals or plants similar and different from

another group of animals or plants?�What does a living thing need to survive?�How are flowers, fruits, and seeds related to each other?

Knowledge and SkillsStudents will know:

� the life cycle stages of several animals, including the butterfly and wood duck.� the life cycle of the blackberry plant.� basic life needs of plants and animals.� the relationship between flowers, fruits, and seeds.

Students will be able to:

� sort groups of animals by the type of life cycles they go through.� list the basic survival needs of living things.� explain the stages of plants from flower through fruit to seed.

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LIFE CYCLES IN THE DELTA

Story Line

All plants and animals have predictable life cycles and needs for survival. Some animalschange relatively little between the immature and adult stages of life. Other animals

undergo a quite drastic change (called metamorphosis) as they mature to adulthood.Throughout all the stages in their life, plants and animals have needs that must be met fortheir survival.

Lesson 1, “Blossoms to Berries”, introduces the concept of life cycles, using plants as theexample. It is shown that new plants grow from seeds, seeds are formed in fruits, andfruits develop from flowers.

Lesson 2, “Where’s My Mom?”, shifts the life cycle focus to animals. The activity illus-trates that animals exhibit a variety of life cycles, with some baby animals resembling theirparents, and some baby animals undergoing metamorphosis in their development toadulthood.

Lesson 3, “A Caterpillar Takes Wing”, focuses on the concept of metamorphosis, using thebutterfly as the example of an animal that undergoes metamorphosis. Students illustratethe various stages in the life cycle of the butterfly.

To survive through the various stages of life, all animals and plants have specific require-ments, including a satisfactory surrounding temperature, available oxygen, a supply offood, relatively clean water, suitable shelter, and a method of getting rid of waste products.

Lesson 4, “Life Inside the Egg”, addresses the concept of specific requirements of oxygen,water, food, and suitable temperature for survival. The lesson relates the survival needs toa Wood Duck in an egg, which mirror the survival needs of the adult.

Lesson 5, “Make Room for a Salamander” completes the unit by further developing thesurvival needs of animals. The lesson utilizes a book titled The Salamander Room, whichlooks at the habitat needs of animals. The lesson, and the book, can also be used to helplead students to a realization that they, as humans, have a responsible stewardship role intheir relationship to the nature around them.

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UNIT 2 • LESSON 1

Blossoms to Berries


Life Science

2. Plants and animals have predictable life cycles.a. Students know that organisms reproduce offspring of their own kind and that the

offspring resemble their parents and one another.b. Students know flowers and fruits are associated with reproduction in plants.

ObjectiveThe lesson will develop the concepts that new plants grow from seeds, seeds are formed infruits, and fruits develop from flowers.

BackgroundPlants make new plants by producing seeds. The process starts when the plant makes aflower. Pollen gets on the flower through the action of wind or animals. The bottom partof the flower (the ovary) then begins to grow into a fruit with seeds inside. When the fruitis carried away or eaten by an animal, the seeds are spread to a new place where they cangrow into new plants.

The fruit is important to the plant because it provides a place for the seeds to develop.The fruit also encourages an animal to move the seeds to a new place. Additionally, thefruit can provide moisture and nutrients to the seed in its new home.

When people think of fruits, they generally think only of such things as apples, oranges,peaches, and cantaloupes. However, cucumbers, bell peppers, green beans, and tomatoesare also fruits. A fruit is defined as the ripened seed-containing ovary of a flower. A veg-etable is defined as any part of a plant that humans eat. All fruits are vegetables - but onlyvegetables that contain seeds are fruits.

The seed is obviously important to the plant as a way to make more plants. Plants onlylive for a certain amount of time. Therefore, for a particular type of plant to continue tobe in an area, the plant must reproduce itself. One of the main means through whichplants reproduce themselves is the dispersal of seeds.

A very common plant in the Delta is the blackberry. In natural areas and the edges ofcultivated areas, if there is sufficient water, blackberry thickets can be found. The thicketsserve as home for a wide variety of animals.

• UNIT 2 • LESSON 16 •Two types of blackberry grow locally. The more common is the Himalayan blackberry,which was introduced from Europe. Less common is the California blackberry, a nativeplant that was enjoyed by Native Americans and early settlers. The Himalayan blackberryhas thicker, longer stems and its protective spines on the stems are much larger than onthe native blackberry. Also, the leaflets are in sets of five and the berries are larger andjuicier. The California blackberry has leaflets in sets of three or five and has more spines,but each spine is smaller than that of the Himalayan blackberry.

Preparation�Bring to class a bag of fresh or frozen blackberries.�Gather a few types of fruit for the “Introduction” (at least an apple, orange, tomato,

and bell pepper).�Make copies of the two “Blossoms to Berries” sheets (one of each for each student).�Enlarge the individual pictures of the “Blossoms to Berries” sheet for class discussion

or make a transparency of the entire sheet.�To limit the “messiness” of the berries, consider placing each blackberry into a

resealable sandwich bag. Then have students separate the seeds from the berry pulpwhile the berry is in the bag.

MaterialsFor Each Student:

✔ A blackberry on a paper plate✔ OPTIONAL: resealable sandwich bag (a plastic spoon and paper towel would not be

needed if the sandwich bag is used)✔ A plastic spoon✔ A paper towel✔ Both “Blossoms to Berries” sheets (the one with the illustrations and the one with

the numbers)✔ Pair of scissors✔ Crayons (particularly purple, blue, green, and brown)✔ Glue stick✔ Magnifying lens

TimePreparation: 15 minutesLesson: 60 minutes

Note: This lesson can also be separated into three shorter lessons: one lesson could focuson the differences between fruits and vegetables; the second lesson could involve count-ing the seeds in the blackberries; and the third lesson could have students complete the“Blossom to Berries” sheet.

7• UNIT 2 • LESSON 1 •Procedure

Introduction

1 Display the fruits listed in the “Preparation” portion of the lesson. Ask the studentswhich of the displayed items are fruits; then ask which are vegetables.

2 Ask the students to explain the difference between a fruit and a vegetable.

3 Explain that all of the items are vegetables and that all the items are fruits.

4 Share with the class the distinctions between fruits and vegetables as outlined in the“Background” section of the lesson. Ask students:

• Is a green bean a fruit or a vegetable? (Both)• Why can’t we call a head of lettuce a fruit? (It wasn’t once the bottom part of a

lettuce flower; it doesn’t have seeds inside it.)• How many fruits do we eat when we eat a hamburger? (Usually at least two: a

pickle and a tomato)

Instruction

5 Tell the students that a fruit is how a plant makes more plants. Ask the class to explainwhat a fruit is before it is a fruit. After discussion, explain the process of flower to fruitas outlined in the “Background” section. Make certain to include the following stepsin the process.

• A plant makes a flower.• Pollen gets on the flower from another flower.• Pollen makes the bottom part of the flower get larger.• Seeds develop inside the growing bottom part of the flower.• The bottom part of the flower, with the seeds inside it, becomes a fruit.• The fruit falls from the plant or is carried away by an animal. The seeds spread to

a new place where they can grow into new plants.

6 Explain to the students that the blackberry plant is very common throughout the SanJoaquin Valley and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Tell the class that in today’sactivity they will look at the blackberry and learn how it changes from a flower to a fruit.

Activity

7 Distribute a blackberry, plastic spoon, hand lens, and paper towel on a plate to eachstudent or pair of students. Caution the students that blackberry juice will stain theirskin and clothes, so they need to be careful. If plastic resealable bags are used, then aspoon and plate are not necessary because students will locate the seeds by separatingthe berry while it is in the bag.

8 Have the students carefully cut up the blackberry with their spoon to find the seeds.

• UNIT 2 • LESSON 18 •9 Direct the students to count the number of seeds they find. Then ask students to

recount the seeds to make certain that their count is correct.

10Record on a class graph the numbers of seeds found for comparison and discussion.

11Distribute the “Blossom to Berries” sheets, scissors, crayons, and glue stick to thestudents.

12 Instruct the students to cut out the individual pictures (leaving a small border aroundeach picture) and then arrange the pictures on the other sheet in order. The ordershould go from flower buds to the fruit being carried away by a bird.

13 Instruct the students to not glue any of the pictures until after class discussion.

14Once all the students have arranged their pictures in what they believe is the correctorder, lead a class discussion using the enlarged pictures or a transparency, mentionedin the “Preparation” section of the lesson, to outline the correct sequence of events: (1)Flower bud to (2) flower to (3) early berry to (4) growing berry to (5) ripe berry to (6)berry being plucked by a bird. You might need to explain to students the role of the birdin the Blackberry’s life cycle. (The bird eats the fruit, flies off, and later deposits, as a birddropping, the non-digestible seeds in another location where they could grow.)

Note: The letters on the blackberry pictures in the correct sequence will spell out theword “FLOWER”.

Closure

15Ask the students how this chain of events for the blackberry would compare to theformation of a tomato, bell pepper, or cucumber. The answer is that the chain ofevents is basically the same for all four plants. The only difference might be whathappens to the fruit once it is ripe. Reinforce the fact that fruits, with their seedsinside, are what once was the bottom part of a flower. The seeds inside the fruit willgrow into more plants that will eventually make more flowers.

AssessmentNote: The answers in italics are examples of students’ answers.

�Check that the “Blossoms to Berries” sheet was completed in the right order.�Have students label each stage of the cycle on their “Blossoms to Berries” sheet.�Ask students:

• Why is a fruit important to a seed? (It is a place for the seed to develop, it gives theseed water when it hits the ground, it encourages an animal to carry the seed to a newplace where it can grow.)

• What would happen if all the tomato plants in the world quit making flowers?(There would be no more tomatoes, no more tomato seeds, and no new tomato plants.)

9• UNIT 2 • LESSON 1 •Extensions�Rinse an avocado seed, stick toothpicks into its sides, and suspend it in the mouth of

a jar. Keep the water level to the halfway point of the pit. Roots, stem, and leaveswill form.

�Give each student a peanut in the shell. The shelled thing is a dried fruit and wasonce the bottom part of a peanut flower. Have the students open the shell andremove the two seeds. Have them pull the two sides of one seed apart. If they lookcarefully at one end of one of the seed halves, they will see a baby plant, completewith stem, leaves, and root.

�Have the students make a class list of some fruits that do not have seeds. Examplesmight be seedless grapes, navel oranges, and seedless watermelons. Ask the class whythese fruits do not have seeds. The answer is that people “made” these kinds ofplants not to have seeds so that they would be easier for us to eat. Encourage stu-dents to ask their parents, look in books, or ask on the Internet to find out howthese plants make more plants.

Resources� BOOKS

• Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z by Lois Ehlert• From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons• Miss Rhumphius by Barbara Cooney• The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle• What Is A Life Cycle? by Bobbie Kalman and Jacqueline Langille (The Science of

Living Things series)

10 UNIT 2 | LESSON 1•

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UNIT 2 • LESSON 2

Where’s My Mom?


Life Science


offspring resemble their parents and one another.b. Students know the sequential stages of life cycles are different for different animals,

such as butterflies, frogs, and mice.

ObjectiveThe lesson will familiarize students with the concept that animals exhibit a variety of lifecycles; some baby animals resemble their parents, and some baby animals undergo meta-morphosis in their development to adulthood.

BackgroundMany animals start life as miniature versions of their parents. Some amphibians andinsects dramatically change in appearance as they mature from baby to adult. They do thisthrough a process called metamorphosis. There are two types of metamorphosis: completeand incomplete.

An animal that undergoes incomplete metamorphosis looks basically the same as a babyand as an adult. The major changes involve the addition of wings and sexual organs as theanimal matures. Grasshoppers undergo incomplete metamorphosis, with its three stages:an egg, a nymph (which looks like a small adult without wings), and an adult.

Complete metamorphosis involves a drastic change between the young and the adult; theentire outward appearance of the body changes. In addition, internal organs undergoradical remodeling. Frogs, toads, houseflies, mosquitoes, dragonflies, moths, and butter-flies all undergo complete metamorphosis. Insects that undergo complete metamorphosishave four stages in their life cycle: egg, larvae, pupa, and adult.

The mosquito begins life as an egg floating in quiet water. When the egg hatches, thelarva hangs head-down under the surface, breathing air through a tube at the rear of itsbody. It filters organic material from the water. As the mosquito changes to an adult, itrises from the water, and flies away to suck plant juice with its piercing mouth. When thetime comes for the female to produce and lay eggs, she needs protein, which she gets byfinding a meal of blood.

• UNIT 2 • LESSON 214 •The dragonfly adult is most commonly seen flying above wet areas catching mosquitoes andother insects for its food. However, young dragonflies (called naiads) live underwater, manyfor over a year. They catch small fish, tadpoles, and other aquatic animals by quickly extend-ing their unique, hinged lower lip. Naiad dragonflies have been called “tigers of the pond.”

The animals depicted in the cards are: snake and baby snake, mosquito and larvae, butter-fly and caterpillar, frog and tadpole, turtle and babies, river otter and baby, fly and larva,duck and babies, pelican and baby, dragonfly and larva, beaver and babies, Osprey (fishhawk) and babies.

Materials✔ If available, the book Are You My Mother? by Dr. Seuss

Per Student or Pair of Students:

✔ The four “Where’s My Mom?” sheets (if possible, copy on cardstock or providecardstock on which students could glue the illustrations)

✔ One pair of scissors✔ Crayons (optional)

TimePreparation: 15 minutesLesson: 45 to 60 minutes

Procedure

Introduction

1 Ask the students what a puppy is when it grows up. Ask the students how the puppy isdifferent from its parents, and how it is similar. Ask the students to name other babyanimals that look similar to their parents. Tell the students that many baby animals,including dogs and cats look like adults, just smaller.

2 Ask the students to name some animals that change a lot when they grow up. Twowell-known examples are the butterfly and the moth. Other good examples are frogs,toads, mosquitoes, ladybugs, and dragonflies. Tell the students that these animals gothrough metamorphosis.

3 If available, read to students the book Are You My Mother? by Dr. Seuss.

Instruction

4 In your own words, tell the students the information in the “Background” for thislesson. Spend particular time on the concept of metamorphosis. Also outline the lifecycle of the mosquito and dragonfly in sufficient detail.

15• UNIT 2 • LESSON 2 •Activity

5 Distribute the materials to the students. The students may first color the animals onthe activity sheets.

6 Direct the students to cut the four “Where’s My Mom?” sheets into 24 individualcards.

7 Have students separate the “Where’s My Mom?” cards into two sets: one of parentsonly and one of babies only.

8 Ask the students to match each baby animal with its parent. (The correct matching ofbaby to parent is: Snake 1C, Mosquito 2H, Butterfly 3E, Frog 4K, Turtle 5A, RiverOtter 6D, Fly 7J, Duck 8B, Pelican 9L, Dragonfly 10G, Beaver 11I, Osprey 12F.)

9 Discuss with the students ways in which a specific baby is similar to, or different from,its matching parent.

10Play a game of concentration using the cards. Place the cards face down on the tableand turn over two cards. If they match, the player puts them in her or his pile. If thecards do not match the cards are turned back over in their original position. The otherplayer then repeats the process.

11When all cards are matched, the game is over and can be replayed, with the cards innew positions.

Closure

Note: The answers in italics are examples of students’ answers.

12Ask students:• What do animals that look like their parents share, in addition to looking like their

parents? (They are cared for by their parents. Animals that go through metamorphosis arenot cared for by their parents.)

• What are some reasons a frog or dragonfly might have for such a different appear-ance and such different habits from its parents?

• What is the advantage of the baby being so different from the parent? (They don’thave to share a place to live or the same food. They live in a different place and eatdifferent food.)

Assessment�Have students separate the “Where’s My Mom?” cards into two sets: one set contains

animals that go through complete metamorphosis (babies do not look like adults)and one set is of animals whose babies look like adults.

• UNIT 2 • LESSON 216 •�Ask students the following questions:

• What is the name for the big change a butterfly larva goes through to become anadult? (metamorphosis)

• Name two insects that live in water before going through metamorphosis. (mos-quito and dragonfly)

• What does an adult male mosquito eat? (plant juice; only the female drinks bloodwhen she is preparing to make eggs)

• Name two animals that live in the San Joaquin Delta that do not go throughmetamorphosis. (beaver, deer, otter, duck, hawk, etc.)

Extensions�Ask children to bring in pictures of their parents or adult friends as children and as

adults. See if the class can match the children to the adults.�Read Is Your Mama a Llama? By Deborah Guarino.�Have a discussion about the possibilities and problems for a child raised by a parent

of another species.�Raise silkworms in the classroom.�Contact the local Mosquito Abatement and Vector Control about their classroom

mosquito raising kit.�Have the students use a microscope to look at features of larval and adult mosquitoes.

Resources� BOOKS

• Are You My Mother? by Dr. Seuss• Is Your Mama a Llama? By Deborah Guarino• What Is A Life Cycle? by Bobbie Kalman and Jacqueline Langille (The Science of


� OTHER RESOURCE

• The Great Valley Museum in Modesto has animal kits/suitcases for teachers tocheckout that would allow the children to touch and feel pelts and skins.


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• 21


UNIT 2 • LESSON 3

A Caterpillar Takes Wing


Life Science

2. Plants and animals have predictable life cycles.b. Students know the sequential stages of life cycles are different for different animals,


ObjectiveThe lesson will support the development of the concepts of metamorphosis as it relates tothe life cycle of butterflies.

BackgroundMetamorphosis is an abrupt developmental change in the form or structure of an animalafter the animal has been born or has hatched from an egg. Butterflies and moths undergoa complete metamorphosis as they go from a young animal, or larva, to the adult stage.Not only does their outward appearance change, but their inside structure drasticallyalters also.

The immature, wingless stage of a butterfly or moth is called a larva (plural is larvae). Thelarval stage is also called the “feeding stage” because it is at this stage that the animal doesthe majority of its eating and growing.

When the butterfly or moth has completed its larval stage, it transforms into a pupa(pupae is the plural). The pupa of a moth or a butterfly is encased in a hard shell, which istermed a chrysalis. Moths spin a silky envelope, called a cocoon, around the chrysalis. It isin the pupa stage that metamorphosis takes place.

Where did the term butterfly originate? Many sources maintain that the term originatedfrom the fact that these pretty little animals would flutter by. The exclamation “Look atthat little gem flutter by” gradually changed, through use, to “Look at the butterfly”.

Preparation�Purchase and color the macaronis two to three days prior to teaching the lesson. To

color the macaronis, empty a small dropper bottle of food coloring into a containerthat can be sealed. Add one or two tablespoons of isopropyl alcohol (rubbing). Close

• UNIT 2 • LESSON 322 •the container and shake it well. Immediately remove the macaronis and spread themon thick layer of newspaper to dry. The food coloring and alcohol will tint themacaronis and the alcohol will quickly evaporate, leaving the pasta colored, but stillhard. The gnocchi or large shell macaronis don’t have to be dyed (could be left intheir natural color) but to make them darker coffee could be used.

Materials✔ Alcohol✔ Food coloring✔ One package of the following: dried peas, twistee or rottoni macaronis, gnocchi or

large shell macaronis, and bow tie macaronis

Per Student:

✔ One “Butterfly Life Cycle” sheet✔ Three dried peas✔ Three twistee or rottoni macaronis (colored green)✔ Three gnocchi or large shell macaronis (left natural or colored brown)✔ Three bow tie macaronis (colored red or yellow)✔ Glue✔ Crayons (green, brown, yellow, and red)✔ Piece of construction paper (or tagboard)

TimePreparation: 30 minutes to dye pastaLesson: 40 minutes

Procedure

Introduction

1 Ask the students where the butterfly got its name. Why is it called a “butterfly”? Writetheir responses on the board. Close by telling them the origin of the word butterfly(see the “Background” section in this lesson). Ask them in what ways a baby butterflyis different from an adult butterfly. Chart their responses.

Instruction

2 Tell the students that butterflies go through metamorphosis. “Metamorphosis” is a bigword. It simply means a big change that an animal goes through between being a babyand an adult. A baby butterfly is a long, fat caterpillar. It has six legs near the front ofits body, but no wings. It eats plant leaves. At the end of its caterpillar stage, the babybutterfly changes into a pupa inside a protective shell called a chrysalis. As a pupa, theanimal performs the change into a butterfly. The new butterfly has a long thin body. It

23• UNIT 2 • LESSON 3 •also has wings and a mouth that is now built for drinking nectar from flowers. Femalebutterflies then lay eggs, which hatch into new baby caterpillars.

Activity

3 Distribute the materials to the students. Have students sort each material (pasta andpeas) and tell what it represents (e.g., peas are eggs, rotini pasta are caterpillars).

4 Have the students first color the branches and leaves on the activity sheet.

5 Then have students glue the dried peas and macaronis in the appropriate boxes:• The dried peas will be eggs on the leaf in box 1.• The twistee or rottoni macaronis will be caterpillars on the chewed leaves in box 2.• The gnocchi or shell macaronis will be chrysalises on branch in box 3.• The butterfly macaroni will be butterflies on the flower in box 4.

The resulting page will illustrate all the stages in the life cycle of a butterfly.

Closure

6 Life is amazing. A caterpillar changing into a butterfly is incredible. That particularlyincredible series of events is called metamorphosis. If you could undergo metamor-phosis to become something else when you grow up, what would that “somethingelse” be? Unfortunately, you can’t go through metamorphosis the way a butterfly orfrog can; you will grow up to be a bigger you. However, you can change your innerself to become a more positive, aware, caring person.


�Have students retell or describe in writing the steps of the metamorphosis using theactivity sheet they completed as their guide.

�Discuss with students:• What is the name for the big change a butterfly does to become an adult?

(metamorphosis)• What does a caterpillar make before it becomes a butterfly? (chrysalis)• What is the name for a baby butterfly? (caterpillar)

�Have students complete the assessment provided at the end of this lesson.

Resources� BOOKS

• A New Butterfly: My First Look at Metamorphosis (My First Look at Nature Series) byPamela Hickman.

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.• Butterfly ABC Book (needs author’s name)

• UNIT 2 • LESSON 324 •• Butterflies by Ruth Heller• Chickens Aren’t The Only Ones by Ruth Heller (use the pages on insects)• I Wish I Were a Butterfly by James Howe• What Is A Life Cycle? by Bobbie Kalman and Jacqueline Langille (The Science of


Sample of a Completed Butterfly Life Cycle


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• 27


UNIT 2 • LESSON 4

Life Inside The Egg


Life Science


offspring resemble their parents and one another.b. Students know the sequential stages of life cycles are different for different animals,


ObjectiveThe lesson will develop the concept that all animals, including those still in the egg stage,have specific requirements for survival, including a correct temperature, oxygen, food,water, and a method of getting rid of waste.

BackgroundAnimals all share specific requirements to maintain life. Each animal generally requires: a“comfortable” temperature, oxygen in the air (or water) for the animal to breathe, amethod of waste removal, some type of food source, and water.

These same needs are constant throughout the animal’s life. However, the amount of anylife-sustaining substance may vary daily or seasonally depending on an animal’s activitylevel. For instance, in winter many animals hibernate. This lack of physical activity greatlyaffects their individual requirements to maintain life.

Survival needs must be met for an animal while it is still in the egg. Everything the adultanimal needs to survive must somehow be provided to the baby animal while it is waitingto hatch out of the egg.

A bird in the egg stays at the correct temperature by the parent sitting on the egg. Thebaby breathes through minute holes in the eggshell. The baby gets food by “soaking in”the egg yolk that it is lying on. The baby gets water from the water in the yolk and alsothe “white” part of the egg called the albumen.

The male Wood Duck is one of the most beautiful of all birds in the San Joaquin Delta.This shy bird is found along the edges of waterways. Of particular interest is the fact thatthis bird nests in tree cavities between 8–14 feet above the water. When the babies hatch,

• UNIT 1 • LESSON 428

•

the mother calls them to the edge of the nest hole. The babies then jumpand tumble out of the hole to the ground and follow the mother, who isless colorful than the male, into the protective cover of the water’s edge.

MaterialsPer Student:

✔ One “Wood Duck Worksheet”✔ Crayons (especially green, brown, yellow, and red)✔ Pencil

TimePreparation: 10 minutesLesson: 30 to 45 minutes

Procedure

Introduction

1 Ask the students what they need to stay alive. Chart their responses. If they neglect tomention any of the needs listed in the background, lead the students, through discus-sion to include the missed items.

Instruction

2 Tell the students that birds have all the same life needs for survival that we, as humans,have. Also, tell the students that a baby bird in the egg has the same needs as the adultbird.

Activity

3 Distribute the worksheet and crayons to the students.

4 Have the students first color the picture of the male Wood Duck picture according tothe numbers on it and the key at the bottom.

5 Next, lead the students, through discussion of the material in the fourth paragraph ofthe “Background” section, to complete the activity sheet through the following (orsimilar) steps:

• Draw an arrow to the thing that keeps the baby bird in the egg at the correcttemperature (the parent).

• With your pencil, make a lot of dots on the eggshell part of the egg picture.These dots are the tiny holes that are in every eggshell. Air for the baby bird tobreathe goes into, and out of, these holes.

• With your yellow crayon, color the part of the egg from which the baby bird gets

29• UNIT 1 • LESSON 4 •its “food” (yolk).

• Write the word “water” on the part of the egg from which the baby gets water.

Closure

6 Share with the students that they each require certain things to stay alive. Thoserequired “things” (such as air, water, a correct temperature, and a way to get rid ofwastes) are also needed by all animals, including those that are waiting to hatch fromtheir egg.


�Ask students the following questions:Is the picture you colored a male or a female Wood Duck? (male)• Why would the female Wood Duck be less colorful than the male? (to better hide

with her babies)• What would happen if the egg got covered with wax? (the holes in the shell would

be covered and the baby inside would die from lack of air)• What do you think the mother duck might do if the eggs are getting too warm?

(get herself wet, then get that water on the eggs; not sit on the eggs)• From what type of bird does an egg from the grocery store come? (chicken)

�Discuss or have students draw the life cycle of a duck.

Extensions�Raise a fertilized chicken egg in the classroom to help students to conceptualize an

egg turning into an animal.�Build Wood Duck nesting boxes and put these up in a suitable habitat (check with

the California Department of Fish and Game for appropriate locations).

Resources� BOOKS

• Chicken Aren’t the Only Ones by Ruth Heller• New Duck: My First Look at the Life of a Bird by Pamela Hickman• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

� WEBSITES

• http://www.pondshop.com/wwponds/tohave.htmContains pictures of wood ducks.

• http://www.r5.fs.fed.us/shastatrinity/wildlife/wood_duck.htmA U.S. Forest Service website that shows how to build wood duck nesting boxes.


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UNIT 2 • LESSON 5

Make Room For a Salamander


Life Science

2. Plants and animals have predictable life cycles.c. Students know many characteristics of an organism are inherited from the parents.

Some characteristics are influenced by the environment.

ObjectiveThe lesson will develop the concept that all living things have specific needs, which mustbe met in order to insure the individual’s survival.

BackgroundEvery living thing has specific needs that must be met for the organism to stay alive. Ingeneral, green plants need sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide with which to producetheir food, gain energy, and grow. Plants also generally need soil from which to drawwater and minerals. In addition, plants must live within a certain temperature range.

Generally, animals must have a source of food. Some eat plants; others eat animals. Addi-tionally, animals must be able to get oxygen. They also need some sort of shelter as protec-tion from other animals and from extreme weather conditions. Similar to plants, animalsneed the correct temperature for survival.

Any drastic change in the availability of any of the specific needs for a plant or animal willendanger the survival of that particular plant or animal. When a plant or animal is takenfrom nature by a person, that person must make certain that all of the organism’s requiredneeds are met.

Preparation�The teacher should pre-read, and be familiar with, the book The Salamander Room

by Anne Mazer.�Bring to class a small potted plant and a small live animal, such as a goldfish, spider,

or earthworm. Make certain that the plant or animal is provided with everything itneeds to live comfortably.

• UNIT 1 • LESSON 532 •Materials

✔ Book: The Salamander Room.✔ Paper

TimePreparation: 30 minutesLesson: 30 - 60 minutes

Procedure

Introduction

1 Tell the class to suppose that your neighbor’s pet fish died last night. The neighborwoke up this morning and his favorite pet fish was dead. The neighbor isn’t very goodabout taking care of things. Ask for suggestions as to why the neighbor’s fish died.

Instruction

2 Tell the students that every living thing has certain things it needs in order to stayalive. Share the information about the needs of plants and animals life as discussed inparagraphs 2 and 3 of the “Background” for this lesson.

Activity

3 Read the title of the book The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer to the students andencourage for discussion regarding what the book is about.

4 Read the book to the class. Do not discuss the storyline with the students at this time.Simply read the story in its entirety.

Note: The answers in italics are examples of students’ answers.

5 Now go back and read the story again, one page at a time, with time spent for classdiscussion. Use the following prompts or prompts of your own.

• Do you think Brian did the “right thing” by taking the salamander home? Why?Why not?

• Would there be any problems in bringing the crickets and bullfrog home?• Do salamanders play? Is play one of their life needs?• Do salamanders spend a lot of time in the sun? (no, amphibians have no special

covering on their skin to protect them from drying out. Therefore, they dry out easily.)• Do you think salamanders or frogs have “friends”? (no)• Is Brian trying to make the salamander comfortable? (yes)• What problems might all these insects make for Brian?• Is Brian actually going to be able to have trees in his room? What would he need

to do to make certain that the trees would be able to live? What problems will

33• UNIT 1 • LESSON 5 •that make for Brian? (Rain, cold weather, wind)

• What is Brian’s room beginning to look like? (The place where he found the sala-mander.)

• Instead of bringing the salamander to his room and then making his room looklike where he found the salamander, what should Brian have done? (Looked at thesalamander, learned about it, and let it go where he found it.)

Assessment�Name two things a plant needs to stay alive. (sunlight, carbon dioxide, water)�Name two things an animal needs to stay alive. (oxygen, food, water, correct temperature)�What are some things a salmon in the Delta needs to stay alive? (food, oxygen in the

water, water in which to live, the right temperature)�Make an illustration of a suitable habitat for an animal of your choice that would

supply all of the animal’s needs.

Extensions�Read The Snail’s Spell by Joann Ryder and have students act out the role of the snail.�Read A Log’s Life by Wendy Pfeffer.�Have students select a Delta animal and draw a picture that details the animals’ food

source and other parts of its habitat.�Take students on a field trip to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery in Rancho Cordova to

learn about the life cycle of a salmon.

Resources� BOOKS

• The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer• The Snail’s Spell by Joann Ryder• A Log’s Life by Wendy Pfeffer

• 35


Assessments for Unit Two

Answer Key to Pre- Post-Test

1. 4 1 2 3

2. Metamorphosis is a big change that an animal goes through between being a babyand adult.

3. Chrysalis is a stage in the butterfly’s metamorphosis. It is the protective shell thatforms around the larvae.

4. The male wood duck is more colorful, so that he can attract his mate. The female’scolor blends into the environment so it can hide better with young.

5. air, food, shelter, water and/or warmth

6. A

7. C

36 UNIT 2 | ASSESSMENT•

Pretest/Posttest for Unit 2

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unit two • second grade life cycles in the delta...

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