MSP Lesson Plan Format: Indirect (Inquiry-based) Instruction

(For use in EDTE 520)

Candidate Name: Annabelle Taylor Date/Time: March

Grade Level: 1st Content Area: Science Estimated Lesson Length: 45 Minutes
Setting (choose one): ( x ) whole class ( ) small group ( ) Individual
Co-Taught Lesson: ( ) yes ( x ) no Co-Taught Strategy Used (if applicable): ______________________________
MAIN CONCEPT/BIG IDEA (Essential understanding you expect students to know as a result of
this lesson.)
Students will learn that plant and animal offspring share many similarities with their parents, but
are not exactly the same.

RATIONALE (Why is this concept important for students to learn?)

It is important for students to understand that traits get passed down from parents to their
offspring. This concept helps them learn how the world around them works when it comes to
plant and animal reproduction. This idea is also valuable because it helps students learn that
despite being similar to their parents, all individuals are different in some way. Everyone and
everything are unique, which is important for students to recognize about themselves.

STANDARDS (*See link at the bottom of the template.)

NGSS 1-LS3-1. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young
plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents. [Clarification
Statement: Examples of patterns could include features plants or animals share.
Examples of observations could include leaves from the same kind of plant are the
same shape but can differ in size; and, a particular breed of dog looks like its
parents but is not exactly the same.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not
include inheritance or animals that undergo metamorphosis or hybrids.]

OBJECTIVE/S (Students will be able to ……)

https://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Teaching/Educator-Evaluation-System/How-to-
Design-and-Select-Quality-Assessments/Webbs-DOK-Flip-Chart.pdf.aspx
Students will be able to show that they understand that animals and plants have similarities and
differences by matching the correct offspring and parents and writing a similarity and difference
for each pair. There will be three total pairs.

ASSESSMENTS (How will you know students met the learning objective? How will you assess
student learning during the instructional sequence?)
Summative:
 Students will receive a worksheet with three different sets of plants and animals (one
plant set and two animal sets.) Students will need to match the correct parent and
offspring. Once they have done that, they will need to write one similarity and one
difference they notice between the parent and offspring. This is going to be used as their
exit ticket for the day and it is how I will evaluate individual student learning.
Formative:
 Students will discuss with a partner how they are able to tell that a baby and a mother are
related.
 I will circulate as students are matching parents to their offspring with the picture cards
and figurines and check for any misunderstanding. I may ask some students a few
questions about why they matched certain species together to see where their minds are
at.
 Students will have time to discuss with their table groups about similarities they noticed
between a parent and its offspring.
 Cold call on five students to share about 5 different species and how they were able to tell
they were related.
 Students will pair-share about what differences they notice between a particular offspring
and parent. I will circulate throughout this discussion again.
 Call on 5-6 students to share differences their partner noticed between a parent and its
offspring. Write these differences down on the board.

ACADEMIC LANGUAGE DEMAND (A brief narrative that visualizes how students will participate
in this lesson. What are students being asked to do in this lesson, and how are they using language
to accomplish that? How will students collaborate for meaningful interaction, interpret and/or
spoken text, and produce evidence of their learning?
Reading: Students will be following along to the book that gets read at the beginning of the
lesson. They will also have written directions on their worksheet that they will have to read.

Writing: Students will be writing one similarity and one difference they observe between the
pairs of parents and offspring.

Listening: Students will practice listening skills as the story is being read to them at the beginning
of the lesson, when directions are being given orally, and when sharing their findings with their
peers.

Speaking: Students will have opportunities to share their findings with a peer. They will practice
taking turns when speaking and working collaboratively to match the correct offspring and
parent.

CONTENT VOCABULARY (List the key vocabulary and/or phrases students need to understand in
order to have access to the content.)
 Adult: A living thing that is fully grown and developed.
 Offspring: The child of a living thing.
 Figurine: A plastic toy version of something.
 Characteristics: An observable feature.
 Similarity: A feature that looks like another.
 Difference: A feature that is different from another.
STRATEGIES/TECHNIQUES TO SUPPORT ACADEMIC LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT (Given the
identifies academic language demand, how is this lesson being adapted? How is it being scaffolded
for the targeted language proficiency level of your students? List strategies for supporting students’
use of academic language such as word walls, sentence frames, realia, pictures, go kinetic, choral
response, etc.)
 The matching cards will have the names of plants and animals on them to help students
learn the names of these plants and animals.
 On the individual worksheet, students will be writing similarities and differences for three
different species. It will be written out, “These two are similar because…” and “These two
are different because…” and students will fill in the spaces with how they are similar and
different. This use of sentence frames teaches students how to speak and write in
complete sentences to share their ideas.
 Students will be practicing taking turns speaking throughout this lesson to share their
ideas with a partner.
 Different terms will be introduced, such as “offspring” so that students can speak like
scientists.

STRATEGIES FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (which SDAIE strategies will you use?)
http://www.supportrealteachers.org/strategies-for-english-language-learners.html
 The matching cards will be labeled with the names of the plants and animals.
 Keep directions short and concise.
 Speak slowly and clearly.
 Visual learning by using matching cards and having plants and animals projected when
they are being discussed as a whole class.
 Working/discussing with a partner.
 Kinesthetic learning by matching figurines and picture cards.
 Post lesson vocabulary at the front of the room.

STRATEGIES FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS (List accommodations and/or

modifications specified in IEPs, 504 Plans, etc.)
 Speak slowly and clearly
 Keep instructions short and concise
 Allow students to be assessed orally if necessary
 Pair students will someone they are comfortable working with
 Make sure all writing is large enough to be viewed
 Visuals will be used throughout the lesson when discussing different plants and animals.
 Students will work kinesthetically by matching figurines and picture cards.
 Allow extra time to work if necessary.
 Reduce individual work to matching two of the three pairs of plants/animals if necessary.
 Provide a quieter work space with less distractions.

TASK ANALYSIS (What should students already know and/or be able to do BEFORE engaging in
this lesson?)
 Students should already know that plants and animals reproduce and have young.
  Students should know that young plants and animals are smaller than adults.
 Students should know how to complete matching activities.
 Students should know how to write in complete sentences.
 Students should know how to work collaboratively and respectfully with a peer.
INSTRUCTIONAL SEQUENCE: (The components in the instructional sequence should be written as
explicitly described steps that clearly communicate the actions taken. Anyone reading through the
steps in the instructional sequence, such as a substitute teacher, should be able to execute the lesson
smoothly, including facilitating the transitions between components and applying formative
assessments. Steps in the instructional sequence in an indirect instruction lesson may be tailored to
specific content areas as specified from the Methods Instructors. Below, as one example, is the “5E
Model”. You will discover additional indirect instruction models in your credential courses.)
1. Engagement/Introduction (How will you get the students interested in what you are going to
do and engage them in preliminary thinking?) (8 Minutes)
 The lesson will begin by having students come to the carpet where I will read a book.
 Before I begin reading, I will tell students I want them to be thinking about some things to
notice.
- What kind of animal does the story follow?
- What do you think the baby’s mother should look like?
- Is this book real or made up? (Fiction or Non-Fiction)
 Read the book Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman.
 Have the students talk with someone next to them about how they knew what the baby’s
mother should look like.
 After having the students share with a partner, call on three students to share what their
partner said. You will want to hear answers like, “The baby is a brown bird so the mother
should be a brown bird, too” or, “The baby wouldn’t have a cat for a mom because birds
and cats don’t look anything alike.”
 I will explain to students that today we are going to look at different plant and animals to
see if we can correctly match the babies with their parents. This would be a good time to
introduce the terms “adult” and “offspring” so that students can speak like scientists when
talking to their peers.

2. Exploration/Investigation (How will students explore the problem or activity?) (12 Minutes)
 In this lesson, the students are in 4 table groups with 6 students at each group.
 Have the students return to their seats where they will begin to investigate different
animals and plants.
 At two of the table groups there will be plant and animal matching cards (the adult card
will have the name of the plant or animal on it while the offspring card will not). At the
other two table groups there will be animal figurines.
 Have the students work to match the correct baby animal or plant with the correct parent.
Once all of the cards and figurines have been matched correctly, students will get to switch
table groups so that everyone gets to practice matching the picture cards and the
figurines. Students will get 6 minutes at each group
 While the students are doing this, I will be circulating the room and checking the student’s
work to see if there is any misunderstanding. I may ask a few students why they matched
 a particular baby with a particular parent to see if students are getting the idea that a baby
and parent should be similar.

3. Explanation (How will you help students make sense of their observations?) (6 Minutes)
 Now that all students have worked at both stations, I will ask the students to talk at their
table group about what similarities they noticed and how they were able to go about
matching the parents and their offspring.
- “I was able to tell that these two were the same animal because they both have wings.”
- “I know that this plant goes with this one because their leaves are both pointy.”
- “I know that this one is an adult bear and this one is the offspring because it looks the
same but is just a little smaller.”
 Cold call on five students to share about a particular plant or animal. One for the eagles,
bears, sunflowers, tigers, and tomatoes. Have each animal and plant projected at the front
as you discuss them.
- “John, please tell the class how you knew that this offspring went with this adult
eagle?”
- “Now Kaylee, why did you match that offspring with that adult tomato?”
 As you go about this discussion, many students will likely be saying that they noticed the
baby looked like the adult, but it was a little smaller. This is good because we want the
students to next notice how the offspring are different from the parent.

4. Expansion (How will you help students apply their new knowledge to other situations?) (7
Minutes)
 Now that the students have matched the offspring with the adults, we want students to
recognize how they are different from their parent.
 Have students pair up with the person next to them to discuss how the offspring and adult
are different. Each student should have one set of plant or offspring to use to make their
observations. Students will take turns telling their partner what they notice is different
about the baby from the adult. The student with the longest fingernails will get to speak
first. Each person will have two minutes to share. Once those two minutes are up, I will
ring a bell signaling that it is time to switch.
 I will be circulating throughout this discussion to listen in on what the students are
noticing is different.
 Call students back together for a whole class discussion. Have written on the board
“Differences” and write down the differences students noticed between the parents and
their offspring.
 Call on 5-6 students to share a difference their partner noticed. Write down each one on
the board (coloring, size, fur, etc.)

5. Evaluation (Unlike direct instruction, this is the assessment piece for this particular model. This
should be a duplicate of what you inserted above for Summative Assessment. It allows you to see
the entire sequence in order.) (12 Minutes)

 Now that students understand similarities and differences, hand out a worksheet with
three different sets of plants and animals (one plant set and two animal sets.) Students
 will need to match the correct parent and offspring. Once they have done that, they will
need to write one similarity and one difference they notice between the parent and
offspring. This is going to be used as their exit ticket for the day and it is how I will
evaluate individual student learning.

CONTENT INTEGRATION (How could you connect your lesson to other content areas?)
This lesson involves writing and reading despite being a science lesson. Students will be listening
along at the beginning of the lesson as the book is being read. They will also be reading different
directions throughout the lesson. Students will practicing writing by filling out similarities and
differences adults and their offspring have.

CONTENT EXTENSIONS (How will you challenge students who finish early? How will you meet the
needs of students who are identified as GATE or need an extra challenge?)
Students who are finished early may write more than one similarity and difference for each pair of
animal or plant on their worksheet. They can also label their pictures with arrows and words to
show where they are seeing similarities and differences.

SOURCES (Cite all sources used in planning and implementing this lesson. List sources in APA
format.)
Beitel, M. (n.d.). Who's Your Animal Parent? Retrieved from
https://betterlesson.com/lesson/644834/who-s-your-animal-parent

Next Generation Science Standards. (2015). Grade One. Retrieved from

https://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/sc/ngssstandards.asp

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES NEEDED

 Plant and animal matching cards with adults and their offspring
 Different animal figurines. Have adult and offspring sets
 Pencils
 Matching worksheet with similarities/differences charts
 Copy of Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

PERSONAL TEACHING FOCUS (List the area(s) you want your university supervisor to focus on
during the observation.)
Not relevant for this lesson.

*Use this link to access the Standards across all content areas:
https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/index.asp