Module 5-Science 3B(RETIRED) - Course Guide

Module Overview:

In this module, students will learn about the essential characteristics of all living things. Students will learn about the life cycles of plants and animals. Students will learn about the passing on of traits to offspring through heredity and genetics. Students will learn to distinguish vertebrates (animals with backbones) from invertebrates (animals without backbones).

Module Materials:

Lesson # Lesson Title Material(s)
1 Characteristics of Life 1 apple (optional)
an earthworm (in a jar with soil) (optional)
1 rock (optional)
2 drinking glasses (optional)
leaf (optional)
4 shallow trays (could be cookie sheet, pie tin, cake pan, etc.) (optional)
50 cereal o's (optional)
50 dry spaghetti sticks (optional)
50 marbles (optional)
50 raisins (optional)
timer (optional)
toothpick (optional)
pair of tweezers (optional)
clothespin (optional)
spoon (optional)
brown paper lunch bag (you could substitute a medium-sized bowl) (optional)
pen or pencil
2 Life Cycles variety of fruits, vegetables, and nuts (optional)
materials to create a seed display (optional)
drawing paper (optional)
crayons or colored pencils (optional)
long piece of paper or 3–4 pieces taped together (optional)
metric ruler (optional)
index cards (optional)
markers (optional)
pen or pencil
3 Heredity and Genetics pen or pencil;
4 Characteristics of Vertebrates and Invertebrates crayons or colored pencils
magazines or internet images to make a collage (optional)
scissors
glue
pen or pencil

Module Objectives:

Lesson # Lesson Title Objective(s)
1 Characteristics of Life
  1. Describe the basic needs of all living organisms.
  2. Explain how organisms rely upon their environments.
  3. Give examples of plant and animal structures that serve essential functions.
2 Life Cycles
  1. Describe and provide examples of plant life cycles.
  2. Describe and provide examples of animal life cycles.
  3. Define the stages of the human life cycle.
  4. Describe the difference between learned and inherited traits.
3 Heredity and Genetics
  1. Explain basic heredity and genetics.
4 Characteristics of Vertebrates and Invertebrates
  1. Distinguish vertebrates from invertebrates.
  2. Illustrate both types of animals.

Module Key Words:

Key Words
abiotic
adaptation
biotic
environment
excretion
growth
life
living
movement
nonliving
nutrition
reproduction
respiration
sensitivity
asexual reproduction
budding
complete metamorphosis
gene
genetics
germinate
hatch
heredity
incomplete metamorphosis
inherited trait
larva
learned trait
life cycle
puberty
seed
traits
DNA
chromosomes
recessive
dominant
vertebrates
invertebrates
backbones

Module Assignments:

Lesson # Lesson Title Page # Assignment Title
1 Characteristics of Life 8 What Are Living Things? Assignment
1 Characteristics of Life 12 Polar Bear Zoo Assignment
2 Life Cycles 11 Personal Events Timeline Assignment
3 Heredity and Genetics 8 Heredity and Genetics Assignment
4 Characteristics of Vertebrates and Invertebrates 1 Characteristics of Vertebrates and Invertebrates Assignment

Learning Coach Notes:

None

Module Guiding Questions:

When a student starts a lesson ask them questions to check for prior knowledge and understanding and to review concepts being taught. At the end of the lesson ask the questions again to see if their answer changes.

Lesson Title Question
Characteristics of Life
  1. What are the characteristics of living things?
Life Cycles
  1. What is a life cycle?
Heredity and Genetics
  1. What are heredity and genetics?
Characteristics of Vertebrates and Invertebrates
  1. What is a vertebrate?
  2. What is an invertebrate?

Module Video Questions:

When a student watches a video take time to ask them questions about what they watched. Suggested questions for the videos in this module are listed here. Suggestion: Have the student watch the entire video first all the way through. Then have them watch the video a second time, as they watch it pause the video and ask the questions.

Lesson Title Video Question
Characteristics of Life Characteristics of Living Things
  1. What are the Basic Needs of Living Things?
  2. What are the groups of different living things?
  3. What are the life processes?
  4. What is sensitivity?
  5. What is respiration?
Characteristics of Life Magic School Bus: All Dried Up
  1. What is the desert like?
  2. What are some animals and plants that live in the desert?
  3. What adaptations do plants and animals have that help them survive the desert?
Characteristics of Life Adaptations
  1. What are 5 things you learned about adaptations from this video?
Life Cycles The Plant Life Cycle
  1. What role do bees and insects play in the life cycle of a plant?
  2. What is fertilization?
  3. What is the fruit of a plant?
  4. Describe the life cycle of the plant.
Life Cycles Magic School Bus
  1. What are 5 things you learned from this video?
Life Cycles Metamorphosis
  1. What is metamorphosis?
  2. What is simple metamorphosis?
  3. What is complete metamorphosis?
  4. Describe the life cycles of insects.
Heredity and Genetics Heredity
  1. What are traits?
  2. Who was Gregor Mendel?
  3. What are Mendel's Rules for Heredity?
  4. What does dominant mean?
  5. What is the Punnet Square?
Characteristics of Vertebrates and Invertebrates Invertebrates
  1. What are the characteristics of invertebrates?
  2. What kinds of animals are invertebrates?
  3. What are 5 things you learned from this video?

Module Suggested Read Aloud Books:

Take time to read to your student or have them read aloud to you. Read a different book each day. While reading the book point out concepts being taught. You may purchase these books or find them at your local library. Suggested things to discuss while reading the book:

  • What is the main idea?
  • What are three things new you learned?
  • How does this book relate to what you are learning about?

# Book Author Lexile Level
1 The Amazing Life Cycle of Plants Kay Barnham 501L
2 Animal Life Cycles: Growing and Changing Bobbie Kalman IG580L
3 Heredity Mason Anders 820L
4 Let's Classify Animals! Kelli Hicks 600L
5 What Is the Animal Kingdom? Bobbie Kalman IG770L

Module Outing:

Take some time to apply what your student is learning to the real world. Suggested outings are below.

# Outing
1 Take a trip to the local zoo and have your student classify the animals they see. Have them observe animals with their young and identify the characteristics of the types of animals they see.