Module 5: Animals- Science 1A - Course Guide

Module Overview:

In this module, students will describe the characteristics of animal tracks found in nature or in books, describe the types of animal tracks that can be found where the students live, and draw and label tracks. Students will use ideas from nature to solve a problem and design a piece of playground equipment that is safe and fun for kids and would blend into the environment.

Module Materials:

Lesson # Lesson Title Material(s)
1 Observing Animal Tracks magnifying glass
tracing paper (or other lightweight paper)
crayons or colored pencils
pen or pencil
2 Biomimicry items from nature walk
thin cardboard (various sizes)
building materials
camera or phone to take pictures (optional)
crayons or colored pencils
pen or pencil
printer to print picture (optional)

Module Objectives:

Lesson # Lesson Title Objective(s)
1 Observing Animal Tracks
  1. Describe the characteristics of animal tracks found in nature or in books.
  2. Describe the types of animal tracks that can be found where the students live.
  3. Draw and label tracks.
2 Biomimicry
  1. Use ideas from nature to solve a problem.
  2. Design a piece of playground equipment that is safe and fun for kids and would blend into the environment.

Module Key Words:

Key Words
animal
tracks
nature
biomimicry
adaptation
engineering design

Module Assignments:

Lesson # Lesson Title Page # Assignment Title
1 Observing Animal Tracks 5 Observing Animal Tracks Assignment
2 Biomimicry 6 Biomimicry 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
Observing Animal Tracks
  1. What can you learn about animals based on their tracks?
Biomimicry
  1. What is biomimicry?

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
Observing Animal Tracks Animal Track Detectives
  1. What can you learn from a duck’s animal track?
  2. What can you learn from a raccoon’s animal track?
  3. How can you tell if an animal was running based on its tracks?
Biomimicry Nature Playground
  1. What kind of playground does the school want to create?
  2. What is biomimicry?

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 Life-Sized Animal Tracks John Townsend
2 Whose Tracks Are These? A Clue Book of Familiar Forest Animals James Nail

Module Outing:

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

# Outing
1 Take your student to a nature center and ask them to help you locate animal tracks. They may even have casts of animal tracks that you can look at.