3rd grade Science Biomes Lesson

Lesson: Biome Poems

3^rd Grade Science/Language Arts Lesson Plan

Background:  The students have been spending the last month studying biomes and are completing their culminating activity for the unit, a biome report. In this report, they were assigned three biomes to study and learn about in detail. The report had several components, one being a “biome poem” where they would use their knowledge of one biome (whichever they felt they knew the most about) to create a descriptive drawing containing a few major elements to which the children would attach descriptive phrases.

Objective:  Students will demonstrate their knowledge of a specified biome by describing its characteristics in a biome poem.

CA 3^rd Core: Reading Informational Text – K.I.D. 2 – Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea

CA 3^rd ELA WA 2.0 Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics) 

Students write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects, events, and 

experiences.  Student writing demonstrates a command of standard American English 

and the drafting, research, and organizational strategies outlined in Writing Standard 1.0. 

Using the writing strategies of grade three outlined in Writing Standard 1.0, students: 

2.2 Write descriptions that use concrete sensory details to present and support unified 

impressions of people, places, things, or experiences. 

CA 3^rd Life Sciences  3  -- Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance for survival. As a basis for understanding this concept: 

b. Students know examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as 

oceans, deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands. 

*This lesson is applicable to all cultural groups.

Into: The teacher will lead the class in a warm-up activity

Students will be asked to describe to their neighbor the physical characteristics of a cactus. (Interpersonal intelligence) Students will then be asked to determine which of those characteristics they can act out together. They will have 2 minutes to decide on a tableau for a cactus. When two minutes are up, students can then present their tableaus to the class. (Naturalistic/Kinesthetic intelligences)

Through: 

Materials:

Paper, pencil, crayons, science book (for reference)

Teacher will demonstrate the biome poem by titling the drawing “desert”, then drawing a cactus on the white-board. Write a short, descriptive, metaphorical repeating phrase around the cactus, such as “ouch . . . spiny leaves like needles protect me, ouch .  .  .  spiny leaves like needles protect me.” Then, draw a sun and again, write a short, descriptive phrase around the picture of the sun such as “drying rays bake the ground, drying rays bake the ground.” Do the same process for two or three other elements that together represent the weather, animal and plant adaptations of the desert. Make sure to explain that the phrases you use strive to be metaphorical – that they compare one thing to another very different thing. Have the children brainstorm the other elements and phrases with you.

The children can then choose the biome they want to work with and then decide on their 4-5 critical elements that will represent the weather, animal and plant adaptations of their biome of choice. The children should express their ideas to a neighbor before putting them on paper. Scaffold the statement process for them but writing “ ________________like ___________ “  and  “ ____________as _____________” on the board and tell the kids to use it as a reminder for their statements. 

Once they have shared their ideas, allow them to draw their picture first. Then they can work on coming up with descriptive phrases to attach to each element. Allow them to complete their drawings and make sure their phrases are attached to their elements.

(Spatial, Interpersonal, Linguistic, Naturalistic intelligences)

Beyond:

Students will present their biome reports, including their biome poem to the class. They will share the 3 biomes they researched and the highlights of what they learned. Then they can read their biome poem by reading the title first, then reading the phrases of each element.

Students will be assessed based on the following rubric:

4 3 2 1

Structure	Student included 4-5 major elements reflective of the characteristics of the biome, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the biome	Student included 4-5 elements reflective of the characteristics of the biome, demonstrating an adequate understanding of the biome.	Student included 3-4 elements reflective of the characteristics of the biome, demonstrating an inadequate understanding of the biome.	Student included elements not found in the particular biome
Expression	Student successfully used sensory detail, simile, metaphor or personification for all elements in the biome poem	Student successfully used sensory detail, simile, metaphor or personification for most elements in the biome poem	Student used more literal than expressive language to describe the elements in the biome	Student used all literal language to describe the elements of the biome