Digging Up Details on Worms: Using the Language of Science in an Inquiry Study

Learning Resource Type

Classroom Resource

Subject Area

English Language Arts
Science

Grade(s)

K, 1, 2

Overview

Foregrounding scientific vocabulary, these integrated lesson plans invite students to research worms in order to create a classroom habitat. Students are first introduced to inquiry notebooks and then use them to record what they already know about worms. Next, students observe the cover of a fiction book about worms and make a hypothesis on whether the book is fact or fiction, and then check their hypotheses after the book is read aloud. Next, after an introduction to related scientific words such as hypothesis, habitat, attribute, predator, and prey, students conduct and record research and findings in their inquiry notebooks. Once they have gathered the necessary information, students plan and build a worm habitat, which becomes the springboard for further scientific exploration, observation, and experimentation.

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): KG

ELA21.K.R1

Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.

UP:ELA21.K.R1

Vocabulary

  • Active listening
  • Discussion
  • Conversation
  • Rules
  • Participation

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Active listening skills.
  • How to engage in discussions and conversations in a variety of settings.
  • Agreed-upon rules for participation.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Demonstrate active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings.
  • Converse in pairs, small groups, and large groups.
  • Practice the agreed-upon rules for participation.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Conversations and discussions follow agreed-upon rules which help us actively listen and gain understanding.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): KG

ELA21.K.2

Actively engage in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers to build background knowledge needed to be successful as they learn to read and, later, read to learn.

UP:ELA21.K.2

Vocabulary

  • Actively engage
  • Teacher-led reading experiences
  • Collaborative discussions
  • Background knowledge
  • Peers

Knowledge

Students know:
  • How to engage in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers to build background knowledge.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Build background knowledge by actively engaging in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • They need to build background knowledge to be successful as they learn to read and read to learn.
  • They need to actively engage in teacher-led reading experiences and discussions with peers to build their background knowledge.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): KG

ELA21.K.30

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in literary and informational texts.

UP:ELA21.K.30

Vocabulary

  • Ask
  • Answer
  • Key details
  • Literary text
  • Informational text
  • Prompting
  • Support

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Key details in literary and informational texts.

Skills

Students are able to:
With prompting and support,
  • Ask questions about key details in literary and informational texts.
  • Answer questions about key details in literary and informational texts.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Text includes key details.
  • After reading a text, knowledge and understanding can be expanded by asking and answering questions.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 1

ELA21.1.16

Use grade-appropriate academic vocabulary in speaking and writing.

UP:ELA21.1.16

Vocabulary

  • Grade-appropriate academic vocabulary
  • Speaking
  • Writing

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Grade-appropriate academic vocabulary in spoken and written forms.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify grade-appropriate academic vocabulary.
  • Use grade-appropriate academic vocabulary in speaking and writing.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Using grade-appropriate academic vocabulary expands their knowledge.
  • Academic vocabulary is more formal than their spoken, conversational language.
  • Building our vocabulary helps us to clearly express our ideas and share information with others.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

ELA21.2.4

Orally answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about a text or conversation, using complete sentences to provide key ideas and details.

UP:ELA21.2.4

Vocabulary

  • Orally
  • Who, what, when where, why, and how questions
  • Complete sentences
  • Key ideas
  • Key details

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Key ideas and details should be included when answering questions.
  • Complete sentences, which contain a subject and a predicate, should be used when answering questions.
  • Who, when, and where questions will have a concrete, objective answer.
  • What, why, and how questions may have a more abstract, subjective answer.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Orally answer questions about a text or conversation using complete sentences that provide information about key ideas and details.
  • Orally answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about a text or conversation with appropriate key ideas and details.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • When answering who, what, when, where, why, and how questions they should provide key ideas and details from a text or conversation to demonstrate their comprehension.
  • Speaking in complete sentences helps them clearly communicate their message and their understanding.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

ELA21.2.25

Identify and use various text features to locate ideas, facts, or supporting details in both written and digital formats.

UP:ELA21.2.25

Vocabulary

  • Identify
  • Text features
  • Ideas
  • Facts
  • Supporting details
  • Written formats
  • Digital formats

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Text features can be used to locate information in printed and digital text.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify text features in printed and digital text.
  • Use text features to locate ideas, facts, and supporting details.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Printed and digital text has predictable features that can be used to locate important ideas, facts, and supporting details.
  • Using text features helps support their overall comprehension.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

ELA21.2.46

Gather and use research to answer questions to complete a research product.

UP:ELA21.2.46

Vocabulary

  • Gather
  • Research
  • Questions

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Information must be gathered from a variety of sources, and the information can be used to answer questions.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Gather and use the research to answer questions and create a research product.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • A research product requires gathering information from a variety of sources and using the research to answer questions.
Science (2015) Grade(s): KG

SC15.K.5

Construct a model of a natural habitat (e.g., terrarium, ant farm, diorama) conducive to meeting the needs of plants and animals native to Alabama.

UP:SC15.K.5

Vocabulary

  • Construct
  • Model
  • Natural
  • Habitat
  • Conducive
  • Needs
  • Plants
  • Animals
  • Native
  • Alabama

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Needs of plants and animals native to Alabama.
  • How to construct a model of a natural habitat and can identify and describe the components of the model
  • Places where the different plants and animals live.
  • The relationship between where plants and animals live and the resources those places provide

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Construct a model of interactions that occur in a natural habitat.
  • Use a model to represent and describe the relationships between the components.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Systems in the natural environments of Alabama have parts that work together and can be represented.

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Developing and Using Models

Crosscutting Concepts

Systems and System Models
ELA21.K.R1
ELA21.K.2
ELA21.K.30

CR Resource Type

Lesson/Unit Plan

Resource Provider

ReadWriteThink

License Type

Custom
http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/digging-details-worm…

Custom License Type (URL)

http://www.readwritethink.org/util/legal.html

Approved Date

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