Curriculum / ELA / 3rd Grade / Unit 4: Understanding the Animal Kingdom / Lesson 21
ELA
Unit 4
3rd Grade
Lesson 21 of 23
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Design an animal and defend if the animal would or would not survive in a particular environment.
Rubric: Grade 3 Literary Analysis and Opinion Writing Rubric
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Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved.
Using what you know about animal characteristics, life cycles, and adaptations, design an animal that you think is best suited for survival in a variety of habitats.
Defend if your animal would or would not survive in a particular environment.
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3-LS4-3 — Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence could include needs and characteristics of the organisms and habitats involved. The organisms and their habitat make up a system in which the parts depend on each other.
3-LS4-4 — Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change. Clarification Statement: Examples of environmental changes could include changes in land characteristics, water distribution, temperature, food, and other organisms. Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to a single environmental change. Assessment does not include the greenhouse effect or climate change.
L.3.2.d — Form and use possessives.
SL.3.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
W.3.1 — Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
W.3.1.a — Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons.
W.3.1.b — Provide reasons that support the opinion.
W.3.1.c — Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.3.1 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.3.2 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.3.6 — Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).
SL.3.4 — Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.
SL.3.5 — Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.
SL.3.6 — Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.
W.3.4 — With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1—3 above.)
W.3.5 — With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.
W.3.10 — Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Next
Analyze and debate unit essential questions using details and understandings from the text.
Explain what the animal kingdom is and the types of living things you might find in the animal kingdom.
Standards
RI.3.3RI.3.7
Explain what characteristics all simple animals and worms share and how they vary.
Explain what characteristics all mollusks and arthropods share and how they vary.
RI.3.3RI.3.7RI.3.8
2 days
Defend if all arthropods are exactly the same and if all arthropods can survive in a variety of habitats.
3-LS4-23-LS4-3RI.3.3W.3.2W.3.2.aW.3.2.bW.3.7W.3.8
Explain what characteristics all fish and amphibians share and how they vary.
Explain what characteristics all reptiles, birds, and mammals share and how they vary.
Use transition words to help illustrate certain points or ideas.
L.3.2.dW.3.1.c
Defend if all reptiles are exactly the same and if all reptiles can survive in a variety of habitats.
3-LS4-23-LS4-3L.3.2.dRI.3.3W.3.2W.3.2.aW.3.2.bW.3.7W.3.8
SL.3.1SL.3.1.aSL.3.1.c
Describe the different stages of a life cycle and why the continuation of a life cycle is important for the survival of a species.
Use transition words to help show time and sequence.
L.3.2.dW.3.1.bW.3.1.c
Explain how amphibian and reptile life cycles are different.
Describe the stages of a ladybug beetle and/or frog life cycle.
W.3.2W.3.2.aW.3.2.bW.3.8
Explain how fish, bird, and mammal life cycles are different.
3 days
Compare and contrast the life cycle of two organisms by using information from the text to support an idea.
3-LS1-1RI.3.3SL.3.1W.3.2W.3.2.aW.3.2.bW.3.7W.3.8
Construct an argument with evidence from the unit to support why some animals can survive well in a desert habitat, others survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
3-LS4-3RI.3.3SL.3.1SL.3.1.aSL.3.1.c
Explain the connection between evolution and adaptation and give an example of how an animal has evolved in order to survive.
Explain how the environment in which an animal lives impacts the way an animal adapts and why different adaptations are needed.
RI.3.2RI.3.3
4 days
3-LS4-33-LS4-4L.3.2.dSL.3.1W.3.1W.3.1.aW.3.1.bW.3.1.c
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