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Signs For The Pines:

A Problem-Based Learning Activity for 3rd Grade

Developed by:

S. Mitchell Hall (mhall@ppusd.edcoe.k12.ca.us)
Director of Educational Technology
Pollock Pines School District

CTAP Region 3 Representative, CTAP Coordinating Council
SCORE Science Resource Developer
 

Overview | Resources | Activities | Standards | Evaluation | Links

This activity was developed for the Eagle's Trail at Emigrant Trail School, Pollock Pines, CA. For schools without easy access to the forest areas such as those surrounding Emigrant Trail, a local wildlife refuge, wild river bank, or even a local park can substitute.

This Problem Based Learning activity has been developed for the SCORE Science site. Since it is intended for 3rd grade, I have taken liberties with the PBL format, especially in the amount of in-class direction given to the students.

Third grade students will need considerable guidance through this project, especially if it is their first exposure to PBL, research, or the Internet. Teachers should be prepared to model every step of the process. Modifications may make the process less faithful to the PBL model, but will ensure student success and pave the way for future success with PBL. For example: the entire class could choose one plant or animal, do the research together, with the teacher guiding and directing the note-taking. Each student might then make her/his own sign. In ensuing sessions, the entire class could focus on mammals one week, insects the following, and so on.

Overview | Resources | Activities | Standards | Evaluation | Links

Additional Resources:

Golden Book Electronic Encyclopedia

The California Instructional Technology Clearinghouse has reviewed a wealth of resources for teachers. To search for titles in this or any other subject, go to the Clearinghouse Search Page and enter your key words.
 
 

Overview | Resources | Activities | Standards | Evaluation | Links

Activity resources:

1. Project WILD K-12 Activity Guide

Second edition,©1992 by the Council for Environmental Education.
http://eelink.umich.edu/wild Telephone 301-493-5447
 
2. Project Learning Tree: Environmental Education Activity Guide

Third edition, ©1995 by the American Forest Foundation.
 
3. Hands-On Nature: Information and Activities for Exploring the Environment with Children

Jenepher Lingelbach, Editor. ©1986 by the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Telephone 802-457-2779 ISBN 0-9617627-0-5
 
4. Education Goes Outdoors

Frank A Johns, Kirk Allen Liske, and Amy L. Evans. ©1986 Addison-Wesley Publishing
Company, Inc. ISBN 0-201-20471-1

Overview | Resources | Activities | Standards | Evaluation | Links

California State Content Standards for Third Grade:

Science standard for third grade addressed and assessed in this lesson:

Life Sciences: Grade 3
Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism's chance for survival. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:

a. plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival and reproduction.
b. examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as oceans, deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands.

Others standards indirectly addressed but not assessed in this lesson:

Language Standards: Grade 3
Students are expected to:

2.1 Use titles, tables of contents, chapter headings, glossaries, and indexes to locate information in text.
2.2 Ask questions and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal  information found in, and inferred from, the text.
2.3 Demonstrate comprehension by identifying answers in the text.
2.6 Extract appropriate and significant information from the text, including problems and solutions.
2.7 Follow simple multiple-step written instructions (e.g., how to assemble a product  or play a board game).

Mathematics Standards: Grade 3
Students are expected to:

1.1 Choose the appropriate tools and units (metric and U.S.) and estimate and measure the length, liquid volume, and weight/mass of given objects.
1.3 Find the perimeter of a polygon with integer sides.

History/Social Science Standards: Grade 3
Students describe the physical and human geography and use maps, tables, graphs, photographs, and charts to organize information about people, places and environments in a spatial context by:

1.identifying geographical features found in their local region (e.g., deserts, mountains, valleys, hills, coastal areas, oceans, lakes)
2.tracing the ways in which people have used the resources of the local region and modified the physical environment (e.g., a dam constructed upstream changed a river or coastline)

Overview | Resources | Activities | Standards | Evaluation | Links

Evaluation:

Students will be evaluated on two different rubrics for this lesson:

1. A rubric to assess the design of the sign or booklet.
2. A rubric to assess the learning of the science content addressed by the standard.

Science content standard:

Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism's chance for survival. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:

a. plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival and reproduction.
b. examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as oceans, deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands.

Science content rubric:

To earn a score of four on the science content rubric, the student's project must demonstrate all of the following:

• 100% correct, with all important structures labeled.
• easy to understand
• a complete explanation of how the structures of the plant or animal help it survive
• A project which earns a score of four clearly demonstrates that the student understands that plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival and reproduction. The project is virtually error free.

To earn a score of three on the science content rubric, the student's project must demonstrate all of the following:

• almost all correct, with most important structures labeled.
• easy to understand
• a good explanation of how the different parts of the

plant or animal help it survive
• A project which earns a score of three demonstrates that the student has a good basic understanding that plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival and reproduction. The project may demonstrate some minor misunderstandings or have minor errors in fact.

To earn a score of two on the science content rubric, the student's project must demonstrate all of the following:

• somewhat correct, with some important structures labeled.
• hard to understand
• a partial explanation of how the different structures of the plant or animal help it survive
• A project which earns a score of two demonstrates that the student has a partial understanding that plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival and reproduction. The project may demonstrate some basic misunderstandings or have errors in fact.

To earn a score of one on the science content rubric, the student's project must demonstrate all of the following:

• sometimes wrong, with few (or no) important structures labeled.
• hard to understand
• not an explanation of how the different structures of the plant or animal help it survive
• A project which earns a score of one demonstrates that the student has a little understanding that plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival and reproduction. The project has many basic misunderstandings or errors in fact.

Graphic design rubric:

To earn a score of four on the graphic design rubric, the student's project must demonstrate all of the following:

• clear, accurate and interesting information
• detailed information about the plant or animal, including

its parts and what they do to help it grow, survive and reproduce
(This point should receive special emphasis, as it is from the standard.)
• complete and well organized
• thoughtful
• includes graphics: pictures, graphs, charts,  or illustrations
• neat and easy to read from a distance
• error free, both in facts and in mechanics (spelling, punctuation and grammar)

To earn a score of three on the graphic design rubric, the student's project must demonstrate all of the following:

• clear and accurate
• some details about the plant or animal, including its structures and their functions
• mostly complete
• organized
• some graphics
• might have some errors in mechanics, but none in facts

To earn a score of two on the graphic  design rubric, the student's project must demonstrate most of the following:

• brief
• few details about the organism's structures and functions
• some incorrect work
• uninteresting
• limited graphics
• may have errors in facts or mechanics

To earn a score of one on the graphic design rubric, the student's project must demonstrate most of the following:

• short explanations
• no detail about structures or their functions
• unorganized or sloppy
• uninteresting
• no graphics
• many errors in facts or mechanics

Overview | Resources | Activities | Standards | Evaluation | Links

 

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