KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

PROFESSIONAL SEMESTER PROGRAM
LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate: Jennifer Jenkins Date: 11/15/2017

Cooperating Teacher: _________________________________________________ Coop. Initials: ________________
Group Size: _______________ Allotted Time: 40 minutes Grade Level: 3rd Grade
Subject or Topic: Classifying Animals Unit (Lesson Four) Section: _____________________

STANDARD: (PA Common Core):

Standard - 3.1.3.A1

Describe characteristics of living things that help to identify and classify them.

I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes)

The students will distinguish characteristics of a black bear through inquiry.

II. Instructional Materials

Crisco
Spoon
Rubber Gloves
Bowl with Cold Water
Ice
Paper Towels
PowerPoint (see attached)
Inquiry Sheet (see attached)
Printed PowerPoint (see accommodations)
Guided note sheet (see attached)

III. Subject Matter/ Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea)
Prerequisites
o Know what a mammal is.
Key Vocabulary
o Fat- storage that can be used for energy
o Omnivorous animals that eat meat and plants
 o Hibernation when an animal goes into a sleep for the Winter
Big Idea:
o Students will recognize the reasoning for a blubber on a black bear.
Facts/Content:
o In this lesson the students will be recognizing the reasoning bears have blubber.
The teacher will address the life of a Pennsylvania black bear including
hibernation, habitat, and food storage.

IV. Implementation

A. Introduction
The teacher will transition into science.
o Materials will be set in the black of the classroom on trays
o Ice will be kept in cooler until the start of the inquiry.
Crisco
Rubber Gloves
Bowl with Cold Water
Ice
Paper Towels
Spoon
The teacher will say Today kids we will be doing an experiment, but first
Im going to play you a little bit of a video to see if you can guess our topic
today.
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abUxMmcXoNo
The teacher will say Can anyone guess our topic?
o Entertain students answers
The teacher will say Today in science we will be learning about a very
specific mammal. That animal is called the Pennsylvania black bear. Has
anyone ever seen a black bear?
o Entertain students questions.

B. Development
The teacher will start power point (showing title slide) and hand out guided
 notes.
The teacher will say We will be using a power point to learn more about
Black Bears. I have given you each a guided note sheet please follow along
with me and fill out your sheet while I go through the power point. If you
have trouble the words to be filled in are bolded for you.
o Slide 1
The teacher will read the slide.
The teacher will ask the students Have you ever seen a black
bear outside PA?
o Slide 2
The teacher will read the slide.
The teacher will ask the students What else do you think a
black bear would eat?
o Slide 3
The teacher will read the slide
The teacher will ask the students Do you know of any other
animal that stores food for the winter?
o Slide 4
The teacher will read the slide
Emphasize the question What else does stored fat do?
Allow students to talk to their table partners to discuss
that idea.
o Put one try of materials in front of each student.
Remind student not to touch until
directed.
Close PowerPoint
The teacher will hand out the inquiry sheets.
The teacher will say we are going to test out what else extra fat does for a
bear to survive winter. Our hands will act as the bears and the gloves and
Crisco you see on your tables will act as the fat. I will be putting ice in the
water at your table to make it extra cold to simulate winter.
The teacher will dump ice into each bowl of cold water.
The teacher will instruct the student to fill out step 1 on their inquiry sheet.
Teacher will demonstrate at the document camera for struggling students.
 o The teacher will walk around and observe.
The teacher will now direct the students to put a glove on each hand.
The teacher will spoon out a table spoon or two of Crisco on to each kids
hand.
The teacher will direct students to coat one hand in Crisco then remove the
other glove.
o The teacher will walk around and observe.
o
The teachers will ask the student to put their clean hand up when they are
ready for the next step.
The teacher will now tell the students to put both hands in the ice water.
After their hands get to cold they make take off the other glove and dry their
hands with the paper towel provided.
o The teacher will walk around and observe.
The teacher will now direct the students to fill out the rest of their inquiry
sheet and hand it in.
C. Closure
The teacher will direct the students to clean up their area.
Once the students return to their seats the teacher will ask what hand got colder
quicker?
o Entertain students answers
The teacher will ask so why do you think a bear would need that layer of fat in the
winter?
o Entertain students answers
The teacher will say Today in class we learned about Black Bears and why it is
so important for their layer of fat in the winter. Tomorrow we will be having a
review and a unit test of everything we learned this week. Until then scientist can
you please line up for lunch.

D. Accommodations / Differentiation
Accommodations:
o Child: I.J.- Low vision
They will be give large print inquiry sheet and printed
PowerPoint.
 Differentiation:
o Drawing and writing on the inquiry sheet
o PowerPoint for a visual learner
o Experiment for kinesthetic learners

E. Assessment/Evaluation plan
1. Formative: Inquiry Sheet/observation
Evidence: How well students did on the sheet and
experiment
2. Summative: There is no summative assessment in this lesson

V. Reflective Response

A. Report of Students Performance in Terms of States Objectives

a. Reflect after lesson is taught

B. Remediation Plan

C. Personal Reflection Questions

Did the students have enough time with the experiment?
Was it messier than I thought?
Was I prepared?

VI. Resources
M. (2016, April 17). Bears - A Cute And Funny Bear Videos Compilation || NEW HD. Retrieved
November 18, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abUxMmcXoNo
PA.Gov. (n.d.). Retrieved November 18, 2017, from
http://www.pgc.pa.gov/Wildlife/WildlifeSpecies/BlackBear/Pages/LivingwithBlackBears.aspx

Pictures on PowerPoint came from Google

Whale Blubber Experiment. (2017, October 13). Retrieved November 18, 2017, from
https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com/article/whale-blubber-project/