And Last but NOT Least, The Integrative Model!

In my class, on the second day of school, we learn what a scientist is, and then we apply this to all subjects. A scientist explores, makes decisions, asks questions, makes mistakes, keeps trying, and so forth. It only seems appropriate to start with the classification of all living things, and then apply it to other subjects. However, I am going to use two science lessons in this blog.

Classification of All Living Things 
1. This lesson will come after we have learned about the six characteristics and six needs of all living things, and a review of classification (they usually have learned this in previous grades and it is just a review). First, I will have a slide show showing many different living things (different plants, animals - including caterpillars but not butterflies, and frogs but not tadpoles - and microorganisms, including bacteria, protists, and fungi). As a class, we will brainstorm several ideas about how to classify them. In pairs or threes, the students will decide how they want to classify the organisms. They will make their own graphic organizer. The students will have access to the slide show on their iPads (not sure how to do this yet, but I will figure it out before school starts) so they can scrutinize it. BUT they won't get their iPads until after we have brainstormed as a class.
2. After they have put them into categories, they will present them to the class and explain why they chose to classify that way. We will discuss the similarities and differences between each organism.
3. I will then suggest including tadpoles and butterflies. How does that change the categories?
4. After the discussion about where to put tadpoles and butterflies, we will then closely scrutinize the organisms and I will guide them to make five categories: bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals.


Decomposition
1. This lesson will take several months to complete. I will show several different items (orange, lettuce, paper, tissue, bark, nail, and so forth) and have the students, in pairs, list them into as many categories as they can.
2. We will discuss as a class (after they sorted) the similarities and differences.
3. I will ask how they would categorize them if I told them they could only have two groups. What would change?
4. After the discussion, I will guide them to make the categories of decomposable and non-decomposable. Then we will put them in bags of dirt, throw them in the cupboard under the sink, and check them every few weeks until the end of the school year, discussing if we made the correct decisions. The students will write a paragraph each time in their online journal of their observations.


Parts of speech (verb, noun, pronoun, adjective)
Using answergarden, the students will describe what a verb, noun, pronoun, and adjective are. I will leave that alone until the next day.
The next day:
1. I will have a display of several words and the students, in pairs or threes, will sort the words into categories, remembering what a scientist is. I will not mention yesterday's answergarden at this point.
2. After they have made their categories, we will discuss as a class the similarities and differences between the words.
3. We will discuss how the categories might change if "ing" is added to several words. Would the categories stay the same? What might change?
4. I will guide them to make the categories: things, actions, describing. Then we will break them up further to self, things, actions, and describing. I will guide them to realize these are pronouns, nouns, verbs, and adjectives. We will then do another answergarden to assess what they have learned.