1. Jacky Maliborski Alverno College
Freshwater Organisms
Jacky Maliborski
Alverno College

2. Freshwater Organisms- an inquiry based learning segment
Learning Segment: Underwater Mysteries
4th Grade

3. Reason for Lesson (hypothetical)
Journaling by pond
Questions
What is in there that we cant see?
What is a crayfish?
What does a turtle eat?

4. I have a Question (engagement)
4 blown up photos
Post-its
Questions influence lesson that follows
Process Skill: Questioning
Academic Science Performance Standard
A.4.1 When conducting science investigations, ask and answer questions that will help decide the general areas of science being addressed (students will develop questions they have about each of the organisms that will be further be used in future lessons)

5. Water Strider, Zooplankton, Crayfish and Giant Pond Snail

6. Questions Expected Why does the crayfish have whiskers?
What is on the snails head?
Is the water strider a spider?
Does the water strider sleep in the water?
How big is zooplankton?
Why is the zooplankton have hairy things on it?
Can the crayfish pinch you?
Why does the snail have a hard shell on its back?
What does zooplankton eat?
How does the snail go to the bathroom?

7. Next Step
My next step would be to group the questions together in similarity and this would be the basis for grouping in the classroom.
Students would develop an experience that would help them answer their question.

8. Academic Science Performance Standards: Life and Environmental Standards
F.4.1 Discover* how each organism meets its basic needs for water, nutrients, protection, and energy* in order to survive (students will engage in a project requiring them to choose a freshwater organism to investigate how it meets these basic needs in order to survive)
F.4.2 Investigate* how organisms, especially plants, respond to both internal cues (the need for water) and external cues (changes in the environment) (as part of a habitat diarama research project of a specific organism, students will include the organisms internal and external responses to its environment)
F.4.3 Illustrate* the different ways that organisms grow through life stages and survive to produce new members of their type (students will learn about the life stages of a crayfish and display this knowledge through their own representation of the its life cycle)
F.4.4 Using the science themes*, develop explanations* for the connections among living and non-living things in various environments (Students will connect freshwater organisms with their engagement with both living and non-living features in its surrounding environment)

9. Habitat Diorama Project
Research Organism of Interest
Visual Diorama of Habitat
Be able to answer how habitat responds to environment
Inquiry: Students will be using the different process skills to plan out questions they have about the organisms habitat and design an investigation of how they are going to answer it. They will be miniature scientists.
Students will be demonstrating their deeper understanding of their organisms habitat

10. Process Standards
A.4.1 When conducting science investigations, ask and answer questions that will help decide the general areas of science being addressed. (Students will inquire about freshwater organisms and ask questions to decide what general ideas about freshwater organisms will be addressed in this learning segment)
B.4.1 Use encyclopedias, source books, texts, computers, teachers, parents, other adults, journals, popular press, and various other sources, to help answer science-related questions and plan investigations (Students will use various materials to engage in a research investigation of their chose freshwater organism and use these materials to help them answer their questions)
C.4.1 Use the vocabulary of the unifying themes to ask questions about objects, organisms, and events being studied (Students will inquire about different organisms to answer their questions)

11. Resources
Bass, J.E., Contant, T.L., Carin, A.A. (2009). Methods for Teaching Science as Inquiry. Pearson: Boston, MA Evers, Tony (2012, May 4). Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Retrieved from Watson, B. & Kopnicek, R. (1990) Teaching for Conceptual Change: Confronting Children’s Experience Retrieved from: