Animal Groups 5E Unit Plan for Third Grade
$9.90
This Animal Groups 5E Unit Plan is an inquiry-based unit that focuses on investigating animal groups and the cause-and-effect relationships of predator and prey. Students explain why animals form groups for survival and investigate the social interaction and group behavior of animals.
This Animal Groups 5E Unit Plan is an inquiry-based unit that focuses on investigating animal groups and the cause and effect relationships of predator and prey. Students explain why animals form groups for survival and investigate the social interaction and group behavior of animals. By the end of the unit, students understand that being part of a group helps animals obtain food, defend themselves, and cope with changes. Groups may serve different functions and vary dramatically in size. The unit includes three parts for each of the 5E’s (Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend, and Evaluate) and more.
FREE UPGRADE WITH GOOGLE DIGITAL RESOURCES:
- Google Slides Teacher Presentation that supports the student resources
- Google Slides Student Resources for a paperless option
- Google Form Exit Cards
Included in this Animal Groups Science Resource
- Teacher Notes that provide an overview of the resource and explanation of the NGSS standard for Animal Groups 3-LS2-1
- Common Misconceptions about Animal Groups
- Teaching Timeline available with four different options, including a correlation with the Third Grade Science Stations
- Vocabulary Cards to reinforce key terms for animal groups throughout the unit. These are the same vocabulary cards available in the Third Grade Science Stations
- Big Idea Posters that illustrate the main concepts students will learn
- Exit Tickets in three formats: short answer, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple choice
- Google Slides Teacher Presentation that supports the student resources
- Google Slides Student Resources for a paperless option
- Google Form Exit Cards
What is the 5E Instructional Model?
The 5E Model is student-led, with the teacher acting mainly as the facilitator. Through open-ended questions, real-life experiences, guided investigations, and research, the students gain a deep understanding of the scientific topics that are covered in the lessons. Each stage of the model serves as a foundation to the next, creating a coherent model that frames lessons, activities, and units.
Find out more about the 5E Unit Plans in this blog post.
Objectives and Timeline for Each Section of the 5E Animal Groups Unit
Engage
Objectives:
- Students will access prior knowledge about living things and their group behavior.
- Student interest in animal groups will be elicited.
- The teacher will be able to identify student misconceptions about animal groups.
Parts and Duration:
- Part 1 (What Is This?): 5 minutes
- Part 2 (My Experiences): 10 minutes
- Part 3 (Introducing): 15 minutes
Explore
Objectives:
- Students will work together to investigate the reasons some animals live in groups. → They will do this by observing different types of animals in their grouping behavior.
- Students will gather general information about animal groups.
Parts and Duration:
- Part 1 (Check It Out): 15 minutes
- Part 2 (Watch and Read This): 15 minutes
- Part 3 (You Try It): 15 minutes
Explain
Objectives:
- Students will work collaboratively to observe and discover more aspects of animal groups.
- Students will listen to the teacher’s explanation about animal groups.
- Students will use the new information to revise their explanations about animal groups.
- Students will investigate the predator and prey relationship to develop their understanding of animal groups.
Parts and Duration:
- Part 1 (What Does It Mean?): 10 minutes
- Part 2 (What Are Life Cycles?): 20 minutes
- Part 3 (Putting It All Together): 20 minutes
Extend
Objectives:
- Students will apply what they have learned about animal groups to a new situation.
- Students will deepen their understanding of animal groups, gaining a more generalized knowledge of these specific scientific concepts.
- The teacher will resolve all persisting student misconceptions about animal groups.
Parts and Duration:
- Part 1 (Where Are the Animal Groups?): 30 minutes
- Part 2 (Show What You Know): 15 minutes
- Part 3 (Have Fun With It): 20 minutes
Evaluate
Objectives:
- Students will evaluate their own understanding of why animals live in groups.
- Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the concepts and vocabulary.
- The teacher will encourage students to ask questions that could lead to future investigations.
Parts and Duration:
- Part 1 (What I Know): 15 minutes
- Part 2 (Showing Animal Groups): 15 minutes
- Part 3 (Going Forward): 15 minutes
Kelsey Bender –
Great resource! My students enjoyed working though this.
Maria F. –
Great resource to understand and learn about Animal behavior.
Kathy H. –
My students enjoyed using this resource. I will be using this resMy students enjoyed using this resource. I will be using this resource each year. urce each year.
Melissa B. –
This is the best resource I've found that has everything included to implement a science unit. The lesson plans are clear, the reading passages are informative and well done, and the experiments are fun. I loved it so much, I then purchased the year long bundle.
Lynn S. –
A little complex for the students. However, I enjoyed the discussions that popped up in class.