Name: Daniela Cupples

Ed TPA Lesson Plan Template

Course & topic addressed: Fish Forms

Date 7/10/16

Grade

Learning Objective/s associated with the content for this lesson

Specific learning objectives for this
1. Students will learn the characteristics of fish
lesson.
2. Students will create a three-dimensional sculpture of a fish.
3. Students will compare fish to other marine animals.
Describe the connection to previous
Students previously discussed characteristics of animals.
lessons. (Prior knowledge of students
Students previously described a bird.
this builds upon)
Students previously learned about shapes, triangles, circles, squares, ovals.
State-adopted Academic Content Standards/Benchmarks
List the state academic content
STANDARD SET 2. Life Sciences
standards/benchmarks with which this
lesson is aligned (the overall target of
student learning). Include state
abbreviation and number &text of the
benchmarks. If only a portion of a
benchmark is addressed, then list only
that portion.

2. Different types of plants and animals inhabit the earth. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know how to observe and describe similarities and differences in the appearance and
behavior of plants and animals (e.g., seed-bearing plants, birds, fish, insects).
b. Students know how to identify major structures of common plants and animals (e.g., stems,
leaves, roots, arms, wings, legs).
NGSS
Developing and Using Models Modeling in K2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to include
using and developing models (i.e., diagram, drawing, physical replica, diorama, dramatization,
storyboard) that represent concrete events or design solutions.

Use a model to represent relationships in the natural world. (K-ESS3-1

Common Core State Standards Connections: ELA/Literacy
RI.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. (K-ESS3-2)
W.K.2 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in
which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. (K-ESS3-3)

Rev. 5/1/16

Common Cote State Standards Mathematics

Analyze, compare, create, and compose shapes.
5. Model shapes in the world by building shapes from components (e.g., sticks and clay balls) and
drawing shapes.
Visual Arts
2.7 Create a three-dimensional form, such as a real or imaginary animal.
Academic Language Support
What planned instructional supports might you use to assist
students to understand key academic language to express
and develop their content learning?
What will you do to provide varying supports for students
at different levels of academic language development?

1. Students will be able to discuss the different parts of a fish by sharing and
presenting their fish sculptures with the class.
2. Students will be able to write a journal entry about their learning and apply
academic vocabulary learned in the session.
3. Students will be able to listen to and their journal entry about a fish.

Materials
Materials needed by the teacher for this
lesson.
Materials needed by the students for
this lesson.

Laptop connected to LCD projector

Whiteboard and markers
Modeling clay or salt dough
heavy card stock
markers
plastic straws
Toothpicks
Beads or googly eyes
popsicle sticks
Pictures of marine animals

Procedure with Lesson Timeline and Instructional Strategies & Learning Tasks (This should be VERY DETAILED)
Amount Teaching & Learning Activities Describe what YOU (teacher) will be doing and/or what STUDENTS will be doing during
of Time
this part of the lesson.
Orientation/Engagement/Motivation:
10
Engage: Today will go a virtual field trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Meet Captain Joe and Scuba Shara.
minutes
Fish for a Day Video- Aquarium of the Pacific https://youtu.be/ghXbWDm76vw
Anticipatory set establishes background knowledge, make connections with previously
Rev. 5/1/16

learned concepts:
Guiding questions:
What do you know about fish?
What characteristics do fish have?
How do fish move? Can you use your body to demonstrate how a fish moves?
15
minutes

Instruction Strategies:
(direct instruction, modeling,
demonstration, etc.)

1. Explore: students will work in small groups and look at and explore the virtual
tropic reef.
Webcam: Tropical Reef:
http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/exhibits/tropical_pacific_gallery/webcam_tropical_reef
Students explore the following questions:
How many kinds of fish do you see?
What do the fish look alike? What shapes are the fish?
How are the fish different?

20
minutes

Structured Practice/Exploration:
Guided Practice/Feedback:

2. Explain:

1. Direct instruction: Introduce Academic vocabulary

gills: the body part that a fish uses for breathing
scales: small thin plates that cover the body and protect the body of the fish.
backbone: the spine, the bony structure that runs from your skull to your pelvis.
fins: flat body parts used for movement, steering, and balance
vertebrates: animals that have a backbone (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and
mammals.
2. Whole group activity: students share their observations; the whole class creates
an anchor chart with the primary characteristics of fish. The class labels the fish
together.

Rev. 5/1/16

20
minutes

Structured Practice/Exploration:
Independent Practice/Application:

eyes
gills
scales
backbone
fins
mouth

3. Elaborate
Students create a three-dimensional fish sculpture and incorporate the parts they learned about.
Procedure:
1.
2.

The teacher hands out the supplies for each student:

1 ball of clay
2 google eyes or beads
5 card stock triangles and markers
1 straw piece
1 popsicle stick
Teacher: Now you will use the ball of clay to make the body of the fish.
Start with the ball of clay make the shape of the body of the fish.
3. The teacher provides guiding questions and models along:
- Think about the different fish you saw, what shapes would be good shapes for the body?
- Students: circles and ovals, Teacher: heart shaped, and square fish work too.
4. Teacher: What parts do all fish need?
a. Students: scales
Teacher: use a popsicle stick and press it into the clay over and over to make the
scales.
b. Teacher: What other parts does the fish need?
Students: Eyes.
Teacher: Put the eyes on the fish. Where do you think they should go?
c. Teacher: What other parts do we need?
d. Students: Fins
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Teacher: Use the markers to decorate the fins, make them any color or pattern
you like.
Teacher: Put the largest triangle where the tail fin should go.
Use the other triangles and put them where the other fins should go.
e. Teacher: Now use the toothpick to add the gills and the mouth.
f. Teacher: Use the Popsicle stick and put the fish on it to make it stand up.
g. Teacher: Use the second ball of clay to make the base.
20
minutes

Closure:

Accommodations and Modifications

How might I differentiate instruction for the range of
learners?

Extensions and enrichment:

Students write one sentence in their journal describing their fish. Students share their fish
sculpture with the class; they describe the fish and apply academic vocabulary.

Students with special needs:

1. Provide a visual presentation of the parts of the fish as additional support of the concept.
2. Introduce vocabulary in a small group setting.
3. For a student with fine motor, skills delays provide bigger shapes to facilitate the manipulation
of the fish parts.
English Learners:
1. Provide sentence frames
2. Use of explicit step by step modeling to explain the process of the sculpture creation.
Extension and Enrichment: Students use the computer to complete the Aquarium of the Pacific
Build a Fish activity: http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/teachers/buildafish/
What other marine animals to you know about?
How are they different from fish?
Students look at a selection of sea animal pictures and decide if they are fish or not based on the
criteria established by the class.

Additional Support:

Rev. 5/1/16

Additional support:
Assign a parent helper or big buddy to support students, who have difficulty creating their
sculptures.

Assessments: Informal and/or Formal used for this lesson.

Describe the tools/procedures that
Informal /
Formal
will be used in this lesson to monitor
students learning of the lesson
objective/s (include type of
assessment & what is assessed).
Informal /
Formal

Informal /

Formal

Evaluate:
Observation, as students participate in group discussions, I will
supervise and monitor the students, ask guiding questions and
support the students and reteach concepts as needed.
Through the use of an anecdotal structured observation log, I
will systematically gather data regarding the students
progression towards the standards covered in the lesson. Based
on the structured observation data I will use small groups to
reteach concepts students struggle with.
I will use the attached project rubric to assess, group
participation, sculpture design, and journal entries.

Research/Theories Applied
Identify theories or research that supports the I used multiple forms of representation to introduce the concept; the students engaged
approach you used.
multiple senses to increase their understanding of the concepts.
- Students used auditory approaches they listened to instruction about the concept.
- They used visual approaches; they watched the fish in the life webcam, they looked at
different pictures of the fish.
- The students used tactile approaches, by using clay or salt dough to sculpt a fish.
- Students used gestures to show the movement of the fish.

Include supporting material such as slides of problems, copy of textbook problems, handouts for any activities students will be using as part of
your lesson.

Rev. 5/1/16

Fish Forms Project Rubric

Student Name:
CATEGORY

________________________________________

Fish Model
Design

The model includes

all 6 required parts
and demonstrates a
clear understanding of
the concepts.

The model includes 5

required parts and
demonstrates a good
understanding of the
concepts.

The model includes 4

required parts and
demonstrates some
understanding of the
concepts.

The model includes 3 required

parts and demonstrates little
understanding of the concepts.

Journal

The journal entry is

well written and uses
appropriate
vocabulary, spelling,
and grammar.

The journal entry is

adequately written, uses
most of the lessons
vocabulary, some spelling
errors.

The story is
understandable, uses
some of the lessons
vocabulary, many
spelling errors.

The story is very difficult to

read and understand.

Group
Participation

Outstanding group
participation shared
supplies and work
very well within the
group.

Good group participation

Student somewhat
The student did not participate
did not collaborate with all participated in the group. in the group.
team members.
Refused to share supplies.

Presentation

The student did an

excellent job
presenting his
sculpture. Shared 3
items about the fish.

The student did a good job

sharing his sculpture with
the class. Shared 2 items
about the fish.

Date Created: Jun 28, 2016 05:47 pm (CDT)

Rev. 5/1/16

The student needs to

The student refused to share
work on oral presentation his sculpture with the class.
skills. Shared 1 item
about the fish.

Students Observation Log

Name of Student

Group Participation/Sharing

Understanding of key concepts

and vocabulary as observed in
group discussions.

Applied understanding of
concepts, building of sculpture.

References:
Aquarium of the Pacific. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/exhibits/tropical_pacific_gallery/webcam_tropical_reef
Rev. 5/1/16