Let'sGetWarm!

7/30/2019 Let'sGetWarm!

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Let's Get Warm!

Grades: K-4

Curriculum Connections: Science

Standards Connection: National Science Education Standards/National Academy

of Sciences:

Content Standard A, Scientific Inquiry: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry,including the ability to use technology and mathematics to improveinvestigations and communications and the ability to communicate anddefend a scientific argument.

Content Standard C, Life Science: As a result of activities in grades K-4, allstudents should develop an understanding of the characteristics oforganisms, life cycles of organisms, and organisms and environments.

Required Software: Microsoft Word 98/2000, Microsoft PowerPoint 98/2000,

Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.5 or later, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 98/2000

What's in this Lesson:

Teacher Guide (including How to Begin)

Student Activity, Step by Step:

Step A: Pick a Warmer-UpperStep B: Understand the ScienceStep C: The Human Touch

Step D: Red-Hot Presentations!

Teacher Guide

Summary:

Students investigate various methods that animals use to warm up in cold weather --

everything from growing new fur to burrowing in mud -- and explore the science

principles involved. They then identify a human parallel, discuss what we can learn

from nature about staying warm in winter, and create multimedia presentations

explaining their findings.

Objectives:

To identify the many ways in which animals stay warm in winter

To understand scientifically how warming processes work

To draw parallels between the animal and human worlds
http://books.nap.edu/html/nses/html/6c.html#csck4http://books.nap.edu/html/nses/html/6c.html#csck4http://books.nap.edu/html/nses/html/6c.html#csck4http://books.nap.edu/html/nses/html/6c.html#csck4http://books.nap.edu/html/nses/html/6c.html#csck4


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Prerequisite Skills:

Familiarity with Microsoft Word

Introduction to Microsoft PowerPoint

Ability to conduct research using Microsoft Internet Explorerand the Internet,as well as Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia

Time Allotted:

Two to four class periods

How to Begin:

1. Familiarize yourself with the Web sites and other materials listed underResources. You might want to augment these resources with library materialsabout animals in winter and basic science principles.

2. This project will involve your students working both individually (in Step A)and in small groups (Steps B-D). Students will team up according to thecategory of inquiry they are pursuing. Be prepared to redirect students in StepA or split the teams that form in Step B to create manageable working groupsfor the rest of the lesson.

3. Download the Warmer-Uppers Worksheet listed under Resources, and

photocopy it for each child. Hold the worksheets for distribution later.4. Also photocopy the Student Activity for each child and hold the copies for

later distribution.

5. Kick off the lesson by bringing your whole class together for a brainstormingsession. Ask students to name all the different ways they know of thatanimals stay warm in the winter. Encourage them to name specific animals(for example, grizzly bears hibernate, my dog grows thicker fur, and so on).Record all their suggestions on the board.

6. Hand out the Warmer-Uppers Worksheet. Explain that this sheet lists fourmain ways in which animals get warm during the winter:

Bundle Up: Some animals grow more fur during the winter. Others

cover themselves in snow or mud. Snuggle Up: Some animals huddle together for warmth.

Gimme Shelter: Some animals hide from the cold in trees, underrocks, or underground.

Increase the Heat: Some animals seek out warmth by migratingsouth or locating themselves near heat sources such as warm springs.Others rub their limbs together for friction.

Note that hibernation and dormancy do not appear as Warmer-Uppers. Thisadaptive strategy involves very different scientific principles -- a slowing downof body systems to adapt to cold rather than an effort to increase or maintain

body heat. Hibernation and dormancy could be the subject of another lessonaltogether.


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7. Have students use the list you created in Step 5 above to add animal andhuman examples under the appropriate heading on the Warmer-UppersWorksheet. Check students' work to make sure they understand the concept.Tell students that they will be using this worksheet as they proceed with thelesson.

8. Hand out the Student Activity sheet, review the steps, and have studentsbegin working individually on Step A.

9. While students are working on Step A, clear a bulletin board or wall space forthem to display their Step A work. This will help students form their groups(based on Warmer-Upper categories) for Step B and beyond.

Resources

General:

Science/Nature for Kids: Animals

The About.com Web directory.

Animals in Winter:

How Do Animals Spend the Winter?

Although this is just an introduction to a larger series, the information is good.

Animals in Winter

From the Connecticut Audubon Society.

Animals in Winter Scavenger Hunt

Reproducible activity.
http://home.about.com/http://home.about.com/http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/animals.htmlhttp://www.sciencemadesimple.com/animals.htmlhttp://www.ctaudubon.org/Nature/animals.htmhttp://www.ctaudubon.org/Nature/animals.htmhttp://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/profbooks/sc980101a.htmhttp://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/profbooks/sc980101a.htmhttp://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/profbooks/sc980101a.htmhttp://www.ctaudubon.org/Nature/animals.htmhttp://www.sciencemadesimple.com/animals.htmlhttp://home.about.com/


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"Body Temperature" Article in Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia.

How Things Work: Clothing and Insulation

The science behind staying warm.

How Do Penguins Stay Warm in Extremely Cold Weather?

A lesson plan for K-3.

Microsoft Word Worksheet for Downloading
http://rabi.phys.virginia.edu/HTW/clothing_and_insulation.htmlhttp://rabi.phys.virginia.edu/HTW/clothing_and_insulation.htmlhttp://askeric.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Science/Animalshttp://askeric.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Science/Animalshttp://askeric.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Science/Animalshttp://rabi.phys.virginia.edu/HTW/clothing_and_insulation.html


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Student Activity

Description:

Animals have lots of ways to stay warm during winter, as you have seen! Now you

are going to learn more about how one particular critter does it -- including the

science behind it all -- and think about similar methods humans use to brave the

coldest weather. In the end, you'll present your findings to your entire class.

Step A

Pick a Warmer-Upper

Software: Microsoft Word 98/2000, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.5 or later, Microsoft

Encarta Encyclopedia 98/2000, Microsoft PowerPoint 98/2000

What to do: Begin by focusing on one method of staying warm in winter and one

animal that uses it.

1. Look over your filled-in Warmer-Uppers Worksheet. Of all the animals listed,which one would you most like to study?

On your worksheet, circle the animal you choose.

If you're not that interested in any of the animals listed on the sheet,think of another animal that adapts to cold weather. List that animalunder the worksheet heading that best fits, and check with your

teacher before proceeding.2. Use Encarta Encyclopedia and Internet Explorer to find out more about your

animal and how it warms up in winter. Open a new Word document to collectyour research notes, graphics, and links. Here are some specific things tolook for:

What is your animal called by scientists?

Where does it live?

At what time of year does it begin its winter adaptation? (For example,after the first frost, or at the beginning of fall.)

Step by step, how does the animal adapt?

What happens when winter is over?

How do changes in the environment (for example, warmer winters)affect this animal?

Try to find at least one picture of your animal in its Warmer-Uppermode.


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Keep a list of the Web links and other research resources you use.

3. Turn your notes into several simple PowerPoint slides:

Start PowerPoint, and choose Blank Presentation.

In the New Slide dialog box, choose Title Only.

Type in your Warmer-Upper category name (such as Bundle Up orIncrease the Heat) and your animal's name as the title. You may need

to reduce the font size or increase the title area size to fit.

Go back to your Word document, and click one of your pictures toselect it. On the Edit menu, click Copy.

To place the picture, return to PowerPoint, click on your slide, andselect Paste from the Edit menu. Use the Picture toolbar to adjust thepicture's size and shape. Be sure to credit your source if the picturedoesn't already include a credit.

On the Insert menu, click Text Box, and create a space on your slideto record each of your facts. Be sure to cite your sources.

If your slide gets too crowded, create a new slide by selecting NewSlide from the Insert menu and repeating Steps 3a through 3e.


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Save your work under your name plus your animal's name (forexample, JennySnowshoeHare). Print it, and show your teacher whatyou've done so far.

Post your printouts on the bulletin board area your teacher has setaside for this project. Read through your classmates' work, and pay

particular attention to the other animals in your Warmer-Uppercategory. You will be seeing them again soon!

Step B

Understand the Science

Software: Microsoft PowerPoint 98/2000, Microsoft Word 98/2000, Microsoft Internet

Explorer 4.5 or later, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 98/2000

What to do: Now you'll join forces with some of your classmates for further

exploration:

1. Form a team with your classmates who focused on the same Warmer-Uppercategory that you focused on. If your team is too big, your teacher may split itinto two or more teams.

2. Gather around a computer and show one another the simple PowerPointpresentations you created in Step A. Note the similarities and differencesamong the animals you explored.

3. Next, open a new Word document, and together make a list of the questionsyour team has about the science of your animals' adaptation. For example:

How exactly does fur keep an animal warm?

Why is a small, enclosed space warmer than a big, open one?

How does body contact affect body temperature?

4. Divide up the work of doing research to answer these questions. You can dothis in one of several ways. For example, you could assign a team member toexplore each of the resources your teacher has assembled for you and try toanswer all of your research questions. Or you could have each team membertackle a different question and come back with the answer from severalsources.

5. However you decide to structure the research work, your goal will be togather enough information so that your group can understand and explain thescience behind your animals' winter adaptations. Here's how:

Have each team member present his or her findings to the wholegroup. Ask questions and take notes.

Discuss common points among the different presentations.

Use the information gathered from your discussions to describe thebasic scientific process or principle that explains how your Warmer-Upper really works. The following slide shows an example.


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6. Launch PowerPoint, and create one or more simple slides explaining thescientific concept. Illustrate your slides using clip art (on the Insert menu,click Picture and then Clip Art), the drawing tools (on the View menu, clickToolbarand then Drawing), and/or the animal pictures your team membersgathered in Step A.

7. Show your slides to your teacher, who can help you check the science behindyour thinking.

8. Finalize your slides based on your teacher's feedback, and save your work.

Step C

The Human TouchSoftware: Microsoft PowerPoint 98/2000, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.5 or later,

Microsoft Publisher 98/2000

What to do: Now that you understand the science of staying warm for animals, it's

time to look at how it works for people:

1. With your team, brainstorm several ways in which human beings use theWarmer-Upper method you studied to keep themselves toasty in winter. Besure to look for all of the following:

Natural functions of the human body (such as storing fat for insulation

or growing a beard for warmth) Human-made parallels to animal adaptations, such as thick sweaters

and home insulation

Human behaviors that remind you of animal adaptations (such asgoing to Florida for winter vacations!)

2. Create several simple slides that show these human Warmer-Uppers.

3. There's another side to the human touch: the negative impact that humanscan have on animals' natural habitats and processes:

As a team, talk about the possible ways in which things like globalwarming, pollution, and urban sprawl might affect your animals'Warmer-Uppers.

When you have identified one or more possible effects, use yourresearch resources to find out more.


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Create several new slides to communicate what you discover, andwhat steps humans should take to solve the problems they may havecreated.

Step D

Red-Hot Presentations!

Software:Microsoft PowerPoint 98/2000

What To Do: Now it's time to bring all of your research together into one great show!

1. As a team, assemble your printed slides -- including those you createdindividually in Step A -- and lay them out on a table or the floor.

2. Decide together the best order for presenting all of your information. Asuggested outline might be:

Title slide, presenting the name of the Warmer-Upper category andlisting the team members' names

Agenda slide, indicating the topics that follow

The science slides, explaining how your Warmer-Upper works

Your individual animal slides, arranged in alphabetical order

Your human parallel slides

Your human impact slides

3. Look for places where the information is repeated; you may be able to edit outpieces of information or even whole slides. Also look for information gaps thatneed to be filled.

4. On the computer, start PowerPoint, and open a new presentation. You mightchoose one of the Design Templates (such as Nature or Sunny Days), orcreate your own by selecting Slide Masterfrom the View menu. Here you

can define the fonts and font colors you want to appear in the presentation.You can also add a graphic element that will appear on each slide bychoosing Picture from the Insert menu.

5. Create your title slide and agenda slide.

6. Open the science presentation that you created in Step B. On the View

menu, click Slide Sorter. Then on the Edit menu, click Select All and thenCopy.


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7. Return to your new presentation. On the View menu, click Slide Sorter, andplace the insertion point after the agenda slide. Then, on the Edit menu, clickPaste. Your slides should integrate into the template design.

8. Repeat with your other slides. Save your work.

9. Add transition effects, sound, and animation if you choose. For example, you

might want to create a fade transition between two pictures of a snowshoehare, showing how it looks before and after its winter transformation.

10. Go through your presentation and proofread, correct, fine-tune, and saveagain.

11. With your teammates, decide who will cover which slides when you present tothe class. Practice giving your presentation as a slide show.

12. Now present your slides, and show your classmates how much you know!

Let'sGetWarm!

Documents

Transcript of Let'sGetWarm!