| In the You Live Where, Polar Bear? unit, students investigate their local habitat and the habitat of polar bears. They also are introduced to other habitats and choose a habitat to research throughout the unit. In doing so, they investigate the temperature, precipitation, plants, and animals in their study habitat. They develop a research report (e.g., iMovie, podcast, poster, etc.) to share the information they learned about their habitat with their peers. They then research problems facing their local habitat and their selected study habitat. Students end the unit by developing a potential solution to a problem facing their study habitat and develop a persuasive letter to a stakeholder (e.g., local government, ranforest-alliance.org). |
| The lessons in the You Live Where, Polar Bear? Unit help students make sense of the diversity of plants and animals in different habitats; the presence of liquid or solid water in different habitats, and the problems and possible solutions facing different habitats. Lesson 1 introduces students to the puzzling phenomena, driving question, and students make observations about polar bears and their habitats. Lesson 2 has students observing their local habitat and comparing this with what they observed about the polar bears’ habitat. In Lesson 3, students are introduced to different habitats and choose one habitat to research with a partner throughout the unit. In lessons 4, 5, 6, and 7, they research the temperature, precipitation, plants, and animals in the model habitat (the Arctic) and their study habitats. In Lesson 8, students research problems in their study habitats and brainstorm solutions to those problems. In Lessons 9, 10, and 11, they end the unit by drafting informational texts and sharing them with a kindergarten class. | Polar bears live in the arctic habitat that is very cold with lots of frozen water (i.e., ice). They primarily eat seals which live in the same habitat. The habitat near where we live only has frozen water in the winter. The rest of the year, the water is liquid because it is not cold enough to keep it frozen. We also have animals like squirrels and raccoons, which are not part of a polar bear’s diet. Polar bears are able to live in the arctic habitat, because of the very cold temperature, types of water (i.e., liquid water and ice), precipitation (consistent snow), and other plants and animals (e.g., seals which polar bears eat). Other habitats, like the rainforest, provide the necessary temperature, precipitation, and types of water for other plants and animals to survive. *Note: Students are preparing to learn about biodiversity in later years. The purpose of this unit is to help them understand that there are many different types of animals and plants in different habitats. |
| MI: Common Core Essential Elements ELA (2015) Reading (Informational Text) RI.2.1. Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. RI.2.2. Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text. RI.2.3. Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text. RI.2.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area. RI.2.5. Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently. RI.2.6. Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RI.2.7. Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text. RI.2.8. Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text. RI.2.9. Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.2.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section. Production and Distribution of Writing. W.2.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations). Research to Build and Present Knowledge. W.2.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. Comprehension and Collaboration. SL.2.2. Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. SL.2.3. Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas. SL.2.4. Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences. SL.2.5. Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. SL.2.6. Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. Conventions of Standard English. L.2.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a-f. (See below)
a. Use collective nouns (e.g., group).
b. Form and use frequently occurring irregular plural nouns (e.g., feet, children, teeth, mice, fish).
c. Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves). pronouns to refer to self and others (e.g., we, they, him, her, them).
d. Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs (e.g., sat, hid, told).
e. Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified.
f. Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple and compound sentences (e.g., The boy watched the movie; The little boy watched the movie; The action movie was watched by the little boy). Vocabulary Acquisition and Use. L.2.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiplemeaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies
a. Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
b. Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known prefix is added to a known word (e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell).
c. Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition, additional).
d. Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words (e.g., birdhouse, lighthouse, housefly; bookshelf, notebook, bookmark).
e. Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases. L.2.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
a. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy).
b. Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny). L.2.6. Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy). Earth’s Systems: Processes that Shape the Earth Earth’s Systems: Processes that Shape the Earth  2-ESS2-3 MI Obtain information to identify where fresh water is found on Earth, including the Great Lakes and Great Lakes Basin.Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems 2-LS4-1 Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. Copyright © 2001-2015 State of Michigan | By the end of this unit, students will be able to: ● Describe the diversity of life among plants and animals found in different habitats. ● Identify where solid and liquid forms of water are found in different places on Earth.
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