Miranda Sirimis

Third Grade

Lawrenceville Elementary School

Ms. Gallagher
TCNJ Lesson Plan
Unit Lesson 2
Owl Pellet Dissection & Observations

Guiding and/or Essential Questions

Why is it important for us to learn about different animals and their habits?
How do scientists learn through the processes of experimentation, analysis, and observation?
How does learning about other organisms help us understand our own bodies better and give us a
greater appreciation of what our bodies are capable of?
Pre-lesson Assignments and/or Students Prior Knowledge
Prior to the start of this lesson, students will have completed introductory activities and have
basic knowledge about the human skeletal system. The students should be familiar with the
major and most important bones that make up the human skeletal system. The class before,
students will have participated in centers that involving putting together the pieces of a skeleton,
labeling important bones in the body, and making observations of rodent and chicken bones.
Students should be able to apply their experiences of working with rodent and chicken and
connect what they observed about the fake plastic bones to the real animal bones that they be
dissecting and gathering from the owl pellets. Students should have experience in conducting
observations from previous years and throughout the course of their science educational
instruction.
NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS)
5.1.P.B.1 Observe, question, predict, and investigate materials, objects, and phenomena (e.g.,
using simple tools to crack a nut and look inside) during indoor and outdoor classroom activities
and during any longer-term investigations.
5.1.P.B.3 Identify and use basic tools and technology to extend exploration in conjunction with
science investigations.
5.1.4.B.1 Design and follow simple plans using systematic observations to explore questions and
predictions.
5.1.4.B.3 Formulate explanations from evidence.
Learning Objectives and Assessments
Objectives

Assessments

Students will observe and examine the size,

shape, color, and texture of owl pellets.

Teacher will assess the written observations

made by students for completion,
thoroughness, detail, and accuracy. Teacher
will assess student drawings and diagrams for
inclusion of appropriate/defining qualities.

Students will identify and label the bones

Teacher will assess student worksheet and

found within the owl pellet. Students will

apply knowledge of the skeletal system and
anatomy to determine what animal was
consumed by the owl.

labeling of diagram for completion and

accurate identification of bones. Teacher will
assess student response for accurate
determination and explanation of the animals
skeleton found within the owl pellet.

Materials/Resources
Owl pellets [FOSS Kit]
Paper plates
Napkins/paper towels
Tweezers & toothpicks/dissection tools
Ziploc baggies
Pencils, crayons, colored pencils
Observation worksheet [FOSS Kit Manual]
[Video-Owl Pellets Song] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FENowCc-A8M
Projector
White board & dry erase markers
Plan for setup/distribution of materials
Students will not be given any materials prior to the start of the lesson nor during the
introduction to ensure they are not distracted by what is in front of them. I will project the
video/song on the front screen for all students to see. Students will already have the owl pellets
observation worksheet as part of their human body packets that Mrs. Gallagher has provided to
the class. Students will be instructed to open their packet to this page after having listened to the
song. When it comes time to begin dissection, I will start by first passing out the paper plates,
one to each pair of students. Along with the paper plates, students will be given a Ziploc baggie
with the tools that they will be using for dissection. Each student will get their own sets of tools.
The last material that will be distributed to the students is the owl pellets. Each partnership will
get one owl pellet wrapped in foil. I will walk around and place the owl pellet on each groups
paper plate. They will be instructed not to touch or open the foil until they are told to do so.

Lesson Steps
1. Lesson Beginning: The lesson will start with the students seated at their desks. I will start with a
brief introduction by explaining to the class the word dissect. I will write the word on the
board and ask students to contribute what they think this word means. After students have
contributed responses and predicted the definition of the word, I will provide them with a correct
kid-friendly definition that I will write for them on the whiteboard. to cut into separate parts in
order to study it, to study or examine closely and carefully I will then explain to them that we
are going to be doing our own dissection today of something called an owl pellet. I will
continue by explaining that before we begin our dissection, we need to find out exactly what it is
we will be dissecting. I will then play them the video that explains what owl pellets are,
accompanied by a catchy and fun tune. Students will listen to the song as they follow along with
the words on the screen. Some students may choose to sing along if they would like.
2. After the students have listened to the song, we will review the information that it discusses
within it. I will then explain that since our unit is focusing on different systems like the muscular
and skeletal systems, we will be using to the owl pellets to learn about the skeletal systems and
bones that make up the skeletons of different animals. I will explain the instructions for the

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dissection and that students will be working together in pairs to dissect one owl pellet. Although
they will be dissecting one owl pellet together as a pair, they will each be filling out their own
observation sheet and answering the questions individually. I will emphasize the importance of
working together cooperatively and taking turns with your partner so each person has the
opportunity participate in the dissection.
After having explained the instructions for the dissection and the guidelines for completing the
activity, I will pass out the owl pellets to the class, one to each partnership. Prior to starting the
dissection, students will be required to make some general observations about the owl pellet. One
person from each pair will carefully unwrap the pellet from the foil. After having unwrapped the
pellet, students will observe and write down what they notice on their observation sheets.
Students will also draw what the owl pellet looks like.
After students have completed their preliminary observations, they will begin their initial
dissections, exploring the owl pellet, taking it apart, removing the bones, etc. While the students
are doing this, I will walk around the classroom and help as needed. When the students have
completed their initial dissections and have deconstructed the owl pellet, I will instruct them to
answer part 2 on their worksheet that asks them to describe what the owl pellet is made of and
what was inside.
Once students have completed their observations of the owl pellet itself, they will look more
closely and examine the bones they found within it. Part 3 of the worksheet asks students to
identify a bone that it similar to a human bone and draw it. It also asks that students identify one
that is different. Students may use the human skeleton posters hanging in the classroom to help
them complete this part of the worksheet. After having identified specific bones that are similar
and different, students will examine and analyze the bones gathered as a whole in order to
determine what animal was consumed, answering the questions at the bottom of the worksheet. I
will also remind students that they can think about the observations they made yesterday of the
chicken and rodent bones to help them draw a conclusion.
While students are answering these two questions, I will walk around and ask what animal they
think these bones belong to. After I have talked to each group individually and they are able to
correctly tell me that these bones belong to a rodent, I will give them permission to flip to the
next page in their packet and use the diagram provided to identify each specific bone. As they
find and identify the bones from their owl pellet, matching them to the diagram on the
worksheet, they will draw in a picture of the bone in each box provided. After they have
completed the diagram, students may be instructed to return to the first part of the worksheet that
they completed and use what they did on the second page to help them answer any questions that
they were unable to previously.
When students have completed the dissection and filled in the necessary information on their
worksheets, they will clean up their areas and dispose of the owl pellets in a trash bin, along with
paper plates and other disposable used materials. I will collect the rest tweezers and other
dissection tools from each of the students
Closure: After the class has finished cleaning up their materials and is seated on the rug, we will
go over and reflect on the dissection process, what they learned, whether they enjoyed
completing this activity, etc. We will also go over the last part of the worksheet, and students will
contribute responses as to what bones they identified as similar and different to human bones, as
well as what animal they concluded was consumed by the owl and why they think so. I will ask
students to rip out the page from their packets and collect them from the class.
Key Questions

What do you think the word dissect(ion) means? What does it mean to dissect something?
What is an owl pellet? How are they formed?
What does the owl pellet look like? How does it feel?
What did you find inside the owl pellet?
What bone did you find that is similar to human bone? Different?
What animal do these bones belong to? How do you know?
Did you enjoy doing dissection? What did you like about it? What did you not like about it?
What did you learn from dissecting the owl pellet?
Logistics
Timing (Approximately 38 minutes total)
Introduction & defining dissection- 3 minutes
Owl pellet song & explanation- 5 minutes
Instructions & procedure- 5 minutes
Observations, dissection, worksheet- 20 minutes
Closure & reflection- 5 minutes
Transitions
Students will remain seated at their desks for the majority of the lesson and the entirety of the
owl pellet dissection. After having explained the instructions for dissecting, students will be
given the opportunity to choose their own partners that they would like to work with. At this
point, after all the instructions have been thoroughly explained, students will find a partner. Once
students have found their partner that they will be working with, they will sit next to each other
at their desks. Students should be sitting side-by-side so they can both be comfortable and easily
work with each other. Some students may need to move desks, arranging them in such a fashion
so they are able to do so. After students have completed dissection, they will throw out materials,
put their desks back the way they were, and sit on the rug with their packets opened to the page
of the completed worksheet.
Classroom Management
When students are choosing partners to work with, I will remind that they should be choosing
someone that they know they can work well with. It doesnt necessarily have to be a friend if
they think that they will get distracted working with each other.
When partaking in whole class discussion, I will only call on students to respond who are raising
their hands and sitting quietly, demonstrating whole body listening to respond.
I will limit the amount of time allowed for student contribution and how many students will be
allowed to contribute so as not to spend too much time on one particular part of the lesson.
I will remind students that they should not be playing recklessly with the owl pellets or any of
the other materials. They should not be making a mess and should be dissecting the owl pellets
neatly and carefully for learning purposes, not play purposes.
Before moving on to the next step in the dissection process, I will ensure that the whole class has
finished the previous step.
Should the students get out of hand at any point during the lesson, I will raise my hand and make
the two-finger symbol, reminding them that they should be paying attention and focusing on the
task at hand. I will remind the students that I am looking for good behavior and they will have
opportunities to earn table points or shining star tickets to those that are behaving exceptionally

well. If any student is acting out and behaving particularly inappropriately, they will be
addressed individually and given a warning. If the student continues to behave this way, they will
not be allowed to complete the rest of the dissection.
When students are seated at the front rug during the closure and ending of the lesson, I will
remind them that they should be seated on their own leaf to ensure there is enough space
between each of them.
Differentiation
This lesson allows for differentiation in a variety of ways, in which instruction can be targeted
and directed to best meet the needs of individual students in the class. The lesson engages
learners and captures the attention of those who are particularly strong musically, with the
incorporation of the song. As the same time that this video provides audio support, it is enhanced
with the incorporation of words and lyrics that students can follow along to aid in
comprehension. Allowing students to work in partners to complete the dissection provides a
multitude of academic benefits. Students are collaborating with one another to dissect the owl
pellet, but at the same time are responsible for completing their own observation sheet. This
particular observation worksheet allows students to showcase their learning in variety of ways,
including writing, with written response, as well as artistically/visually, with drawing pictures of
the various bones. I am cognizant of the fact that in the class some students will be more willing
to participate in the dissection. Some students may be hesitant to even touch the owl pellet, while
other will likely be significantly more involved. Being aware of this, allows me to modify
partnerships as I see fit. As of now, I am unaware of how different students will react, therefore,
adjustments can be made during the lesson. Students who are more reserved should be paired
with a student that is more reserved, so as both children can reap the academic and scientific
value or participating in this activity. Furthermore, this activity is very tactile, requiring students
who enjoy construction and using their hands an opportunity to excel and foster their interests.
Students who did not wish to participate in the actual dissection and tactile aspect of the lesson,
will still be engaged and actively participating as they observe their partner and record notes on
their observation sheets. I will wear the microphone around my neck so Charlie can hear me
clearly throughout the duration of the lesson.