Understanding By Design Unit Template

Title of Unit Classification of Animals Grade Level Grade 4

Curriculum Area Science Time Frame 3 days
Developed By Lacorte, Kathlene Joyce C.
Identify Desired Results (Stage 1)
Content Standards

At the end of the discussion, the learners will be able to:

 Identify and classify the vertebrate and invertebrate animals.

 Summarize the basic functions of the structures of animals that allow them to defend themselves, to move, and to obtain resources.
 Compare the response that a warm-blooded (endothermic) animal makes to a fluctuation in environmental temperature with the
response that a cold-blooded (ectothermic) animal makes to such a fluctuation.

Understandings Essential Questions

Overarching Understanding Overarching Topical
Student will understand that …  Why are animals  What are the animals
 Vertebrates are animals with backbones and internal skeletons, important to our world? that are considered to as
and invertebrates are animals without backbones or internal  What are things that you cool-blooded animals?
skeletons. can do to keep animals  What are the animals
 Fish: aquatic animals, breathe through gills, cold-blooded, most in our world?” that are considered to be
have scales, most develop from eggs that the female lays  “What are other ways warmed-blooded
outside her body that animals protect animals?
 Amphibians: live part of their lives in water and part on land, themselves?”
have gills when young, later develop lungs, cold-blooded,
usually have moist skin
 Reptiles: hatch from eggs, cold-blooded, dry, thick, scaly skin
 Birds: warm-blooded, most can fly, feathers and wings, most
build nests, hatch from eggs, most baby birds must be fed by
parents and cared for until they can survive on their own
 Mammals: warm-blooded, hair on their bodies, parents care for
their young, females produce milk for babies, breathe through
lungs, most are terrestrial (live on land) though some are
aquatic

Related Misconceptions

Knowledge Skills
Students will know… Students will be able to…

 There are about million different kinds of animals and each
year, hundreds of animals are discovered and studied.
 Scientists classify animals according to their similarities.
 Aristotle is the one who classify living things such as plants and
animals.
 Carolus Linnaeus improved the Aristotle’s system of
classification.
 Sponges come from the remains of marine animals.
 Students will be able to classify animals as vertebrates or
invertebrates
 Students will be able to identify basic animal structures.
 Students will be able to describe the basic functions of
animals in the environment.
 Students will be able to describe why animals are very
important to our world.
 Students will be able to describe how animals help human
being?
  Students will be able to describe how animals protect
themselves.
 Students will be able to create a Venn diagram with the
similarities and differences of vertebrate and invertebrate
animals.

Assessment Evidence (Stage 2)

Performance Task Description
 The student will able to identify and classify the vertebrate and invertebrate animals.
 Summarize the basic functions of the structures of animals that allow them to defend themselves, to move,
Goal and to obtain resources.
 Compare the response that a warm-blooded (endothermic) animal makes to a fluctuation in environmental
temperature with the response that a cold-blooded (ectothermic) animal makes to such a fluctuation.

The student will choose 5 animals from the worksheet. They must write the animal’s name, whether it is vertebrate
or invertebrate and the two important traits of it.
Role

Audience The grade four students will do the given tasks.

Situation The student will work by their group mates; also there are activities that they need to work individually.
Product/Performance The student will work by playing a game, entitled “Animal Survival”
Standards The students will assessed by how many correct answer based on the questions that are given.
Other Evidence

Learning Plan (Stage 3)

Where are your students headed? Where have
they been? How will you make sure the
students know where they are going?
How will you hook students at the beginning of The students will be reading a story that they can use it in the activity during the class
the unit?
What events will help students experience and
explore the big idea and questions in the unit?
How will you equip them with needed skills and
knowledge?
How will you cause students to reflect and Students will continually reflect in their science journal as well as in class discussions. Provide
rethink? How will you guide them in rehearsing,
revising, and refining their work?
How will you help students to exhibit and self-
evaluate their growing skills, knowledge, and
understanding throughout the unit?
How will you tailor and otherwise personalize
the learning plan to optimize the engagement
and effectiveness of ALL students, without
compromising the goals of the unit?
daily journal prompts that correspond with the lesson.
Students will be required to self-assess and peer assess their performance task. Teacher, peer,
and self-assessment will guide students as they self-evaluate using checklist and discussions.
- The unit plan is structured to include a variety or oral, written, and
kinesthetic tasks to meet the needs of all learning types.
- Instruction will vary depending on student’s needs. Examples of this
include independent learning, collaborative, small groupings, partners,
etc.

- Many opportunities will be provided for students to demonstrate their

understandings. This will include their journals, exit slips, performance
task, a variety of written and oral assessments, and teacher/student
conferences.

How will you organize and sequence the

learning activities to optimize the engagement
and achievement of ALL students?

From: Wiggins, Grant and J. Mc Tighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (ppk)