Grade: Elementary
Subject: Science

#2197. Plant eater, Meat Eater, or both?

Science, level: Elementary
Posted Tue Mar 27 14:19:24 PST 2001 by Juliana Galiyas (MJ103196@aol.com).
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA USA

Lesson 2: Plant eater, Meat eater, or both?.

I. HEADING
Juliana Galiyas
April 10, 2001
Science
1st Grade- 19 students
Instruction Time- 20 minutes

II. RATIONALE AND BACKGROUND

The purpose of this lesson is to inform students that an animal's eating habits can be placed into three categories: plant eaters, meat eaters, or both. Through a hands-on activity, students will realize that they are neither plants and animal eaters but both. Students will recognize that a humans diet consists of both plants and animals.

III. LESSON OBJECTIVES

TLW classify an animal's eating habits into the category of plant eater, animal eater, or both. (OU# 2 & 4; cognitive, psychomotor)

PI: When given a specific animal, students will identify two different foods that the animal would eat. [Group and Individual Assessment]

IV. RESOURCES AND MATERIALS

* Two gummy bears for each student
* * Two pieces of white bread for each student
* * Paper plates
* * Green Slips of paper
* * Red slips of paper
* * Grocery Shopping List

National Geographic's Book of Mammals. National Geographic Society; Washington D.C., 1998

V. CONCEPTS

Animals can be plant eaters, meat eaters, or both.

VI. PROCEDURES

A. Introduction and Motivation

T: Yesterday we learned that animals need four things in order to survive, what are they? Air, food, shelter, and sleep. How many animals are in this classroom? 21 animals.

Pass out a paper plate with two gummy bears and two small pieces of bread for each student. Caution the students not to eat it until they have been given directions to do so. Prior to the class I will check with the teacher to make sure none of my students are allergic to gummy bears or bread.

T: I have passed around to each student a plate that has two gummy bears and a two small pieces of bread. Pick up a gummy bear, and I want you to slowly chew the gummy bear. Pay close attention to the teeth you used to chew it. Describe to me how it felt to chew it. Chewy.

T: I want you to slowly chew one piece of bread. Pay close attention to the teeth you used to chew it. Describe to me how it felt to chew the bread compared to the gummy bear. Easy to chew

T: Does anyone have an idea what our lesson will be about today? We are going to learn about the different foods that animals eat.


B. Lesson Body

T: If you had to choose, do you think eating the gummy bear was more similar to eating meat or a plant? Why? Meat, it was hard to chew. If you had to choose, do you think eating a piece of bread was more similar to eating a plant or an animal? Why? Plant, it was easy to chew.

T: What could we call an animal that eats only meat? A meat eater. (Write this on the board.) What would you call an animal that eats only plants? A plant eater. (Write this word on the board.) Are human plat eaters or meat eaters? We are both. We could say that an animal that eats plants and animals eats both. Are their people that eat only plants? Yes. Do you know what are they called? Vegetarians. What did you eat for lunch today? Depending on the response, classify the person as a planter eater, meat eater, or both.

T: Boys and girls, I want you to eat another gummy bear. Pay close attention to the teeth you used to chew it. What part of your teeth did you use to chew it? The sharp teeth in the front. Look at the person sitting next to you's teeth. Look at their sharp teeth. Now show the other person your sharp teeth. What kinds of animals have sharp teeth? Meat eaters.

T: Boys and girls I want you to eat another piece of bread. Pay close attention to the teeth you used to chew it. What part of your teeth did you use to chew it? The flat teeth in the back. Look at the person sitting next to you's teeth. Look at their flat teeth in the back of your mouth. Now show the other person your flat teeth. What kinds of animals have flat teeth? Plant eaters. Why do we have both kinds of teeth? Because, we eat both plants and animals.

Distribute a green and red slip of paper to each student.

T: I am going to show you pictures of animals; I want you to tell me if they are a plant eater, a meat eater, or both. If the animal is a plant eater, what color paper should you hold up? Why? Green, it is the color of plants. If the animal is a meat eater, which strip of paper should you hold up? Why? Red, it is the color of meat. If the animal eats both plants and animals, which strip of paper should you hold up? Why? Both, because the animal eats both plants and animals.

The teacher will have pre-marked the following pages in the book The National Geographic's Book of Mammals:

· Cows Plant Eater page 158
· Lion Meat Eater page 329
· Squirrel Plant Eater page 518
· Monkeys Both page 370
· Tiger Meat Eater page 540
· Raccoon Both page 470

T: Who can name an animal that is a plant eater? Horse, deer, cow, rabbit... Who can name me an animal that is a meat eater? Lion, tiger, shark, cheetah. . . Who can name me an animal that eats both plants and animals? Bird, humans...

C. Closure

T: Has anyone ever helped his or her parents shop at the grocery store before? Does your mother, father, grandma, or grandpa make a grocery list before they go to the store? Well, I have a job for you! My friends Hillary the human, Herman the Horse, and Laura the Lion need help writing a grocery shopping list. Your job is to find two items that they would like to eat.

Distribute the Grocery List to the entire class.

T: Pease put your name at the top, and when you are finished turn it into the basket on my desk. If you have any questions raise your hand.

The teacher will circulate around the room to check the student's progress.

VII. EVALUATION

A. Student Assessment

1. Assessment Plan

Student's understanding of the terms and concepts presented will be informally assessed through teacher observation, questions asked during class, participation in the class activity, and their correct completion of the grocery-shopping list