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Lesson Plan


		Lesson Information


		Objectives
		Assessment


		Resources
		Materials
		Vocabulary
		Procedures
		Day Plans
		Enrichment Options


		Teacher Reflection

Stage 1
Identify Desired Results

Catchy Title: Spectacular Squid
Theme/Topic of Lesson: Dissect a squid and identify its adaptations and how they help the squid.
Time Commitment: 2 hours
Subject Area(s):
Science - Biological and life sciences
Grade Level(s): 3
Standards Alignment:
Class Challenge Question: What special parts does a squid have to help it survive in its environment?

Overview:

Third grade students will read information about a squid and the special parts it has to help it survive in its environment. They will make observations about external organs: eyes, arms, suction cups, beak, and siphon. Prior to the dissection, both the teacher and the students should have prior knowledge about the parts of a squid. Also, the teacher should be familiar with dissecting a squid in order to help the students with the process. They will use scissors to cut open a squid by cutting straight down from the siphon through the mantle and laying open the mantle to see the internal organs: intestines, heart, gills, ink sac, pen and sexual organs. The students will record these observations by making a labeled diagram of the squid and of some specific organs, identifying the sex of the squid using the organs found in the squid and completing a worksheet that identifies up to 6 special parts and how each one helps the squid to survive. Students will make slides of organs that they are interested in seeing under a microscope.

Stage 2
Determine Acceptable Evidence

Learning Objectives:

The Students will:

dissect a squid (using scissors) and identify the special parts of a squid that help it to survive.
draw a labeled diagram of the squid.

Assessment

The teacher will informally assess by observing the students as they are performing the dissection of the squid. Also, the teacher will informally assess as the students read the answers to the Squid Dissection Worksheet. The Squid Dissection Worksheet Answer Key is available for the teacher's use.

Stage 3
Plan Learning Experiences

Resources

Other Technology	Computer with Internet access The students will need a computer to complete the Frogut Web site's quiz on squid. If a computer lab is available, then each student can work on their own computer.
Other Technology	LCD projector or AverKey These devices can be used if a computer lab is not available for the completion of the Frogut quiz on Squid. The teacher can display the Web site for the class.
Print Materials	Seward, Homer. Octopus & Squid Sea Monsters, Vero Beach, Florida: The Rourke Press, Inc., 1998 This book should be read aloud to kids, either before or after (although I would do it after the activity when kids are familiar with the animal). The pictures are terrific.
Internet Sites	Enchanted Learning - Squid Printout This site has a good diagram of the external anatomy of the squid. The reading material is much more appropriate for third graders, but I would read the information aloud as the kids read along with you.
	http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/invertebrates/squid/Squidprintout.shtml
	MSN Encarta - Multimedia - Generalized Anatomy of a Squid - Microsoft Internet This site has a good diagram of the internal anatomy of the squid which should be printed and enlarged for the students use. The information from this page is too difficult to be used as a reading piece for third graders, but could be used if read aloud, or if appropriate for your class. In this diagram the beak is the jaw. The internal shell is also called the pen.
	http://encarta.msn.com/media_461553803_761552165_-1_1/Generalized_Anatomy_of_a_Squid.html
	Froguts This is a fun site for kids to quiz themselves on what they have learned about the squid. Once kids get there, they should click on the squid picture. The site will allow them to examine the external anatomy of the squid and then quiz them on 8 external organs.
	http://www.froguts.com/flash_content/index.html

Materials

Per class
Squid_Dissection_Worksheet_Answer_Key  (View)
Per student team/group of 2
squid
paper plate
scissors
magnifying glass
microscope
well slides
Per Student
Squid_Dissection_Worksheet  (View)
Squid_Information_Sheet  (View)
Not Specified
Indicators  (View)

Vocabulary

adaptation - a special part or special behavior a living thing has that helps it to survive in its environment
dissect - to cut open a former living creature in order to study its internal organs

Procedures

The students will be dissecting squid. If possible, complete this activity on a nice day when you can open windows and/or doors. Before the lesson, you will need to gather the materials. Squid (or calamari) can be found in your local grocery store freezer section, or possibly a bait shop. Purchase twenty-four squid as you should only count on about a dozen or so really nice ones with all the parts intact. You will want to let the squid thaw before using them - overnight should be fine. Cover your desks or tables with newsprint but not newspaper, it gets wet and the ink will cause a bigger mess than the squid. It is likely that the art teacher will have some newsprint paper. It is really helpful to get an extra set of adult hands for this activity! Ask for parent volunteers or ask your principal to come in and help out.

Start with all the students on the floor and one squid on a plate. The squid are pale in color so try not to use white paper plates. If you put the squid on your plate ahead of time, it will adhere to the plate so you can hold it up and point things out to the students without it sliding off the plate. Begin by looking at the outside of the squid and asking kids to make observations. Then have kids read together the Squid Information Sheet. Tell the students they will be making observations about the squid's external anatomy when they get their own squid. Then explain to the students how they will use the scissors to dissect the squid to examine the internal organs. Demonstrate how this is done - cut from the siphon straight down the middle of the mantle, then pull back the mantle on both sides. Some tissue may cling to the mantle, so pull it back carefully. Tell the students they will be making observations about the squid's internal anatomy when they have dissected their squid and identified the organs. Students will work in pairs while dissecting the squid and while completing the Squid Dissection Worksheet. The teacher should determine the pairs to allow for all students to be successful with this activity.

This is a high excitement level activity. Before you send the students to their seats remind them that they need to act like scientists, that they need to respect the learning of the other scientists in the room by keeping their voices down and that they need to be careful about their dissection in order to learn the most about the squid. While dissecting the squid, student will need to complete the Squid Dissection Worksheet. After completion of the worksheet, students will share their findings and their written paragraphs with the class. A Squid Dissections Worksheet Answer Key is available for the teacher's use.

Upon completion of the dissection, students will review what they have learned by taking a quiz on squid which is available on the Frogut Web site.

One: Spectacular Squid
Daily Challenge Question: What special parts does a squid have to help it to survive in its environment?
2 hours

Set-up Directions:
Thaw the squid overnight. Cover the students' tables with newsprint. Each student will need a pair of scissors, a paper plate, a magnifying glass, and well slides. Each team of two will need a microscope. Copy the Squid Information Sheet and the Squid Dissection Worksheet for each student. Also, each student will need a copy of the Anatomy of a Squid, which is found on the MSN Encarta Web site and the Squid Printout, which is found on the Enchanted Learning Web site. Finally, make one copy of the Squid Dissection Worksheet Answer Key. A computer or computers with Internet access should have the Frogut Web site bookmarked. If only one computer is available, have a LCD projector available to display the Web site.

Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
Bring all the students together on the floor. Give each student the Squid Information Sheet, the Squid Dissection Worksheet, the Anatomy of a Squid worksheet, and the Squid Printout worksheet. Show them a squid on a paper plate and point out the external anatomy, referring to their diagram of the external anatomy to match parts. Read together the Squid Information Sheet, which will explain how each part helps a squid to survive. Demonstrate to the students the dissection procedure. Give each pair of students a squid - just pull them out of the box and place it on the plate and let the students go back to their seats and get to work.

Activity 1 - Squid Dissection and Observations
Students will work in pairs while dissecting the squid and while completing the Squid Dissection Worksheet. Students will make observations about the internal and external organs of the squid, recording their observations on the Squid Dissection Worksheet. When all students are finished dissecting their squid and have completed the worksheet, the students will verbally review their answers through a teacher lead discussion. Have several students share their paragraph which answers question number 10 on the Squid Dissection Worksheet.

Activity 2 - Frogut Web site - Review
If the school has a computer lab, have each student review the Squid by completing the quiz on the Frogut Web site. If the school does not have a computer lab, the Frogut Web site could be displayed using an AverKey of LCD projector. The teacher can either call on individual students to answer the questions or can arrange the students into teams in order to answer questions. Bring this activity to a close by verbally reviewing the parts of the squid.

Wrap Up:
The teacher will lead a discussion in which the students must answer the class challenge question. Finally, read the book Sea Monsters: Octopus & Squid by Homer Seward.

Enrichment Options

Community Connection
Invite a guest speaker from the Baltimore Aquarium to come and talk to the students about sea creatures.

Cross-Curricular Extensions
Language Arts - writing to inform

Stage 4
Teacher Reflection

As a reflective practitioner, note how this lesson could be adjusted after its initial implementation. How successful were the students? What did the assessment demonstrate about the students’ learning? What skills do the students need to revisit? What instructional strategies worked and what made them successful? What will you change the next time you use this lesson? Why?

Author: Sue Dorsey
Modified by: Megan E. Tucker
Program: Maryland Initiative for New Teachers (MINT)
Author's School System: Kent County Public Schools
Author's School: Millington Elementary