Teaching Science with Kidlit: NGSS Performance Expectation 1-LS1-2

Okay, now that it’s January, we’re back at it. When I began this strand back in early September, things looked pretty good for the Next Generation Science Standards. What a different 4 months have made. These days, many states are talking about adapting rather than adopting NGSS as written.

In some cases, I think that’s for the best. Some of the standards intended for K and 1, in particular, will be challenging to accomplish in many American classrooms. But because it’s still too early to tell what will go and what will stay and how that might vary from state to state, I’m going to continue making book and activity suggestions that align directly to the standards as written. Chances are that they will still be directly applicable I some states, and in states where significant changes occur, they can still be informative. So here we go, starting right where we left off at the end of 2013.   

1-LS1-2. Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive. [Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns of behaviors could include the signals that offspring make (such as crying, cheeping, and other vocalizations) and the responses of the parents (such as feeding, comforting, and protecting the offspring).]

Here are some book suggestions for addressing this PE:

What Dads Can’t Do by Douglas Wood

Little Lost Bat by Sandra Markle 

What Moms Can’t Do by Douglas Wood

A Mother’s Journey by Sandra Markle

The Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins

Do Kangaroos Wear Seatbelts? by Jane Kurtz

What to Expect When You’re Expecting Joeys by Bridget Heos

Activity 1

Search online for a variety of short video clips that show young mammals, reptiles, fish, and/or birds interacting with their parents. You could try the following keyword searches: “alligator mother responding to hatchings,” “father penguin feeds its chick,” “inside a Mexican free-tailed bat cave.” After sharing the videos with your students, ask the following questions:

--How do the young animal and parent in the video work together to help the
  youngster survive?

--How is the behavior of the young animal(s) in the video similar to the behavior
   of a baby Mexican free-tailed bat and/or an emperor penguin check?

--How is the behavior of the parent(s) in the video similar to the behavior of a
  mother bat or the penguin parents?

Activity 2

Invite students to create a Mother’s Day or Father’s Day card from a young bat, emperor penguin, or kangaroo to its parent. On the front, students can draw a picture showing one of the ways that parent helps its young. On the inside, the children can write a thank you message describing one way that the parent helps its young survive.