Virtual Tracking

Lesson Outline


  • Goals/Objectives:

    • Continue using the science practices of making observations (I notice), asking questions (I wonder), making connections to what they already know or have experienced (it reminds me of)

    • Work on coming up with possible explanations from evidence (I think maybe).

    • Making arguments from evidence (explaining their thinking to others)


  • Intro

    • Check-in (optional - fun check-in to see how they are feeling)

    • Set Expectations for behavior

      • Remind students of any hand signals you have introduced, how you want them to answer questions, muting/unmuting, etc.

    • Share Agenda - we'll read a story, play a game, read another story... etc. Also share about how long it will take.

    • Review previous lesson:

      • Ask students to share what they did for their magic spots

      • Share journals


5E outline (Learning Cycle names in parentheses)

  1. Engage (Invite)

    1. Step Into the Circle if...

    2. Read / Show Video of Tracking Story

    3. Share personal stories - what animal tracks have students seen?

    4. What can we learn from animal tracks?

  2. Explore

    1. Play Track Match Game - share Google Slide deck with students and have them each try one, OR do it all together with a few of the frames. Students can do more than one if there are extras, or you can share a new copy of the slide deck and have them pick another frame for a second round.

    2. Students could also do the track quiz if they finish early here: https://boyslife.org/quizzes/6662/animal-track-identification-quiz/

  3. Explain (Concept Formation)

    1. Discussion - how could you tell which animal went with which tracks? What clues did you use to solve the mystery? What was your evidence? (measurement - size of prints, shape, # toes, etc)

  4. Elaborate (Apply)

    1. This is part of the outdoor homework - set up a track station at home (smooth area of soft soil, mud, or sprinkle flour over hard soil (with permission!) large enough area to have room for tracks on all sides if you put bait in the middle (cat food, a bit of some smelly food like tuna, or even the water or oil from the tuna can)

    2. Encourage students to think of ways they could find animal sign, or make some sort of "trap" that will show tracks for them to see who has been around.

    3. Videos for this are on the outdoor homework page linked at the bottom of this page - be sure teacher has link to assign to students in Google Classroom, or send them another way.

  5. Evaluate (Reflect)

    1. What can we learn about animals by looking for their signs? (which ones are here, what they are doing, etc)

    2. Magic Spot in outdoor homework.

Tracking Introduction

Adapted "Step into the Circle" activity (click)

Use fun hand signals instead of "step into the circle"

  • Do this if (demonstrate) … Say each of the statements below (or add your own), pausing to allow students to make the hand motion you give them each time (you can do a different one each time to keep it engaging and to be able to check which statement they are responding to) and then ask everyone to stop. Do (this motion/action) if…

    • You have ever put your hands through your hair and noticed a hair fall out

    • You’ve ever been out in the rain, walked in the house and accidentally left muddy footprints on the floor

    • You had to go to the bathroom and you were outside so you dug a hole or stepped behind a tree

    • You’ve ever eaten chicken or fish and left the bones on your plate

  • Explain to students that hair, footprints, bones & waste are all evidence we leave behind and might let other people know we’ve been somewhere.

  • Discuss: What evidence do animals leave behind?

    • Remember to use hand signals for "me too" (same-same), "I have something to add to that" (building blocks), etc. Get them ALL participating in some way while only calling on a few students for different ideas.

Tracking Story

This story shows following mysteries to find the story of what happened - you can play the video (don't forget to "share computer sound") or mute the video and read it aloud on-screen, pausing as needed.

(be ready to click away pop-up ads, and feel free to stop the video for discussion)

Tracking Introduction

How to think like a tracker, how to narrow down your "list of suspects"

First 5 minutes (skip 15 second music intro) is helpful for emphasizing "uncertainty" in the scientific process.

Models productive discussion - narrowing down the "list of suspects."

Track Match Game

Click for Instructor Notes

IMPORTANT: be sure to practice and test opening and sharing any of these types of interactive lessons, Slides, Jamboard, etc. It will save time during your lesson if you already have it open and shared properly!

Can do this as a group with you controlling it and kids making suggestions/arguments/describing the evidence for their thinking, and play a few different ones together, or have teacher put it in Google classroom (or share in chat) so each student gets access and have students "claim a frame" and play on the shared Google Slide deck. (see directions below)

Make a Copy: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1oQ0IRYqwvuQk46BmP8fyYPYoxDJczalRPLczii_RbAc/copy (After it opens your copy, rename it if you want, then click the "Share" button and 1, set to "Anyone With the Link" then 2, change from View to "Edit," then click "Copy Link" and "Done" then share the link with the class through the chat or have the teacher share it in Google Classroom so students can access the same Slide deck.)

If only you are using it with students giving input and discussion, you don't need to change sharing permissions or share the link (unless you want to share it with your co-instructor!) You can share your screen and get input and disussion for each slide from the students and decide as a group which tracks match and why - I'll put the answers way down in the presenter notes so the students can't see them!

Alternately, could substitute an Animal Signs Scavenger Hunt... to do before lesson or after in "outdoor homework" - coming soon!

Directions to play the Track Match Game

Directions:

  1. Claim a frame by writing your name on the post-it note that says "Name" on it (replace "Name" with yours!)

  2. Observe your animal and look at all the different tracks on the page. What do you notice? What do you *wonder? What does your animal or the tracks remind you of? Which tracks might possibly belong to your animal? You can even use different colors of ink and circle more than one to show first, second, and third choices (suggest green, yellow, red?)

  3. *Ask if you have a question about your animal or the tracks - they don't all show size, and you may not know how big the animal is, either.

  4. Drag the red circle from the animal to the tracks that you think your animal might make. Remember to look at details like size, shape, number of toes, etc.

  5. Think about WHY you picked your tracks - what evidence did you see that made you think it might be that one?

  6. Record your thinking and evidence (to share in discussion) You can write in your journal (or on scratch paper).

This is only a picture of the first frame of the Slide deck, for your reference!

Animal Track Quiz

(Just for fun!)

Tracking Videos

Some of these may be helpful - maybe between rounds of the track match game

Great Tracking Background

Could also use this with kids - about learning to see - ties in with INIWIRMO, also talks about evidence, and other kinds of animal sign, such as scat, trails, nests, etc.

Learn a fun song about SCAT!

Supplemental / Alternate videos to use

Review and choose which, if any, of these or above videos you want to use for a virtual class.

What Happens in your Sit Spot when you aren't there

Great tie-in with sit spots and animal sign!

The two videos below show some tracking basics that will help students - cat vs dog tracks, and wild vs. domestic canine tracks.

From a 2nd-grade teacher in NE US, so has White-tailed instead of Mule Deer, and Wild Turkey, but most of the other animals are also here. At the very end, the teacher says "happy tracking 2nd grade" so you might stop the video before that so the 3rd graders aren't offended - lol!

SciSchow track show - rapid fire information, not much time for kids to process or think on their own, but maybe good for information?

Winter-themed timer if a timer is needed...

Could use for scavenger hunt activity, or break time, or think time...

Student Journal Pages for Tracking

Click for Presenter Tips and Links

(You could do this together, showing mystery tracks, and have them support their ideas from evidence of what they observe and what they've learned (cat vs dog, walking, running, direction)

For the journaling homework, they can use the drawing page to draw any tracks they find and add notes to show their noticing, wondering, reminding, and thinking about the tracks. They should also measure the tracks and show measurements in their drawing - width and length of individual tracks, distance apart sideways and front to back of tracks in trail, too.

January Journal Pages.pdf