PALS - Administration Procedures

Kindergarten Performance Task
Developed for Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
Authors: Betty Crocker, Janette Fentress, Virginia Malone, Theresa Weeks, Vanessa Westbrook

Description:

The student identifies an animal in a picture. The student selects and names a body part on card. The student matches a body part to a specific animal. Note: This task is one of three linked tasks. The others are "Animals Piece by Piece" and "Mythical Animals."

This task assesses students' abilities to sort organisms and objects into groups according to their parts and describe how the groups are formed; record observations about parts of animals including wings, feet, heads, and tails; and identify parts that, when separated from the whole, may result in the part or the whole not working, such as cars without wheels, and plants without roots.

This task is designed to take 1-4 class periods of 15 minutes each.

Overall Task Content Area:

Life Science

Specific Knowledge Areas:

The characteristics of organisms

Performance Expectations:

conducting investigations
gathering, organizing, and representing data
formulating conclusions from investigational data
applying scientific principles to develop explanations

National Science Education Standards:

4 A SI 1: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry: Grades K-4
1.5 Communicate investigations and explanations. Students should begin developing the abilities to communicate, critique, and analyze their work and the work of other students. This communication might be spoken or drawn as well as written.

4 C LS 1: The characteristics of organisms: Grades K-4
1.2 Each plant or animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. For example, humans have distinct body structures for walking, holding, seeing, and talking.

(Use the "hot" link on the PALS home page to check the full text of related National Science Education Standards, if desired.)

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS):

(K.6) Science concept. The student knows that systems have parts and are composed of organisms and objects. The student is expected to:

sort organisms and objects into groups according to their parts and describe how the groups are formed;

record observations about parts of animals including wings, feet, heads, and tails; and

identify parts that, when separated from the whole, may result in the part or the whole not working, such as cars without wheels, and plants without roots.

General Instructions to the Teacher:

This task is designed to take students approximately 6-8 class periods of 15 minutes each, or 15 minutes per puzzle, to complete.

Students will be working both individually and in groups during this exercise.

Students should be ready to work as soon as the period begins. The materials should be set out at each lab station, if possible. A central supply area, if needed, should be easily accessible. All supplies should be clearly labeled.

Materials for "Whose Parts Do I Have? (Wings and Things)":

Advance Preparation:

Use simple line drawing of very different animals to make headbands. Photocopy each animal picture that you will use. Mount a different animal picture in the center of each headband. For each headband, you need to have two to four body part cards. Cut photocopies of animal pictures into 2-4 body parts: heads, legs, tails, wings/arms, etc., and mount each body part on an index card.

Safety:

Extensions/Modifications:

This task is one of three related tasks. The other two are "Animals Piece by Piece" and "Mythical Animals."