Lesson Plan – What Is a Scientist? Lesson Map (Reader Strategies Series)
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In this lesson plan, students will use clues from Natural Inquirer Readers to determine what makes a scientist a scientist. Students will create an anchor chart of scientist characteristics for future classroom use.
We have provided a supply list that we’ve designed to be as simple as possible, step-by-step instructions, extension and next steps activities, and standards alignments.
This lesson plan is the third in a series of teaching strategies for using Natural Inquirer Readers in the classroom. (See the first and second lesson plans of the series in the related content tab below.)
This series was introduced in a series of blog posts on our educator blog. Check out the blog for step-by-step instructions for implementing this lesson plan and for other lesson plans that can be used in connection with this one.
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Standards addressed in this Lesson Plan:
Common Core Standards
The Common Core Standards are educational benchmarks in the United States that outline clear expectations for what students should know and be able to do in English language arts and mathematics from kindergarten through 12th grade, aiming to ensure consistency and coherence in education nationwide.
- Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
- With prompting and support, read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1.
- Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
- Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
- Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.
- Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text.
- Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
- Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
- Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
- By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
- Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.
- Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.
- Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.
- Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.
- With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
- Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
- With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
- With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
- With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).
- With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
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