ANIMAL KINGDOM: PHYLUM MOLLUSCA Latin: molluscus - soft Materials: A live snail and snail specimen A set of pictures, labels, and definitions illustrating the external parts of the mollusk A booklet of the external parts of the mollusk A wall chart of the mollusk Animal stories and books about mollusks Presentation 1: Key Experience 1. Share the snail with the children. 2. Ask the children to name or describe the parts of the snail. For example, the snail has a hard shell with a soft body inside. 3. Allow the children to observe the snail for a week. Montessori Research and Development 2013 77
Presentation 2: External Parts of the Snail 1. Review the observations the children have made of the snail. 2. Share the model with the children. 3. Discuss the names and the functions of the parts of the snail with the children. 4. Place labels on the parts of the model. 5. Place the specimen in the classroom during the next week for the children to examine. 6. Repeat the above procedure for the octopus and clam. Presentation 3: (with Presentation 2) 1. Create an art/craft activity that focuses on the external parts of the snail. 2. Place the art/craft activity in the classroom for the children to select during the week. 3. Create an art/craft activity that focuses on the external parts of the octopus and clam. Presentation 4: External Parts of the Snail and Nomenclature 1. Name the parts of the snail: body, eyes, tentacles, shell, mantle, mouth, anus, respiratory pore, foot, and tail. 2. Discuss the parts of the snail: A. The Mollusk - The mollusk has a soft body and many have a hard shell. Aquatic mollusks breathe with gills. Montessori Research and Development 2013 78
B. The Body - The body of the mollusk is soft and unsegmented. The body of the mollusk is protected by a shell or a tough wrapper called the mantle. C. The Eyes - An eye is located on the tip of each of the longer tentacles of the snail. If an eye is damaged, it regenerates itself. The tentacles can retract into the head if danger arises. D. The Tentacles - The tentacles are slender, hollow tubes. Some mollusks have one or two pairs of tentacles (snails, slugs); some have eight or ten long tentacles (octopuses, squids); and some do not have any tentacles (clams). E. The Shell - The shell is the hard outer covering of the mollusk. The shell is produced by the mantle. As it grows, the mollusk adds coil after coil to its shell, building the shell from the open end as it needs more room. F. The Mantle - The mantle is a skin-like organ. In some mollusks, the mantle produces the substance that makes the shell (snails, whelks, clams). For other mollusks, the mantle forms a tough wrapper around the body (octopuses, squids). G. The Mouth - The mouth of the mollusk contains rows of very small teeth called radula. H. The Anus - The anus is a small opening on the mantle edge of the mollusk. Undigested food exits the body through the anus. Montessori Research and Development 2013 79
I. The Respiratory Pore - The respiratory pore is toward the front of the mantle edge of the snail. The respiratory pore opens into the mantle cavity where gas exchange occurs. Aquatic mollusks breathe with gills. J. The Foot - The foot of the mollusk is tough and muscular. The foot contains glands that pour out a slimy fluid for a snail to move over a surface. K. The Tail - The tail is the portion of the mollusk that extends past the end of the shell. 3. Encourage each child to repeat the functions of the parts of the snail. 4. Lay out the pictures of the parts of the snail from left to right. 5. Distribute the labels for the children to match to the pictures. 6. When the children know the definitions of the parts of the snail, distribute the definitions for the children to read and to match to the pictures. 7. Display the wall chart. 8. Place The Mollusca classified nomenclature material on the shelf. 9. Place The Mollusca booklet on the shelf. 10. Follow-up activities for the child: A. Match the picture and label. (simple nomenclature) B. Match the picture, label, and definition. (classified nomenclature) C. Make a booklet of The Mollusca nomenclature. D. Make a wall chart of The Mollusca nomenclature. Montessori Research and Development 2013 80
11. Other follow-up activities for the child: A. Select an octopus or clam as another representative of the mollusk phylum. B. Make matching pictures and labels. C. Make pictures, labels, and definitions. D. Make a booklet of octopus or clam nomenclature. E. Make a chart of octopus or clam nomenclature. Presentation 5: Research Reports 1. Show the picture information cards for the mollusk to the children. 2. Show the report form to the children. 3. Demonstrate how to write a report on the mollusk. Draw a picture of the mollusk. 4. Encourage each child to write a report on the mollusk. 5. Repeat the reports with other mollusks. Additional Activities: 1. First Knowledge of the Animal Kingdom - Presentations 1 and 2. 2. How Animals Satisfy Their Needs. 3. Main Characteristics of the animal (Zoology II Manual). 4. Life Cycle of the animal (Zoology II Manual). 5. Internal Parts of the animal (Zoology II Manual). 6. Research and Classification of the phylum (Zoology II Manual). Montessori Research and Development 2013 81
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