Institute for Learning
Discovering Scientists (Grades 1-2)
Discovering Scientists (Grades 1-2)
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Students explore the traits of two fascinating and pioneering scientists, Jane Goodall and Wilson Bentley. Through the work in this unit, students learn how to support statements when speaking and writing with evidence from texts.
- Two informational texts
- 2-3 weeks instruction
- Explanation writing
What is this unit about?
In this unit, students will read two texts: “Watching in the Wild” by Charnan Simon and Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Both texts introduce students to fascinating scientists who made important discoveries and shared their discoveries with the world. The first text, “Watching in the Wild,” is about Jane Goodall, a scientist who devotes her life to studying chimpanzees in the wild. Although Jane no longer spends time in the wild, she continues to share her discoveries and her passion for chimpanzees through books and lectures. The second text, Snowflake Bentley, is about a scientist whose passion for snowflakes led to years of work analyzing snow crystals and led to the discovery of how to capture their images before they melt.
Through the study of these two texts, students are supported to engage in discussions in which they draw on textual evidence to identify the important discoveries made by both scientists, learn about the topics being studied, and compare traits shared by the two scientists that helped them find success in their respective fields.
This short unit can easily be nestled into a larger unit of study on topics such as scientists, discoveries, dedication, and perseverance.
What content and concepts will students learn?
Students will learn about:
- Jane Goodall, Wilson Bentley, and each of their discoveries.
- chimpanzees and snowflakes.
- traits that Goodall and Bentley shared that helped them be successful, including patience, passion, and persistence.
- What practices will students use?
- Students are supported to develop practices and habits such as how to:
- comprehend and analyze texts with assistance.
- work from moments in one text and across two texts to develop ideas and compare scientists and their work.
- read and talk about texts several times as a means to enhance their comprehension.
- participate in routines such as sharing their ideas in pairs and trios and participating in whole group discussions.
- use specific examples from the text to support their ideas.
How long will it take to engage students in the unit?
This unit spans approximately 8-10 instructional days, assuming 25- to 30-minute classes. The tasks in the unit are designed to be implemented sequentially in order to support students to achieve the instructional goals. As such, the pacing of the lessons will depend on the time students need to achieve these goals.


