Zoo Animals

Created by:

Patricia Louis

Title/Role:

School Librarian

Organization/School Name:

Aliamanu Elementary School

Location:

Hawaii

Grade Level:

Type of Lesson:

Lesson in a unit

Type of Schedule:

Combination

Collaboration Continuum:

Moderate

Content Area:

Science

Content Topic:

Identifying key characteristics of different animal categories.

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner

Skills Indicator(s):

1.1.2 Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.

1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.

3.1.6 Use information and technology ethically and responsibly.

Dispositions Indicator(s):

2.2.4 Demonstrate personal productivity by completing products to express learning.

Responsibilities Indicator(s):

2.3.1 Connect understanding to the real world.

Self-Assessment Strategies Indicator(s):

1.4.4 Seek appropriate help when it is needed.

Scenario:

Students will be going on a field trip to a local zoo. In order to prepare for their field trip, they are studying the different categories of animals. The focus of the unit is to help students identify new facts they learned about the different animal categories and the resources they used to gain this information.

Overview:

Students address the following essential questions in this unit: What are reptiles? What are mammals? What are birds? How are these animals alike? How are they different?

Final Product:

Students complete an organizer in which they state a new fact they learned about animals and draw a picture reflecting this fact.

Library Lesson:

Kindergarteners will (1) share what they already know about mammals, reptiles, and birds, (2) identify new facts about zoo animals from different sources of information, (3) draw pictures depicting the information, and (4) identify the source of their information (e.g., book, video, person).

Estimated Lesson Time:

45 minutes

Assessment

Product:

Students complete an organizer on New Facts About Zoo Animals.

Process:

Students discuss how they selected their animals to research and how they decided which new fact to share.

Student self-questioning:

What animal did I want to study? Why? How did I decide which new fact to share about my animal?

Instructional Plan

Resources students will use:

Moving Image (i.e. animations, movies, tv program, video)

Software

Resources instructor will use:

Projector

Laptop

Smart board

Instruction/Activities

Direct instruction:

The LMS taps students’ prior knowledge by asking: What do you already know about mammals? About reptiles? About birds? The teacher records students’ responses along with students’ names on the Zoo Animals Chart that has columns for the three animal classes. She uses one color to identify these initial responses. The LMS also asks: How are these three types of animals the same? How are they different? Teacher records students’ responses on the Zoo Animals Venn Diagram with three intersecting circles. The LMS introduces the concept of information detective – person who is looking, reading, listening for information to answer a question. She shares three types of information sources (book, video, person). The LMS prepares students for viewing the video clips by saying: As you watch the following videos, listen and watch for at least one new fact about the zoo animals. Students watch the video clips.

Modeling and guided practice:

The LMS conducts a discussion about the video clips by asking: What new fact did you learn about any of the zoo animals? The teacher records the new facts on the Zoo Animals Chart and the Zoo Animals Venn Diagram using a different color to differentiate these facts from prior facts. The LMS models how to draw a picture for one of the new facts and how to identify the information source under the picture.

Independent practice:

Each student selects one of the new facts that they want to illustrate. Each student draws a picture on the organizer, My New Fact About Zoo Animals. Each student also circles the correct information source (video) under the picture.

Have you taught this lesson before:

Yes

Strategies for differentiation:

The teacher and LMS circulate as students work on their organizers and provide on-the-spot guidance as needed. Students who can write sentences, write a description of their picture while students who cannot dictate a description while the teacher or LMS writes it down.