Erin Myler

Grade Level: 3

Original lesson plan: http://alex.state.al.us/lesson_view.php?id=24009

Approximate time: 45 minutes each day for four days

 

ISTE NETS-S Standards:

3. Research and Information Fluency: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.

              b) Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media

 

Central Focus & Purpose:

This lesson is to introduce characteristics of various animals. Students will prove their learning by grouping a variety of animals on a chart based on their characteristics, serving as a formal assessment. They will then extend their learning and apply their knowledge to research an extinct animal of their choice and create a PowerPoint presentation to the class on that extinct animal, comparing it to an existing animal.

 

ALCOS Standard:

SC(2) 6) Identify characteristics of animals, including behavior, size, and body covering

•  Comparing existing animals to extinct animals

Examples: iguana to stegosaurus, elephant to wooly mammoth

•  Identifying migration and hibernation as survival strategies

 

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will describe individual characteristics of various animals.

2. Students will categorize animals into groups based on these characteristics.

3. Students will locate information on extinct animals and synthesize their research into a PowerPoint presentation.

4. Students will compare and contrast extinct animals to existing animals.

 

Materials and Resources:

1. A basket or bag with several (8 to 10) different animals (stuffed, plastic, and/or pictures). These animals should represent the animal groups: birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, insects, and fish.

2. A chart for each student that includes the names of the six groups: birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, insects, and fish.(http://alex.state.al.us/uploads/24009/animal chart.doc)

3. List of extinct animals

(http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/g201/recently-extinct-animals-list-470209/)

3. Computers (one for each group) with Internet access and PowerPoint

4. Projector

 

Before Class Activities:

Gather materials mentioned above, ensure computer lab time for students for three days, and have resources ready to access.

 

During Class:

Day 1: The teacher should introduce the class to the basket of tangible animals to examine, calling on students to describe the characteristics of each animal. Go through each animal, prompting questions about how many legs it has, whether it lays eggs, if it has wings, feathers, antennae, scales, etc. The students should be able to answer these questions from their own observations. Using the characteristics discussed, identify which animal group each animal belongs to (birds, insects, fish, amphibians, etc.). Next, assess the students’ learning by having them complete the chart; they should be able to list the animals in the appropriate categories based on the characteristics. Lastly, provide students with the list of extinct animals and put them into groups of three or four. Each group should decide on one animal before the next class period, submitting it to the teacher so there are no repetitions.

Bloom's Taxonomy Levels: Remember & Understand

 

Day 2: This 45 minute block should be devoted time for research. The instructor should define plagiarism and explain how to properly cite resources, stressing the importance to reword what students have learned to avoid plagiarism and copyright infringement. Students should use computers with Internet access to gather information on their animal. They should list the animal group, describe characteristics similar to those identified in the previous day, its natural habitat, its diet, sleeping/hibernation patterns, reasons for extinction, and compare it to an existing animal. Students should be able to collaborate and each should contribute to their group. The teacher should go around the room to check on students and be readily available for questions or help.

Bloom's Taxonomy Levels: Apply & Analyze

 

Day 3: This 45 minutes should be used for students to finish up research and synthesize information into a PowerPoint. The PowerPoint they create should include the criteria mentioned in the previous day, plus photos, videos, or other graphics in a well-developed and relevant PowerPoint presentation. The teacher should survey the room, checking in on student progress and being available for questions or concerns.

Bloom's Taxonomy Levels: Create

 

Day 4: Student groups should present their PowerPoint to the class. Each student in the group should contribute and discuss what is on each slide. The presentation should last around 5-7 minutes and students can ask questions at the end of the presentation. With this activity, students are expanding their knowledge on animal characteristics and comparisons, using technology and collaborating with classmates, and learning from their peers in a jigsaw method.

Bloom's Taxonomy Levels: Understand & Evaluate

 

Accommodations:

Some accommodations may be needed depending on the students, such as adaptive keyboards, speech access software, mouse variations, larger text on the screen, etc.

 

Extension:

The lesson can be extended to teach about scientific classification, a concept taught fully in the next grade. The teacher can introduce the topic to the class and explain classification to students (http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/scientific.htm). Students can research one animal from each group to discover the scientific classifications (kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species) and compare and contrast the six animals.

 

Back-up Plan:

If the technology needed for this plan is not available, students can research their animal using text sources rather than online sources. Rather than using PowerPoint, students create a poster or pamphlet on their extinct animals, hand-writing information and drawing pictures.