Zoo+Animals+and+Informatin+Literacy_BWyatt

Grade 1 – Science Objective: To teach the students characteristics of mammals. Indiana State Standards: __ Diversity of Life  __ 1.4.2 Observe and describe that there can be differences, such as size or markings, among the individuals within one kind of plant or animal group. __ Scientific Inquiry  __ 1.1.1 Observe, describe, draw, and sort objects carefully to learn about them. __ Communication Skills  __ 1.2.7 Write brief informational descriptions of a real object, person, place, or event using information from observations. AASL Standards: 1.1.1   Follow an inquiry based process in seeking knowledge in curricular subjects, and make the real world connection for using this process in own life. 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. 1.3.4   Contribute to the exchange of ideas within the learning community. 2.1.4   Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information. 2.4.3   Recognize new knowledge and understanding 4.4.1   Identify own areas of interest. __ INQUIRY SKILL  __ The lesson will incorporate the scaffolding for learning process. The students will be working within “their ability” during the assessment edition of the lesson plan. Prior to the assessment, I read to them //Brown Bear Brown Bear What do You See// that will help them generate questions about bears or mammals. During the assessment l will give them words of encouragement. According to Callison’s Blue Book, “//success is reinforced by the teacher and by the learner’s growing awareness and/or understanding when the task has been achieved//.” __ REVIEW  __ The Inquiry will begin with reviewing with the students what he or she knows about animals. Perhaps they have been to a zoo or they have a pet. The students may be familiar with animals; however it’s important to help them with any unfamiliar words, terms, concepts, or questions in a noncritical and nonjudgmental manner. According to Callison’s //Blue Book//, //the closer the teacher can come to understanding the learner’s abilities, experiences, and expectations, the more likely communication will be effective from the beginning of a lesson or task (Gagne and Wager 1992).// __ LESSON PLAN  __ Prior to beginning the lesson, send out an email to the staff stating that you would like your coworkers to bring in stuffed animals for an upcoming lesson. This will do two things; help eliminate the stress from trying to gather a wide range of stuffed animals and help you collaborate with the other teachers in the school and special area teachers. Begin by reading the book Brown //Bear, Brown Bear What Do You// See written by Eric Carle. The book will help you introduce the concept of mammals to the first graders. Explain to them the definition of a mammal and show/tell them other examples of mammals with the stuffed animals that are on display. Explain to your students that all of the animals are grouped together because they’re the same in some ways. Invite the students to suggest ways that these animals are the same. Explain that they all have hair covering on at least part of their skin. Introduce the vocabulary word, “**fur**” to the students. Explain to the students that the fur keeps the animals warm. You could bring in old coats and have a couple of students put the coats on and have them do 10 jumping jacks. Once they have completed the jumping jacks have them take the coats off and have them share with the class on how they feel. This would help the students understand how the fur is a layer that keeps the mammals warm and protects them from the extremities of the environment. Explain to the students that baby mammals are born alive and look like tiny versions of their parents. Tell the students that some mammals live on land, including dogs, cats, and rabbits. However some mammals, such as whales live in water. Ask the students to identify where each of the stuffed animals lives. __ ASSESMENT  __ After going over mammals and characteristics of a mammal, give the students several animal magazines, scissors, glue, and a handout that has the word “mammal” in the middle with 6 to 8 bubbles linking from the middle bubble. Have the students look through the magazines for pictures of mammals, cut them out, and paste them in the circles of the Web. The graph or “spider map” will help the students visualize on how the mammals are interconnected in some way or another. Were the pictures of mammals? Did the students look to the stuffed animals for reference when cutting pictures from the magazines? Were the pictures placed within the bubbles? During the assessment period, it’s important for you as the teacher, media specialist, or art teacher to model appropriate researching skills and cut pictures out of the magazines at the same time as the students. According to Callison’s Blue Book, “//teaching teams who engage in Information Inquire are most likely to create authentic learning environments when they act as mentors or master-level teachers who model for their learning apprentices.”// To view the “spider web” and the completed “spider web" click on the link.

__ LITATURE CONNECTIONS  __ Below is a list of books the media specialist could read to the students. Other suggestions would be to have the students research a mammal in the media center and illustrate the mammal in art class. //__ Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See __// by Eric Carle //__ Have You Seen My Cat __// by Eric Carle //__ Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You Hear __// by Eric Carle

__ CONCLUSION __ After conducting the lesson with the students, you could set up a couple of computers in the classroom on live-feeds from a zoo. The students could view the animals in their own habitat and would introduce them new concepts or further their understanding of mammals. As they progress, this lesson will help them understand the concept of mammals and prepare them for future field trips to the Indianapolis Zoo. The link below provides a live feed of a Panda Bear from San Diego Zoo. http://www.sandiegozoo.org/pandacam/index.html

Grade 6 – Science Objective: The lesson will help students understand how animals are classified. Indiana State Standards: __ Communication Skills __ 6.2.5 Organize information in simple tables and graphs and identify relationships they reveal. Use tables and graphs as examples of evidence for explanations when writing essays or writing about lab work, fieldwork, etc. 6.2.7 Locate information in reference books, back issues of newspapers and magazines, CD-ROMs, and computer databases. AASL Standards: 1.1.2   User prior and background knowledge as context for new learning. 1.1.3   Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions. 1.4.2   Use interaction with and feedback from teachers and peers to guide own inquiry process. 2.1.4   Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information. __ INQUIRY SKILL  __ During the lesson, I will be incorporating Ausubel’s Theory during the teaching phase of the lesson. As stated in Callison’s Blue Book, //“provides general model for introduction of new facts or idea, but broad enough to move the learner up a notch or so on the complexities of the material to be learned.”// During the early stages of the lesson I will provide a few examples or facts for them to build upon. This will help draw interest in the students’ perception of the topic. __ REVIEW  __ Students in the 6th grade are curious about the incredible array of animals that coexist with humans on Earth. In this lesson, the students will learn about the animal kingdom. The KWL chart will help the student see connections, improve comprehension skills and strategies. By incorporating the KWL chart the students at the start of the lesson are voicing or thinking about their “baseline knowledge”. According to Callison’s //__Blue Book__//, //“understanding metacognition is essential for those teachers who want to facilitate effectively the creation of learning environments.”//

__ LESSON PLAN __ During the beginning phase of the lesson, explain that 9 or 10 million species of animals live on Earth. Explain to your students that scientist use a system, or taxonomy, for naming and grouping living organisms. Within the system there are seven groups or categories. Animals are divided up into the following categories; Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. During this lesson, our class will focus on one group and the largest group of them all, kingdom Animalia. This kingdom is the broadest of the groups in the system. Ask the students what they currently know about the animal kingdom? Ask them what animals are in this category? During this stage of the lesson plan I will be incorporating the “debriefing and thinking process.” As a group we will complete a KWL chart with the information that was provided by the students or with the help of the teacher. According to Callison’s Blue Book, “//by using this simple three-column structure, the students list what they Know, Want to learn, and have learned. The visual organizer again helps students see relationships, but also helps learners see personal progress and initiates self-evaluation”.// During this part of the lesson plan explain to them some well-known characteristics of mammals; mammals feed their young with milk, are covered with hair, and have live births. On the other hand, amphibians are frogs and toads; amphibians have moist skin and are hatched from eggs.

__ ASSESMENT __ After we have discussed the major differences and similarities between mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish the students will use books, magazines, Internet, and Zoo books to conduct a research project. The students will be required to complete the KWL chart by filling out what was learned column. The students will create a PowerPoint presentation about an animal that is classified in the animal kingdom. The presentation will be shared with their fellow classmates after the lesson is completed. The PowerPoint presentation will consist of the following slides; title slide, name of animal along with picture of animal, location or environment the animal lives in, and one fact about the animal. Below is what the completed KWL chart and PowerPoint point presentation should look like. I will use these documents when assessing if the students furthered their scientific thinking about the topic.

Please click on the KWL Chart and PowerPoint Presentationto view examples and assessment tools for this lesson. __ LITATURE CONNECTIONS __ Below is a list of books the media specialist could read to the students. All children enjoying a good read aloud that has excellent illustrations that reinforce what is being read.  Why Noah Chose the Dove by Eric Carle The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle The Greedy Python by Eric Carle

__ CONCLUSION __ After the lesson has been completed, I plan on having a zoo keeper from the Indianapolis Zoo come into the classroom or take a field trip to the Indianapolis Zoo. This will put closure on the unit and give the students the opportunity to ask any unanswered questions they have about this kingdom.

__ LESSON COMPARISON __ The lessons listed above clearly show the differences in the maturation and depth of understanding from the 1st grade to the 6th grade. During the first lesson, the students are learning or developing the foundation of information which is very important during this level of their development.

By the fourth grade the students should be able to: These methods are integrated into first lesson along with words of encouragement to be given by the teacher. The latter is perhaps the most important because it’s important that the students have the confidence in their skills which will help them as they move up the ladder of maturation. By grades 5 to 8 the students should be able to:
 * 1) Ask a question about objects, organisms, and events in the environment.
 * 2) Plan and conduct simple investigation.
 * 3) Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses.
 * 1) Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigation.
 * 2) Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.
 * 3) Communicate scientific procedures and explanations

During my lesson these concepts are taking into consideration and the students are given the opportunity to strengthen their abilities in the areas listed above. Scaffolding in both lessons is achieved by providing words of encouragement, working along with the students in the beginning part of the lesson, or filling in the KWL as a group. With the 1st grade student, scaffolding would occur during the beginning phase of the lesson. Students are taught and shown the various stuffed animals as examples of mammals. Given them examples of animals along with facts of these mammals will help them grasp the concepts and help them when they are finding pictures of mammals to cut out. Therefore, helping them build upon their prior knowledge of mammals and what was just talked about in class. The 6th grade student should have the background skills as listed above. However, as the student fills out the KWL chart along with researching a specific animal, he or she will be developing those "lifelong learning skills". Having the students create a PowerPoint presentation will give the student as well as teacher the satisfaction and added understanding of the inquiry process. Anytime a student can see a "finished product" he/she will have a deep sense of satisfaction and inturn the confidence to build upon what was learned during this inquiry project. According to Callison's //__Blue Book__//, //"student learning is constructed based on a sequence of skills with meaningful activities that are presented by the teacher to help the student climb to the desired educational goal or behavior."//

Callison, Daniel & Preddy, Leslie (2006). //The Blue Book on Information Age Inquiry, Instruction, & Literacy//.