ALEX Learning Activity

What Lives in a Pond and Desert?

A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.

  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Stephanie Carver
System:Cullman City
School:Cullman City Board Of Education
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 2037
Title:
What Lives in a Pond and Desert?
Digital Tool/Resource:
ReadWorks
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

Students will use ReadWorks to read two articles and discuss that there are many different kinds of living things and that they exist in different places on land and in water. The students will create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast water and land animals.

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Gap Project.
  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
Science
SC2015 (2015)
Grade: 2
7 ) Obtain information from literature and other media to illustrate that there are many different kinds of living things and that they exist in different places on land and in water (e.g., woodland, tundra, desert, rainforest, ocean, river).

Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SCI.AAS.2.7- Participate in activities that show many different living things in different environments.
Digital Literacy and Computer Science
DLIT (2018)
Grade: 2
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 2
26. Compare and contrast important details presented by two texts on the same topic or theme.

a. Compare and contrast different versions of the same story by different authors, from different cultures, or from different points of view.

Examples: The Three Little Pigs and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs; Cinderella and The Rough-Face Girl

b. Compare and contrast story elements of literary texts.

Examples: characters, settings, sequence of events, plots
Learning Objectives:

I can identify that there are many different kinds of animals and that they exist in different places on land and in water.

I can compare and contrast land and water animals by researching information from digital sources.
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
During/Explore/Explain
Activity:

The students will read and discuss two articles from ReadWorks.org: "What Lives in a Pond?" and "What Lives in the Desert?" The articles have questions at the end that can be used to guide a class discussion. The teacher will need to guide the class discussion to identify that there are many different kinds of animals and that they exist in different places on land and in water.

After reading and discussing the two articles, the teacher will draw a Venn diagram on chart paper or the board. The teacher will put water animals in one circle and land animals in the other circle. The students will copy the diagram in their science journals. Allow the students 5-7 minutes to discuss (with partners or groups) and list differences and similarities between the two animals on the Venn diagram. Make sure the students are listing differences in the outside circles and similarities in the overlapping section. The students should use information from the articles. After 5-7 minutes allow the students to share their responses and complete the class Venn diagram. 
Assessment Strategies:

Students will identify that there are many different kinds of animals and that they exist in different places on land and in water through class discussions.

Students will use the Venn diagram to compare and contrast land and water animals using information from research.
Advanced Preparation:

The teacher and students will need ReadWorks.org accounts. ReadWorks is a free online resource that includes a variety of reading passages. Students can simply use their Google account to create a ReadWorks account. The teacher will need to create student accounts if the students do not have Google accounts. Once the teacher has created his or her account, simply create a class and give the class code to the students to join. The teacher can search for the two articles "What Lives in a Pond?" and "What Lives in the Desert?" and assign them to the class. 
Variation Tips (optional):

If students do not have access to a device with internet, then the teacher can use a classroom projector to display the articles or print and copy the articles for the students.
Notes or Recommendations (optional):
 
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: