Total Duration: |
31 to 60 Minutes |
Materials and Resources: |
Teacher Materials Legacy Posters of Alabama Plants and Animals from http://legacyenved.org/product-category/posters/ Tape for displaying Legacy posters Account with Epic! books (Students will be using teacher account) at https://www.getepic.com/ Animal Habitat Checklist (one copy for each group) Rules and procedures checklist for working in small groups (one copy for the teacher) Informational textbooks on animals, plants, and habitats from Alabama for research, such as:
Student Materials Yes/No Signs for each student (The signs could be a sentence strip with yes on one side and no on the other side.) Variety of informational text books on animals, plants, and habitats from Alabama (See list above.) Post-it notes, paper, and pencils for taking notes or drawing pictures for students while looking at books Variety of materials for students to construct animal habitats: 3 small boxes; 9 balls of yarn in brown, light brown, and green; 9 packages of multi-color construction paper; 3 bags of small rocks; 3 large pieces of paper for mural Glue and tape for construction of animal habitat Crayons, markers, pencils, or colored pencils for construction of animal habitat Graphic Organizer for small group planning of the habitat (one copy for each student) Animal Habitat Checklist (one copy for each group) Google Form with six of the Alabama animal habitats discussed with the class for students to vote on three of the animals (See an example here.) Paper and pencil for students to draw a picture the Alabama animals for voting on the three Alabama animals. Paper and pencil drawings would be another option for voting on animals other than doing it in a google form. Paper, pencil, and crayons for drawing pictures of animals, plants, and habitats for small group rotation. (These materials would be needed if technology resources are not available for the epic books small group time.) |
Technology Resources Needed: |
Teacher Materials Desktop computer, Chromebook or iPad Student Materials 4 - 6 Chromebooks or iPads for using Epic books during one of the small group rotations (Another option for the small group time if technology resources are not available would be for students to draw pictures of the animals, plants, and habitats.) 4 - 6 Chromebooks or iPads for students to take turns voting in a Google form |
Background/Preparation: |
Teacher Background Information: The teacher will need to order and display posters of Alabama plants/animals from Legacy. The posters are free, however, there will be a charge for the shipping of the posters ($5.00). To build background knowledge of Alabama plants, animals, and habitats for discussion with students, research the Alabama animals and habitats found on the posters:
Other resources for researching Alabama animals, plants, and habitats:
Preparation: Create a Google form to allow students to vote on the animal they want to research.
Example of Google Form with Alabama Animal Habitats *Students voting for a habitat in Google forms is one option. Students can draw a picture of their three favorite animals on paper with a pencil for voting. Set up an account for Epic Books. The Epic subscription is $4.99/month. Teachers can sign up for one month for free. Epic Books gives students and teachers access to e-readers. While students are using Epic Books in this lesson students will be using the Read to Me readers. For example, Animal Habitats by Julie Lundgren or National Geographic Butterflies. The teacher can create a collection of books for easy access for the students. The teacher will choose a collection in Epic and load the readers of choice into the collection area. Epic Books has a full tutorial at the beginning to introduce the teacher to the procedures. (An alternative option for this small group time if Epic is not available would be for students to draw pictures of animals and habitats.) After students decide on their list of materials for their animal habitat project, the teacher will need to prepare the materials requested for the construction of the animal habitat. Student Background Information: The students will need to know the procedure for using yes/no signs and rules for the turn and talk, such as sit criss-cross, eye to eye, one friend talks and one friend listens, and switch. Students also need to know the rules and procedures for working in small groups, such as get along, respect other ideas, on task, use a quiet voice, stay in your group, and participate. Students will need to have background knowledge of an animal habitat and procedures for using Epic books. |
Day One - Before Strategy The teacher will discuss "What is a habitat?"
The teacher will introduce students to the different plants and animals from Alabama with the Legacy Alabama Plant and Animal posters. The posters include descriptions of the habitat and the environment for many animals in Alabama. During Students participate in a turn and talk to discuss plants, animals, and habitats from Alabama. Students will discuss one of the animals presented and its habitat. Students will also share with a partner one of the plants discussed. The teacher will monitor the turn and talk. (Possible questions from the teacher while monitoring include "Why did you choose that animal or habitat?" and "Did both partners share?" The teacher could also assist students with reminders of animals discussed if needed.) At the end of the turn and talk the teacher will ask some of the students to share one of the areas that their partner discussed with them. After The teacher will review the plants/animals/habitats discussed at the beginning of the lesson. The teacher will read different facts about the Alabama plants/animals/habitats discussed in the lesson. The facts that the teacher reads will be some true facts and some untrue facts. The students will use a yes/no sign if they agree or disagree with the plant/animal/habitat facts. Example statements:
As a group, the students will pick three of the Alabama habitats for animal habitat construction. The teacher will put the six Alabama habitats (Deciduous Forest, Caves, Wetlands, Free Flowing Streams, Coastal Dunes/Beaches, Longleaf Pine Forest) to be choices in the Google form. The students will vote for the three habitats in a Google form. Another option for voting could be to draw a picture of the three favorite Alabama habitats for voting. Day Two Before The teacher will review the information about habitats from the previous lesson and the Alabama plants/animals from the Imperiled Species of Alabama poster. The teacher will divide the class into three groups. The three groups will be selected by the teacher randomly. The number of students in each group will depend on the number of students in the class. The three small groups of students will be assigned one of the top three Alabama habitats from the Google form. The teacher will provide the directions for participation in each group. Directions for participating in the three different groups: 1.) Looking at Informational Books about Animals and Animal Habitats - Students will be given a basket of books about Alabama plants, animals, and habitats. Students will be given a sheet of paper and Post-it notes to record facts or draw pictures that will be useful for their project. 2.) Looking at Books about Animals and Animal Habitats in Epic Books - Students will have a choice of looking and listening to books about animals and animal habitats. Students will be provided with paper for notes or drawings that will be useful for their animal habitat project. The books on Epic will be the Read to Me versions. (Another option for this small group could be for students to draw pictures of the animals and the habitats.) 3.) Researching and Completing the Animal and Animal Habitat with the Teacher - The teacher will help students locate facts for the graphic organizer. The students will complete the different sections of the graphic organizer with the teacher's assistance. The teacher will use the Legacy Animal and Habitat Alabama poster and fact books for the main reference during the small group research. During The teacher will meet with each small group to research their animal. The teacher will guide students in small groups to complete the Animal Habitat, graphic organizer. The students and teacher will use informational text and Legacy posters on the animals, plants, and habitats as a reference for the graphic organizer. After researching and completing the graphic organizer the teacher will give students directions for sharing the animal habitat with the other students. The teacher will share materials that will be available for the construction of the project. While the teacher is meeting with each small group, one group will be on Chromebooks using Epic books to listen to books about their animal or animal habitats. The other group will be looking at books about their animal or animal habitats. The groups will be rotated between these three areas (teacher small group research, epic books on Chromebooks or iPads, and a book center of informational textbooks on animal habitats from Alabama). During the small group research with the teacher, the teacher will help students locate facts from informational textbooks and posters for the graphic organizer. Each student will complete the different sections of the graphic organizer with the teacher's assistance. The teacher will discuss a variety of materials available for the animal habitat project. The teacher will discuss the Animal Habitat checklist requirements with the small group. After After the rotation of all groups, the small groups will meet to finish planning their animal habitat. The teacher will monitor groups and use the small group checklist for observation of group work. Day Three Before Students will meet in small groups to review their plan for the construction of their animal habitat. As a group, the students can decide if they are going to create a diorama or mural to showcase their habitat. The mural or diorama needs to include a model of the animal, and plants and landforms that are associated with the animal's habitat. During Students will construct their animal habitats. The Animal Habitat construction will include facts and ideas from the animal habitat graphic organizer and the previous day's plan. The teacher will monitor and observe small groups using the small group checklist. After Small groups will share their animal habitats with the class. The teacher will monitor and observe the students sharing time using the criteria checklist for the animal habitat project. |
Assessment Strategies |
Day One Formative Assessment Teacher observation during turn and talk. Summative Assessment Teacher observation with yes/no signs of animals of Alabama facts Day Two Formative Assessment Small group checklist for working in small groups independently Day Three Formative Assessment Student participation in sharing animal habitats Summative Assessment |
Acceleration: |
After the small group project, the students could compare the habitats that were created for likenesses and differences, select other Alabama plants, animals, and habitats to research, or research habitats and animals from other parts of the world. |
Intervention: |
The teacher will assist students with turn-and-talk discussions if needed. If the checklist shows a need for intervention, the teacher will assist students in a small group and/or provide assistance with an animal habitat project. |
View the Special Education resources for
instructional guidance in providing modifications and adaptations
for students with significant cognitive disabilities who qualify for the Alabama Alternate Assessment.
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