ALEX Classroom Resource

  

Animal Study: From Fiction to Facts

  Classroom Resource Information  

Title:

 Animal Study: From Fiction to Facts

URL:

 http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/animal-study-from-fiction-286.html?tab=1#tabs

Content Source:

 ReadWriteThink
Type: Lesson/Unit Plan

Overview:

This lesson describes how to use selected fiction and nonfiction literature and careful questioning techniques to help students identify factual information about animals. Children first identify possible factual information from works of fiction which are read aloud, then they listen to read-alouds of nonfiction texts to identify and confirm factual information. This information is then recorded on charts and graphic organizers. Finally, students use the Internet to gather additional information about the animal and then share their findings with the class. The lesson can be used as presented to find information about ants or can be easily adapted to focus on any animal of interest to students. Resources are included for ants, black bears, fish, frogs and toads, penguins, and polar bears.

Content Standard(s):
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: K
2. Actively engage in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers to build background knowledge needed to be successful as they learn to read and, later, read to learn.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
2.
  • Actively engage
  • Teacher-led reading experiences
  • Collaborative discussions
  • Background knowledge
  • Peers
Knowledge:
2. Students know:
  • How to engage in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers to build background knowledge.
Skills:
2. Students are able to:
  • Build background knowledge by actively engaging in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers.
Understanding:
2. Students understand that:
  • They need to build background knowledge to be successful as they learn to read and read to learn.
  • They need to actively engage in teacher-led reading experiences and discussions with peers to build their background knowledge.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: K
21. Use new and previously-taught vocabulary to produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.

a. Use previously-taught vocabulary words, including nouns, verbs, and adjectives, in speaking and writing.

b. Use new words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to text.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
21.
  • New vocabulary
  • Previously-taught vocabulary
  • Produce
  • Expand
  • Complete sentences
  • Shared language activities
21a.
  • Previously-taught vocabulary
  • Nouns
  • Verbs
  • Adjectives
  • Speaking
  • Writing
21b.
  • New words
  • Phrases
  • Acquired
  • Conversations
  • Reading
  • Being read to
  • Responding to text
Knowledge:
21. Students know:
  • Components of a complete sentence.
21a.
  • Previously-taught vocabulary words, including nouns, verbs, and adjectives, orally and in writing .
21b.
  • New words and phrases that were acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to text.
Skills:
21. Students are able to:
  • Use new and previously-taught vocabulary in complete sentences in shared language activities.
  • Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.
21a.
  • Use previously-taught vocabulary words, including nouns, verbs, and adjectives, when speaking and in writing.
21b.
  • Use new words and phrases that were acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to text.
Understanding:
21. Students understand that:
  • They can use new and previously-taught vocabulary to produce and expand complete sentences.
  • Using vocabulary words in complete sentences can help them convey meaning in speaking and writing.
21a.
  • Using a variety of vocabulary words can improve the effectiveness of their message when speaking and writing.
21b.
  • Conversations, reading, being read to, and responding to text will help them to learn new words and phrases.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: K
30. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in literary and informational texts.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
30.
  • Ask
  • Answer
  • Key details
  • Literary text
  • Informational text
  • Prompting
  • Support
Knowledge:
30. Students know:
  • Key details in literary and informational texts.
Skills:
30. Students are able to:
With prompting and support,
  • Ask questions about key details in literary and informational texts.
  • Answer questions about key details in literary and informational texts.
Understanding:
30. Students understand that:
  • Text includes key details.
  • After reading a text, knowledge and understanding can be expanded by asking and answering questions.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: K
37. Actively participate in shared and independent writing experiences, for varied purposes and audiences, across different genres.

a. Actively participate in shared writing experiences to create messages, lists, and labels for a drawing or illustration.

b. Actively participate in shared writing experiences to create narratives with the events in chronological order and share feelings about the story, using drawing, dictating, and/or writing.

c. Actively participate in shared writing experiences to create opinion pieces about a topic or text, state the opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide a sense of closure, using drawing, dictating, and/or writing.

d. Actively participate in shared writing experiences to create explanatory texts or provide factual information about a topic, using drawing, dictating, and/or writing.

e. With prompting and support, compose writing for varied purposes and audiences, across different genres.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
37.
  • Actively participate
  • Shared writing experiences
  • Independent writing experiences
  • Varied purposes
  • Varied audiences
  • Difference genres
37a.
  • Actively participate
  • Shared writing experiences
  • Create
  • Messages
  • Lists
  • Labels
  • Drawing
  • Illustration
37b.
  • Actively participate
  • Shared writing experiences
  • Create
  • Narratives
  • Events
  • Chronological order
  • Feelings
  • Story
  • Drawing
  • Dictating
  • Writing
37c.
  • Actively participate
  • Shared writing experiences
  • Create
  • Opinion pieces
  • Topic
  • Text
  • State
  • Opinion
  • Supply
  • Reason
  • Sense of closure
  • Drawing
  • Dictating
  • Writing
37d.
  • Actively participate
  • Shared writing experiences
  • Create
  • Explanatory text
  • Factual information
  • Topic
  • Drawing
  • Dictating
  • Writing
37e.
  • Compose
  • Writing
  • Varied purposes
  • Varied audiences
  • Different genres
  • Prompting
  • Support
Knowledge:
37. Students know:
  • Different genres of writing.
  • The purpose and audience for writing can change.
37a.
  • Writing, such as messages, lists, and labels, can be added to a drawing or illustration to convey meaning.
37b.
  • Narrative writing tells a story with events in chronological order.
  • Readers should be able to share their feelings after reading a narrative story.
37c.
  • To express an opinion in writing, an author should state the opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and include a closing statement.
37d.
  • Explanatory texts provide factual information.
37e.
  • The format of writing will change, depending on its purpose, audience, and genre.
Skills:
37. Students are able to:
  • Write for various purposes and audiences across different genres, with teacher assistance and independently.
37a.
  • Create messages, lists, and labels for a drawing or illustration.
37b.
  • Create a narrative with the events in chronological order and share their feelings about the narrative, using drawing, dictating, and/or writing.
37c.
  • Create an opinion piece with reason and closure using drawing, dictating, and/or writing.
37d.
  • Create explanatory texts or provide factual information about a topic, using drawing, dictating, and/or writing.
37e. With prompting and support,
  • Compose writing for varied purposes and audiences, across different genres.
Understanding:
37. Students understand that:
  • Writing conveys a message, and the format of writing will change, depending on its purpose, audience, and intended meaning.
37a.
  • Creating a message, list, or label for a drawing or illustration can help provide readers with important information.
37b.
  • Narratives should be written in chronological order and express the author's feelings.
  • They can share their feelings about a story using drawing, dictating, or writing.
37c.
  • Opinions may be expressed through writings based on reasoning.
37d.
  • When writing an explanatory text, they must provide factual information.
37e.
  • Writing communicates ideas, and the format of writing must change in order to convey its message to its intended audience.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: K
39. Participate in shared research and writing projects to answer a question or describe a topic.

a. Include information recalled from personal experiences in research and writing projects.

b. Gather information from provided sources for research and writing projects.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
39.
  • Participate
  • Shared research
  • Shared writing projects
  • Answer a question
  • Describe a topic
39a.
  • Include
  • Information
  • Recalled
  • Personal experiences
  • Research projects
  • Writing projects
39b.
  • Gather
  • Information
  • Provided sources
  • Research projects
  • Writing projects
Knowledge:
39. Students know:
  • Research and writing can answer questions or describe a topic.
39a.
  • Information recalled from personal experiences can be added to research and writing projects.
39b.
  • Information gathered from different sources can be added to research and writing projects.
Skills:
39. Students are able to:
  • Work collaboratively with peers and adults in research and writing projects.
  • Use research and writing to answer questions about a topic.
  • Use research and writing to describe a topic.
39a.
  • Recall information from personal experiences.
  • Include information from personal experiences in research and writing projects.
39b.
  • Use strategies to gather information from provided sources to research and write about a topic.
Understanding:
39. Students understand that:
  • Shared research and writing projects can help answer questions or describe a topic.
39a.
  • Information gathered from personal experiences can help to understand and write about a topic.
39b.
  • Gathering information from a variety of sources can help increase their understanding of a topic and improve their research and writing projects.
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
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
26.
  • Compare
  • Contrast
  • Topic
  • Theme
26a.
  • Compare
  • Contrast
  • Authors
  • Cultures
  • Points of view
26b.
  • Compare
  • Contrast
  • Story elements
  • Literary texts
Knowledge:
26. Students know:
  • Compare means tell how things are alike or similar.
  • Contrast means tell how things are different.
26a.
  • Compare means tell how things are alike or similar.
  • Contrast means tell how things are different.
  • The same story can be told by different authors, can exist in different cultures, or can be told by different narrators.
26b.
  • Compare means tell how things are alike or similar.
  • Contrast means tell how things are different.
  • Literary texts include common story elements.
Skills:
26. Students are able to:
  • Compare and contrast important details after reading two texts that have a common theme or topic.
26a.
  • Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story by different authors, from different cultures, or from different points of view.
  • For example, The Three Little Pigs and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs or Cinderella and The Rough-Face Girl.
26b.
  • Compare and contrast story elements in literary texts, such as characters, settings, sequence of events, and plots.
Understanding:
26. Students understand that:
  • Texts about the same topic or theme will have similarities and differences.
  • Comparing and contrasting texts with the same topic or theme will improve their overall comprehension of the texts.
26a.
  • Similarities and differences between the same stories can teach the reader about different cultures and explain different points of view.
26b.
  • Comparing and contrasting story elements of literary texts can improve their comprehension, or understanding, of the texts.
Tags: animals, fiction, nonfiction, research
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Author: Cassie Raulston
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