Thursday, December 1, 2016

First Draft of Lessons 1-5

LESSON 1

UNIT TOPIC: South America Tropical Rainforest
LESSON TOPIC: South America
AGE/GRADE: 10-11 / Fifth Grade
TIME: This lesson with be done in two days, with each session held for 40 minutes.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: 
What is the South America Tropical Rainforest?
LESSON ESSENTIAL QUESTION: 
What is South America?
RATIONALE AND CONTEXT:
I believe that this topic is very important for children to learn about.  My unit is South America Tropical Rainforests, so this lesson, “What is South America,” fits in with the unit plan by just giving the students some general background knowledge about the specific continent I chose to focus in on.  It is important for all children to know about the different parts of the world and all that they entail.  For my unit plan and lesson one, I would like my students to start by learning about South America in general to help them ease their way into narrowing down to the tropical rainforests it holds. 
TEACHER CONTENT KNOWLEDGE:
South America is one of the seven continents in the world and experiences a different kind of culture than others.  There are about twelve countries and a few islands that make up South America, and they each use different languages due to their history of European migrants.  From its geography, language, clothing, and climate to its food, art, dance, and music; South America is an amazing place that holds so many great learning opportunities and cultural entities that everyone should know about. 
DESIRED RESULTS: 
Common Core/Vermont Standard GE(s)/National Arts Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.1
Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.2
Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.

 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Learning Objective(s): Indicate additional (to above) learning objectives what you want your students to know, be able to do, and experience.  These should complement the GE(s) and be assessable. 
  • I would like my students to learn how to work in groups and collaborate with their peers over certain topics being discussed.  
  • I would like my students to listen and respond respectfully to others who are talking and sharing ideas or thoughts.
  • I would like my students to participate and cooperate in each activity. 
Focusing Question(s):
  1. What and where is South America?
  2. What language do they speak in South America?
  3. What type of clothes do people in South America wear?
  4. What types of food do they eat in South America?
  5. What kind of art, music, and dance is important in their culture? 
Language Objectives:
  • South America
  • Geography
    • Continent / Country
  • Culture
    • Clothing, Language, Food, Art, Music, Dance
ASSESSMENT:   (How will you know what students have learned?) Include:                 
Strategies: 
In order to assess if my students have learned everything I taught them about South America, I will have each of them create a collage map of South America.  The students will cut out a piece of paper in the shape of South America during the first day of this lesson.  Then during the second day of Lesson One, they will cut and paste pictures from magazines of everything that relates to this continent and its culture on the paper. However, they will not fill the whole collage yet.  After lesson 2 when the students get to learn a little more about the South American culture, they will finish their collages and write a few sentences on the back of their collage map about their favorite things in the South America culture. 
Process: 
The form I will use to evaluate the students’ learning would be a checklist of the terms or concepts they included in their collage and few sentences.  The more terms or concepts used, the more they have learned or remembered from the lesson.  

Criteria: 
  • Did the students listen?
  • Were the students cooperating and collaborating nicely with their peers?
  • Were the students respecting each others’ thoughts, opinions, and answers?
  • Did the students participate?
Reflection to Students:
In order to reflect on the work the students have done, I will keep a checklist of all of the terms, concepts, and learning objectives I would like each students to take away from this lesson and will keep track of how well each student does at learning them and incorporating them into their collage map.  Next, I would also like to meet with each student individually and go over the things they know and have taken away from the lesson; then I will let them know the terms and concepts that they should work on remembering a little more. 
LEARNING PLAN: 
Hook: 
Does anyone like to travel?  Has anyone ever wondered what different parts of the world are like? Well, South America is one of the many different continents around the world and is filled with many different countries that have each grown their own unique culture.  
Connect: 
A few days before starting this unit and this first lesson, I will do a KWL chart and ask the students what they already know, what they want to know, and what they want to learn about South America.  By doing this, it will ease the students into the overall unit and give them a general idea about the future lessons as well. 
Instruction:     
DAY 1 (40 minutes total)
  1. Lesson Overview Part 1 (1 min)
  2. Morning Greeting (2 min)
Students will go around the room and say good morning in a different language. 
  1. Geography!
A. Activity #1: Continents Song (5 min)
The students will view a song about the seven continents around the world. 
Then I will have 2 volunteers come up to the map on the board and name the seven continents to the class.
B. Activity #2: South America Countries Song (8 min)
Next the students will view one more song, this time about the particular countries in South America. 
Finally, the students will work in pairs to fill out a blank map of South America with a given word bank 
C. Activity #3: Create Your Own South America (8 min)
Each student will be given a piece of paper and they will have to draw what they remember South America looking like.  Then they will cut it out and save this map of South America for an activity at the end of the lesson. 
  1. Language
A. Activity #4: Hello!  (5 min)
As a class we will learn how to say Hello in each of the five different languages used in South America. 
Portuguese - Olá
Spanish - Hola
Dutch - Hallo
French - Bonjour
English - Hello
  1. Reading about South America
A. Activity #5: Moon Was Tired of Walking on Air by Natalia Maree Belting and Will Hillenbrand (10 min)
I will read this short story to the class about myths and tales of South American Indians and their culture they live in.  After the story is over, I will call on certain students to re-cap main events that happened in each myth or tale and try to relate  it to what we have learned so far in the lesson. 
DAY 2 (40 minutes total)
  1. Lesson Overview Part 2 (1 min)
  2. Morning Meeting (2 min)
The students will go around the classroom saying good morning and naming their favorite food to eat.
  1. Clothing 
A. Activity #1: Clothing (5 min)
I will put up a few pictures of the traditional outfits that North Americans in the United States wear on one side of the board.  Then on the other side, I will put up pictures of traditional outfits that South Americans wear.  The students will be able to talk in small groups to compare and contrast the different styles between the two different cultures.  Then each group will tell the class the similarities and differences they have spotted between the two cultures. 
  1. Food
A. Activity #2: Food (5 min)
I will start this section by asking the students what foods they think people in South America eat.  Once the students give their answers, I will present to them the traditional foods that they really eat in South America.  We will see which answers were right or wrong and give the students the correct knowledge about South American cuisine. 
  1. Art, Music, Dance
A. Art (5 min)
I will show pictures of a few traditional art pieces of South America. Then I will ask the students: What do you see? When do you think it was made? Does it tell a story? etc.
B. Activity #3: Music (7 min)
I will play a few traditional pieces of music from the United States then compare this to a few traditional pieces of music from South America.  After the songs are over, I will ask the students to say a few things they noticed about the songs in general.  Were there any differences between the songs from each country?  What kind of feelings were involved in each song?  Were the beats from each country generally happy and engaging or gloomy and boring?
C. Activity #4: Class Dance (5 min)
As a class, we will learn how to do the Salsa Dance. 
  1.  Activity #5: Create Your Own South America Continued (10 min)
The students will continue to create their own version of South America.  They will pull out the blank map they made from Day One of the lesson, and this time they will have the chance to cut out pictures from magazines of anything they can remember that relates to South America.  With those pictures, they will create a collage in their map of South America they have created.  However, they will not finish the whole collage during this lesson.  It will be completed at the end of Lesson Two when they finish learning about the landforms in South America.
Closure and Connections
The cumulating experience that will help the students develop and demonstrate their knowledge learned will be the collage map of South America that they make during the lesson.  The essential question for this lesson is “What is South America?”  This cumulative experience relates to this essential question because the students will have a clear understanding of South America’s geography and shape, along with the cultural aspects that they will glue onto the map.  This cumulating experience will be a sum of everything they learned about South America during this lesson.  It will connect to the future lessons about South America because they now have background knowledge about one of the main subjects in the lesson and will have a better understanding of the country in general when we go further into talking about its landforms and rainforests. 
Extensions:
This lesson about South America’s geography and culture leads into the next lesson of South America’s landforms.  Before learning about South America’s landforms, the students need to gain a general background about what South America is, where it is, and the culture behind it before they go into more detail about what type of land this continent has.  This way, the students will know the exact part of the world we are talking about in lesson two and have general background knowledge about the subject matter instead of going in blind to the topic. 
ACCOMMODATIONS:  
If my students do not understand the instructions I give, I will repeat them in a different way to help them better grasp the concept.  If they still do not understand, I might ask a student to try to explain the instructions.  Sometimes having a peer explain or someone who thinks alike to the person confused explain the instructions, the confused student will understand it better.  However, if it is an art project, such as the collage map, I will create one on my own so that the students have an example to go by instead of having to go in blind for a project.  I know it always helped me in school if I had an example to help guide my learning. 
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
  • Blank computer paper/Loose-leaf lined paper
  • Printed blank/fill in maps of South America
  • Scissors, Pencils, Glue sticks
  • Magazines
  • Computer/Youtube
  • Projector
  • Large World Map
  • Moon Was Tired of Walking on Air by Natalia Maree Belting and Will Hillenbrand


LESSON 2

UNIT TOPIC: South America Tropical Rainforest
LESSON TOPIC: South America Landscapes
AGE/GRADE: 10-11 / Fifth Grade
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: 
What is the South America Tropical Rainforest?
LESSON ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
What is the South America Tropical Rainforest?
RATIONALE AND CONTEXT
I believe that this lesson and topic of South America Landscapes is important because after learning about where specifically South America is and about its whole culture, it is important to learn about what this continent entails.  It is important next to find out what lies here on the land and what we can look further into.  This lesson fits with the unit plan, because after learning about the landscapes in South America, we can narrow in on the specific on of the Amazon Rainforest, which is the topic of the whole unit.  
TEACHER CONTENT KNOWLEDGE:
There are tons of types of landforms all over the world.  South America holds almost all of the landform types, each containing different cultures and lifestyles performed by the people. From volcanos, canyons, and mountains, to plains, deserts, oceans, and islands; The world and South America hold so many great wonders that will hopefully capture the students’ interests as it did for me.
DESIRED RESULTS: 
Common Core/Vermont Standard GE(s)/National Arts Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.2
Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.2.B
Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
Learning Objective(s):
  • I would like my students to listen and respond respectfully to others who are talking and sharing ideas or thoughts.
  • I would like my students to participate and cooperate in each activity.
Focusing Question(s):
- What is a landform?
- What landforms are in South America?
Language Objectives: 
  • Landform
  • Volcano
  • Canyon
  • Mountain, Valley … Andes Mountains
  • Plains, Grassland … Pampas … Patagonia
  • Desert … Atacama Desert
  • Ocean, Island … Tierra Del Fuego
  • Amazon River 
  • Amazon Basin
ASSESSMENT:                  
Strategies: 
Some strategies I will use to assess how my students learn my lesson and activities will be to play a game called the Globe Toss and to have each student create a flip book of landforms learned.  Thorough the Globe Toss, every student will get a chance to catch the blow up globe and call out the continent and landform that their finger lands on.  Then through the landform flip book, I will be able to ensure that each student clearly understands what each landform is, looks like, and a fact or two about it. 
Process:
To evaluate my students’ learning from the above strategies, I will use a checklist to make sure they each fully understand the concepts and objectives taught in the lesson.
Criteria:
  • Did the students listen?
  • Were the students cooperating and collaborating nicely with their peers?
  • Were the students respecting each others’ thoughts, opinions, and answers?
  • Did the students participate?
Reflection to Students:
I will provide specific feedback to the students about what their progress and what they might need to improve by having a checklist.  Through this checklist, I will be able to make sure they know the main language and learning objectives needed for this unit to be complete. 
LEARNING PLAN: 
Hook:
“Take a look out the window.  What do you see? What do you notice about the land? All around the world, there are different types of land that people live on, called landforms, and each of those different landforms affects one’s culture and how they live.”
Connect: 
The first unit of What is South America, will help ease the students into this lesson of South America’s landforms.  Then once they learn these specific landforms, in the next lesson, we can narrow in on one specific landform, the Amazon Basin or Rainforest. This way, we can ease our way into the specific topics.  Starting with more general information and slowly building up the topic can benefit the child in learning and retaining more information.
Instruction: 
  1. Lesson Overview (1 min)
  2. Morning Greeting (2 min)
Students will go around the room and say good morning and their favorite outdoor place to go.
  1. KWL Chart (5 min)
As a class we will talk and make a list of what all of the students KNOW about landforms and bodies of water; and what they 
        WANT to know or learn about landforms and bodies of water.
  1. Landforms (4 min)
Next, as a class we will listen to a song about landforms around the world.
  1. Activity 1: Landform Tour (10 min)
As a class, we will go on a walk around the school yard and observe the landforms around our school area.  This will give the      
        students a deeper understanding of what lives on the school ground. 
  1. Activity 2: Globe Toss (8 min)
Once we come inside from our Landform Tour, the students will play a game that is similar to silent ball, but I call it the Globe 
        Toss.  The students will toss a blow up ball around the room and when you catch the ball, whatever country and landform your 
        right thumb lands on, you announce that to the class.  Every student will get a chance to catch, announce, and learn a new 
        landform to their classmates.  
  1. South America Landforms (5 min)
I will show a map that color codes each of the South America landforms and where they are located on the continent.  Then I will zoom in on each landform while providing some key facts about each and the different environments that they have; including climate, animals and plants, human life, etc. 
  1. Activity 3: Landform Flip Book (15 min)
Finally, the students will make a Landform Flip Book.  Each student will have a chance to work independently in making a flip book that they can look back on in the future.  To make this flip book, the students will cut out the shapes of the landforms, which will be given in stencil format.  Then, they will present them in a way that creates a book.  They will also write a little expert on each landform including the key information they learned about each one.  This will be easy for the students to flip through and read just a little excerpt about the specific landform they are interested in.  They will also have a chance to color in each landform in the book.  
Closure and Connections:
A culminating experience that will help students demonstrate their developing knowledge could be the Globe Toss and the Landscape Flip Book.  Both of these include all of the students interacting with one another in an engaging way, whether tossing the globe and announcing their landscape to the class or comparing landscape flip books with their table.  These will also help the students summarize what they have learned and connect it to the next lessons to be learned.  These activities relate to the essential question of What is the South America Rainforest, because this gives a broad understanding of what that is as a landform and where it might be in the world.
Extensions:
Students might extend their learning by now starting to observe their surroundings out side.  After the walking tour on the school yard observing landscapes, the students might keep doing that on their own, whether at home, on car rides, etc.  This lesson bridges to the next lesson in the unit because in lesson three, we narrow in on the South America Landscape of the Amazon Basin/Rainforest.  This lesson is just a little introduction to what we will be learning in the future. 
ACCOMMODATIONS:  
If students to not understand the lessons being taught, I will make accommodations for them and help them to better understand them in a different way.  For example, I can repeat those instructions in a different way, or have a student repeat the directions.  Sometimes hearing things from another person, especially a peer, helps see things in a different perspective.  For the art projects, I will create my own so that the students will have an example to go by if they are confused about their own.   
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Specify what resources/materials you will need. Include technology needs, reading materials, lab equipment, etc. 
  • blank computer paper
  • crayons, sharpie markers
  • glue, tape
  • blow up globe
  • computer, YouTube, projector

LESSON 3

UNIT TOPIC: South America Tropical Rainforest
LESSON TOPIC: Rainforests
AGE/GRADE: 10-11 / Fifth Grade
TIME: This lesson will last 2 days, each day being 60 minutes
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: 
What is the South America Tropical Rainforest?
LESSON ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
What are rainforests? 
RATIONALE AND CONTEXT
I believe this topic is important for children to learn about because, as I said, learning about different parts of the world in general is something everyone should do.  It is important to know what is out there and the different cultures people live in around the world.  My unit topic is the South America Tropical Rainforest, so this lesson about Rainforests fits in by just explaining rainforest in general.  It is important for children to have a general understanding about this type of environment before we go more in-depth about it in a specific area of the world.
TEACHER CONTENT KNOWLEDGE: 
Rainforests play a huge role in the environment and the way different species interact around each other.  There are four layers of the rainforest … the Forest Floor, the Understory, the Emergent Layer, and the Canopy Layer.  In each of these layers, there lives all kinds of different animal and plant species that feed off of each other to survive and create the circle of life. 
DESIRED RESULTS: 
Common Core/Vermont Standard GE(s)/National Arts Standards:
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in  groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 
        5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
Learning Objective(s): 
  • I would like my students to participate in each activity
  • I would like my students to respect others’ opinions and listen respectively.
  • I would like my students to collaborate and work together in pairs or groups to help each other with their work. 
Focusing Question(s)
  • What is a Rainforest?
  • Where are rainforests around the world?
  • Where are rainforests in South America?
  • What are the layers of the rainforest?
  • How does each layer impact one another?
Language Objectives:
  • Rainforest
  • Forest Floor
  • Understory
  • Emergent
  • Canopy 
ASSESSMENT:                  
Strategies: 
One strategy for my students to learn the materials is to have them fill out worksheets with a partner about the rainforest.  Another strategy is to have each student create the Shoe Box Layer of the rainforest.  After learning about each layer, the students will perform what they learned by creating a large art project, writing about it, and presenting it to the class. 
Process:.
I will evaluate my students using a checklist on the Shoe Box project to make sure they included a certain amount of things from their chosen layer.  Then I will use a rubric to grade the writing portion of the Shoe Box project.  To evaluate the worksheets, I will leave notes on the side if a question is wrong or if they could use some feedback on writing.
Criteria: 
  • Did the students listen to others?
  • Did the students cooperate together in groups or pairs?
  • Were the students respectful to other’s opinions or thoughts?
  • Did the students participate in the activities presented? 
Reflection to Students:
I will provide specific feedback to students by using a checklist, a rubric, and notes. After filling these out, I will hand them back to the student to they can check their work and go back to fix it at a later date. 
LEARNING PLAN: 
Hook: 
Has anyone ever visited a rainforest before?  What can you all tell me about rainforests?  What do you already know?  What you want to find out? (We will start with a KWL chart to introduce the topic).
Connect: 
Lesson two is about landforms in South America, and one of those landforms is the Amazon River and Rainforest.  By learning a general overview about those landforms in lesson two will gently lead the students into this next lesson about rainforests around the world.  This lesson about rainforests connects to the last two lessons in my unit about South America Rainforest animals and plants because the next two lessons focus in on more details that we briefly touch upon in the Rainforest lesson. 
Instruction: 
DAY 1
  1. Lesson Overview (1 min)
  2. Morning Greeting (2 min)
Students will go around the room saying good morning and their favorite color. 
  1. KWL Chart (5 min)
As a class, we will start out by making a KWL Chart.  I will ask the students about what they already know of rainforest and what 
         they would like to know or learn about them.
  1. What is a Rainforest (8 min)
The students will watch a short video that explains what the rainforest is.  Then we will have a short discussion about what they 
         learned.
  1. Nature’s Green Umbrella (10 min)
As a class, we will read Nature’s Green Umbrella.  This book illustrates all that rainforest entail.  It includes the animals, plants, 
        and each of their environments they need to live in to strive.
  1. Where are Rainforests? (8 min)
We will look at a map that shows the landforms, such as rainforests, in each country.  I will choose a few students to come up and 
        point out where the rainforests are located around the world.
  1. Rainforest Worksheet (10 min)
The students will work on a rainforest worksheet.  This worksheet has the students draw the equator on a map, then color in the 
        areas where rainforests exist round the world. 
  1. Introduce Rainforest Layers (5 min)
As a class, we will watch this informative video about the rainforest layers and have a short discussion about what they have 
        learned and what their favorite layer might be.
  1. Shoe Box Project (10 min)
The students will have a chance to begin their shoe box project.  They will pick their favorite layer and start to create the 
        background or gather materials they might need to make their layer.
DAY 2: 
  1. Lesson Overview (1 min)
  2. Morning Greeting (2 min)
The students will go around the classroom saying good morning and their favorite rainforest layer that they remember from DAY 1 
        of the lesson.
  1. Re-cap of DAY 1 (5 min)
We will have a short class discussion, going over the main topics we learned about in DAY 1 of this lesson.
  1. Rainforest Worksheet (10 min)
Just to get the student’s memory of rainforests back, I will have them split into partners and fill out a worksheet about rainforests.  
       This worksheet covers some of the main words or concepts associated with rainforests. 
  1. South America Rainforest locations (7 min)
As a class we will look at a large map of South America and will talk about where the rainforests are in each country while the 
        students have a handout highlighting the specific  areas.  We will have a short discussion about this area and type of the world. 
  1. Layers of the Rainforest Continued (10 min)
The students will split into small groups to discuss and create drawing plans of their Shoe Box layer.  They will talk over their 
        ideas with their groups and help each other either remember facts they forgot or find new ways to create their ideas. 
  1. Shoe Box Project (20 min)
Students will choose their favorite layer of the rainforest and start to create it in a shoe box.  They will decorate the background of 
        the shoebox to fit that layer and begin to add some plants and animals that live there.  They will continue this in the last two 
        lessons as well. 
Closure and Connections:
A culminating experience that will help the students demonstrate and create their developing knowledge or skills is through their Shoe Box Project.  Through this project, they will have the chance to put what they learned into visuals and art.  They will summarize what they learned through creating this artwork and by writing about why they chose it and what their layer entails.  This relates to the essential question (What is the South America Tropical Rainforest?) and lesson objectives because this project has the students really create the rainforest and everything that lives in it. They will need to remember what they learned through the lesson and create it in a different way than they usually would.  
Extensions:
The students might extend their learning through the Shoe Box project.  They will expand their rainforest knowledge by actually creating one and having it on display around the classroom.  This lesson bridges over to the next lesson about specific plants in the South America Rainforest because this gives a general overview of what is found and what lives in the rainforest.  The next lesson goes more in depth about the specific plants that live there and how they effect the environment they live in.  The plant lesson will include the continuing of the Shoe Box project of adding in specific plants to the rainforest layers chosen. 
ACCOMMODATIONS:  
One way to differentiate instruction so that students of different learning styles can understand is through watching videos.  These videos include words, talking, and colorful pictures that are easy to understand just by looking at them.  Another way to help students is by having group or class discussion.  By hearing other students’ opinions and thoughts helps everyone see things in a different perspective they might not have thought about before.  Also, having individual, group, and art interactions helps students of all learning styles learn and strive.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS

  • Nature’s Green Umbrella book
  • large map 
  • computer, YouTube, projector
  • shoeboxes
  • a lot of art materials 

LESSON 4 

UNIT TOPIC: South America Tropical Rainforest
LESSON TOPIC: South America Rainforest Plants
AGE/GRADE: 10-11 / Fifth Grade
TIME: This lesson will take place over 2 days, each day being 60 minutes long.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: 
What is the South America Tropical Rainforest?
LESSON ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
What are the plants in the South America Rainforest?
RATIONALE AND CONTEXT
This lesson is important for the children to learn.  We already learned about South America geography and culture, landforms, and rainforests in general.  Now we are focusing in on South America Rainforests and the specific plants on each level.  Going along with this lesson, it is great to focus in on the specific layers in the rainforest and how each of the plants on the layers interact with each other and effect the different living environments.  
TEACHER CONTENT KNOWLEDGE:
Plants are a huge part of the world and have a great impact on the ecosystem.  The rainforest is just one example showing the importance of how those plants need to interact with one another to keep this ecosystem alive.  There are different plants on each of the four layers in the rainforest.  All of those plants are on each level for a reason and they each interact with and feed off of each other to help keep the rainforest alive and help the animals strive in each environment as well. 
DESIRED RESULTS: 
Common Core/Vermont Standard GE(s)/National Arts Standards:
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
Learning Objective(s): 
  • I would like my students to learn how to work in groups and collaborate with their peers over certain topics being discussed.  
  • I would like my students to listen and respond respectfully to others who are talking and sharing ideas or thoughts.
  • I would like my students to participate and cooperate in each activity.
Focusing Question(s):
  • What plants are in certain types of South America lands?
  • What plants are in the South America Rainforest?
  • What South America plants are on each rainforest level?
Language Objectives:
  • The Amazon plants
    • leaf litter, nutrients
    • roots, soil
    • shrubs, small trees
    • fruits, seeds
    • “air plants”
    • Great Kapok Tree
ASSESSMENT:                 
Strategies: 
In order to assess my students’ learning and work, I will have the students create drawings and a shoebox of their favorite rainforest layer.  The drawings will be made while I read a short story about each layer and the students will imagine what they look like in their minds then put it onto paper.  This will improve their imagination and creativity.  The shoe box project will do the same.  They will put their rainforest layer into artwork and bring it to life while also creating a written analysis about this layer.  
Process:
In order to evaluate the students’ learning by using checklists and rubrics.  I will use the checklists for the drawings and shoebox project.  This checklist will help me ensure that each student has most of the main plants involved in the level chosen.  I will use the rubric for the written aspect of the shoebox project to ensure that the students are using appropriate writing skills while also retaining information about the rainforest.  
Criteria:
  • Did the students listen?
  • Were the students cooperating and collaborating nicely with their peers?
  • Were the students respecting each others’ thoughts, opinions, and answers?
  • Did the students participate?
Reflection to Students:
To provide specific feedback to the students, I will use a rubric to assess their writing portion of the shoebox project.  Then I will use a checklist to assess their actual shoebox project and specific layer drawings during the lesson.  I can meet with each student individually to go over the assessments and what they need to work on and improve for their learning. 
LEARNING PLAN: 
Hook:
Does anyone like plants?  Has anyone ever wondered what different types of plants live in the rainforest?  The South America Rainforest is full of amazing plants and each of the four levels contain different types. 
Connect: 
This lesson will connect with the previous lesson because the previous lesson leads into this one.  Lesson three talks about rainforests in general while also talking about each specific layer is.  Then this lesson talks about the plants on each layer.  This lesson just continues off of the last one.  I will introduce this lesson with a book that talks about the plants and environments on each layer and that will also re-cap the students’ memories of the previous lesson while introducing topics for this upcoming lesson.
Instruction:       
DAY 1 
  1. Lesson Overview (1 min)
  2. Morning Greeting (2 min)
The students will go around the room saying good morning and their favorite type of plant.
  1. The Great Kapok Tree  (10 min)
As a class, we will read The Great Kapok Tree which talks about the main plants in the Amazon Rainforest, especially the Great Kapok Tree.  This will give the students a better understanding of what plants live on each level of the rainforest and how they interact with each other in order to keep the ecosystem alive.  
  1. School Plant Tour (10 min)
As a class, we will take a short tour around the schoolyard looking at the plants located in the area we live in.  We will walk around and examine the different types of flowers, leaves, trees, shrubs, etc located around us and just notice the difference between those and the ones we will soon learn about in South America. 
  1. Forest Floor Layer Plants (15 min)
I will read a short story that focuses on the environment and plants in this specific layer.  While I am reading, the students will be drawing what they hear.  This will be a visual/listening arts activity where the students will have to imagine what I am saying and put it into a drawing.  Then we will compare drawings and I will show the students what the plants I was describing actually look like. 
  1. Understory Layer Plants (15 min)
I will read a short story that focuses on the environment and plants in this specific layer.  While I am reading, the students will be drawing what they hear.  This will be a visual/listening arts activity where the students will have to imagine what I am saying and put it into a drawing.  Then we will compare drawings and I will show the students what the plants I was describing actually look like.
  1. Pair Discussion & Class Overview (7 min)
The students will split into pairs and shortly discuss their favorite of the two layers focused on today and why they think that.  Then as a class, we will gather and shortly review some of the main plants or favorite plants talked about. 
DAY 2 
  1. Lesson Overview (1 min)
  2. Morning Greeting (2 min) 
The students will go around the room saying good morning and their favorite 
  1. Review of Day 1 (5 min)
We will have a morning meeting and, as a whole class, discuss some of the main facts and information learned in the first day of the lesson.  
  1. Canopy Layer Plants (15 min)
I will read a short story that focuses on the environment and plants in this specific layer.  While I am reading, the students will be drawing what they hear.  This will be a visual/listening arts activity where the students will have to imagine what I am saying and put it into a drawing.  Then we will compare drawings and I will show the students what the plants I was describing actually look like.
  1. Emergent Layer Plants (15 min)
I will read a short story that focuses on the environment and plants in this specific layer.  While I am reading, the students will be drawing what they hear.  This will be a visual/listening arts activity where the students will have to imagine what I am saying and put it into a drawing.  Then we will compare drawings and I will show the students what the plants I was describing actually look like.
  1. Shoe Box Project Continued (20 min)
The students will finish this lesson by continuing to work on their shoebox project.  They will focus on adding in the specific plants that live in the layer that they chose to create.  

Closure and Connections:
A culminating experience that will help the students demonstrate their knowledge and skill is the shoebox project.  This project will give the students the opportunity to create their favorite layer of the rainforest and put it into visual arts.  It is a great way for the students to create and demonstrate all that they have learned.  This art aspect helps them summarize what they have learned through the last three lessons.  There will also be a writing aspect that will help summarize their learning.  They will write about why they chose this layer, what it entails, and some extra facts about it, such as why is it important or how does it interact with another layer?  This relates to the essential question because it is completely focused on what the South America Rainforest is and this is also what all of the other lessons have been building up to. 
Extensions: 
This lesson about specific plants in the four layers of the South America Rainforest bridges into the next lesson because the next lesson talks about specific animals in the four layers of the South America Rainforest.  The end of this lesson will continue creating their shoebox layer of their chosen rainforest.  They can extend their learning by finding out more about the layer they chose which will help them add more creative aspects to their project. 
ACCOMMODATIONS:  
One way I can differentiate instruction is by having students explain the activity or instructions after I do myself.  Sometimes by having a student or a peer read something and explain it in a different way can help other students better understand what is going on and what needs to be done. I will help the ELL population with learning this lesson by creating a Word Wall.  The word wall will be split into four sections, one for each level of the rainforest.  Each section will contain the main words learned in this lesson about each level.  The students who are having trouble remembering can use that word wall as a reference as often as they need. 
RESOURCES/MATERIALS

  • The Great Kapok Tree book
  • blank computer paper
  • pencils
  • shoebox projects
  • a lot of art materials 
    • colored paper, color pencils, markers, glue, cotton balls, toilet paper rolls, magazines

LESSON 5

UNIT TOPIC: South America Tropical Rainforest
LESSON TOPIC: South America Rainforest Animals
AGE/GRADE: 10-11 / Fifth Grade
TIME: This lesson will take place over 2 days, each day being 60 minutes long.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: 
What is the South America Tropical Rainforest?
LESSON ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
What are the animals in the South America Rainforest?
RATIONALE AND CONTEXT
This lesson is important for the children to learn.  Since we already learned about specific South America Rainforest plants, now we are focusing in on South America Rainforest animals and the specific ones that live on each level.  Going along with this lesson, it is great to focus in on the specific layers in the rainforest and how each of the animals on the layers interact with each other and effect the different living environments.  
TEACHER CONTENT KNOWLEDGE:
Animals are a huge part of the world and have a great impact on other animals and each of their different life cycles and living environments.  The rainforest is just one example showing the importance of how those animals need to interact with one another to keep this ecosystem and environments alive.  There are different animals on each of the four layers in the rainforest.  All of those animals are on each level for a reason and they each interact with and feed off of each other to help keep the rainforest alive and help the plants strive in each environment as well. 
DESIRED RESULTS: 
Common Core/Vermont Standard GE(s)/National Arts Standards:
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
Learning Objective(s): 
  • I would like my students to learn how to work in groups and collaborate with their peers over certain topics being discussed.  
  • I would like my students to listen and respond respectfully to others who are talking and sharing ideas or thoughts.
  • I would like my students to participate and cooperate in each activity.
Focusing Question(s):
  • What animals are in the South America Rainforest and what levels do they live on?
  • How do the animals impact each other’s lives in the process of living and feeding off of each other?
Language Objectives:
  • The Amazon animals
    • eagles, monkeys, bats, butterflies
    • snakes, toucans, tree frogs
    • insects, jaguars, leopards
    • giant anteaters, leaf-cutting ants, Anacondas, Caymans, Capybaras, Tapirs
ASSESSMENT:                 
Strategies: 
In order to assess my students’ learning and work, I will have the students create drawings after hearing short stories and continue to create a shoebox of their favorite rainforest layer.  The drawings will be made while I read a short story about each layer and the students will imagine what they look like in their minds then put it onto paper.  This will improve their imagination and creativity.  The shoe box project will do the same while they will put their rainforest layer into artwork and bring it to life while also creating a written analysis about this layer.  
Process:
I will evaluate the students’ learning by using checklists and rubrics.  I will use the checklists for the drawings and shoebox project.  This checklist will help me ensure that each student has most of the main animals involved in the chosen level.  I will use the rubric for the written aspect of the shoebox project to ensure that the students are using appropriate writing skills while also retaining information about the rainforest.  
Criteria:
  • Did the students listen?
  • Were the students cooperating and collaborating nicely with their peers?
  • Were the students respecting each others’ thoughts, opinions, and answers?
  • Did the students participate?
Reflection to Students:
To provide specific feedback to the students, I will use a rubric to assess their writing portion of the shoebox project.  Then I will use a checklist to assess their actual shoebox project and specific layer drawings during the lesson.  I can meet with each student individually to go over the assessments and what they need to work on and improve for their learning. 
LEARNING PLAN: 
Hook:
Who likes animals?  Has anyone ever wondered what different types of animals live in the rainforest?  The South America Rainforest is full of amazing and interesting animals and each of the four levels contain different types. 
Connect: 
This lesson will connect with the previous lesson because the previous lesson also goes into specifics about the rainforest layers.  Lesson four talks about the specific plants in the rainforests while this lesson talks about the specific animals in the rainforest.  Together, these two lessons complete the general overview of what lives in the South America Rainforest and how each living thing interacts with each other in order to survive.  I will introduce this lesson with two books that talk about the animals and environments on each layer.  These will review the plants on each level that they learned about in the previous lesson while also teaching them about the animals now involved.  
Instruction:       
DAY 1 
  1. Lesson Overview (1 min)
  2. Morning Greeting (2 min)
The students will go around the room saying good morning and their favorite animal. 
  1. How Iwariwa the Cayman Learned to Share  (10 min)
As a class, we will read How Iwariwa the Cayman Learned to Share which talks about a scary Cayman who does not like to share his space in the rainforest.  This causes a problem with the other animals in the rainforest, since they all live there and need to share their space and environment they live in.  Throughout the book, the other animals teach the Cayman how to share and the importance of why all the animals need to share their living spaces.   
  1. School Animal Tour (10 min)
As a class, we will take a short tour around the schoolyard looking at the animals located in the area we live in.  We will walk around and examine the different mammals, insects, birds, etc located around us and just notice the difference between them and the ones we will soon learn about in South America. 
  1. Forest Floor Layer Animals (10 min)
I will read a short story that focuses on the environment and animals in this specific layer. While I am reading, the students will be drawing what they hear.  This will be a visual/listening arts activity where the students will have to imagine what I am saying and put it into a drawing.  Then we will compare drawings and I will show the students what the animals I was describing actually look like. 
  1. Understory Layer Animals (10 min)
I will read a short story that focuses on the environment and animals in this specific layer. While I am reading, the students will be drawing what they hear.  This will be a visual/listening arts activity where the students will have to imagine what I am saying and put it into a drawing.  Then we will compare drawings and I will show the students what the animals I was describing actually look like.
  1. Reenacting the Rainforest (10 min)
The students will get into small groups and each reenact the rainforest environment. Each student will be something different, whether it be an animal a plant.  They will demonstrate how everything reacts  from predators and prey to plants and rain sounds.  Each group will be a different layer of the rainforest and present their skit to the class.
  1. Pair Discussion & Class Overview (7 min)
The students will split into pairs and shortly discuss their favorite of the two layers focused on today and why they think that.  Then as a class, we will gather and shortly review some of the main animals or favorite animals talked about. 
DAY 2 
  1. Lesson Overview (1 min)
  2. Morning Greeting (2 min) 
The students will go around the room saying good morning and their favorite animal from the layers we learned about the day before. 
  1. Nature’s Green Umbrella (10 min)
As a class, we will read the book called Nature’s Green Umbrella.  This is a great book to end the unit with because it talks about both the animals and the plants all around the rainforest.  Therefore, it sums up all of the lessons we have learned so far while also focusing on the specific animals for the lesson we are learning at the moment. 
  1. Canopy Layer Animals (10 min)
I will read a short story that focuses on the environment and animals in this specific layer.  While I am reading, the students will be drawing what they hear.  This will be a visual/listening arts activity where the students will have to imagine what I am saying and put it into a drawing.  Then we will compare drawings and I will show the students what the animals I was describing actually look like.
  1. Emergent Layer Animals (10 min)
I will read a short story that focuses on the environment and animals in this specific layer. While I am reading, the students will be drawing what they hear.  This will be a visual/listening arts activity where the students will have to imagine what I am saying and put it into a drawing.  Then we will compare drawings and I will show the students what the animals I was describing actually look like.
  1. Shoe Box Project Continued (30 min)
The students will finish this lesson by continuing to work on their shoebox project.  They will focus on adding in the specific animals that live in the layer that they chose to create.  

Closure and Connections:
A culminating experience that will help the students demonstrate their knowledge and skill is the shoebox project.  This project will give the students the opportunity to create their favorite layer of the rainforest and put it into visual arts.  It is a great way for the students to create and demonstrate all that they have learned.  This art aspect helps them summarize what they have learned through the last five lessons.  There will also be a writing aspect that will help summarize their learning.  They will write about why they chose this layer, what it entails, and some extra facts about it, such as why is it important or how does it interact with another layer?  This relates to the essential question because it is completely focused on what the South America Rainforest is and this is also what all of the other lessons have been building up to. 
Extensions: 
This lesson about specific animals in the four layers of the South America Rainforest connects to all of the other lessons learned so far.  In the end of this lesson, the students will finish creating their chosen shoebox rainforest layer.  They can extend their learning by finding out more about the layer they chose which will help them add more creative aspects to their project. 
ACCOMMODATIONS:  
One way I can differentiate instruction is by having students explain the activity or instructions after I do myself.  Sometimes by having a student or a peer read something and explain it in a different way can help other students better understand what is going on and what needs to be done. I will help the ELL population with learning this lesson by creating a Word Wall.  The word wall will be split into four sections, one for each level of the rainforest.  Each section will contain the main words learned in this lesson about each level.  The students who are having trouble remembering can use that word wall as a reference as often as they need. 
RESOURCES/MATERIALS

  • How Iwariwa the Cayman Learned to Share book
  • Nature’s Green Umbrella book
  • blank computer paper 
  • pencils
  • shoebox projects
  • a lot of art materials 
    • colored paper, color pencils, markers, glue, cotton balls, toilet paper rolls, magazines

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