gretchen kaufman matt sulzen julie wurst t&l 815 spring...

Gretchen Kaufman

Matt Sulzen

Julie Wurst

T&L 815

Spring 2004

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Introduction to the Thematic Unit

It is our hope that this lesson will be a fun way for the middle school ESLstudent to learn about:

• Animal vocabulary.• Basic geography dealing with animals.• Definitions of habitats and realizing their importance.• The life cycle of the moth/butterfly.

We have tried to provide, when possible, activities that can teach thestudents while they enjoy themselves and learn respect for the animals ofthe world.

Although the lessons have been arranged into 7 sections, it’s most likelythat these lessons will take more than one class period each to finish.

We hope you enjoy our lesson plan as much as we enjoyed creating it.

-Matt Sulzen-Julie Wurst-Gretchen Kaufman

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Lesson 1Word Wall – Animal Vocabulary

Lesson Objective:Students will• Explore the vocabulary of animals and create a word wall.• Have a teacher directed discussion to name the different animals of the world.

National ESL Standards:Goal 1, Standard 3: Students will use learning strategies to extend their

communicative competence.Goal 2, Standard 1: Students will use English to interact in the classroom.Goal 2, Standard 2: Students will use English to obtain process, construct, and

provide subject matter information in spoken and written form.Goal 2, Standard 3: Students will use appropriate learning strategies to construct

and apply academic knowledge.Goal 3, Standard 3: Students will use appropriate learning strategies to extend

their sociolinguistic and cultural competence.

Materials:1) Construction paper (for the pockets on the word wall)2) Pictures of the animals to identify.3) Note cards to use for terminology about animals

a. Habitatb. Carnivore, herbivore, omnivorec. Life cycle

Set:1) Begin with showing pictures of animals and seeing who can identify them.2) Have the student who identifies the animal write the name with the picture

and put it on the word wall.Body:

1) Have a teacher directed, student initiated discussion on animal vocabulary.2) Each animal vocabulary word will be added to the word wall.

a. Animal names will go with the pictureb. Animal vocabulary on the note card

Closure:1) End the lesson with each student having a note card and have them write

one thing they learned or the name of 3 animals in their native language.

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These animals and the sheets with which they correspondwill be helpful in all lessons throughout the unit.

This is the list of animals from left to right on the following PowerPoint slides.

1) Lion

2) Egret

3) Frog

4) Deer

5) Duck

6) Mouse

7) Elephant

8) Buffalo

9) Giraffe

10) Snail

11) Bat

12) Dragon Fly

13) Hippopotamus

14) Zebra

15) Baboon

16) Grizzly Bear

17) Sloth

18) Coyote

19) Cobra

20) Gazelle

21) Puma

22) Tiger

23) Raccoon

24) Camel

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25) Koala

26) Rhinoceros

27) Kangaroo

28) Armadillo

29) Rabbit

30) Ostrich

31) Toucan

32) Flamingo

33) Penguin

34) Turtle

35) Goose

36) Gorilla

37) Walrus

38) Eagle

39) Panda

40) Beaver

41) Chimpanzee

42) Squirrel

43) Donkey

44) Moose

45) Porcupine

46) Skunk

47) Otter

48) Water Buffalo

49) Grasshopper

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Lesson 2Maps – The Geography of Animals

Lesson Objectives:Students will:• Work in groups of three to complete the project.• Draw on their background knowledge to identify where the animals can be located.• Use photographs of the animals for the students to place on a map where they can

be found. Example: elephants would be placed in Africa.

National ESL Standards:Goal 2, Standard 2: Students will use English to obtain. Process. Construct, and

provide subject matter information in spoken and written form.Goal 2, Standard 3: Students will use appropriate learning strategies to construct

and apply academic knowledge.

Materials:1) A large map of the world.2) A variety of animal pictures, multiple copies of each.3) Bulletin board pins.

Set:1) Remind students that this will be building onto their previous lessons of maps.2) Review the continents and write them on the board.3) Have students assemble into groups of three.

Body:1) Each group will receive pictures of different animals.2) Each animal picture will be duplicated 7 times for the 7 different continents.

a. Working as a group the teams have to identify where the animal lives.If it lives on more than one continent than they must use the otherduplicates to place on the appropriate continents.

b. Ex. Elephant would be placed in South East Asia and Africa.3) Once the continents are identified they must write the continent on the

bottom of the picture and pin the picture on the map.4) Remind the students to use their culturally diverse team members to help in

identifying the continent or continents of the animals.

Closure:1) After the map is full of animals have a teacher directed discussion placing

more animal duplicates where they belong or correcting error placements.2) Ask students, who are willing to come up, to identify an animal that lives on: 3

different continents, 4 different continents, or 5 different continents.

Ask a lead in question for tomorrow’s lesson: Why do certain animals just live in certainparts of the world?

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Lesson 3KWL Chart – An Introduction to Habitat

Lesson Objective:• Students will explain orally what they know about habitats.• Students will generate questions and wonderings about habitats.

National ESL Standards:Goal 1, Standard 2: Students will interact in, through, and with spoken and

written English for personal expression and enjoyment.Goal 2, Standard 1: Students will use English to interact in the classroom.

Materials:1) Overhead projector or chart paper2) Markers

Introduce the unit on habitats by first discussing the meaning of a habitat and addingthe word to the ongoing word wall for this unit.

Then, have students complete a KWL chart individually, or as a team to incorporatecooperative learning. After students have filled out the K and W columns, do aninside/outside circle for students to discuss what they wrote.

• For inside/outside circle, have half of the students make a small circle(facing out) to form the inside circle.

• Remaining students find a person to stand in front of (facing in), formingthe outside circle.

• Students share about their KWL chart based on directions from theteacher.

• When ready, another direction will be given for students to move (ex.Outside circle move 2 students to the left).

Extension/Option: Instead of students completing a KWL chart individually, have studentssit in a whole group. Write information students volunteer about animals and theirhabitats (the K column of the chart), on a piece of chart paper or overhead to refer tolater. After the K column, students will again give ideas or questions on what they wantto know about animals and their habitats (the W column). Write this information on thechart paper or overhead too. Explain to students that the L column will be filled in at theend of the unit for what they learned.

Multiple Intelligences:KinestheticVerbal/LinguisticInterpersonal

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Habitat Song

by Bill Oliver

Chorus:

Habitat, habitat, have to have a habitatHabitat, habitat, have to have a habitatHabitat, habitat, have to have a habitat

Have to have a habitat to carry on.

The forest is a habitat, a multi-layered habitatIt's where the tallest trees are at,

it's where a bear can scratch her back,It keeps the ground from rolling back,

renews the aquifers, in fact,The forest is a habitat that we depend on.

Chorus #1

The river is a habitat, a flowing, changing habitat,It's where the freshest water's at,

for people, fish, and muskrats,But when the people dump the trash

the river takes the biggest rap,The river is a habitat that we depend on.

Chorus #2

The ocean is a habitat, a dark and salty habitat,It's where the deepest water's at,

it's where the biggest mammal's at,It's where our future food is at,

it keeps the atmosphere intact,The ocean is a habitat that we depend on.

Chorus #3

People are different than foxes and rabbits,Affect the whole earth with our bad habits,

Better to love it while we still have it,Or rat-ta-tat-tat, our habitat's gone

Chorus #4

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Biomes

By: Doug Eldon

Deserts are dry but the temperature variesTundras are dry, but all year it may freeze

Grasslands get more rain and may be called prairiesSavannas are grasslands that also have trees.

Chorus:Oh the biomes are regions with similar climate

(precipitation and temperatures)The climate determines soil and vegetation

Which then determines the kinds of creatures

In coniferous forests there are conifer treesNeedle leaf evergreens like pine and fir

Deciduous forests have trees that drop broad leavesRainforests are wet and warm most of the year

Chorus

The freshwater biome includes streams and riversLakes, ponds, swamps, marshes, and lands that are wet

The saltwater biome, the seas and the oceansCalled the marine it's too large to forget

Chorus

Songs taken from Songs for Teaching: Using Music to Promote Learninghttp://www.songsforteaching.com

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Lesson 4Sharing -- Everybody Needs a Home

Lesson Objective:• Students will express orally or in writing how and why people and animals share a

basic need to have a home.


written English for personal expression and enjoyment.Goal 2, Standard 1: Students will use English to interact in the classroom.

Materials:1) Drawing paper2) Crayons, pencils, or chalk

*Before completing this lesson, make sure students possess a basic understanding ofwhat a floor plan is and what one looks like.

Have students draw a floor plan of where they live, or where someone they know lives.The floor plan should include things the students need inside their homes, such as a placeto sleep and eat, as well as an area surrounding their house (the neighborhood).

After the drawings are finished, have a discussion about what they drew. Studentsshould point out the things they need to live that they included in their drawings. Then,show the students pictures of animal homes such as bird nests, anthills, forests, etc.

Discuss the similarities and differences between the drawings they made and thepictures. From this discussion, create a Venn diagram to help students visualize what isbeing said. At the end of the discussion, students should understand that althoughhomes are different, every animal needs one for survival.

Extension: Students can choose an animal and illustrate its home or habitat. Then, inwriting the students can compare and contrast the animal’s home with the drawing oftheir floor plan.

Multiple Intelligences:Visual/spatialnaturalistic

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Lesson 5Research Project – Habitat Synthesis

Lesson Objective:• Students will research a habitat of choice and make a presentation to the class.

National ESL Standards:Goal 1, Standard 1: Students will use English to participate in social interaction.Goal 1, Standard 2: Students will interact in, through, and with spoken and

written English for personal expression and enjoyment.Goal 2, Standard 1: Students will use English to interact in the classroom.Goal 2, Standard 3: Students will use appropriate learning strategies to construct


Materials:1) Books, magazines, and newspapers on habitats2) Internet capabilities

A variety of supplies for presentations:1) butcher paper2) various art supplies (yarn, paint, crayons, markers, construction paper, felt,

cardboard, etc)3) paintbrushes4) water, glue, scissors5) cd/tape player, etc.

Have students divide into groups of two or three.

Each group chooses a different habitat to research (forest, prairie, tundra, desert,rainforest, ocean, etc). Then, as a class, decide on the goal and criteria for the project.

What information do the students think is important to address in their research?

Create a criteria chart or rubric based on this discussion for the students to continuouslyrefer to during their research.

Next, students will gather information presented in books, magazines, and newspapers,as well as the Internet for their research. Meet with each group frequently to ensureequal participation of all group members, as well as to check for understanding oranswer questions.

As a culminating activity, allow each group to decide how to present their researchproject to the class. Some groups may want to write and perform a song; others mightcreate a mural of their habitat, while other groups may simply write a report.

Multiple Intelligences:(Depend on the media students choose, but could include)

Bodily/KinestheticVerbal/LinguisticIntrapersonalMusical/Rhythmic

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Lesson 6Moth Life Cycle Viewer – Metamorphosis

Lesson Objective:• Students will learn about the life cycle of the moth and appropriate vocabulary

corresponding to it.• Students will color and assemble a ‘life cycle viewer.’


written English for personal expression and enjoyment.Goal 2, Standard 3: Students will use appropriate learning strategies to construct


Materials:3) Caterpillar Diary, by David Drew 16 pages !!!ISBN 0170074765.4) Copies of moth life cycle viewer for each student. (2 pages)5) Scissors6) Brads7) Coloring implements – markers or colored pencils.

Ask the class what they know about the life cycle. Ask them about metamorphosis. Whatis it? Ask the students if they know the four stages of a complete life cycle. What are thestages?

Read the book Caterpillar Diary, by David Drew. This book focuses on watchingcaterpillar eggs go through the life cycle. At the end of this book a moth comes out of acocoon.

Have the students go back to their seats. Show the students the life cycle of a four-stage insect thebutterfly. Explain a bit of what happens at each stage.

Each student completes the worksheets and assembles them to represent the 4 stages ofthe moth’s life cycle.

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Extension:

http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/living/living.html - this website has some excellent informationon life cycles in general.http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/butterfly/index.htmla great butterfly website, targeted toward the elementary student

A fun sponge activity would use the finished viewers. Each student must turn their viewerto the appropriate stage of life when directed by the leader. i.e: The teacher says, “Thisstage has a silk cocoon.” The students then turn the viewer to the PUPA stage.

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Lesson 7Flyswatter Game – Animal Words

Lesson Objective:• Students will demonstrate recognition of various vocabulary words learned

throughout the course of the lesson.

National ESL Standards:Goal 3, Standard 3: Students will use appropriate learning strategies to extend theirsociolinguistic and cultural competence.

Materials:8) Blackboard and chalk.9) 2 plastic flyswatters.10) Laminated, letter-sized copies of the various animals photos they’ve learned

about. (see appendix to Lesson 1 – Animal Pics.)11) Tape.

Affix the animal clip art pages to the blackboard in a random fashion. (Preferably donebefore class)

Go over the rules with the class-- No yelling from “the stands.” Only 3 tries to get the rightanswer.

Divide the room in half.

One person from each team goes to the front of the class with flyswatter in hand.

The teacher can simply say the English word for the animal being referred to, or theteacher can give a long description.

The first student to slap the correct animal with the flyswatter earns one point for theirteam.

Multiple Intelligences:Verbal/LinguisticIntrapersonal (team spirit and obeying rules for the sake of the team)Bodily/Kinesthetic

gretchen kaufman matt sulzen julie wurst t&l 815 spring...

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