TATN

After reading and creating research webs for two different animals, students will combine attributes of each real animal to create their own imaginary animal.  The class’s animals will be put in an electronic zoo via Notebook software.  Students will then use their creations to compete various activities in math and language arts.

Teacher: Shannon Foley, Librarian and Sarah Boltie, Kindergarten Teacher     
School District: Eanes ISD
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Brief description

Students create their own animal to contribute to the electronic zoo for Smart Board activities. 

Unit Overview

After reading and creating research webs for two different animals, students will combine attributes of each real animal to create their own imaginary animal.  The class’s animals will be put in an electronic zoo via Notebook software.  Students will then use their creations to compete various activities in math and language arts.

TEKS

All TEKS references are for grade 1

Reading animal books 

 

• (1.)(E) read texts by moving from top to bottom of the page and tracking words from left to right with return sweep.
• (1.)(F) identify the information that different parts of a book provide (e.g., title, author, illustrator, table of contents).
• (4.) (B) ask relevant questions, seek clarification, and locate facts and details about stories and other texts.

• (10) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Literary Nonfiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the varied structural patterns and features of literary nonfiction and respond by providing evidence from text to support their     understanding. Students are expected to determine whether a story is true or a fantasy and       explain why.
• (15) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Procedural Texts. Students understand how to glean and use information in procedural texts and documents. Students are expected to:
• (15)(A) follow written multi-step directions with picture cues to assist with understanding; and
• (15)(B) explain the meaning of specific signs and symbols (e.g., map features).

Filling in a Research Web

• (24) Research/Gathering Sources. Students determine, locate, and explore the full range of relevant sources addressing a research question and systematically record the information they gather. Students (with adult assistance) are expected to:
  
  • (24)(A) gather evidence from available sources (natural and personal) as well as from interviews with local experts;
  • (24)(B) use text features (e.g., table of contents, alphabetized index) in age-appropriate reference works (e.g., picture dictionaries) to locate information; and
  • (24)(C) record basic information in simple visual formats (e.g., notes, charts, picture graphs, diagrams).

Creating a New Animal

• (25) Research/Synthesizing Information. Students clarify research questions and evaluate and synthesize collected information. Students (with adult assistance) are expected to revise the topic as a result of answers to initial research questions.
• (26) Research/Organizing and Presenting Ideas. Students organize and present their ideas and information according to the purpose of the research and their audience. Students (with adult assistance) are expected to create a visual display or dramatization to convey the results of the research.

Importing a Picture into a PowerPoint Slide

§126.2. Technology Applications

(7)  Solving problems. The student uses appropriate computer-based productivity tools to create and modify solutions to problems. The student is expected to:

• (A)  use software programs with audio, video, and graphics to enhance learning experiences.
• (B)  use appropriate software, including the use of word processing and multimedia, to express ideas and solve problems.

Changing the Font, Size, and Color of the Animal’s Name

§126.2. Technology Applications

(10)  Communication. The student formats digital information for appropriate and effective communication. The student is expected to:

• (A)  use font attributes, color, white space, and graphics to ensure that products are appropriate for the defined audience.
• (B)  use font attributes, color, white space, and graphics to ensure that products are appropriate for the communication media including multimedia screen displays and printed materials.

Inserting a Title Slide/Printing a Mini-Book of the Students’ Animals

§126.2. Technology Applications

(11)  Communication. The student delivers the product electronically in a variety of media, with appropriate supervision. The student is expected to:

• (A)  publish information in a variety of media including, but not limited to, printed copy or monitor display.

Sorting/Explaining Why They Sorted Animals into Specific Groups

(3) Scientific processes. The student knows that information and critical thinking are used in making decisions. The student is expected to:

• (A) make decisions using information.
• (B) discuss and justify the merits of decisions.

(5) Science concepts. The student knows that organisms, objects, and events have properties and patterns. The student is expected to:

• (A) sort objects and events based on properties and patterns.

(6) Science concepts. The student knows that systems have parts and are composed of organisms and objects. The student is expected to:

• (A) sort organisms and objects according to their parts and characteristics.
• (B) observe and describe the parts of plants and animals.

Alphabetizing

(6) Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it when reading and writing. Students are expected to:

• (E) alphabetize a series of words to the first or second letter and use a dictionary to find words.

Syllabication

(C) use common syllabication patterns to decode words, including: 

• (i) closed syllable (CVC) (e.g., mat, rab-bit);
• (ii) open syllable (CV) (e.g., he, ba-by);
• (iii) final stable syllable (e.g., ap-ple, a-ble);
• (v) vowel digraphs and diphthongs (e.g., boy-hood, oat-meal)

Tallying and Graphing

(1.9) Probability and statistics. The student displays data in an organized form. The student is expected to:

• (A) collect and sort data; and
• (B) use organized data to construct real-object graphs, picture graphs, and bar-type graphs.

Measuring and Estimating Size of Animal

(1.7) Measurement. The student directly compares the attributes of length, area, weight/mass, capacity, and temperature. The student uses comparative language to solve problems and answer questions. The student selects and uses nonstandard units to describe length.  The student is expected to:

• (A) estimate and measure length using nonstandard units such as paper clips or sides of color tiles.

Descriptive Writing-Adjectives

(20) Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions. Students understand the function of and use the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:

• (A) understand and use the following parts of speech in the context of reading, writing, and speaking:
  
  • (iii) adjectives (e.g., descriptive: green, tall);

Objectives

Technology Objectives:

• Students will be able to create a Power Point slide by insert jpegs from their home folder.
• Students will be able to manipulate text by inserting text and changing font, size and color.
• Students will be able to set a background.
• Students will be able to save project created to a folder.

Language Arts Objectives:

• Students will be able to fill in thinking webs for each real animal.
• Students will be able to create a thinking web for their new animal.
• Students will begin using capitals, spaces and periods in creative writing.
• Students will place animals in alphabetical order and sort by number of syllables.

Math Objectives:

• Students will sort animals by land, air and water.
• Students will measure animals using standard and non standard measurement.
• Students will classify animals into groups.
• Students will use tallies to find out the number of times each animal was used.

Time Required

The lesson will require two weeks with various amounts of time each day.

• Materials Required
• Easy reading animal books from the school library
• Notebook Software
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Scanner, document camera, or digital camera
• LCD Projector
• Smart Board

If no Smart Board, the activities could be done individually or in small groups at a computer with Notebook software

Procedure

1. Day One: Librarian or teacher reads aloud Cock-A-Doodle Moooo! A Mixed-Up Menagerie by Keith DuQuette, stopping to talk about how the new animals in the pictures were created from two different real animals and how the new name was taken from syllables from each animal’s name.  Students then pick their first animal book from available choices in the school library and fill in a research web with diet, body parts, habitat, etc.
2. Day Two:  Students choose a second animal book and fill in another research web.
3. Day Three:  Teacher discusses syllabication and students create the new animal’s name by taking syllables from each real animal they researched.  Students draw their imaginary animal by using body parts from the two real animals they researched.  Teacher uses scanner, document camera, or digital camera to convert the illustrations into an electronic picture in jpeg or gif format and saves the pictures into the students’ home folders or a shared network folder, as well as importing them into a new page on Notebook software for future activities.
4. Day Four:  Play Who’s Who.  Teacher shows the whole class the Notebook page with all students’ drawings.  The students guess who drew it and what two animals they blended.  When they have figured out the picture, then the student who drew it tells the name of the imaginary animal.  The teacher then inserts a text box and types the animal’s name.  Save the new version of the page which includes the animal names for future activities.  
5. Day Five: Students insert their picture and a text box into a blank PowerPoint slide and type the name of their animal into the text box.  They chose their own font, color, and size; then save the slide in their home folder or a network shared folder.
6. Day Six: Librarian or teacher reads Babies in the Bayou by Jim Arnosky (or any picture book with vivid adjectives.)  Discuss and brainstorm different adjectives to describe animals’ body parts.  Students then create a web about their imaginary animal focusing on adjectives for their body parts. Using the Smart Board, student drag the animals pictures to sort by whether they belong in the air, on land or in the water.
7. Day Seven:  Students begin writing simple sentences about their animals using the adjectives from their webs.  Using the Smart Board and teacher created nonstandard measurement picture (use Notebook software to clone a picture of a paper clip, a peanut, or whatever nonstandard measurement you want to use) students measure the imaginary animals using standard and non standard measurement.
8. Day Eight:  Students finish their rough drafts of the simple descriptive sentences about their animals.   
9. Day Nine:  Students edit their rough drafts for spelling, capitalization and punctuation.  Final drafts are written.  Using the Smart Board, students sort the animal pictures into alphabetical order.  Before the next day, the teacher then uses a scanner, document camera, or digital camera to convert students’ written work into jpeg or gif files and places it in their home folders or network shared folder.
10. Day Ten:  Students insert the picture file of their written work into their PowerPoint Slide and set their background color.  Then they save their slide in their home folder or network shared folder.

Closure

Teacher combines all the PowerPoint slides into one presentation to share with the class and post on the web or Blog if desired.  Students discuss which animals might share a habitat or be predators or prey in the natural world.

Evaluation

The project can be evaluated based on the students’ final PowerPoint slides and if the following requirements were accomplished, need improvement, or are missing and require more teacher help.

• Picture is imported
• Font size and color were changed on the animal name
• Background was chosen
• Slide was saved in the correct location
• For older students, evaluation on the writing would be appropriate, but not for kindergarten

Extension Activity

• Have students sort animals by class (mammal, bird, reptile, etc.)
• Have students discuss and predict the probability of randomly choosing a land, water or air animal from their zoo.  Use Notebook software random generator too see probability.
• Before any sorting has taken place, students categorize animals independently and explain why their logic in sorting the way they did.
• Create a Venn diagram between your animal and a friend’s animal.
• For struggling students, limit the number of animals on a page for alphabetizing.

 

 Report