Unit/ISP page EDCI 402 Teaching and Assessment main page
Erin Smith
EDCI 402 Dr. Shindler
Winter 2004
Instructional Strategies Plan – Endangered Species
Unit
Overview
This two-week unit is designed for fourth grade
students and explores the topic of endangered species. Children are taught from a young age about
different kinds of animals. They read
books on animals, watch television shows about animals, and they learn about
animals in school. Some of the animals
that these children are learning about are being destroyed every year, and many
animals are becoming endangered or extinct. Young children are often surprised
to learn that their favorite animals from books and in zoos are not prevalent
in the wild and are the victims of environmental changes. This unit will be implemented in the two
weeks preceding Earth Day.
This unit on endangered species is to promote awareness of endangered
species, as well as of ways in which endangered species affect humans. I want students to be able to share their
knowledge about endangered species with others, so that they can improve the
quality of the lives of animals and their environment, as well as develop a
respect for all living things. By
allowing the children to learn of the many endangered animals throughout the
Most
all children have a fascination with animals and wildlife, and I hope that this
unit will provide them with new and interesting information, as well as a
different perspective of the world. This
unit will include many areas of learning, such as language arts, math, and
technology. It will also incorporate a
great deal of cooperative and self-directed learning. I am hopeful that through this unit, students
will learn much about endangered species, the environment, and themselves.
Learning Goals
of this Unit
- Students will define endangered species,
threatened species, and extinct species.
- Students will identify a number of endangered
species.
- Students will learn many reasons why animals
become extinct.
- Students will be able to research and report
information on given endangered species.
- Students will be able to use different resources
to acquire and apply information on endangered species.
- Students will understand why preventing the
endangerment and extinction of animals is important.
- Students will learn ways to help save threatened
and endangered species.
Instructional
Overview
This unit is taught in an inductive manner. We will begin with specific facts regarding
endangered species, such as definitions of words, lists of endangered animals,
and other facts about endangered species.
As the unit progresses and the students acquire more knowledge about the
topic, I will encourage them to draw their own conclusions about endangered
species. We will examine such questions
as why did these animals become endangered or extinct and what can we do to
prevent this from happening. We will
ultimately arrive at the end of the unit where the student will be able to
create their own theories and generalizations.
For example, we will examine the global effects of endangered
species.
This unit is also thematic in nature.
The lesson plans of the unit incorporate a number of other areas of
study. For example, the students will
have to apply their knowledge and skills in language arts, math, and technology
when completing the lessons of the unit.
Cooperative learning will also be implemented. Many of the lessons involve group interaction
and collaboration. Cooperative learning
allows for the students to work together and to take responsibility for their
own learning, as well as the learning of the classroom. However, there are also some activities
included that are to be completed individually, in order to account for all of the student’s learning styles.
This unit promotes student-centered and self-directed
learning. However, the teacher must
serve to facilitate this learning. The
teacher will do this by providing the students with the tools necessary to
learn and expand upon the material. For
example, the teacher will present the information needed to complete the
lesson, or instruct the students on how to acquire this information
themselves. She will not expect the
students to simply memorize and reproduce the information learned. She will allow the students to draw their own
conclusions regarding what they have learned, by posing different questions to
encourage them to think critically. The
students play a very active role in this learning and the teacher is there to
guide them through it.
The lessons plans of this unit
progress from lessons, which emphasize the specifics of endangered species, to
lessons that require the students to create generalizations about endangered
species and their effects on the world.
The first lesson serves as an introduction to the unit. It focuses on definitions and other facts
about endangered species. It serves as a
good knowledge base for the students to later draw upon. The lesson utilizes a website slide show that
includes many pictures and questions that will peak the student’s interest. The second lesson also incorporates this
slide show. It serves as a good review
of the information learned in the slide show and it calls for the students to
use their computer skills. Because this
lesson is to be completed in pairs and is in a game format, the students will
highly enjoy it, while they are learning.
The next few lessons expand upon the student’s knowledge
about endangered species, while also incorporating different areas of
study. For example, one lesson calls for
them to create an endangered species acrostic poem. This lesson incorporates their language arts
and writing skills. Another lesson
allows them to utilize their math skills, as it calls for them to gather
information about endangered species from different graphs and charts. Throughout the unit, each child will also be
developing a report and presentation on a chosen endangered species. This report will require them to acquire
information on their endangered species, using different methods, and to draw
conclusions about the information that they have gathered. It also incorporates different areas of
study, including art, as each student will create a drawing of their chosen
endangered species. Each lesson,
including the five lessons already developed, as well as the lessons not yet
created, provides the students with further knowledge and requires them to use
their critical thinking more and more.
This unit will conclude with a lesson called the “Web of
Life.” The students will use all of the
knowledge that they have acquired about endangered species to complete this
task. This lesson shows how groups, and their environment, change when their
numbers change. It also shows that
animals can also affect each other, and when their populations dwindle, there
are many effects. The students can use
this information to draw conclusions about the entire world, including the
human race. The teacher will have to
facilitate this activity by providing the students with key questions for them
to analyze. The students will then be
given the opportunity to share their findings and conclusions with the entire
class and discuss their new insights. We
will create a bulletin board to display this.
This final lesson will truly emphasize the meaning of the unit for the
students, as it allows them to apply the concept and implications of endangered
species to their own lives.
This unit provides the students with a great number of
positive learning experiences. They will
not only learn about endangered species, but they will learn about working
collaboratively with their peers, about ways of acquiring new information, and
about using their critical thinking skills.
This unit teaches the students how to build upon the information that
they are learning in order to create their own ideas and conclusions. The unit incorporates both direct instruction
and student centered learning. However,
it emphasizes the importance of appropriate teacher facilitation and discovery
learning.
Assessment
Techniques
For this unit, I plan to use a wide variety of assessment techniques,
including informal assessment, selected response, personal communication, and
performance assessment. It is important
to include many different assessment techniques in the classroom, to account
for all types and areas of learning. I
will incorporate informal assessment in each lesson of this unit. This informal assessment will consist of
circulating in the classroom, in order to observe the students involved in the
lesson. For example, during the
“Tracking the Wild Ones” and “Risky Critters” lessons, I will informally assess
the students as they are completing the tasks at hand. I will observe their ability to complete the
task, their affect while performing it, as well as their ability to work
collaboratively, when called for. I feel
that informal assessment is very important in the classroom because it allows
the teacher to take a step back and observe the “whole picture,” instead of
having to focus on one aspect of a lesson.
It allows the teacher to collect an authentic assessment of the students,
as they are engaging in the lessons.
I also plan to implement the use of selected response
assessment in this unit. Although this
type of assessment tends to focus on right and wrong answers, it is often
necessary when teaching in public schools.
The administration, parents, and children expect to receive grades at
the end of a lesson or unit. I will
implement this type of assessment in the “There is Still Time” and “Tracking
the Wild Ones” lessons. In these lessons,
the students are to complete worksheets, in which they utilize the information
learned about endangered species. These
worksheets will be graded, as a class. I
will assess them on their ability to complete the worksheets, but will also
give them a chance to correct any wrong answers, as we correct them as a class,
before turning them in. This puts the
emphasis on learning the information, rather than just getting the right
answer.
Another important assessment technique I will use is
personal communication. I will do this
in the form of class discussion in the “Tracking the Wild Ones”, “There is
Still Time”, and “Web of Life” lessons.
I will start the lesson by asking the class questions to stimulate their
critical thinking skills. I will also
end the lessons with discussions, in which the students will use the information
learned in the lesson to re-examine the questions proposed at the beginning of
the lesson. Because not all students are
willing or feel comfortable to participate in class discussions, I also plan to
incorporate personal communication assessment on a more one-on-one basis. As I informally assess the students, through
observation, I will move about the classroom and take a few moments to speak to
each child, when time allows. For
example, during the “Endangered Species Acrostic Poem” lesson, I will circulate
the class as the students are creating their poems. I will approach students individually, in
order to talk to them about the process that they are engaging in. This will help me to get a better idea about
their level of understanding, as well as their affective attitude towards the
lesson.
I believe that performance based assessment is an
authentic type of assessment used in the classroom. It allows the teacher to examine the process
of the lesson, as well as the product, and to measure how well the goals of the
unit are being met. This type of
assessment is measured best with the use of a performance assessment
instrument, a rubric. Each lesson should
include a rubric, whether it is a checklist, a trait scale, or a holistic
rubric scale. I have included a holistic
rubric scale, which was created for the assessment of the “Web of Life”
lesson. This rubric covers all aspects
of the lesson, including the gathering of the information necessary to complete
the Web of Life worksheet, the presentation of this information to the rest of
the class, and the creation of the Web of Life bulletin board. I also plan to implement performance
assessment in other lessons of this unit, including the “Endangered Species
Acrostic Poem” lesson. For this lesson,
the assessment would focus more on the process of the activity, rather than the
product because the product is highly subjective.
The goal of any form of assessment is for the assessment
to be authentic and to be relatable to the task being performed, as well as the
goals of the lesson or unit. Teachers
must realize the important role that assessment plays in the classroom, for
both teachers and students.
“Web of Life”
Rubric
4:
ü
Completed all 5
sections of the worksheet
ü
Collected 2
pictures of assigned animal from the Internet
ü
Recorded answers
legibly on worksheet, in the proper spaces
ü
Presentation of
information lasted 5 minutes
ü
Spoke clearly
and audibly during presentation
ü
Posted worksheet
and pictures on bulletin board
3:
ü
Completed 3-4
sections of worksheet
ü
Collected 2
pictures of assigned animal from the Internet
ü
Presentation of
information lasted 2-4 minutes
ü
Spoke clearly
and audibly during presentation
ü
Posted worksheet
and pictures on bulletin board
2:
ü
Completed 2
sections of worksheet
ü
Collected 1
picture of assigned animal from the Internet
ü
Presentation of
information lasted 1-2 minutes
ü
Spoke clearly
and audibly during presentation
ü
Posted worksheet
and pictures on bulletin board
1:
ü
Completed 1
section of worksheet
ü
Presentation of
information lasted less than 1 minute
ü
Posted worksheet
in bulletin board
0:
ü No sections of the worksheet were completed
ü No pictures of assigned animal were collected
ü
No effort was
put forth to complete this project
There is Still Time
Topic:
Endangered Species Time: 60 minutes Grade: 4th
Goal:
To introduce students to the endangered species unit. In this lesson, the students will use the
Internet in a variety of ways to learn about the importance of saving
endangered species.
Standards:
Life Sciences 3 – Living
organisms depend on one another and on the environment for survival.
Investigation and
Experimentation 6.c. – Formulate and justify predictions based on
cause-and-effect relationships.
Objectives:
- The learner will define the following words:
endangered species, extinct, threatened, ecosystem, habitat.
(Knowledge)
- The learner will describe why animals become
endangered and extinct. (Knowledge)
- The learner will be able to make a list of
endangered species. (Knowledge)
- The learner will describe ways to help save
endangered species. (Knowledge)
- The learner will explain how endangered and
extinct animals affect other animals and their ecosystem. (Comprehension)
Materials: Computer for Internet slide show (http://training.fws.gov/deo/endang/INDEX)
and crossword puzzle handout.
Procedure:
Anticipatory
Set:
- This is the first lesson to introduce the unit
on endangered species. Before
viewing the slide show, have a short class discussion. Start by asking if any students know
what an endangered species is or if they can name any examples. This will serve as a good preface to the
slide show and will allow the teacher to get a sense of what the students
already know about endangered species.
Activity:
- Begin this lesson by viewing an Internet slide
show at the following site: http://training.fws.gov/deo/endang/INDEX. The slide show will introduce the
students to many definitions and many different kinds of animals
considered endangered. It will give
the students a sense of why the problem exists and how it can be
eliminated. This slide show will
take about thirty minutes to complete.
- Once the slide show is completed, engage the
students in a short class discussion to review the information that was
covered in the slide show and to answer any questions they may have. Some questions to begin the discussion
may include: Can you name a few endangered species? What are some reasons which have led to
endangerment or extinction? What
can we do to stop the extinction of animals?
- Once the students feel comfortable with the
information from the slide show, hand out the endangered species crossword
puzzle for them to complete. The
crossword puzzle can also be found at
http://training.fws.gov/deo/andang/INDEX.
Closure:
- Once the students complete the crossword puzzle,
go over the answers orally, as a class.
Answer any questions that the students may have.
Assessment: For this lesson, I will assess
informally, using the class discussion following the slide show. I will also incorporate selected response
assessment, by collecting the completed crossword puzzles. I will check them to make sure that the
students completed them and that they corrected any incorrect answers when we
reviewed the answers in class.
Risky Critters
Topic:
Endangered Species Time: 45 minutes Grade: 4th
Goal:
Students will review the information learned during the “There is Still Time”
lesson, by participating in a computerized jeopardy type-game, called Risky
Critters, in the computer lab.
Standards:
Reading Comprehension 2.7 –
Follow multiple-step instructions in a basic technical manual.
Writing Strategies 1.9 –
Demonstrate basic keyboarding skills and familiarity with computer terminology.
Objectives:
- The learner will recall the information learned
from the “There is Still Time” slide show, such as names of endangered
species, reasons why they become endangered, and ways to help stop this
process. (Knowledge)
- The
learner will demonstrate that they can successfully use a computer to play
the game. (Application)
- The learner will work collaboratively with their
partner to succeed in the game. (Application)
Materials: Computers in computer lab and score sheet.
Procedure:
Anticipatory
Set:
- Hand back the crossword puzzles completed the
previous day and review the information learned from the puzzle and the
slide shown, through class discussion.
- Have the
students choose a partner and line up with their partner.
Activity:
- Walk the students to the computer lab and have
two students sit at each computer.
Each pair will work together to answer questions in the Risky
Critters game. The game is found at
the following website: http://endangered.fws.gov/kids/index.html
- Before they start, explain the directions of the
game and hand out a score sheet.
Explain that they play this game by choosing a category and a point
value (the more points, the more difficult the question), and then click
on the underlined number, which is the point value. Have them keep track of their score on
the handout by circling the point value of the questions they answer
correctly and by marking an X on the questions they answer incorrectly.
Closure:
- Once they have completed the game, lead the
students back to the classroom.
Have the students hand in their score sheets and ask if they have
any questions about the activity.
This activity will allow the children to become more comfortable
with the new information that they have been learning, about endangered
species. It also enables the
students to work with the computer, to utilize their technology skills.
Assessment: I will use informal assessment
for this lesson. While the students are
playing the computer game, I will circulate around the computer lab to ensure
that they understand the questions and that they are
able to answer a fair number of them. I
will also collect the score sheets to evaluate the amount of information they
are retaining.
Tracking the Wild Ones
Topic:
Endangered Species Time: 40 minutes Grade: 4th
Goal: To use statistics about endangered species to
learn more about how they affect the world.
Standards:
Number Sense 3.1 - Demonstrate an understanding of, and the ability to
use, standard algorithms for the addition and subtraction of multi-digit
numbers.
Statistics, Data Analysis,
and Probability 1.3 - Interpret one- and two-variable data graphs to answer
questions about a situation.
Mathematical Reasoning 1.1 -
Analyze problems by identifying relationships, distinguishing relevant
information, sequencing and prioritizing information, and observing patterns.
Objectives:
- The learner will recall the definitions of the
words endangered, threatened, and extinct. (Knowledge)
- Given the information of the graphs, the learner
will use their math skills to answer the questions of the worksheet.
(Application)
- The learner will point out the upward trend
found in the graphs. (Analysis)
Materials: Tracking the Wild Ones graphs
and worksheets
Procedure:
Anticipatory Set:
·
Through class
discussion, recall the definitions of the words endangered, threatened, and
extinct. Ask the students to share what
they know about the number of endangered species in our nation and the world. Explain that they are about to examine some
current data to find out just how many endangered species have been identified.
Remind them that these are the animals and plants that are known to be in
trouble and that many others probably exist.
Activity:
·
Distribute
copies of the Tracking the Wild Ones graphs and worksheet.
·
Instruct the students to use the charts and
graphs to answer the questions.
Closure:
·
When students
have completed the handout, correct the answers as a group and talk about the large
numbers of endangered species found in the
Assessment: For this lesson, one way in
which I will assess what the students have learned is through class discussion,
a form of personal communication. I will
pose questions to the students both before and after the activity. I will also use selected response to assess
during this lesson. The worksheet that
the students will complete using the graphs will serve as this selected
response assessment.
Answers to worksheet: (Graphs
found at www.ecos.fws.gov)
1. The number of listed
species grew every year.
2. 973
3. 514 more plants were listed
4. 1260, 516 animals and 744 plants
5. 125 fish species, 95 have recovery plans
6. arachnids, 12 species
7. lichens
8. 702 more
Tracking the Wild Ones
Using Graph A
1. Did the number of listed endangered and threatened species grow or
decline during the period of 1980-2001?
2. How many more endangered and threatened species were listed by the Fish
and Wildlife Service in 2001 than in 1980?
3. In 2001, were more plants or animals listed as endangered or
threatened? How many more? (Note: An animal is any creature that can breathe and move about. So, insects and clams
are animals.)
4. Which group of animals has the smallest number of species in danger of
extinction in 2001? How many total species of this type are endangered or
threatened?
Using Graph B
5. What is the current total of threatened and endangered species in the
6. How many
7. Which plant group -- flowering plants, conifers, ferns, or lichens -- has the smallest number of
total species on the endangered or threatened species lists?
8. How many more
Endangered
Species Acrostic Poem
Topic:
Endangered Species Time: 50 minutes Grade: 4th
Goal: Students will create an acrostic poem using
information they have learned about endangered species.
Standards:
Writing Strategies 1.1 -
Select a focus, an organizational structure, and a point of view based upon
purpose, audience, length, and format requirements.
Writing Strategies 1.7 - Use
various reference materials as an aid to writing.
Speaking Applications 2.4 -
Recite brief poems, soliloquies, or dramatic dialogues, using clear diction,
tempo, volume, and phrasing.
Objectives:
- The learner will recall a number of endangered
species, in order to create a class list of animals. (Knowledge)
- The learner will identify and describe the
characteristics of their chosen endangered animal. (Knowledge)
- The learner will select one animal from the list
of endangered species and create an acrostic poem about this animal.
(Knowledge / Synthesis)
- The learner will compile the information that
they have learned about their chosen endangered animal, using resource
books, the internet, and their memory, to create their acrostic.
(Synthesis)
Materials: List of endangered species, reference books, paper, pencils, computer.
Procedure:
Anticipatory
Set:
- Start this activity by reviewing the information
learned during the slide show, which was shown on the first day of the
unit. This includes the definition
of endangered, as well as a number of endangered species and their
characteristics.
- Create a list of animals that are classified as
endangered. Do
this by writing the list on the chalkboard/white board as the
students recall them orally. Make
sure the list includes at least fifteen to twenty different animals.
Activity:
- Once the list is sufficient, have each student
choose one animal to create an acrostic poem about. Before they begin to work on their
poems, discuss what an acrostic poem is.
It is a poem, which uses the letters of a certain word to create a
verse. This verse does not need to
rhyme, but should express information about the chosen animal, such as its
characteristics.
For example: Can
always land on their feet
Age seven human years for each
year they are alive
Take many naps each day
Closure:
- When the students are finished creating their
acrostic poems, have a few students volunteer to read their poems out
loud. Have the rest of the class
raise their hands to guess which animal the poem is about, from the class
list of endangered species.
Assessment: For this lesson, I will use
performance assessment. Students will be assessed by their ability to carry out
the appropriate steps to create an acrostic poem that characterizes the animal
that they chose. I will assess the
finished product, to ensure that they understood not only how to create an
acrostic poem, but also that they used appropriate information about their animal. This will also be done informally, as I walk
around the classroom while they are creating their poems.
Web of Life
Topic:
Endangered Species Time: 3 hours (3 class periods) Grade:
4th
Goal: To investigate endangered species and how
they impact the environment in order to complete a "web of life."
Standards:
- Life Sciences 3.b. - Students know that in any particular
environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive well, some survive
less well, and some cannot survive at all.
- Investigation and Experimentation 6.c. -
Formulate and justify predictions based on cause-and-effect relationships.
Objectives:
- The learner will compile information about their
assigned endangered species.
(Synthesis)
- The learner will predict how their assigned
endangered species will impact the “web of life.” (Comprehension)
- The learner will relate the survival of their
endangered species to that of other species. (Analysis)
- The learner will create a “web of life”, which
incorporates all of the assigned endangered species. (Synthesis)
Materials: Web of Life worksheet,
computers, reference books, bulletin board, push-pins, yarn or string.
Procedure:
Anticipatory
Set:
- Begin this lesson by asking your students to
describe how the absence of one student impacts the class. What needs to
be done differently or in addition due to the absence? Now ask them what
might happen if several students were absent. What if all of the students
in the class could not be there? How might this affect the teacher's
position? How would it impact the school? This is one example of how
groups and their environments change when their numbers change. Animals
also affect each other, and when their populations dwindle, there are many
effects.
- Divide the students into groups of four and
assign each group a specific endangered animal.
- Pass out one Web of Life worksheet to each
group.
Activity:
- Each group will work to complete the questions
of the Web of Life worksheet. They
may choose to do each question as a group or assign each person a question
to be responsible for. They are
able to use books, the computer, or their own notes to gather the
information needed to complete the worksheet. They are also to find two pictures of
their animal on the Internet and print them out.
- On the following day, have each group present
their findings to the class. Allow
them to ask and answer questions of the class.
- On the final day, all of the groups are to work
together to create a Web of Life bulletin board in the classroom, which
includes their worksheets and the pictures that they printed of their
animals from the Internet. They
will pin these items to the bulletin board, using the string to connect
the different animals, to create a web, to show how each animal depends on
others for survival.
Closure:
- Once the bulletin board has been created, lead a
discussion about the significance of the web of life. They will now be able to visualize how
all species are connected. Ask such
questions as, What would happen if one of the
animals were extinct? How would
this affect the other animals? How
does this affect our lives, as humans?
What can we do to stop the problem of extinction?
Assessment: I will emphasize the process of
the lesson, rather than the product.
Because of this, I will use informal assessment as the groups are
preparing their presentations and as the class creates the bulletin board. I will also use essay performance when
assessing their ability to provide explanations and solutions to the questions
proposed in the worksheet. Finally, I
will implement performance assessment to assess their ability to create the
final product of the lesson, the web of life.
Name____________________
Web of Life
How does this animal impact its environment and fit into the “web
of life”? Why is it important? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
