Lesson plan
Information Presentation: Animals
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to participate in a shared research and writing project. Students will be able to use a digital tool to produce and publish writing, in collaboration with peers.
Introduction
(5 minutes)
- Explain to your students that they will be researching, or deeply investigating, and creating presentations about animals.
- Activate their interests and prior knowledge by asking students questions. Some possible questions include: What is your favorite animal? What are some things you know about wild animals? What is an animal you wish you knew more about?
Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling
(15 minutes)- Display a copy of the Animal Research Graphic Organizer on the document camera.
- Model completing the worksheet with information about your favorite animal. Show that you have two sources of information (e.g., a book and an article from the internet) from which you will gather information.
- Show the class your pre-made presentation about your animal research on the Popplet app.
- Reiterate that the research process is when you gather information about a specific topic.
- Tell the class that they are going to work with a partner to research an animal they are both interested in. Explain that they will use different resources, such as books and articles, on the same topic so they can gather the best information possible. Then, they will use a digital tool to write down information and create a presentation to share with the rest of the class.
Guided Practice
(20 minutes)- Distribute a copy of the Animal Research Graphic Organizer worksheet to each individual, and create partnerships. Give partners time to choose an animal from the provided list and then gather the resources they will use for their research.
- Circulate and provide support to students as they participate in the shared research.
Independent working time
(40 minutes)- Provide partnerships with access to a device with the Popplet app. Explain that they will use the app to write information that they will present to the class.
- Circulate and provide support and guidance as they use the digital tool to produce and publish their writing.
Differentiation
- Enrichment: For advanced students, instruct them to include more information. Advanced students may be allowed to use different classroom technology (tablets, computers, etc.) to create their presentations.
- Support: Pair your students to work on the presentation together. Give them the Ladder Organizer to help organize their information.
Technology Integration
- Give your students access to computers to research their chosen animals on various appropriate websites.
Assessment
(15 minutes)- Have your students briefly present to the rest of the class.
- Assess your students' presentations, making sure that they are presenting facts rather than opinions.
Review and closing
(5 minutes)- Ask students to complete the following sentence frame and share with a partner: I used to think ____, but now I know ____.
- Call on nonvolunteers to share their new learning with the class and provide praise and feedback about their research efforts and use of a digital tool to present their information.
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