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LESSON PLAN
Team members’ name: Alli Smalley, Vernesa Heard
Lesson Title: Discovering the Rainforest
Grade level: 7
Reference sites:
The Nature Conservancy
National
Council for Geographic Education
A.
Target Audience
Describe the target audience as
much detail as possible. Where information is available, include number
of learners, type of school, socioeconomic status, racial/cultural
background, abilities, learners’ prior knowledge, special needs, etc.
The target audience is a class of 20 seventh graders at a public middle school in Alabama. The general socioeconomic status of students that attend this school is middle class. The students are either African American, Caucasian, or bi-racial. The students are attentive and alert, and they are able to follow instructions well. Most of the students are performing at the level they should be and they are able to think abstractly and use a sound thinking process. The students have a good foundation in environmental science due to prior science classes. Few students in this class require special accommodations. Reading assistance is given to those individuals that require it in order to understand an assignment or lesson.
B.
Environment
Describe the
classroom/laboratory/learning environment in which the lesson will take
place in as much detail as possible. Information may include location,
physical layout, technology tools available, other tools available, any
environmental factor that might influence teaching and learning, etc.
This lesson will take place in a classroom. The students can perform many of the activities at their desk (which are in the middle of the classroom in 5 clusters of 4 desks) or at the computer center in the classroom (on the right side of the classroom). The technology available in the classroom ranges from computers, overhead-projectors and smart boards. While in the classroom, students will be able to learn more about the rainforest thru use of the internet, PowerPoint presentations, photo-stories, Wikis, and blogs. With the extensive use of the technology, students will gain a deeper knowledge about the rainforest that exist.
C.
Summary of
Lesson
Briefly summarize the general ideas
you have for both content and technology use/integration. What will the
teacher do? What will learners do? What are the students expected to
learn as a result of this lesson?
Students will use maps, globes, and atlases to locate the world's rain
forests. Also, students will research the tropical rain forests through
the use of text books, encyclopedias, rain forest videos, and computer
searches to determine the effects that human use has on the rain forest.
As the teacher, I will supply the students with the materials they will
need during this lesson such as maps, globes, books, and atlases. I will
also give students access to the computers and various technologies in
order to supplement the various exercises, worksheets, and activities
they will be doing. I will guide students through the lesson and assist
them when they need assistance. As a result of this lesson, I hope my
students gain extensive knowledge about the rainforest. I also hope my
students are able to answer the follow questions:
What is happening to the rain forest as a result of human use?
Where are the rain forests
(continents and countries)?
What are the characteristics of the
Amazon rain forest (physical environment, human inhabitants, flora, and
fauna)?
What ways are the rain forests being
used and changed?
Should all areas of the rain forest
be protected areas? Why or why not?
D.Alabama
Content Standards Addressed
Copy and paste relevant
standards from
http://alex.state.al.us/browseStand.php.
Include standards in their entirety, not just the reference numbers.
Include national content standards too if suitable.
*Describe biotic and abiotic factors in the environment.
Examples:
- Biotic-plants, animals;
- Abiotic-climate, water, soil
*Identify representations of Earth using technology, maps, and globes.
Example:
-
Locations of different countries and their features
E. ISTE Technology Foundations Standards
for Students Addressed
Copy and paste these standards from
http://osx.latech.edu/students/NETS_S_standards-1-6.pdf
Include standards in their entirety, not just the reference numbers.
F. Student objectives for the lesson
Focus on student learning outcomes.
Each objective should be observable and measurable. State the objectives
in the form of “given a condition, the students will do what to what
level or degree”. Refer to
http://www.uwf.edu/atc/Handouts/bloomtaxonomyverblist.rtf
(pages 3 and 4) for useful action words to use in your objectives.
-When given a globe, students should be able to
recognize the difference between
longitude,
latitude, prime meridian, equator, Tropic of Cancer, and Tropic of
Capricorn.
-
Students should be able to list and provide
characteristics of the different rain forests and their physical
characteristics.
-
When given a map or globe students should be able
to locate the different countries and show what rain forest is located
there.
G. Length of the lesson activity
Number of class periods and/or
duration in minutes.
This lesson
will take 2 days in all. This activity will take place during the
Science part of the class. The lesson will last approximately 1hr and 15
min. a day.
H. Preparation
List and describe the things you
would have to do to prepare to deliver this lesson, particularly with
regards to technology. Is there any set-up required?
To prepare for
this lesson, I would review over the readings that I have required that
my students do to make sure they are accurate and engaging. Also, I
would review the maps, globes, and atlases to make sure that they are
creative; easy to read, and have the right information on them. In
addition, I would be sure to have extra copies of all the things I hand
out in case a student misplaces something. I would make sure that all of
my computers were operating properly and that the internet was operating
as well. The day before I showed the video, I would view the video to
make sure it as well as the TV and DVD player worked. I would double
check and make sure that overhead projector was also working correctly
as well. I would do my own special research on the rainforest, including
research on the history, current events, and people of rainforest
regions in order to make sure that I give my students a very in depth
and up to date lesson on the rain forest.
I.
Plan and
schedule of activities
Break down your activity into a
timeline of planned events. Focus on what students will be doing and
what teachers will be doing during each part of the lesson. Make sure
you clearly describe the steps and strategies involved in each activity.
Students’ use of technology part should be described in detail.
Activity One: (Day 1)
This activity answers:
Where are the rain forests?
ü
Direct the students in a review about the purposes of maps, globes, and
atlases. Discuss the different characteristics such as outline,
color, and size. Students should also be reviewed on the topics of
longitude, latitude, prime meridian, equator, Tropic of Cancer, and
Tropic of Capricorn. (10 minutes)
ü
Read Welcome to the Green House by Jane Yolen. (20
minutes)
ü
After reading and discussing the story, have students predict the
location of the story. (15 minutes)
ü
Divide students into groups of four.
ü
Give each group an atlas, globe, and base map of the world.
ü
Each group should also be given a list of countries, continents, and
oceans to be located and labeled.
ü
Students will shade the rain forest areas green, oceans blue, and other
landforms brown.
ü
Students will look for a pattern of the rain forests (located mostly
around the equator between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of
Capricorn). (20 minutes)
ü
Students will watch a video about the rain forest. (Remaining 10
minutes)
Activity Two :( Day 2) This activity
answers the question/s: What are the characteristics of the Amazon
rain forest (physical environment, human inhabitants, flora, and fauna)?
o
Read
The Cousteau Society: An Adventure in the Amazon by Simon and
Schuster Books for Young Readers.
o
The teacher
will locate the Amazon rain forest on the overhead map projection.
The teacher will lead the class in a discussion on the characteristics
of a rain forest. Students will locate the nine countries within
the Amazon rain forest using the overhead transparency and a student
map.
o
Students
will be divided into groups of four to research the Amazon rain forest.
o
Each group
will be given two weeks to research one country in the Amazon rain
forest. Research should include information about: physical
environment, people, flora, fauna, and ways in which the people use the
rain forest.
o
Students
will present their research to class.
o
Along with
presentation, students will display a map with their selected country
labeled.
J. List of materials needed
Revisit each activity and identify
what items (both technology and non-technology) are needed to complete
this lesson. Examples include rubrics, handouts, job aids, procedural
guides or other forms of scaffolding. Submit all materials with the
lesson plan as appendices.
·
student map of the world and South America
·
atlas
·
overhead map of South America
·
globe
·
crayons
·
wall map
Students will
also need access to a computer to view Google Earth and other rainforest
websites. Teachers will also need to have access to a TV and DVD or tape
player.
K.
Assessment
Refer to your objectives. Make sure
that each objective is paired with an assessment measure. While formal
(summative) assessment might only occur at the end of a series of
lessons - and possibly not take place during the time you will be
teaching - you should describe the strategies you will use to determine
of your students have met the learning objectives.
At the end of
each lesson to determine if my students have learned and understood the
material presented, I will give a worksheet summary of the entire
lesson. It will include pictures and various questions to test the
student’s knowledge of the material.
L. Adaptations
How might the lesson be adapted for
students with special needs and/or cater to different learning styles?
What is your backup plan in case the technology resources you plan on
using fail?
This lesson
caters to different learning styles through the use of different
technologies. I believe that the way this lesson is done will be more
helpful for students with special needs because it is more visual than
the average classrooms lesson. Most students with special needs struggle
with reading and comprehending. For this lesson that will not be a
problem because it will involve globes, power point pictures, and also
videos with science filled information.
If the
technology that we have planned for fails at the last minute, we will
have to resort to book pictures, but other parts of the lesson can stay
the same. Also instead of watching the video at the end of class I would
continue to discuss the rain forests, and then allow the students to
address any questions they may have.
M. Justification
Why do you think the
technologies you selected for this lesson can enhance student learning?
Justify your technology decisions.
I believe that the different
technologies allow the students to learn in a more visual way. The power
points will include not only the information, but also pictures and
images from different environments around the world. Videos are also a
great way to capture student’s attention in a positive way so that they
will continue to learn the information. These technologies interest the
students in a more effective way than simply reading straight from a
textbook.