Natalie Nickolas LTM 621 Lesson #4 11/7/12

Lesson Plan: Compare & Contrast Practice

Describe the context: (Students, grade level, geographic location, community and school population, socioeconomic profile, school culture, availability of technology, content, learning styles, ethnic breakdown, special needs, . . . Be detailed) This lesson is designed for a 5th grade class at Maple Grove Elementary in the Greenfield School District. Greenfield has a population of nearly 37,000 people, and the district has an enrollment population of just over 3,800 students. Maple Grove Elementary houses kindergarten through 5th grade, with three classrooms per grade. This particular class has 27 students, with an almost equal number of boys and girls. The students appear to come from middle-income families, which would be representative of Greenfields median household income of $50,637. The vast majority of the students in this particular classroom are Caucasian, but a few students are Hispanic and East Indian. As a whole, this class seems to contain many visual learners. The students like having visuals that can be referred to, such as having text posted at the front of the room. They are also very hands-on, and they enjoy being able to manipulate information, such as when they perform sorts with their vocabulary words. In terms of technology, this classroom contains a computer and a SMART Board, which will be used for this lesson. The SMART Board is brand new to the teacher and the students, but the technology has been increasingly incorporated into lessons over the course of the semester.

Learning Goals/Objectives Content Standards

RI5.5 Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.

Affective Objectives: (related to student attitudes and values; think dispositions) Cognitive: (related to the mastery of knowledge: think Bloom) For help please go to Blooms Taxonomy of Learning Domains

Valuing: Students will demonstrate an ability to compare and contrast information on two concepts.

Comprehension: Students will compare and contrast information.

Pre-Assessment: (What will you do/what have you done to

In the previous days lesson, students were introduced to compare and contrast. They were given the opportunity to

know that the student(s) need to be taught this information.)

practice the skill as a whole group while focusing on information presented in a single article. Todays lesson will give them time to practice comparing and contrasting information from two different articles. My cooperating teacher stated that it will be good for the students to work with compare and contrast before WKCE testing. Compare and contrast, Venn diagram

Academic Language

Assessment (Criteria / Look Fors; How will you assess learning? What will you do to know if the students have met the objectives?)

Students will identify similarities and differences between grizzly bears and black bears, and working with a partner, will accurately complete a Venn diagram. Students will also respond to a closing activity asking them to quickly identify a bear by appearance.

What Rubrics or other scoring scales will be used? Students SelfAssessment

Enduring Understanding/Essential Question(s): (What are the big ideas? What thought provoking question(s) will guide the lesson?) Instructional Procedures Learning Strategies: (Be sure to include specific strategies to develop literacy of content)

What is compare and contrast? How can a Venn diagram help me organize information?

Compare and contrast using a graphic organizer (Venn diagram)

Introduction Pre (How will you motivate, activate prior knowledge, . . .)

I will start by asking the students to think back to the day before and the work that we did. We will review the concept of compare and contrast and how a Venn diagram works. I will explain that today we will continue practicing the skill of comparing and contrasting, but this time by finding similarities and differences between items in two different articles. I will tell the students that they will be working with a partner, one reading an article on grizzly bears and the other reading about black bears. Together they will complete a Venn diagram on the two types of bears. I will pass out the articles and copies of the Venn diagram.

During Demonstration

Participation

Practice

Students will be given time to read and collaborate with their

partners. I will circulate the room checking on students and providing assistance, as needed. Closure Post Extension I will bring the class together and will have the students first provide information about black bears, then grizzly bears, and finally information on how the two are the same. As a wrap-up activity, I will have students respond to the following prompt: You are on a hike in beautiful Yellowstone National Park when you see a bear and the bear sees you. You need to figure out quickly whether this is a black bear or a grizzly, so that you can decide how to react. Write or draw a picture telling how you would be able to tell the difference by just looking at the bear. Time (Total and Specific) Student Accommodations Differentiation/Planning for Individual Needs(IEP goals if known; RtI; PBIS): 30 minutes

Students will be able to choose their partners and which article they prefer to read. Students will also choose whether to write or draw in response to the closing prompt. I will be sure to monitor and assist students that may struggle or need redirecting during this activity.

SMART Board Resources and Materials: (Include technology where Flash drive applicable/available/appropriate) Copies of bear articles Copies of Venn diagram Electronic copy of articles and Venn diagram Copies of closing response activity

Reflection (What theory/theorists are you using to guide your practice/planning of this lesson?)

Sociolinguistics: Students will be working with a partner, discussing and collaborating as they compare and contrast the two types of bears.

Wild Bears! The Black Bear

Black bears are the most common of the three bear species living in North America. They are found in wooded areas all across the United States and Canada. They survive in many different habitats and climates, from steamy Mexico to icy Alaska. Black bears are almost always black with tan muzzles, or snouts. They also can be dark brown, cinnamon, or tan. Sometimes they have a white patch of hair on their throat or chest. Some black bears look similar to grizzly bears, but unlike the grizzly, black bears do not have a noticeable shoulder hump of muscle. The black bear also has a large, wedge-shaped head and shorter claws. A black bears short, sharp claws are important to its survival. One of their most dangerous enemies is the grizzly bear. A black bear often climbs a tree when it is threatened. Its sharp claws dig into the tree bark and allow the animal to quickly climb to safety. Because grizzlies have longer claws, they are unable to follow black bears up tree trunks. American black bears are smaller and lighter than grizzlies. An American black bear is about 5 to 6 feet long and weighs between 200 to 500 pounds. The black bear has a very good sense of smell that it uses to stay safe and find food. On a damp, windy day, a black bear can smell ripe berries or rotting meat several miles away. Black bears always seem to be hungry so theyre always on the lookout for a big meal. Black bears are omnivores,

meaning they eat both plants and animals. They sometimes prey on other animals in late spring or early summer, when the forests are full of young deer and elk. During the summer, black bears eat many kinds of insects, along with berries, nuts, roots, and honey. One of the black bears most unique features is its ability to hibernate (stay in a sleeplike state). Because food is scarce in winter, most black bears hibernate. In the fall, a bear searches for a den. Sometimes it digs an underground sleeping room by enlarging an old coyote den. Other times, it finds a hollow log and crawls inside. Some bears even sleep underneath the porches of summer cabins! While living off of the fat it has stored up from eating all summer, a black bear can sleep for months at a time.

Wild Bears! The Grizzly Bear Grizzly bears can be found in North America, Asia, and Europe. In North America, grizzly bears live in the mountains, meadows, and beaches of Canada, Alaska, and a few areas in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Grizzly bears are grizzled, which means streaked with gray. A grizzlys underfur the fur closest to its skin is shaggy and mostly shades of brown. But the grizzly also has outer hairs that are white or silver-tipped. This gives the bears a grizzly look. Grizzly bears can sometimes look similar to black bears, but besides the coloring, there are three features of a grizzly bear that distinguish it from a black bear. A grizzly has a noticeable hump of muscle above its shoulders, a dish-shaped face, and very long claws. The claws on a grizzly are 4 to 5 inches long twice as long as black bear claws. Unlike the black bear, which uses its claws for tree climbing, grizzly bears mainly use their claws for digging and to grasp objects even things as small as berries. Most adult grizzlies can grow to 8 feet long. If one stood on its hind legs in your living room, it might hit its head on the ceiling! A male grizzly may weigh up to 600 pounds the weight of two very large men. Female grizzlies usually weigh 350 to 400 pounds. Even though they are smaller than males, female grizzlies are just as fierce especially when protecting their young.

A grizzly bear has a very keen sense of smell that it uses to detect danger and to locate food. They can smell berries and rotting flesh from several miles away. Grizzly bears can even discover food buried under snow or soil! Hungry as a bear certainly describes the grizzly. To maintain its great size and strength, a grizzly is always searching for food. Because grizzlies eat both meat and plants, they are called omnivores. Grizzly bears feed on plants, such as berries, roots, and grass. Some bears that live near streams and rivers hunt for fish. In the spring, a grizzly often eats small animals because they are easy to catch. Grizzlies also hunt for insects and grubs by tearing apart old logs and tree stumps. Because it is hard to find food during the long winter, some bears have the amazing ability to hibernate (be sleeplike state). Some grizzlies find caves or other natural shelters for their winter sleep. Others dig dens in the fall, before the ground freezes. A grizzly will hibernate for many months until spring returns. Before they hibernate, grizzlies must spend most of their time eating to build up enough fat to survive so many months without food.