BRAZIL
Emily Schultheis
November 29, 2012
INTRODUCTION:
Harris Hill Elementary
 Clarence Central School District
 Amy Stewart
 Third Grade
 About 25 students
 3 push-in special education students
 Taught over four days in 40-minute sessions

OBJECTIVES:
Students will be able to write an expository
paragraph about the country of Brazil containing
sentence fluency and all parts of a paragraph
with 80-100% accuracy.
 Students will be able to complete a concept map
(graphic organizer) to convey ideas and
information about Brazil with 80-100% accuracy.
 Students will be able to complete a Venn
Diagram comparing Brazil and the United States
with 90-100% accuracy.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
How does the Yanomami tribe survive in the
rainforest despite culture extinction?
 How do Brazilian companies and people make
money?
 What is the culture of Brazil like?

GUIDING QUESTIONS:
What language do people in Brazil speak?
 What is the most popular sport in Brazil?
 What do companies in Brazil manufacture?
 How is the Yanomami tribe affected by
deforestation?

PURPOSE:
This lesson is part of a Social Studies unit on
tropical rainforests. As per the Clarence Central
School curriculum, the third grade students
study a country where tropical rainforests are
found. Brazil contains the largest tropical
rainforest in the world, the Amazon Rainforest.
The activities in this lesson follow the
curriculum.
 This lesson incorporates Social Studies and
English Language Arts.

COMMON CORE ELA STANDARD:
CCR Anchor: Text types and purposes (W. CCR)
 Strand: Writing (W)
 Grade: 3
 Standard: 2. Write informative/ explanatory texts
to examine a topic and convey ideas and
information clearly.

SUPPORTING STANDARD:
Geography
 Key Idea 1
 Performance Indicator: study about how people
live, work, and utilize natural resources.

STUDENT TASKS:

Before Instruction:



Complete a concept map with information the
student already knows about Brazil.
Day 1: Complete a Venn Diagram comparing the
United States and Brazil.
Day 2: Students will set up “stores” in the
classroom and “go shopping” to represent the
economy of Brazil.
STUDENT TASKS:

Day 3: The teacher presents a PowerPoint on the
Yanomami tribe of Brazil. The students complete
a worksheet on cultural extinction by writing
paragraphs.


A visitor from the Buffalo Science Museum visits the
class.
Day 4: The students play a “Family Feud” style
game as a summative assessment.
STUDENT WORK:
Concept Map
Scoring: Only the correct responses are marked as
correct.
DEVELOPING
PROFICIENT
DISTINGUISHED
STUDENT WORK
Paragraphs on Cultural Extinction
•Scored
on a 4-1 rubric
RUBRIC
4
Brazil facts
Provides 3 or
more accurate
facts about
the
Yanomami
Tribe. All
sentences are
expository.
3
Provides
three facts
about the
Yanomami
tribe
2
1
Provides 1
fact about the
Yanomami
tribe
Student
provides 0
facts
Or
Facts are not
accurate
RUBRIC CONTINUED
4
Structure of a Includes topic
Paragraph
sentence, at
least 3
details, and a
concluding
sentence.
Details relate
to topic
sentence.
3
Includes topic
sentence, at
least 3
details, and a
concluding
sentence.
Details relate
to topic
sentence.
2
One part of
the
paragraph is
not included.
1
Two parts are
not included
Or
Details do not
relate to topic
sentence.
RUBRIC CONTINUED
4
Spelling and
grammar
No spelling or
grammar
mistakes
(including
capitals)
3
2
1
1-2 spelling or 3-4 spelling or 5 or more
grammar
grammar
spelling or
mistakes
mistakes
grammar
mistakes
DEVELOPING
PROFICIENT
DISTINGUISHED
DIRECTIONS:


Few people realize that the rainforest is home to
many indigenous people. They are faced with
many threats, such as disease and deforestation.
Do you think the Brazilian Congress should pass
the bill to let gold miners mine on the Yanomami
land? Explain your answer.
Pretend you are talking to a friend that does not
know anything about the Yanomami tribe. Tell
your friend where this tribe lives and how they
survive.
STUDENT WORK
Venn Diagram
DEVELOPING
PROFICIENT
DISTINGUISHED
CONCEPT MAP SCORES: PRE AND POST-TEST
18
16
14
Number of Students
12
10
Pretest
Posttest
8
6
4
2
0
Developing
Proficient
Levels
Distinguished
MODIFICATIONS
Modification
Type
Specific
Modification
Rationale
Benefits
Environmental
Preferential
seating for special
education
students.
Students will sit
close to the aide
so she can spend
equal time among
the three
students.
Students are able
to have
modifications and
help in a timely
manner.
Students stay on
task.
MODIFICATIONS CONTINUED
Modification
Type
Specific
Modifications
Rationale
Benefits
Material
Enlarging the
paper
Students with
visual
impairments need
the paper
enlarged to read
the words.
Students are
better able to read
the words on the
paper, therefore
better completing
the task.
MODIFICATIONS CONTINUED
Modification
Type
Specific
Modification
Rationale
Benefits
Instruction
Extra time to
complete the
assignments.
Students need
extra time to
complete
assignments for
multiple reasons,
as indicated on
their IEP.
Students have
more proficient
work when given
extra time to
think about and
write answers.
REFLECTION



Thank you to my peer review group!
As a result of this learning experience, I now
understand the importance of giving a pre-test. It
allows the teacher to measure what the students
already know, and when the scores are graphed,
students growth can easily be measured.
The scores on the post-test show significant
growth when compared to the pre-test.
STUDENT QUOTES



One student said, “Miss S., you are my favorite
teacher!”
Throughout the rainforest unit, students created
PowerPoints to present to the class, and then
taught the class how to use PowerPoint. The
students that presented said, “We did this
because Miss S. does PowerPoints. It’s so fun!”
As the rainforest bulletin board (which
demonstrated layers of the rainforest) was being
taken down, students in the class shouted,
“Deforestation! Deforestation!,” which shows they
really understood the concept.
Harris Hill third grade
class with a visitor from
the Buffalo Science
Museum. We held an
anaconda skin!