ESL and Cooperative
Learning:
Lesson: Animals Move!
Subject: Science and
Language
Kindergarten
by: Merrideth Blair
EDBE 5453
ESL and Cooperative Learning: applying
the Critical Literary Review…
•
•
In this lesson plan I use Cooperative Learning through large group, small group,
and pairs.
• Through this lesson I will be using Cooperative Learning to:
– motivate my students to speak English and learn about animal verbs and
classification by allowing them to work with peers in a fun and active
environment
– work on social interdependence when applying the jigsaw method for
animal classification in their small group project.
– elevate their achievement scores when testing their mastery of new verbs by
helping them meaningfully apply each, and communicate the new words
through Cooperative Learning play groups.
Nunan states, “Classroom education, to a very large degree is talk: it is the social
use of language to enact regular activity structures and to share systems of
meaning among teachers and students” (Nunan, 56). Talking to each other will
be a focus for the lesson in order to place emphasis on the meaningful use of
English in the student’s social learning groups.
Nunan, D. (1992). Collaborative language learning and teaching. New York, NY: Cambridge . University Press.
Topic: Animals Move!
Animals Move!
Run!
Jump!
Hop!
Swim!
Crawl!
Walk!
Content Objectives:
-The student will correctly classify animals
by how they move by placing them into
their correct stack 90% of the time.
-The student will recognize the new
vocabulary as verbs 90% of the time.
-The student will correctly identify the
habitat of the group of animals they are
given 95% of the time.
-The student will recognize the different
habitats of animals including zoo, farm,
homes, and ocean by observing each
group’s picture ¾ trials.
Animals Move!
Language Objectives:
-The students will state the name of their
animal in ‘The Circle Game’ 80% of the
time.
-The students will state the verb describing
how their animal moves ¾ trials.
-The students will communicate their animal
habitat to the class with 95% accuracy.
-The students will communicate in English
while participating in social group work
95% of the time.
Standards Addressed:
• Texas Essential Knowledge
and Skills Standards
(TEKS):
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§112.11. Science, Kindergarten (B)
examine evidence that living organisms
have basic needs such as food, water, and
shelter for animals and air, water,
nutrients, sunlight, and space for plants.
(10) Organisms and environments. The
student knows that organisms resemble
their parents and have structures and
processes that help them survive within
their environments. The student is
expected to:
-(A) sort plants and animals into
groups based on physical characteristics
such as color, size, body covering, or leaf
shape (how they move)
• English Language
Proficiency Standards
(ELPS):
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-
-
§74.4. English Language Proficiency Standards
(c) Cross-curricular second language acquisition
essential knowledge and skills (1)-(A) use prior
knowledge and experiences to understand meanings in
English
-E) internalize new basic and academic language by
using and reusing it in meaningful ways in speaking
and writing activities that build concept and language
attainment
2) Speaking- Kinder. (ii) speak using a very limited
bank of high-frequency, high-need, concrete
vocabulary, including key words and expressions
needed for basic communication in academic and
social contexts
-(D) monitor understanding of spoken language
during classroom instruction and interactions and seek
clarification as needed
(I) demonstrate listening comprehension of
increasingly complex spoken English by following
directions, retelling or summarizing spoken messages,
responding to questions and requests, collaborating
with peers, and taking notes commensurate with
content and grade-level needs.
Procedure: Opening the lesson
• The lesson will begin by introducing new “Circle Game” cards with
pictures of animals on them. These cards are to be made on large
cardstock, laminated so the students can step on them. The class
will listen and repeat after the teacher each of the animal’s names.
They will go through these several times until the teacher thinks
the students are comprehending the new animal words. The
teacher will then lay the cards out in a big circle. The students will
be instructed to move around the circle until they are told to
stop. Once they stop the teacher will go around the circle and
have the students tell her what the animal they landed on is.
Music can be played for stop and re-start. The students should go
around this circle until each has had four different animals. This
game is fun and interactive for the students. They get to move
around, listen to others say the names of the animals, and speak
the English name for their animals. Through this game the
teacher should test for comprehension of the English names for
the animals.
Procedure continued: Introducing Verbs!
• Next, the teacher will introduce the new moving verbs:
jump/hop, run/walk/crawl, swim. They will review
these until the students show knowledge of these. The
teacher will then let the students go to the circle and
will instruct the students to move around the circle in
the movement verb that is called out (for runningthey will run slow motion, swimming they will move
their arms). EX: if the teacher says crawl the students
will crawl around the circle. Check for comprehension
before moving forward.
Procedure continued: Small group- Play!
• The students will be split into four or eight groups
depending on how many students are in the class with 24 students in each small play group. In each group’s area
there will be plastic play toys in the category of zoo, farm,
pet, and ocean animals. The student will be told to guess
where they think their groups animals would live. They
will get a chance to play with them, and communicate
about their animals and animal habitat. The teacher
should move around each group and question them
about their animals and what they think their habitat is.
While doing so the teacher should be checking student’s
use of English and may need to help prompt them to get
a conversation going about the animals while they play.
The teacher for example may want to remind the students
of their new vocabulary words.
Procedure Continued: Small group- Project
• After the teacher has checked with each group to be
sure they are communicating in English and have
determined the correct habitat, the students will be
given a large piece of poster board paper, crayons,
markers and pencils. The teacher will instruct the
students to draw a picture of their habitat, so they
can show the class which group of animals they have.
The students will be working toward using their new
language in meaningful ways when presenting their
picture.
Procedures continued: Small Group Presentations
• The students will be reminded of speaker
focused rules while groups present. The students
will come up one group at a time to present
their pictures. They will practice telling the class
the animals and the habitat that their animals
live in. They will also guess what verb the
animals may use in that habitat (most have all!)
If available the students can present using a
microphone (think makes it extra exciting for
the students!)
Procedures continued: SMARTboard Classifying
• Using the SMARTboard the students will gather
for large group. The teacher will have pictures
scattered on the board of the animals, and
grouping circles labeled Flies,
Runs/Walks/Crawls, Swims, and Jumps/Hops.
The students will be called on to come up and
move the pictures into where they think they
should go according to how they move.
Materials:
-cardstock with pictures of
animals chosen for each category
(zoo, farm, pets, ocean),
laminated
-Vocabulary cards for each new
verb (flies, runs, walks, swims,
crawls, hops, jumps)
- a music player for “The Circle
Game”
-Poster board paper (enough for
each group)
-Crayons, markers, pencils
-Plastic zoo, farm, pet, and ocean
toys
-SMARTboard
-microphone
Assessment:
• Assessment will be conducted before, during and after the
lesson.
• Before the lesson, the teacher will review students on the words
of animals to test for previous knowledge.
• During each lesson piece the teacher will observe and question
students individually to determine their comprehension of the
new material. Before moving on to the next section the
teacher should be sure of their comprehension.
• After all sections of the lesson have been completed the
teacher can use the group’s project for a final mastery of the
knowledge of animal names and habitats, then can use the
SMARTboard activity to further test for mastery of skills for
verbs!
Cooperative Learning in ESL!
• Once the lesson is completed the students
will have gained knowledge in a fun and
interactive way using Cooperative Learning.
The teacher should follow up with
maintenance reviews to make sure students
remember new words. The teacher and
students will hopefully both be excited for
the next Cooperative Lesson after having
success with this Animals Move lesson!