LESSON
PLAN
Developmental
Domains
DATE: Wednesday, November
25th 2015
TIME: 9:00 am -10:30 am
CLASS: Bilingual Kindergarten/ KC
SUBJECT: Animal Habitats/
Cross curricular lessonintegrates both French
language arts and Science
DURATION: 1hr and 30 min
SCHOOL: Michelangelo Elementary
Competency 1: Develops sensorimotor skills
Competency 3: Relates Well to Others
Competency 4: Communicates Orally
Competency 5: Becomes Familiar with his/her Environment
Competency 6: Completes Projects or Activities
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OBJECTIVES
(CURRICULUM
DOMAIN)
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With prompting and support from the teacher, students will begin to
understand, define and explain in their own words what an animal habitat
is?( recognize the similar nature between animals and humans both living in
a habitat) (our habitat being our home in the city).
With support and prompting from the teacher, students will begin to explain
why living things live in habitats to which they are particularly suited
After engaging in the class discussion and smart board activity, students will
begin to identify characteristics of the different animal habitats. Some of
these include the arctic tundra, the desert habitat, tropical rainforest and the
ocean habitat. Paying attention to the difference in climate, the animals
associated to each habitat and the differences in landscapes (flora and
fauna).
Students will also be introduced to new vocabulary in French ( beginning to
repeat the names of the animals in French as well as the country names
where we can find these specific habitats)
Students will be able to associate and classify the animals to their correct
habitats, helping each animal finds its habitat (for example: insects /birds
and frogs in the tropical rainforest, camels and lizards in the deserts, fish,
sharks and whales in the oceans and polar bears , belugas and walruses in
the arctic habitat). Students will do this after we have discussed animals and
their habitats as a class using the smart board.
With teacher support and assistance, students will begin to identify where on
the world map can we find these specific animal habitats? (Examples
include: tropical rainforests in Africa/Asia, deserts in Algeria/Morocco,
Pacific and Atlantic oceans and the arctic tundra in Antarctica.
GROUP SIZE
& MATERIALS
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The book “Moi j’habite” by Christopher Wormell
The 4 information habitat series “24 heures” (dans l’arctique, sur un recif
coralline, dans la savane and au Coeur des forets tropicales)
The smartboard
Ma premiere carte du monde
Pictures of the habitats and animals to stick onto the map
The habitat handout activity
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES:
Competency 1: To act as a professional inheritor, critic and interpreter of knowledge
when teaching students
Competency 2: To communicate clearly in the language of instruction, both orally and in
writing, using correct grammar, in various contexts related to teaching
.
Competency 3: To develop teaching/learning situations that are appropriate to the
students concerned and the subject content with a view to developing the competencies
targeted in the programs of study
.
Competency 4: To pilot teaching/learning situations that are appropriate to the students
concerned and to the subject content with a view to developing the competencies targeted
I the programs of study
.
Competency 5: To evaluate student progress in learning the subject content and
mastering the related competencies
Competency 6: To plan, organize and supervise a class in such a way as to promote
students’ learning and social development
TIME
LESSON
Introduction
.
The lesson will begin right after the calendar of the day/ morning routine. I will ask all the
9:00am- students to remain with their heads on their desks. When I call their table they will tip toe to the
9:15 am story telling corner for story time. I will introduce the lesson on animal habitats by reading the
story “Moi j’habite” by Christopher Wormell. The book introduces the students to different
animals and where they live. For example, je suis une abeille j’habite dans une ruche, je suis un
chameau j’habit dans le désert etcc..
TIME
LESSON
Before reading the story, I will have the students look closely at the front cover of the book
and I will read the title of the story. Then I will ask them to infer based on the title, what they think
the book might be about? I will also ask the students to discuss in French, what they think a habitat
is. I will emphasize on the word “habite” meaning live and ask them where they live. (Make
connections to prior knowledge of a habitat/home). I will have them discuss who lives in their
home and explain how just like we have a home to live in, animals also have homes that they live
in. After reading the story, I will ask the student to discuss animals that are native to our part of the
country. Which animals can we find in Canada? Some expected answers are squirrels, dogs, cats,
beavers, birds and insects. Then I will branch out to other environmental habitats like the ocean,
the rainforests, arctic and desert and ask students to think of some animals that live in these
specific habitats.
I will explain to the students, that there are many habitats around the world that different animals
live in. For today, we will be closely examining four habitats in particular. These include the
ocean, the desert, the arctic as well as the tropical rainforest. I will have four books on the desk
opened next to me. These four books are informative books which provide lovely visuals of all the
animals that live in each habitat and also provide information about the climate, the vegetation and
the landscape. I will not be reading these books because they are not age appropriate, however, I
will have the students browse the books and look at the pictures of the landscapes of each habitat
and to identify in the images which animals live where.
TIME
LESSON
I will also emphasize on the difference in climate, landscape and vegetation found within each
of the habitats. For example, in the arctic habitat the climate is cold compared to the desert habitat.
In the tropical rainforest, we will see much more vegetation than in the desert habitat. I want the
students to begin to identify these differences. I will have the students examine the pictures and
begin to ask them what kind of animals they see in the specific pictures in the books. This way,
they begin to practice saying the names of the animals in French.
Following this, I will begin the smart board activity. Each slide on the smart board will
pertain to one of the four habitats examined for that day. On each slide, I have recorded specific
sounds that we would hear in that specific habitat. I will be telling the students that we will be
taking a walk in these different habitats and listen to the sounds we hear. While listening to the
sound effects for each habitat, I will ask the students which animals they hear in the background
and have them try to name them in French. For example, in the tropical rainforest we hear the
sounds of birds chirping, monkey shrieking and the sound of the trickling rainfalls. In the ocean
habitat, we hear the sound of the waves, dolphins whistling and the scuba diver breathing
underwater.
Following this, I will play an interactive smart board game with the students. On each slide,
there will be a background picture of a specific habitat as well as different pictures of a variety of
animals placed on the side of the picture of the habitat. The animals have all been scrambled and
mixed up. The students will help me classify/associate the animals to their appropriate habitat by
dragging them into the appropriate habitat. For example, polar bear goes in the arctic habitat, the
camel goes lives in the desert, or the seahorse lives under the sea. Following this, I will discuss
with the students different places/countries in the world where we can actually find these specific
habitats. For example, tropical rainforests can be found in Africa, Asia and Australia, or the arctic
habitat can be found in Antarctica.
I will then have next to me hanging on the bristle board, a simplified version of a map of the
world that I have made specifically for the students. I will then have pictures of each habitat
mentioned during our discussion and I will have students come up and place the habitat in the
TIME
LESSON
appropriate country on the map. This will be done with my support and assistance. Once the
habitats have been placed in the correct countries on the map. I will have some students come up
and place the specific animals we spoke about in the correct habitats on the map. This way,
students will begin to identify where in the world we can find these habitats and will begin to
understand and classify which animals go in which habitat and where in the world these animals
actually live.
As a form of assessment, I will then have the students go back to their desks and begin their
activity for the day. The students will be asked to draw one of the four habitats we spoke about
and then draw and color two animals that live in the specific habitat they chose. Once they are
done drawing and coloring, I will have them come and see me so that I could write the animal’s
name right next to their drawing. This graphic organizer will be a great assessment tool because I
will be able to judge based on what the children decide to include in their drawings whether or not
they were listening during our class discussion about habitats. Based on which animals they
choose to include or associate with the specific habitat will help me gain insight on whether or not
they actually understood the lesson and if my instructional approach to the subject matter was
effective.
TIME
LESSON
Evaluation:
I will be evaluating the students understanding of animal habitats using a teachergenerated formative assessment rubric based on a three level performance scale (very
good, satisfactory, has difficulty). I will be evaluating whether or not the students are
fulfilling kindergarten competency three, four and five. I will be assessing students on
their ability to relate well with the others in the class, competency three of the
kindergarten program by observing who is participating in the class discussion following
the reading of the book “Moi j’habite”. I will also be looking out for whether or not the
students are listening to what their peers are saying as I will ask some of the students to
repeat in their own words what another person has said. I will be evaluating the student’s
ability to communicate orally in the appropriate language of instruction, competency four
of the kindergarten program. I will assess whether or not the students are making an effort
to use precise and specific vocabulary in French when trying to name the animals. I will
also be assessing whether or not the students are able to make themselves understood in
French when communicating orally during the class discussion. I will evaluate students on
their familiarity with the environmental habitats and animals, competency 5 of the
kindergarten program by using the habitat handout/graphic organizer as an assessment
tool. Based on what the students choose to draw on the handout, I will be able to assess
whether or not they understood our discussion and were listening during the smart board
interactive game. The drawing should reflect the habitat chosen and the student should use
the right colours and details to demonstrate their understanding of the landscape
associated with the specific habitat chosen. Also the student will be assessed on whether
or not they were able to associate the animals to their appropriate habitats.
Differentiation:
When planning for instruction of this specific animal habitat lesson, I made sure to take
into consideration the preferred cognitive learning styles of the students in my class. I
have decided to include a variety of learning experiences/methods of learning that best fit
the students in my class and that allow students to explore their preferred learning styles.
For the visual learners in my class, I have provided visual pictorial
representations/images of the different habitats and the animals associated to the specific
habitats. Students who are visual learners will remember and understand things when they
are visually represented for them and can picture what they are learning in their heads.
Therefore, I am being responsive to students who are visual learners by using methods
that are primarily visual that way the students are “seeing what they are learning”.
For the auditory learners in my class, I have decided to support the students
understanding of the environmental habitats and animals associated with those habitats by
having them listen to sounds that we would hear if we would take a walk in the specific
environmental habitats. Auditory learners learn best when newly learnt information is
transferred into sound. By listening carefully to the sounds, the students will be asked to
identify the animals they hear and classify them in the appropriate habitats.
For the kinesthetic learners in my class who learn best through hands-on experiences, I
have provided students with tactile learning experiences where they are given the
opportunity to come up and place the specific habitats on the map and also the animals
associated with the specific habitats. These students learn best by “doing”, that means by
manipulating materials, moving, touching and applying information to real world
situations. This lesson provides an opportunity for kinesthetic learns to move and
manipulate material when working on the map section of the lesson. This is also a
preferred learning style for those students who exhibit spatial intelligence. These students
are good at reading maps and think primarily in pictures. Therefore, the methods used for
this specific lesson will definitely cater to all three of the main learning styles and will
support the students learning towards the fulfillment of the learning standards/objectives
of the lesson. In this way, I am providing a variety of learning experiences that are all
geared towards ensuring that the learning is meaningful for all the students in the class.
Self reflection:
For this lesson, I would like to improve the following teaching skills:
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Classroom management- how to manage the students behavior and
learning
Anticipation of student challenges – being clear with instructions- also
explaining the new information/instructions in different ways to ensure that
all students have grasped the information
Find different ways to check for understanding- other than asking “ does
everyone understand”
Challenging students to move beyond their comfort zone
Time management skills- pace my teaching- be aware of the time( do not
ignore classroom routine)
Organizational skills
Voice quality- lowering the tone of voice when teaching
Providing more wait time between questions- offering students more time
to think about the question
Formulating questions that will encourage students to discover concepts on
their own rather than revealing the answer within the question- reformulate
questions in different ways to ensure that the students are understanding
correctly
Maintaining students focused attention
Correcting mistakes students make when speaking
Learning how to evaluate/observe for student understanding not only after
the lesson but during- ongoing assessment- through informal
discussions/conversations/ spot checking students work/ listening to their
comments/ideas
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Making sure to write clearly and in an organized manner
Smoother transitioning between one activity to the next- making the
connections between the activities clear for the students- offering
meaningful learning experiences.