Lesson Plan Template
Name: Burney, Underwood, McCoy, Garris
School: Elementary
Grade(s): 3rd
Subject(s): Science / Reading
Lesson Title: Surviving Georgia Habitats
Lesson Duration: Click here to enter text.
Essential Question(s):
Science EQs: What is a habitat? How are regions in Georgia different?
Reading EQs: How can I use illustrations, diagrams, charts, graphs, and graphic organizers to obtain
information from my readings? How can I locate information quickly in a text?
Standards:
Science - S3L1: Students will investigate the habitats of different organisms and the dependence of
organisms on their habitat.
a. Differentiate between habitats of Georgia (mountains, marsh/swamp, coast, Piedmont, Atlantic
Ocean) and the organisms that live there.
Reading - ELA3R2 The student acquires and uses grade-level words to communicate effectively.
a. Reads literary and informational texts and incorporates new words into oral and written
language.
ELA3R3 The student uses a variety of strategies to gain meaning from grade-level text. The student
h. Interprets information from illustrations, diagrams, charts, graphs, and graphic organizers.
o. Uses titles, tables of contents, and chapter headings to locate information quickly and
accurately and to preview text.
Assessments:

Anecdotal
Records
 Checklist
 Performance
Assessment
Explain where and how this assessment is used.
Students will have to follow specific checklists to make sure they have the
necessary components for their performance assessment. Items on the checklist
will be vague and are meant to only be an outline.
Students will be creating a voicethread OR paperslide as the final product. They
will be assessed on how well they collaborate, the knowledge of the region, and
if they did, in fact, survive getting through the region.

Portfolio

Project

Rubric
 Written
test/quiz
 Other
Click here to explain where in the lesson this assessment is used and how the
assessment should be used.
Click here to explain where in the lesson this assessment is used and how the
assessment should be used.
Click here to explain where in the lesson this assessment is used and how the
assessment should be used.
Formative assessments will be done throughout the presentations. .
Students will make group journal entries after each work session.
Lesson description:
The Groups’ task is to survive travelling through a specific GA region. Groups will be made based on the
different regions of GA. After students are assigned a region, they will work collaboratively to create a
“Survivor” presentation to get the traveler through that specific region. At the end of the presentation,
the class will vote whether or not the group would “Survive” their trip through the region.
Lesson directions, materials and procedures:
Session 1: Introduce GA Habitats using trade book about habitats and regions. Use interactive graphic
organizer
to
organize
information
about
what
makes
a
habitat
a
habitat.
http://my.hrw.com/nsmedia/intgos/html/PDFs/Freeform_Web.pdf
Session 2: Jigsaw activity. Students will be broken into their groups that they will work in for their
performance assessment. Each group will get a trade book for their specific region. (These go along with
the Harcourt Science series.) While reading the trade book, students will fill out KLEW chart.
http://curriculum.dpsk12.org/lang_literacy_cultural/literacy/elem_lit/curric_instruc_assess/interdisc_un
its/2/KLEW_Graphic_Organizer.pdf
Session 3: Jigsaw activity part 2. Students will be taken from homogeneous region groups and put into
heterogeneous region groups. When doing this part, make sure that there is one representative from
each region is in the heterogeneous group. Students will then fill out graphic organizer provided by the
teacher. This will help them vote at the end of the group’s presentations. TSW then return to their
original group.
Session 4: Technology Introductions – TTW show students how to use voicethread.com and how to create
a paperslide. The groups will get to choose which type of technology they would like to use for their
survivor presentation. (Also have available Flip video cameras, microphones, and headphones.)
Resource for paperslide videos: http://vimeo.com/12192823
Resource for voicethread.com: http://voicethread.com/
Sessions 5 – 8: TSW work on their presentations using the KLEW charts, online resources (go to
google.com and search “GA habitats PPT”), and graphic organizers that they filled out during the jigsaw
activity.
Session 9: Show presentations and class voting (Based on this group’s survivor presentation, will they
survive trekking through their region?)
Session 10: Assessment – TSW take assessment using Google Forms for both content information and
reflection/self-assessment piece.
Differentiation(s):
Trade Books are leveled based on reading level. Group students heterogeneously based on reading levels,
so all students are able to access the trade books.
For the more advanced tech user, voicethread is available. For students who are just getting used to
using technology in the classroom, paperslide will be used.
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy, what cognitive level does this lesson address?
Select the Bloom’s level that is represented by this lesson.
 Recalling existing information (Remembering)
 Interpreting, summarizing or explaining existing information (Understanding)
 Implementing or using existing information in a new way (Applying)
 Comparing, breaking down or re-organizing beyond existing information (Evaluating)
 Constructing, planning or producing beyond existing information (Creating)
Technologies Used:
Select all that apply.
Where was technology used in the lesson? What technology was used?
 Pre-planning
 Research / Investigation




KLEW chart (Interactive PDF)
PPT online will be used. (See “GA Habitats PPT” on
google.com)
Knowledge Construction / Making Interactive PDFs / Graphic Organizers
Meaning
Final Product Development – Media Paperslides; Flip Videos; Voicethreads
Making
Assessment
Google Forms
Reflection / Feedback
Google Forms
Final Reflection:
What advice would you give yourself or other teachers to increase the quality of student work for this
lesson the next time it is used?