Animal Study: From Fiction to Facts

Lesson adapted from: http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lessonplans/animal-study-from-fiction-286.html?tab=4 tabs !uthor:"#enee"$oularte %&'("modifications"in"red. $rade"(e)el:"2nd %stimated"lesson"time:"Five 50-minute sessions ')er)iew:"This lesson describes how to use selected fiction and nonfiction literature and careful questioning techniques to help students identify factual information about animals. Children first identify possible factual information from wor s of fiction which are read aloud! then they listen to read-alouds of nonfiction te"ts to identify and confirm factual information. This information is then recorded on charts and graphic organi#ers. Finally! students use the $nternet to gather additional information about the animal and then share their findings with the class. The lesson can be used as presented to find information about ants or can be easily adapted to focus on any animal of interest to students. %esources are included for ants! blac bears! fish! frogs and toads! penguins! and polar bears. Selected topic: Ants *ontent"'b+ecti)e:"The student will be able to& Compare and cross-reference information from fiction and nonfiction te"ts about animals. Create 'facts charts' in whole group formats. (se an $nternet search engine to find )ebsites with additional factual information about animals in stories read to them. %ecord factual information. *re-*roduction+**,- -ive simple te"ts or te"ts in native language! provide fact charts with simple te"t or in native language! pair with student to assist in finding facts on internet! provide them with websites in their native language! allow them to use translator to record information. .arly *roduction+.*,- *rovide picture dictionary so they can loo up words they do not understand! *rovide fact charts with pictures ne"t to facts! pair with student to assist in finding facts on internet! allow some grammatical errors in recording factual information. /peech .mergence+/.,- -ive simple e"planations for words that might be too comple"! provide e"amples of fact charts with simple phrases! pair with student to assist in finding facts on internet! allow minimal grammatical errors in recording factual information. $ntermediate Fluency+$F,- -ive e"planations of words they might not understand in the story! provide e"amples of fact charts with simple phrases! (inguistic"'b+ecti)es:"&tudents"will"be"able"to"recogni,e"factual"information"using" fiction"and"nonfiction"te-ts."

Pre-Production(PP): The student will learn new vocabulary words and short descriptive phrases that will teach them about ants. Early Production(EP): The students will earn new vocabulary words and short descriptive phrases to learn about ants! and identify possible factual information they learn about them. Speech Emergence(SE): The student will learn new vocabulary words and short descriptive phrases to learn about ants! identify possible factual information they learned! and create 0fact charts1 from the information they learned. Intermediate Fluency(IF): The student will learn new vocabulary words and short descriptive phrases to learn about ants! identify possible factual information they learned! create 0fact charts1 from the information they learned! and use search engines to find websites with additional factual information and record the information.

*ultural"'b+ecti)es: The student will be able to use fiction and nonfiction te"t to learn about ants. &unshine"&tate"&tandards: 23.2.4.2.2. 5 The student will record information +e.g.! observations! notes! lists! charts! map labels! legends, related to a topic. 23.2.6.7.2. 5 The student will listen to! read! and discuss familiar and conceptually challenging te"t. .aterials: Chart paper and mar ers *arent or other adult helpers 3 set of boo s about ants8 o Two ad !nts by Chris 9an 3llsburg +fiction, o "ne #undred #ungry !nts by :onnie ;ac<ain +fiction, o !rmies of !nts by )alter %etan +nonfiction, o 3lternatively! students can create the te"t sets by doing a boo sorting activity and one animal can be chosen for whole class study. *icture =ictionary

 :oo s about ants in native language ."amples of fact charts with simple te"t and pictures /ocabulary: "/tudents may struggle with vocabulary from the nonfiction te"ts! e"plain in simple phrases words they don>t understand and allow them to use a dictionary to loo up words for further e"planation. 0rocedures: /.//$?@ ?@.8 F$CT$?@ %.3=-32?(= +;ay be divided into two sessions! if desired, 6. *ost the ')hat )e Thin 3bout 3nts' chart where students can see it. 2. -ather students together for a story. ."plain that you are going to read a story about ants that is fiction +e"plain what fiction te"t is, but that together you are going to see if you can learn anything about ants by reading the story. A. %ead Two :ad 3nts aloud. ."plain any words while reading that your .22 might not understand. Ta e time to discuss the actions of the ants as you read. ."plicitly review the story! ma e a story map and discuss ey details. This will help your .22s understand the story better. 4. )hen the story is over! as some ey questions about ants that will lead to factual information. ."plain how to recogni#e factual information. /ome e"amples of questions might be8 -)hat did these ants want to eatB -Cow hard did the ants have to wor to get what they wantedB -Can you tell anything about where the ants live from this storyB -)hat do ants loo li eB *rovide longer wait time so your .22s can thin about their answers. $f they do not understand a question! rephrase it or as it in a simpler way. 5. 3s a follow-up question! as ! 'From listening to this story! what do you thin might be true about antsB' *rovide some answers to model! this way they can try to select answers the way you did. 7. Chart studentsD responses. )rite in simple pharses. :ecause the goal is to have students building information from fiction to fact! itDs important that all responses be traced bac to the story in some way. $f a student suggests information that is not related in any way to the events of the story! it can be ac nowledged another way-perhaps by Eotting it down on a stic y note for later reference or by starting another chart with additional questions.

F. Tell students they will be adding more information to the chart after listening to another story about ants. G. %ead ?ne Cundred Cungry 3nts aloud. ."plaining any terms they might not understand. Ta e time to point out any relevant information about the ants that might be related to factual information. ."plain how you now that it is factual in simpler terms. H. )hen the story is finished +recap story again! through a story map! this will help .22s comprehend story better,! as some ey questions to elicit possible factual information. /ome e"amples of questions might be8 -=id this boo give you any additional information about antsB -)hat can you tell me about how these ants traveledB -)hat did these ants want to eatB -)hat else do you thin might be true about ants that is in this storyB 3llow longer wait time for .22s to process and thin about their answers. %ephrase any questions they do not understand. 60. Chart additional information as students ma e guesses about real behavior of ants. <eep the chart posted for reference in /ession 2. /.//$?@ T)?8 @?@F$CT$?@ %.3=-32?(= 6. *ost the ')hat )e <now 3bout 3nts' chart ne"t to the chart from the previous session. 2. -ather students together. %eview the chart from the previous session. ."plicitly review in simple terms that .22s will understand. Clear up any questions they have. A. ."plain that you are going to read a nonfiction boo about ants +e"plain what nonfiction te"t is, they will be able to find out whether the things they thought about ants are really true. 2et them now that you will ma e a new list of things that they learn about ants from this boo . 4. %ead 3rmies of 3nts aloud. ."plain any words they might not understand! since this is a nonfiction te"t they are more li ely not to understand more of the words. *rovide them with a dictionary if necessary. /top whenever appropriate to point out factual information that matches any guessed information listed on the first chart. 3gain e"plain how you now it is a fact. @ote that information from the first chart with a star so that it will be easy to locate later on.

5. )hen you have finished the boo ! +%eview boo through a recap of ey details, as students to tell you what they now about ants from this story. +3llow more await time for .22s to process answers, )rite responses on the chart in simple phrases. 7. $f a student suggests information that isnDt accurate! reread short sections of the boo for reference! clarification! and to help the student adEust his or her response. /.//$?@ TC%..8 -3TC.% $@F?%;3T$?@ F%?; TC. $@T.%@.T ?ption ?ne8 (sing the $nternet Iuest8 3ntsJ 6. ."plain the class activity8 students will e"plore )ebsites! using the $nternet Iuest8 3ntsJ interactive! loo ing for information that answers questions from their ')hat )e Thin 3bout 3nts' and ')hat )e <now 3bout 3nts' charts. =epending upon your computer access and studentsD computer s ills! students can wor independently! in small groups! in groups with an adult helper! or as a whole class +with the interactive proEected using an 2C= *roEector,. *air .22s with students that will be able to assist them in their research. 2. $f students will be wor ing on their own or in groups! demonstrate the $nternet Iuest8 3ntsJ interactive! showing students how to view the related )eb pages as well as how to print and save their wor 8 A. ?n the first screen! read the instructions to students. ."plaining any words they might not understand. 4. Clic @e"t to move to the first question. 5. /how students where to locate the related lin for each question. 7. =emonstrate how to move between the interactive and the )eb page. F. Type a sample answer to the question in order to demonstrate that writing is not limited to the si#e of the bo" shown on screen. 3nswers will scroll. G. $f desired! show students that how to copy a sentence from the )eb page and paste it into the appropriate row and column on the chart. H. Clic the @e"t button to move to the ne"t question. 60. Clic the @e"t button again! to demonstrate that students must answer each question before moving on to a new question. 66. ."plain that you cannot move bac to change an answer. $f desired! e"plain that students can open the te"t later +see below,.

62. Clic Finish at the top of the screen. 6A. Type your name in the space provided. 64. Clic the *rint button beneath your name. Kour answers will be displayed in a )eb browser window. 65. To print answers! choose the *rint command from the File menu. To save your answers! choose the /ave 3s... command from the File menu. /tudents can open the file later in a )eb editor or a word processor that imports CT;2 +such as ;icrosoft )ord or 3pple)or s,. 67. /how students that the instructions for using the tool are available by clic ing Celp at the top of the screen. For internet directions ma e sure you are e"plicitly e"plaining what to do. The visual step by step procedures will help a lot. 6F. ?nce students understand the activity! they can begin e"ploring the sites using the $nternet Iuest8 3ntsJ interactive. .22s paired with other students will e"plore on their own and as for assistance when needed. 6G. ;onitor students as they browse the )ebsites! answering any questions. %emind students to save andLor print their answers. 6H. ?nce students have e"plored the sites! invite them to share their findings! adding new information to the chart headed ')hat )e <now 3bout 3nts.' 20. )hen $nternet e"ploration is complete! review information on both charts! ma ing comparisons as appropriate. )rite 'Kes' or '@o' ne"t to each guess on the first chart. 3dd correct information! elicited from student responses! to any items mar ed with '@o.' /.//$?@ F?(%8 %.C?%= F$@=$@-/ 6. /tart with an opening question8 ')hat are some things that you learned about antsB' -ive some e"amples of what you learned from this and allow longer wait time for .22s to process answer. 2. 3fter students have responded! e"plain to students that they are going to record what they now. =epending on stage of .22! allow to orally e"plain what they found from their research. A. Cave students wor in groups with parent helpers to record their information on the 3nimal /tudy interactive graphic organi#er.

4. *rint out the information for students. 3lternately! have students record their information on the 3nimal /tudy %ecording /heet. =epending on stage of .22! allow grammatical and spelling errors. /.//$?@ F$9.8 -%?(* =$/C(//$?@ 6. -ather students together for a discussion. 2. Cave students share what theyDve learned! not only about animals! but about the information-gathering process itself. 3llow more wait time for .22s to process answers. <eep this conversation informal! but be sure to address what wor ed well and what was easiest about the process! and what didnDt wor or what might have wor ed better. A. Chart any information that might be useful for another time. 1ollow-up:"2ome134"acti)ity Cave students complete similar activity at home with parents using mostly native language but using ey terms in .nglish. They could complete the activity with a boo in /panish and something from their native country. "

/T(=.@T 3//.//;.@TL%.F2.CT$?@/ Teacher observation of the following8 6. *articipation in discussion .22s should attempt to contribute 2. =etailed Eournal entries 3llow for grammatical errors! depending on stage of .22! allow oral conversations instead. A. .ngagement in the research process +searching for and recording facts about the animal, 3lthough they will have assistance! they should still have information they have researched. 4. Facts and observations included on the 3nimal /tudy %ecording /heets