Unit: Antarctica Team: Kindergarten

Step 1: Identify Desired Results

Common Core State Standards:
K.RIT.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a
text.
K.RIT.2. With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a
text.
K.RIT.3. With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals,
events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
K.RIT.4. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words
in a text.

K.W.2. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose
informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply
some information about the topic.
K.W.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of
books by a favorite author and express opinions about them).
K.W.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or
gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

K.SL.1. Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about
kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns
speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).
b. Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.
K.SL.2. Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify
something that is not understood.
K.SL.5. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide
additional detail.
K.SL.6. Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

Essential Questions:
How does the climate influence living things?
How do animals adapt to their environment?
How do scientists brave difficult conditions to find answers?


Purpose and Relevance of Learning:
Students will learn how a locations physical environment and climate influence all living
things. Students will learn that all living things have the same basic needs and are
interdependent. Students will learn how people use maps, globes, and other tools to locate
and analyze information about earths physical characteristics.

Students will Know, Understand and Be Able to:
Knowledge Reasoning and
Understandings
Skills to Demonstrate
Reading













Question Words (Who,
What, When, Where,
Why, How)
Main Idea
Key Details
Important Ideas
Compare
Similarities, differences
Venn Diagram
Connections (T-S, T-T,
T-W)
Glossary
Dictionary
Infer
Context Clues
Background
Knowledge
Asking questions helps
us find information and
understand our reading.
Finding the main idea
helps us determine
importance, and
organize our thinking.
Connections help us
remember information
and think about bigger
issues beyond our own
selves. We make
connections between
nonfiction texts to
verify information.
Ask questions about key
details from texts.
State main idea in own
words.
Find important ideas in a
text.
Compare ideas in
different texts for
similarities and
differences. (by making
text-text connections)
Use glossary to figure
out new words.
Infer meaning of new
words using background
knowledge and context
clues









Writing

Nonfiction
Topic
Information about topic
Text features
Nonfiction writing
gives information to the
reader.
Graphic organizers help
Dictate thinking.
Illustrate ideas
Write thoughts in
sentences.
Sentence
Research
Collaboration
Task Sheets
Graphic Organizers

us organize thoughts for
presentations.

Stay on topic while
writing
Use text features to
enhance non-fiction
writing.
Select information from
research.
Find answers to
questions using words,
pictures and digital
sources.
Collaborate with a
group.
Contribute to the group.
Make and use a group
plan.
Use graphic organizers
to organize information.
Collaboration

Graphic organizers
Text features
Facts
Details
Turn and talk
Connections
Questions
Visuals
Audience

Graphic organizers help
us organize thoughts for
presentations.

Actively engage in
sharing and listening as
part of a group.
Look at the speaker.
Turn and talk to share
ideas.
Make connections to
others ideas.
Ask questions of speaker
to further understand.
Answer questions asked
of them.
Clearly report facts and
details.
Use visual displays that
add to and support their
thinking about a topic.
Articulate ideas in way
that is purposeful and
appropriate to the
audience.
Step 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence
Assessments/Products that show learning:
Selected Responses Constructed Responses Performance Tasks




Think Sheets
- Questions
- New Learning
- Inferences
- Main Idea
- Connections
Graphic Organizers
Group project/presentation

Nonfiction book All About

Rubrics for Analyzing Student Work:
Advanced Proficient Basic Minimal
Reading








Asks and finds
answers to
multiple
questions or
more advanced
questions.



Elaborates on or
makes
connections to
the main idea.

Retells all key
points from
reading.


Makes multiple
connections and
understand the
type and
purpose.
Asks a logical
question during
reading and
looks for
answers.




States main idea
in own words.



Retells most
important
information from
text.

Makes
meaningful
connections
between ideas.
Asks a question
during reading
that they may
already know the
answer to, or is
off topic.
Answers
questions with
help.

Identifies main
idea with
prompting.


Attempts to
retell, but misses
important
information.

Attempts to
make
connections but
may not be
meaningful.
Doesnt ask
questions during
reading or find
answers.





Doesnt identify
the main idea.



Is unable to
retell important
information.


Doesnt make
connections.
Writing




Names topic and
give >3
supporting
details.
Names topic and
give 2-3
supporting
details.
Names topic and
gives 1
supporting
detail.
Names topic and
tells a story or
does not give
supporting
details.
Collaboration




Encourages
others and
expands on
others ideas.

Always listens to
others, shares
work, and stays
on topic.
Is an active
participant in
group work.


Usually listens to
others, shares
work, and stays
on topic.
Needs support to
participate in
group work.


Sometimes
listens to others,
shares work, and
stays on topic.
Does not
participate in
group work.


Does not listen
to others, share
work, or stay on
topic.
Step 3. Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction
Possible Misconceptions to Clarify:
Polar Bears dont live in Antarctica. People do not live in Antarctica permanently.

Blooms grid for Process Learning Plan and Pre-planned questions:
Questions to scaffold learning Activities
Create What changes would you
make to solve problems in
Antarctica?

Evaluate

How do explorers influence
Antarctica?
Do you agree with the
actions of explorers? Why or
why not?

Analyze



Why do you think that
animal does ____? Or has
___?
How would you compare this
animal to ____?
What can you infer about
____ from this picture?
How does the climate
influence living things?

How do animals adapt to
their environment?
How do scientists brave
difficult conditions to find
answers?
Apply

If you could talk to an
Antarctic explorer, what
questions would you ask?

Understand


How would you compare
Antarctica to our home here
in the United States?

Remember



Define new words related to
Antarctica. (animals, places,
landforms, etc.)
Can you list animals that
live in Antarctica?
Where is Antarctica?
How would you describe
Antarctica?


Instructional Strategies to consider when planning:
Challenge Students to Problem Solve Formative Assessments for learning and feedback
Clearly defined Objectives for learning In-class practice (guided, pairs, group, independent)
Communicate lesson intentions Provide completed examples, exemplars, models
Concept mapping and non-linguistic or graphical
representation
Reciprocal teaching
Cues, Questions, Advanced Organizers Similarities/ Differences Compare/ Contrast
Early Interventions for struggling students Summarizing and Note Taking
Focus on building positive teacher-student relationships Vocabulary Instruction

Learning Plan:
Immersion:
1. (C & C Lesson 3 as focus)
Gather and explore materials (books, websites, photographs, videos,
globes, maps, etc.)
Students write questions and thoughts
Teachers take note of questions and key vocabulary as it comes up
Make concept wall, kids illustrate new words
Share words
2. (C & C Lesson 1 as focus)
List BK What we think we know about Antarctica
Discuss what misconceptions are, and how thinking can change
Read There are no Polar Bears Down There by Tricia Hart
Share changed thinking, questions
3. (C & C Lesson 7 as focus)
Read Antarctica by Marilyn Wooley
Write new learning and questions
Students practice using books/materials in small groups to continue to
write new learning and questions
Share new learning/questions

Investigate:
4. (C & C Lesson 6 as focus)
Discuss ways to answer questions
Read, view, talk to someone, etc.
5. (C & C Lesson 8 as focus)
Model reading with a question in mind
Use Research form to choose a question, then record answer
Practice/share
6. (C & C Lesson 9 and 22 as focus)
Discuss how to infer information from books
Model/practice with book
Read Antarctica by Helen Cowcher
List lingering questions
Make chart What we still wonder about Antarctica
Share
7. (C & C Lesson 13 as focus)
Create Inquiry groups based on lingering questions
Students choose groups
Try to guide students to make heterogeneous groups

Coalesce:
8. (C & C Lesson 27 as focus)
Gather ideas for going public (posters, books, maps, etc.)
Look at examples from previous years
Notice the features (illustrations, labels, captions, maps, etc)
Meet with groups to discuss and make a plan
9. (C & C Lesson 24 as focus)
Use question webs to organize information
Continue to research and write questions/new learning/inferences in
groups

Go Public:
10. Discuss presentations/prepare
Model how to present
Model how to observe
11. Presentation Day
Children present in groups other students write on think sheets
Share learning and questions with groups
Discuss what went well, what we can do better(video tape with iPads)
12. Create All About Books
Model All About Books
Practice All About Books
Children create books to teach summarize what they learned about
Antarctica