tll4

Lesson 4

Summary:
The students will read and discuss Kids Discover: Rain Forest magazine. At the end of their article discussions, each student choose a plant or animal species to research.

Connections:
Research skills, Social and Ethics Discussion Groups, Art, Writing

Time:
Several class days and 1-2 trips to the library

Season:
any

Materials:
Kids Discover: Rain Forest magazine from May 1993, Overhead for enlarging pictures, Art supplies (kids love to use pastels for this), Colored butcher paper, 3 9-yard strips of paper for a background

TEKS:
5.1A,B 5.2A thru E 5.3A,B,D,E 5.5A,B 5.6B,C 5.9A,B,C 5.10A,B

Objectives:
Students will be able to:

1. Research a plant or animal species

2. Write a descriptive report about the species

3. Draw a life size picture of their species that will be added to a life size scene

Procedures:
1. Assign articles to different groups in the room. Tell them that they will be responsible for leading a class discussion about their assigned article.

2. Give them time to read their article and discuss their plans on what kind of questions they will ask the class, approximately 30 minutes.

3. Go around the room and allow the class to read an article silently, then allow the group responsible for the article to lead a class discussion.

4. Proceed with each article in the same manner. This will actually take 2 45-minute class periods to start and finish.

5. Allow the students to choose a species to research. Give them a few days to research and allow for work time. They can use the overhead to enlarge a picture of their project.

6. Have the students find a picture of their animal and trace it onto a transparency. They can use this to draw their animal to life-size onto butcher paper. This can be cut out and added to a mural along a wall in the classroom or a hall.

Questions:
1. How is your species essential to its habitat?

Evaluation:
1. The artwork

2. The written report

Expanding the lesson:
1. What to do with students who finish early:

*Put them to work on creating vines for the forest.

*Send them on a scavenger hunt around the school to find trash or other junk that can be made into something in the life size mural

*Have them draw a food web with their species in it

Resources:
Example posters from The Rain forest Theme Unit by: Daryl Vriesenga

Kids Discover: Rain Forest Magazine: May 1993

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