Woodland image

By Pam Albrecht, CIT and Christine Trevino, 2nd grade teacher
Frances M. Rhodes Elementary, Northside ISD
San Antonio, Texas

Introduction

Countless non-fiction books have been written for children about woodland animals. But now a new children's publishing company, All By Children, Inc (ABC for short) has put out a call for a book for children by children. To apply, you must design an informative book jacket or flyer that could be used on your "book to be." Like all good writers, you must research before you begin....................

Plan

For Task Definition and Information Seeking Strategies, classes will meet with the librarian to identify what types of information will be needed and list possible resources.

Do

After meeting with the librarian, students will begin their research.

In a 3 station investigation lab, students will investigate both a particular woodland animal, as well as that animal's interdependence between itself and other woodland animals and habitat elements to have its needs met.

Station 1

Using streaming video, students will investigate the basic needs of all woodland animals and how they have adapted to allow their needs to be met.

Step 1: View the video on the "Basic Needs" of Woodland Animals.

To view "Basic Needs," go to the KLRN/United Streaming site.
Log in.Click on Playlist. Choose School. Go to the Woodland Forest Animals Playlist. Find the correct video.
Click on the S.
(For other schools in and out of Northside ISD, Go to Resources to find name and publishing info on the Video used.)

Step 2: Now answer the first set of guiding questions on the attached Guiding Question Worksheet.

Step 3: View the video on "Physical and Behavioral Adaptations" on the same playlist. Use the same worksheet, part 2 to organize your information.

Step 4: View the video on "Adaptations to Get Food" on the same playlist. Use the same worksheet, part 3 to organize your information.
Station 2

Research Activity: Using print media, students will find the physical characteristics of their particular animal. See attached resources for books. Students will use the same worksheet (above) to organize their research.

Experiment 1: Hide and Seek

Teacher Background: Using a newspaper, cut out several butterflies from a page of print. Glue the butterflies onto another page of printed newspaper. Hint: Do not use colored ads. Hang the newspaper on the wall to be used as your lesson. Do add 1 or 2 butterflies that are of colored construction paper for comparison.

Step 1: Hang the newpaper with the butterflies on the wall. Give students a few minutes to find as many butterflies as they can from a distance. Ask students how many butterflies they found. Which were easier to find- the bright colored butterflies or the ones

Step 2:Now have students go to their computer workstations. Open the Woodland Animal template in Kid Pix. (Sample in Jpeg format.)

Step 3: Have students choose several appropriate woodland animals and place themin the woodland background being careful to place them where their color camouflages them.

Station 3

Research Activity: Using a list of linked websites, students will research to see how animals of the forest depend on each other and their habitat for survival. The same worksheet (above) will help them to organize their information.

Experiment 2: Simulation Game

Students will now organize their findings into a bookjacket or a flyer. (A map showing location of the world's woodlands is included in both products. It will be done in a prior lab lesson earlier in the unit.)

Intelligences in this Project
  • Researching the woodland animals, as well as producing summaries on a book jacket- verbal/linguistic.
  • The artwork and map involved on the book jacket involves the visual/spatial intelligence.
  • The collection aspect of the research project is in the logical/mathematical intelligence.
  • Use of self evaluation would extend project into intrapersonal intelligence.
  • Completion of the project itself on the computer using keyboard and mouse would put the project into the bodily/kinesthetic intelligence.
  • The final question (What would happen to our earth if all the woodland and woodland animals were destroyed?) draws on the Existentialist (big picture) intelligence. T
  • The very subject matter of the project (Woodland Animals) puts the project in the Naturalist intelligence.
  • The experiment, simulation and data collection aspect of the project places the project in the logical/mathematic intelligence.

Additional Optional Intelligence Activities

You might also add these activities to meet more of the intelligences:
Let groups of students debate and "come to consensus" as to effects of absence of woodlands on the Earth- Interpersonal intelligence.
Have students make up a rap or lyrics to a song to help students understand a food chain.- Musical/Rhythmic intelligence

 

Review

Use one of the following evaluation tools to "grade your own work," that of a peer, or see how your teacher will score you.

Self Evaluation
Peer Evaluation
Teacher's scoring rubric

Conclusion

Your bookjacket/flyer has been chosen for display in the library near the animal section. Students will be voting on the design they like the best. Not only will the winner get to "write" their own book to be submitted to the publishing company but wins what else????? Animal Crackers!!

Resources

Source #
Online Video Resources
1
 "Animal Adaptations: Basic Needs." 100% Educational Videos. 2003.unitedstreaming. 18 January 2007
<http://www.unitedstreaming.com/>
2
 "Animal Adaptations: Physical and Behavioral Adaptations." 100% Educational Videos. 2003.unitedstreaming. 18 January 2007
<http://www.unitedstreaming.com/>
3
 "Animal Adaptations: Adaptations to Get Food." 100% Educational Videos. 2003.unitedstreaming. 18 January 2007
<http://www.unitedstreaming.com/>
Print Media
4
 Arnosky, Jim. "All About Turkeys." New York, NY: Scholastic Press.1998.
5
 Arnosky, Jim. "Raccoons and Ripe Corn." New York, NY: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books, 1987.
6
 Biel, Timothy Levi. "Skunks and Their Relatives." Poway, CA: Wildlife Education, Ltd. 2000.
7
 Cefrey, Holly. "Deciduous Forests." New York, NY: Power Kids Press, 2003.
8
 Cooper, Jason. "Scorpions: Animals without Bones." Vero Beach, FL:Rourke Publications, Inc. 1996.
9
 Coughlan, Cheryl. "Ants." Mankato, MN: Pebble Books, 1999.
10
 Crewe, Sabrina. "The Bear." Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers, 1997.
11
 Dingwall, Laima. "Nature's Children: Deer." Danbury, CT:Grolier Limited. 1986.
12
 Dingwall, Laima. "Nature's Children: Opossum." Danbury, CT:Grolier Limited. 1986.
13
 Dingwall, Laima. "Nature's Children: Porcupines." Danbury, CT:Grolier Limited. 1986.
14
 Dingwall, Laima. "Nature's Children: Raccoons." Danbury, CT:Grolier Limited. 1986.
15
 Dingwall, Laima. "Nature's Children: Skunks." Danbury, CT:Grolier Limited. 1986.
16
 Freeman, Marcia S. "Brown Bears." Mankato, MN: Pebble Books, 1999.
17
 Gallagher, Kristin Ellerbusch. "Cottontail Rabbits." Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications Company, 2001.
18
 Hartley, Karen and Chris Macro. "Ant." Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, 1998.
19
 Hodge, Deborah. "Bears." Niagra Falls, NY: Kids Can Press Ltd., 1997.
20
 Lantier, Patricia and Judy Schuler. "The Wonder of Foxes." Milwaukee, WI: 2001.
21
 Matteson, Sumner. "Hawks." Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 1995.
22
 Murray, Peter. "Scorpions." USA: The Children's World, Inc., 1997.
23
 Nadeau, Isaac. "Food Chains in a Forest Habitat." New York, NY: Power Kids Press, 2002.
24
 Pascoe, Elaine. "Earthworms." Woodbridge, CN: Blackbirch Press, Inc.,1997.
25
 Pascoe, Elaine. "Ants." Woodbridge, CN: Blackbirch Press, Inc.,1999.
26
 Ritchie, Rita and Sumner Matteson. "The Wonder of Hawks." Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 1996.
27
 Schuler, Judy. "Foxes." Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2000.
28
 Sharth, Sharon. "Rabbits." USA: The Child's World, Inc., 2000.
29
 Sullivan, Pat Harvey. "Raccoons and their Relatives." Chicago, Il: 2002.
30
 Switzer, Meredith. "Nature's Children: Hawks." Danbury, CT:Grolier Limited. 1986.
31
 Switzer, Meredith. "Nature's Children: Rabbits." Danbury, CT:Grolier Limited. 1986.
32
 Tagholm, Sally. "Animal Lives: The Rabbit." New York, NY: Larousse Kingfisher Chambers, Inc., 2000.
Website Resources
Forests
33

Benders-Hyde, Elisabeth. "Blue Planet Biomes: Deciduous Forests." 18 Jan. 2007.<http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_forest.htm>
34
 Canterbery Environmental Education Centre. "Woodland Explorer." 18 Jan. 2007. <http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/woodland/index.html>
35
 Ecokids Online. "Forests: Seeing the Forests and the Trees." 18 Jan. 2007. <http://www.ecokidsonline.com/pub/eco_info/topics/forests/index.cfm>
36
 Julia, David A., Maya. "Shades of Green: Earth's Forest- A Thinkquest Site." 18 Jan. 2007. <http://library.thinkquest.org/17456/broadleafall.html>
37
 University of Illinois Extension. "A Walk in the Woods." 18 Jan. 2007. <http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/woods/>
 
Forest Animals
38
 Missouri Botanical Garden. " Biomes of the World- Temperate Deciduous Forest Topics." 18 Jan. 2007. <http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/temp/index.htm>
39
 Benders-Hyde, Elisabeth. "Blue Planet Biomes: Deciduous Animals." 18 Jan. 2007. <http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_animal_page.htm>
 

Interdependence
40
 Ecokids Online. "Chain Reaction Game." 18 Jan 2007.
<http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/frogs/chain_reaction/index.cfm#>