Candy KeeDr. Moorman

RE 5730RWT Assignment

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Lesson Plan TitleLearning Differences in Fact (Real) and Fiction(Make-Believe) Using Ants and Animals

Grade Band K-2

Lesson Plan TypeStandard Lesson

ThemesFiction, Non-Fiction, Science

Learning ObjectivesReading Genres, Critical Thinking

KeywordsFiction, non-fiction, real, make-believe,

Description

This lesson describes how to use selected fiction and nonfiction literature to help students

identify real and make-believe information about animals. Children first identify information

from works of fiction which are read aloud, presented through props or in a movie. This

information is then recorded on a chart. Children also identify information from texts about

animals that are real. Using the list of websites, students may use the internet to gather

additional information about the animal and then share their findings with the class. The lesson

can be used to find information about ants or any other animals of interest to students.

Overview

According to Combs (2002, p.31), “Experience with the different genres of literary help children

develop schema for the various forms of the genre and written language.” Teachers can best

stretch young children’s understanding of print by presenting texts of various genres and

incorporating these texts in the classroom.

Constructing a plan of study, which includes stories about frog-princes, factual books about

amphibians, poetry about frogs, and a children’s nature magazine featuring exotic frogs around

the world would make more of an impact on children’s understanding than a lecture about

different types of books.

The purpose of this lesson is to teach the students in K-2 the difference in fiction and non-fiction

books and the use of each genre.

Teaching the Developing First and Second Grade Reader http://www.suite101.com/content/developing-the-developing-first-and-second-grade-reader-a261976#ixzz1I0a17AcL

Featured Resources

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/animal-inquiry/

Students listen to fiction and nonfiction read-alouds and explore selected Websites to identify

factual information about animals. This lesson focuses on ants, but can be adapted to any animal. 

http://antbase.org/

All the ant species of the world, one of the ecologically most important groups of animals

worldwide.

Printouts

N/A

Materials & Technology

Poster paper and markers

Ant Puppet (By Sunny’s Puppets)

Plastic ant

A Bug’s Life (movie)

Internet

A set of books including both fiction and nonfiction texts featuring the same animal. See

Below:

Picnic! A Day in the Park Joan Holub (Fiction)

Spring is Here! By Joan Holub (Fiction)

Ants at the Picnic by Michael Dahl (Fiction)

One Hundred Ants by Elinor Pinczes (Fiction)

Hey, Little Ant by Phillip Hoose (Fiction)

The Life and Times of the Ant by Charles Micucci (Non-Fiction)

What Insect am I? by Nicholas Harris (Non-Fiction)

Ant Cities Arthur Dorros (Non-Fiction)

Felt Board Stories-The Ants Go Marching In (Fiction)

From Theory to Practice

In Literacy at the Crossroads, Regie Routman reminds us of the importance of "a greater use of

multiple texts in reading instruction," to include not only narrative texts, but informational texts

as well. Nonfiction enhances our understanding. It allows us to investigate the real world and

inspires us to dig deeper to inquire and better understand."

Sometimes the line between fact and fiction can be unclear, especially with the wide use of

animal characters in works of fiction. Comparing nonfiction and fiction texts containing similar

subject matter can help students develop critical thinking skills as they learn to bring their own

prior knowledge as well as additional factual information to works of fiction that they read.

Routman, Regie. 1996. Literacy at the Crossroads: Crucial Talk about Reading, Writing, and

Other Teaching Dilemmas. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

 Standards

1, 3, 7, 8.

Websites/Resources

http://www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/games/bugs/index.htm

Have fun playing ant games with Ms. Fritz (School bus Stories)

http://www.bartlettparks.org/activities/activities-build-a-bug.asp

Build-A-Bug!

Build-A-Bug is a fun activity where you can build your own bug

from a variety of cool bug parts! Once you have created your own special bug you can print it.

\The Ants Go Marching -ENCHANTED LEARNING Watch the ants March with the Lyrics!

www.kidspark.com Have a little fun with math! Mix and Match Numbers with Ants

http://morecoloringpages.com/how_to_draw_garden-ant_30.html

Step by step directions on drawing an ant!

All about

ants

Learn all about ants. All about ants is full of ant info for anyone interested in ants ... Ants have

been living on the Earth for more than 100 million years and can be found almost anywhere on

the planet.

www.infowest.com/life/aants.htm

ANTS : Facts about

ants

Ant facts: Interesting facts about ants ... Like all insects, ants have six legs. Each leg has three

joints. The legs of the ant are very strong so they can run very quickly.

www.lingolex.com/ants.htm

GAKKEN'S PHOTO ENCYCLOPEDIA " ANTS " :

Contents

Helps students identify the difference between ants and mimicking ants with an emphasis on ant

species, nests, and enemie ... Ants showing curious behavior;

ant.edb.miyakyo-u.ac.jp/INTRODUCTION/Gakken79E/Page_02....

Estimated Lesson Time

Approximately 40 minutes each for 2 sessions

Student Objectives

Students will

Compare and contrast information from fiction and nonfiction texts, videos, and props

about animals, (insects).

Create a T-Chart on “Real” and” Make-believe”

Use an Internet search engine to find Websites with additional factual information about

animals in stories read to them and about animals in the non-fiction world.

Preparation

1. Need an ant puppet and plastic toy ant

2. Chart paper

3. Marker

4. Movie (A Bug’s Life)

5. Books as listed

6. Classroom books

Instructional plan and Activities

Day 1

Part 1 ( Approximately 40 minutes)

This will be whole group instruction on day 1. Talk about the elements of a make-believe or

fantasy story. Explain that make-believe stories usually have animal characters that can talk and

behave like people. Animal characters can be in books, movies, puppet shows etc. Explain that

knowing a make-believe story from a real story will prepare them to be able to select books they

will have interest in. Tell them that make-believe stories and movies are entertaining. Explain

that non-fiction books are based on real events, people or animals and can provide a lot of

information about a subject.

Tell the students that you have some special guests to show them. Pull an ant puppet out of your

unit box. Pass it around and allow the students to feel and observe. Ask them if it is a real ant or

a make-believe ant. Next pull out a plastic toy ant and ask them if it is real or make-believe. On a

piece of chart paper draw a T-chart with headings, make-believe and real. Write the descriptions

of the fake animals as the children describe them

As the students describe the ant puppet characteristics, write the characteristics on a T-chart,

(poster paper). Make sure the headings are labeled “Make-believe” and “Real”.

Possible list for make-believe:

The ant is big !

The ant can’t crawl.

The ant is soft!

It has plastic eyes.

I can wear the ant on my hand

The ant does not eat.

The ant lives in your box.

Part 2 (Included in Part 1 time)

Show the children short clip’s of A Bug’s Life (movie).

Upon completion of this activity, ask students what the bug and ant characters did in the

movie.

Possible answers:

The ants talked.

The ants wore clothes.

They walked on hind legs like people.

The ants are purple!

The ants rode a bicycle!

Make additions to the make-believe list on the chart.

Ask students to return to their seat. For a follow up activity ask the children to list characters

and books they think are make-believe. Make the class book inventory available for them to

look through for ideas. Reassemble and question the students on the make-believe characters

and books they have thought of.

Quick review: Ask students to turn to think of something their favorite make-believe

character would do. Ask for answers one at a time.

Assessment: Check for understanding through observation and verbal questioning.

Day 2

Review the activity from the day before by reminding students that they are learning about real

and make-believe. Review the information on the chart about make-believe ants or other

characters and stories.

Introduce the book Ant Cities by Arthur Dorres.

Go through a book walk with the group.

Ask the children to describe the ants they see in the pictures. Possible comments could be:

All the ants are the same small size.

All the ants are brown and black

The ants live under the ground.

The ants live under an ant hill.

Grasshoppers eat ants.

The ants are not talking or wearing clothes.

After the book walk and notation of comments on the T-chart, explain to the students that this is

a real book about ants. It is also called non-fiction. Read the book and continue to make

notations of real ant characteristics as you read the book and question the students.

Ask the students to return to their seats. Ask them to repeat the assignment from the day before.

Allow them to look through the classroom library or book baskets to find non-fiction books or

real characters. Reassemble and question the students on what they found as a quick review.

Assessment: Check for understanding through observation and verbal questioning.

Follow up and close by going over the make-believe list and the real list on the chart.

Extend this lesson to include researching websites listed under websites and resources to further

explore fiction and non-fiction using ants Also review the websites under featured resources.

Allow the students to search these sights for information on real animals and their activities.

Assessment/Reflections

← Participation in discussion

← Engagement in classroom activity (searching for fiction and non-fiction books)

←

For a fun follow up go to the link below for a real vs. make believe game. All components of the

game are available for download and printout.

(Real and Make-Believe Game)

After using the enlarged picture cards for discussing and sorting, the children should be ready to

play the "Is It Real or Make Believe?" game on their own.  Each player takes a turn shaking a

die.  If they land on a "make believe" picture they collect a chocolate golden magic coin.  The

game continues until all the coins are gone.  The player with the most coins is the winner. ?

http://www.kinderplans.com/content.cfm?pageid=356

Extensions

There are many extension activities available for family or school.

Ant art projects for young students complement insect lessons or ant-themed activities. The

students will enjoy displaying their ant crafts in the classroom or at home.

Early education teachers can plan ant art projects for children in order to familiarize their

students with how ants look, behave, and live. These crafts involve the use of paper, clay, and

edible treats!

Paper Picnic Craft

Materials needed:

paper "picnic blanket" template (1 per child)

paper plate cut-out (1 per child)

paper apple chunks (3 or 4 per child)

paper bread crumbs (3 or 4 per child)

paper cookie pieces (3 or 4 per child)

paper ant cut-outs (5 per child)

school glue

crayons

Directions:

1) Hand each child all of the paper cut-outs that they will need for the project. Set out baskets of

crayons and allow the to color their picnic blankets, food cut-outs, and ant cut-outs.

2) Instruct each child to glue his or her paper plate cut-out onto the center of the paper picnic

blanket.

3) Show the students how to glue their ants onto the picnic blanket so that it looks like they are

marching away from the plate.

4) Tell the preschoolers that ants are able to carry bits of food on their backs, and allow the

children to glue pieces of paper bread crumbs, cookie pieces, and apple chunks on top of their

ants. Extra pieces of paper food can be glued onto the plate to represent leftover picnic food.

Clay Ant Hill Craft

Materials needed:

brown modeling clay

green modeling clay

black modeling clay

paper plates (1 per child)

Directions:

1) Give each child a paper plate and a handful of green clay. Show the children how to shape the

clay into a flat oval, representing the grass at the base of an ant hill.

2) Hand each preschooler a larger scoop of brown clay. Show the children how to mold and

shape their clay into an ant hill (wider at the base and either pointed or hollowed at the top).

3) Show the students how to make ants with bits of black clay (circular head, oval body, six

small legs). Allow the children to place their ants on the ant hill and in the grass below.

Food Crafts With Raisin "Ants"

Materials needed:

raisins (at least a handful per child)

Suggested materials:

celery

peanut butter

ice-cream cone

frosting

raisins

apple slices

banana slices

Project ideas:

1) Assist the students in making "ants in the garden" by smearing peanut butter on celery sticks

and placing raisins on top.

2) Place an ice cream cone upside-down in the center of a plate, and coat the cone with chocolate

frosting, pudding, or peanut butter. Decorate the "ant hill" with raisin ants.

3) Show the children how to make a trail of ants headed toward a sweet snack. Place apple or

banana slices on a plate and then allow the students to form a pattern of raisin ants around the

fruit pieces.

Read more:

http://www.brighthub.com/education/early-childhood/articles/70053.aspx#ixzz1I1LdHBUR

For more extension ant activities go to the following websites.

Picnic Bugs: http://familyfun.go.com/printables/coloring-pages/printable/spring-picnic/

• Picnic Table: http://familycrafts.about.com/library/color/blcolpicnictabl.htm

• Summer color sheets: http://parenting.leehansen.com/downloads/coloring/summer-

coloring.htm

• Picnic Ant Maze: www.npl.lib.va.us/bibl/animals/activities/picnic_maze.html

• Picnic Crossword: www.npl.lib.va.us/bibl/animals/activities/cross_word.html

http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/ant-coloring-page/

"ANT"HOLOGY Activity – have the students to take a magnifying glass home and look around

their house/community for places where ants lived. Draw a picture and write about where they

found the ants. Put the book together as an 'ant'thology!

http://www.proteacher.org/c/723_Theme_-_Picnic_Theme.html

Student Assessment/Reflections

Explain the assessment activities for the lesson plan, using paragraphs or a bulleted list.

Be sure to give specific details for the teacher and list any rubrics used.

Image

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regarding the image.

Keywords/Tagging

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