On The Farm: A Closer Look at Farm Animals
Thematic Unit: On The Farm: A Closer Look at Farm Animals
Lesson Topic: Farm Animals
Content Areas: Language Arts, Reading, Social Studies, Science
Grade Levels: 1st and
2nd Grades (15 students)
Language Proficiency Level/s: ELLs- Lower Intermediate Proficiency
Unit Objectives:
To learn English through the content of farm animals
To read a bar graph and think analytically
To practice reading with the help of mnemonic devices
To learn sequencing of events
To practice retelling a process through oral and written language
TESOL and Tennessee Standards for ESL
TESOL National Standards
Standard 1: English language learners communicate for social, intercultural, and instructional
purposes within the school setting.
Goal 2, Standard 1 - To use English to achieve academically in all content areas: Students will
use English to interact in the classroom
Goal 2, Standard 2 - To use English to achieve academically in all content areas: Students will
use English to obtain, process, construct, and provide subject matter information in spoken and
written form: a). retelling information, b). responding to the work of peers and others, and c).
representing information visually and interpreting information presented visually.
Tennessee ESL Standards
R.1-2.7 Use prior knowledge, context, sentence structure, multiple meanings and
illustrations to read unfamiliar words.
R.1-2.9 Read and follow 1 – 4 step directions to complete a simple task.
R.1-2.11 Demonstrate use of various strategies to construct meaning (e.g. context,
illustrations, prior knowledge).
L.1-2.6 Demonstrate use of various strategies to construct meaning (e.g. context,
nonverbal clues, prior knowledge).
W.1-2.2 Write to convey ideas or stories using pictures, marks, letters, words and simple
sentences.
S.1-2.4 Tell, summarize and/or retell ideas and/or stories.
Specific Objectives: The objective of this unit is to connect meaning of content related
vocabulary through the use of English and mnemonic devices such as onomatopoeia and
rhyming.
Leveled Reading Materials:
Early Morning in the Barn by Nancy Tafuri
PreK-1st Grade – Pre-literacy-beginning - Young children love to imitate the noises that animals
make and this book offers a fun way to act like animals through a catchy rhyme scheme.
Old Mac Donald Had A Farm Illustrated by Carol Jones
Grades K-2 - This book is great for beginning/ intermediate readers gaining literacy skills and
also helps familiarize the kids with different farm animals through repetition and onomatopoeia.
Inside a Barn in the Country by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Grades 1-3 – for developing and expanding literacy skills - In this book, one tiny mouse wakes
up an entire barn and the quiet night becomes a cacophony of farm animal noises. The story is
told with a colorful and descriptive rhyme scheme.
Whole Group Reading Materials
Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming
Grades K-1 – In this book, Goose chases a butterfly obliviously around the farm while barnyard
animals make sounds in a rhythmic, onomatopoeic way. This is a fun book to get the whole
class involved and familiarize the students with different farm animals.
The Thing That Bothered Farmer Brown written by Teri Sloat, illustrated by
Nadine Bernard Wescott
Grades K-2 – In this delightful book, Farmer Brown is trying to get the annoying insect that is
bothering him but he keeps disturbing farm animals as he goes. The rhythm and sound effects in
this book provide many opportunities for interesting classroom activities.
Instructional Procedures:
Set – Build prior knowledge on a chart and review new vocabulary words. Ask the students what
they know about farms (what types of animals or crops). Take notes on a big piece of chart paper.
Guided Practice – warm up -Rhyming words
Mini-Lecture – Read Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming to help familiarize the kids with the
different animals. Discuss the sounds that different farm animals make.
Group Task #1 – Graph farm animal favorites. Pass out five farm animal picture cards (horse,
goat, chicken, cow, pig) to each student and tell what each one is called, just in case a student
doesn’t know its name. Ask them to choose their favorite one and hand all the rest back to the
person on the far right side of the room. One at a time, ask the students to come to the front of
the room and place the farm animal they chose on a chart above the name of that animal. After
each student has finished placing their animals, they will be able to see which animal was chosen
the most and which was chosen the least. Discuss why they chose different animals. Ask why
they think some animals didn’t get chosen as much. Why did some get chosen more?
Shared Book – Read aloud, The Thing That Bothered Farmer Brown. Teacher will engage
students in a discussion to talk about words for sounds. The teacher will discuss the idiom: “To
have a bee in your bonnet” (to be bothered by something) with the class.
Group Task #2 - Role Play: Students create sound effects to represent the sounds in the story.
Read the story again only this time assign each pair or group to come up with a sound effect or
two to make when their part in the story comes around.
Create – Students illustrate and label "WANTED" posters for “The Thing That Bothered Farmer
Brown.” Tell why whichever noisy thing they have chosen is guilty. (See sample on power
point slide.)
Mini Lecture – Discuss the idiom: “Don’t cry over spilled milk.” (something that already
happened and can’t be changed) with the class. Where does milk come from? How is Ice cream
made? (Use power point slides)
Group Task #3 – Students make “Hillbilly Ice Cream.” Students will follow Ice cream recipe to
learn simple measurements. While taking turns shaking ice cream cans, children will work on re-
writing the story of how ice cream is made in booklets with words and illustrations.
Create- Students make booklets for how to make ice cream and illustrate it.
Sharing – Students share booklets and complete student survey.
Closure – Teacher helps students fill in the KWL chart with things that they learned about.
Assessment Tools & Techniques:
1. Informal – Mini-Lecture – KWL Chart
2. Formal – Words that rhyme activity
3. Formal/Authentic – Group Task #1 – Graphing activity- peer and self-observation
4. Informal- Group Task #2 - Story sound effects
5. Informal – Group Task #3 – Making ice cream
5. Informal – Sharing ice cream booklets
6. Formal/Authentic – Student surveys
7. Formal – KWL Chart- Fill out the “L” portion.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Chart paper
ELMO
5 Small cans with lids
5 Large cans with lids
Newspaper
Rock salt
Sugar
Vanilla flavoring
Milk
15-20 - 6 page blank booklets
Crayons or markers
LANGUAGE LEARNING MATERIALS: (see below)
KWL CHART
RHYMING WORD PAIRS
ANIMAL PICTURE CUTOUTS
BOARD GRAPH
“WANTED” TEMPLATES
WHERE DOES MILK COME FROM SLIDE
VOCABULARY WALL (will create with class)
WHERE DOES ICE CREAM COME FROM SLIDE
HILLBILLY ICE CREAM RECIPE
STUDENT SURVEYS
Teacher Created Materials: (Created on Power point and uploaded as GIFs)
References:
Belew, L. G. (2011). Alphabet soup activities. Columbia, TN: Tenn. Farm Bureau
Foundation for AITC.
Capucilli, A. S. (1995). Inside a Barn in the Country. New York, NY: Cartwheel Books.
Clipartforfree.blogspot.com. (2008). Animal Clip Art. Retrieved from
http://clipart-for-free.blogspot.com/2008/08/clipart-farm-animals.html.
Fleming, D. (1994). Barnyard banter. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.
Jones, C. (1997). Old macdonald had a farm. Sydney, Australia: HarperCollins.
ProCon.org. (2011, April 4). How milk gets from the cow to the store.
Milk.procon.org. Retrieved from
http://milk.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000658
Sloat, T., Wescott, N. B. (1995). The thing that bothered farmer brown. New York, NY:
Orchard Books.
Sloat, T. (2006). Teri sloat. Retrieved from
http://www.terisloat.com/books/thething.html.
Snow, J. (2000-2011). Farm clip art. ABKL Designs. Retrieved from
http://abkldesigns.com/index.html.
Tafuri, N. (1992). Early Morning in the Barn. Ney York, NY: Mulberry Books.
Theteachersguide.com. (2011). The teacher’s guide. On the farm. Retrieved from
http://www.theteachersguide.com/onthefarm.htm
Created by
Erin B. Cathey
June, 2011
FOED 6020
Dr. Craig
MTSU