This lesson is for : Kindergarten:
Summary
This project is to allow students the opportunity to learn an abundant amount of information through various forms of research about Winter. The students are going to apply their knowledge of winter and winter animals to work toward preventing the real world problem of global warming and they will create products to communicate their goal to the world.
TIPC Ratings
Research & Information Fluency
Rating: Ideal – Explanation: Students construct questions to guide research through KWL chart.
The students brainstormed ways to research winter and winter animals. The students selected videos, magazines, books, websites, webcams and experts to research winter and winter animals.
The teacher supported the students and supplied the variety of research materials for students to choose from. They brainstormed for research and assisted the students to apply the information learned to further research a real world problem. The teacher facilitated student learning through the use of the blubber experiment to explain the concept of animals storing fat and how that fat keeps animals warm in the winter. The teacher scooped Crisco into a freezer size ziplock bag, and then put another freezer size ziploc bag inside of the bag filled with Crisco, to keep the students hands from getting greasy. The teacher then spread around the Crisco to form an even layer of blubber- fat. The teacher placed the crisco bag and an empty ziploc bag into a bucket of ice.
The students placed one hand in each bag to compare the difference between the bag with a layer of “blubber” and the bag without a layer of “blubber.” The students noted that the bag with “blubber” was like wearing a winter coat and that a layer of blubber keeps animals warmer in cold weather.
Communication & Collaboration
Rating: Ideal – Explanation: The students formed winter research groups based on the students responses ideas of methods of research. The teacher provided groups with materials including digital and books to choose from as they researched in small group and whole group settings. The students created a community of working together in teams by constructing one picture as a small group using pattern blocks. The students were asked to determine the leader, speaker and the recorder of the group.
The teacher arranged for Suzie Gilley, Wildlife Education Coordinator /Project WILD State Coordinator to present an hour long lesson to the class about animals in Virginia in winter. The lesson was based around winter weather in Virginia and animals adaptations: animals that migrate, hibernate and store food. Suzie Gilley brought pictures and representations of the animals discussed. Students passed around samples of butterflies, cicadas, a wasps nest, turtle shell and a snake skin. The students felt a bear skin and held a deer antler. Suzie Gilley also discussed how global warming is affecting changes in animals in Virginia.
The students formed global warming project groups based on the project they selected to make. The teacher collaborated with fifth grade students who then assisted the Kindergarten students to accomplish their projects. The Kindergarten students told the fifth grade students what they knew about global warming and how to prevent global warming and instructed the fifth grade students on what they would like to be included in their products. The fifth grade students assisted the Kindergarten students with the technology (Pixie-digital flyers, videos, newspaper advertisement, and videos with drawings) to complete the project.
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Rating: Ideal – Explanation: The teacher facilitated learning on the real world problem of global warming through meaningful discussions using videos, webcams, books and the Wildlife Education Coordinator. The students were then able to reflect on their wants, their needs, and their behaviors (their own carbon footprint) which lead to the students desire to prevent global warming. The students began to think more about the environment and what they can do to help. Students reflected on working in groups.
Creativity & Innovation
Rating: Ideal – Explanation: The students recorded their knowledge of winter animals and global warming onto a graphic organizer (see artifact 1) and brainstormed what they could do to help prevent global warming. Then, the students selected various methods of digital tools to communicate to the world the need to prevent global warming. The kindergarten students worked collaboratively with seven fifth grade students. Two kindergarten project groups made digital flyers, using Pixie (see artifact 2 a-c). The kindergarten students gave the fifth graders the information for the flyer and selected the pictures to be inserted and the fifth graders helped the students with typing and manipulating the computer. One kindergarten group chose to make a video using an ipad (see artifact 3 a-d), about preventing global warming. The students wrote and drew pictures of their ideas and then they verbalized their ideas on the video. One kindergarten group worked with a fifth grader to create a newspaper advertisement (see artifact 4) using a word document to communicate about global warming. Lastly, one Kindergarten group recorded their ideas about global warming as a radio commercial (see artifact 5) on the “Audacity” software.
Student Artifact
Lesson Materials
