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Pond Water and Pollywogs: A P/K-2, Life Science Project
Primary students rear frogs from eggs, and share their expertise in an informative brochure for visitors at a new amphibian’s exhibit at the local zoo.
Higher-Order Thinking Skills
After collecting information on a frog’s natural habitat, students synthesize information by completing one of the two tasks; a mural or a field guide. Students use knowledge and take what they have learned from the natural habitat and apply it to the creation of an artificial habitat. Students use higher-level thinking to answer the Essential and Unit Questions within their final slideshow presentation. A K-W-L chart prompts thinking and investigation throughout the unit, while the teacher encourages students to elevate thinking with the journal questions.
Varied Instructional Strategies
Students access prior knowledge at the beginning of the unit with a Know-Wonder-Learn chart. This graphic organizer elicits questions that students are curious about. The K-W-L chart is referred to throughout the unit and then revisited when the unit is over to celebrate the knowledge gleaned about frogs and habitats.
Graphic Organizers: The unit begins with a K-W-L chart that students add to throughout the unit. A T-chart compares what frogs and people need to grow. A diagram logically lays out the life cycle of a frog, and storyboard planning sheets help students to design their slideshow presentations.
Cooperative Grouping: Students work in collaborative teams to create a slideshow and a newsletter. Each is assigned a role to contribute to the project’s completion. Students work in pairs, as well, to complete the frog life cycle puzzle.
Peer and Teacher Feedback: Students receive teacher feedback throughout the unit through their observation journal writing. Students give peer feedback as they collaborate and share drafts of their newsletter writing.
Recognition: Students get recognition through the publication of their newsletter and slideshow scoring guide. The slideshow is shared with other classes, and students work with adults and upper-year buddies who affirm and help guide student work.
Questioning: The journal questions, as well as discussion of Essential, Unit, and Content Questions provide questioning throughout the unit. As students fill out the K-W-L chart they are repeatedly asked, What do you know?, What do you wonder?, What did you learn?, further probing them to think at higher levels.
Modeling: The teacher models how to collect information and pull out main points. There are models for exemplary work: a student sample slideshow and a real-life example of frog habitats at the zoo.
Classroom Management: Students work in pairs and in groups to manage the completion of technology products. Because this is a lower primary unit, students also work with adults and upper-year buddies to manage tasks such as reading, writing, and computer use.
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