Melissa McClain-- LLT 307 Portfolio
Earth Day Lesson Plan
Population: 4th grade, ELL, advanced
Class: Language Arts
Activity Type: Reading, Writing
Language Objective: Students will be able to use recently-learned vocabulary to read and write about saving the planet.
Content Objective: Students will learn about how to protect the environment.
Lesson Context: This lesson will be taught on or around Earth Day.
I. Pre-Reading
a. The teacher will write the key vocabulary words up on the board for the class to see, as well as make a “word book” that the students can refer back to during the lesson. The following words will be included in the word list: environment, recycle, reduce, reuse, conservation.
b. The teacher will review the words and definitions with the class. First, she will break the students up into five groups and give each group a dictionary. Each group will be assigned a word for which they will have to find a definition. The teacher will walk around and be available for the students to ask questions about their word. When every group is finished, the groups will present the words’ definitions to the class.
c. The language and content objectives will be posted on the board at the beginning of the lesson, and the teacher will review and explain as well before moving on to the main focus of the lesson (here, the reading section).
II. Reading
a. The students will be given the article, “Talking Trash” by Angelique Ledoux. The class will read the article together. Each student will take a turn reading a paragraph. The students will play “Popcorn!” while reading. When a student finishes reading, he or she will say “popcorn!” and then choose another student in the class to read.
b. After reading the article together, the teacher will ask the students if there are any questions about the reading (ie- vocabulary words or comprehension questions).
c. The teacher will then assign questions for the students to answer together in the previously arranged groups. The teacher will be walking around the classroom to monitor progress and understanding. The students will answer the following questions:
· What is “zero waste”?
· How much garbage was thrown away in 2005? What was the biggest item that was thrown away?
· Why is recycling good for the environment (and us)?
· What are some ways that cities in the United States are going for “zero waste”?
· What is one thing that you could do to help protect the environment?
d. The class will come back together after each group has finished answering the questions. The teacher will have a can with Popsicle sticks in it that are labeled with each student’s name. She will draw a name from the can, and that student’s group must answer the question that is being discussed.
III. Post-Reading
a. The students will now take what they have learned about from the article and apply it to their own lives. The teacher will first teach the students about the “3 R’s”: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Since these words are the key vocabulary for the day, the teacher will review the definitions. She will explain to the class how they can use these three concepts to protect the environment.
b. In their core groups, the students will be given materials that could be recycled such as egg cartons, pop bottles, soup cans, laundry soup bottles, and condiment jars. The students will be asked to use the materials they were given to make something new. The teacher will have examples in class, such as an egg carton mobile and a flower vase made out of a hot sauce jar and old fabric.
c. After the students have finished their new “creations”, each group will present theirs to the class. They will be asked to describe what their creation will be used for and what they used to make it.
d. During the last fifteen minutes of class every day, the students take out their Daily Writing Journals and write about an assigned topic. Today’s topic will be “Why is it important to take care of the environment? What can you do to help?”
Materials Used:
"Talking Trash" by Angelique Ledoux
(http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,1607550,00.html)
Class: Language Arts
Activity Type: Reading, Writing
Language Objective: Students will be able to use recently-learned vocabulary to read and write about saving the planet.
Content Objective: Students will learn about how to protect the environment.
Lesson Context: This lesson will be taught on or around Earth Day.
I. Pre-Reading
a. The teacher will write the key vocabulary words up on the board for the class to see, as well as make a “word book” that the students can refer back to during the lesson. The following words will be included in the word list: environment, recycle, reduce, reuse, conservation.
b. The teacher will review the words and definitions with the class. First, she will break the students up into five groups and give each group a dictionary. Each group will be assigned a word for which they will have to find a definition. The teacher will walk around and be available for the students to ask questions about their word. When every group is finished, the groups will present the words’ definitions to the class.
c. The language and content objectives will be posted on the board at the beginning of the lesson, and the teacher will review and explain as well before moving on to the main focus of the lesson (here, the reading section).
II. Reading
a. The students will be given the article, “Talking Trash” by Angelique Ledoux. The class will read the article together. Each student will take a turn reading a paragraph. The students will play “Popcorn!” while reading. When a student finishes reading, he or she will say “popcorn!” and then choose another student in the class to read.
b. After reading the article together, the teacher will ask the students if there are any questions about the reading (ie- vocabulary words or comprehension questions).
c. The teacher will then assign questions for the students to answer together in the previously arranged groups. The teacher will be walking around the classroom to monitor progress and understanding. The students will answer the following questions:
· What is “zero waste”?
· How much garbage was thrown away in 2005? What was the biggest item that was thrown away?
· Why is recycling good for the environment (and us)?
· What are some ways that cities in the United States are going for “zero waste”?
· What is one thing that you could do to help protect the environment?
d. The class will come back together after each group has finished answering the questions. The teacher will have a can with Popsicle sticks in it that are labeled with each student’s name. She will draw a name from the can, and that student’s group must answer the question that is being discussed.
III. Post-Reading
a. The students will now take what they have learned about from the article and apply it to their own lives. The teacher will first teach the students about the “3 R’s”: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Since these words are the key vocabulary for the day, the teacher will review the definitions. She will explain to the class how they can use these three concepts to protect the environment.
b. In their core groups, the students will be given materials that could be recycled such as egg cartons, pop bottles, soup cans, laundry soup bottles, and condiment jars. The students will be asked to use the materials they were given to make something new. The teacher will have examples in class, such as an egg carton mobile and a flower vase made out of a hot sauce jar and old fabric.
c. After the students have finished their new “creations”, each group will present theirs to the class. They will be asked to describe what their creation will be used for and what they used to make it.
d. During the last fifteen minutes of class every day, the students take out their Daily Writing Journals and write about an assigned topic. Today’s topic will be “Why is it important to take care of the environment? What can you do to help?”
Materials Used:
"Talking Trash" by Angelique Ledoux
(http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,1607550,00.html)
