Final Lesson page

Jennifer Klinger
EDMT 380 Section 003
Fall 2003

Lesson Plan #2

Title: Animals on the Farm

Description/Summary: This lesson plan combines students' family history and Wisconsin history with language arts, the visual arts, and technology. Students will learn the importance of farm animals and their function on Wisconsin farms. In our modern society, farms are slowly disappearing. It is likely that someday farms could become extinct. By choosing a farm animal to research, students will become aware of the importance of animals on the farm as well as the importance of farming. The lesson will incorporate researching information via the internet and library media sources, the use of a digital camera, word processing, and writing skills.

Learner Analysis: This language arts class consists of 25 fifth graders in a moderately sized urban school districts. Students have a wide range of learning abilities and a few students with learning disabilities.

Prerequisite Student Skills: The students come into this lesson with some pre-existing skills including:
• Word processing
• E-mail
• Internet research skills
• Digital imaging
• Manual dexterity skills
• Basic paragraph and sentence formatting skills

Language Art Content Standards:
(Performance standards achieved by the end of fourth grade.)
Reading and Literature
A 4.1: Discern how written texts and accompanying illustrations connect to convey meaning. Identify and use organizational features of texts, such as headings, paragraphs, and format, to improve understanding. Identify a purpose for reading, such as gaining information, learning about a viewpoint, and appreciating literature.
A 4.3 Demonstrate the ability to integrate general knowledge about the world and familiarity with literary and nonliterary texts when reflecting upon life's experiences.
A 4.4 Identify a topic of interest then seek information by investigating available text resources.

Technology Content Standards:
Media and Technology
E 4.1 Use basic word-processing, graphics, and drawing programs.
Create, store, and retrieve electronic files. Access information using electronic reference resources, such as library catalog, encyclopedias, almanacs, and indexes.
E 4.5 Provide feedback to (and receive it from) peers about the content, organization, and overall effect of media work.
** In addition, Power Point is also used inorder to give students an introduction of the choices of animals on the farm that they may choose to research.

Art Content Standards:
B. Art and Design History, Citizenship, and Environment: Students will understand the value and significance that farms in Wisconsin have in relation to history, citizenship, the environment, and social development.
C. Visual Design and Production: Students in Wisconsin will find photographs of animals and incorporate them into the research project as well as create a journal..
J. Cultural and Aesthetic Understanding: Students in Wisconsin will reflect upon the farm animals and their meaning in art and culture.
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Instructional Objectives:
Students will choose a farm animal and research it to and write a one page research paper on it..
Students will use internet and library resources to locate a variety of animal photographs of the different farm animals.
Students will demonstrate their own knowledge and life experiences that relate to farm life.
Students will use a digital camera to take a pictures animals on the farm that the class visits.
Students will create a journal to keep their animal research papers in it.
Students will exchange their animal research papers and compile them into a journal.

Advanced Preparation:
1. Permission slips
2. Find a farm with animals on it
3. Examples of animals
4. Journals to insert the stories into
5. Have access to a digital camera arranged.
6. Have computer access arranged.
7. Have time in the media center arranged
8. Have parent volunteers come on the field trip and to help with the research, writing, and editing days
9. Have Topic Hotlist ready for the students
10. Have Power Point presentation prepared

Materials:
Construction paper 12"x18" in a variety of colors
White paper 12"x18"
Scissors
Stamps (to decorate the journal with)
Animal pictures/magazines
Glue
Papers
Stickers
Stapler
Digital Camera (and any necessary equipment with it)
Computer: Microsoft Word software (or something similar);
Computer power point software
Power Point presentation prepared
Topic Hotlist prepared
Access to a copy machine
DVD Player
Email Access
A one inch three ring binder (for the teacher use)
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Prerequisite Teacher Skills:
• Word-processing
• Knowledge on how to create and use power point
• Digital Imaging
• Know background information on farms and where to find resources
• Internet and e-mail access
• Knowledge on how to create a Topic Hotlist

Activity Sequence (assumes 40 minute class periods):
Day 1:
• Stand up if you live on a farm (wait for students to stand).
• Now stand up if your parents lived on a farm when they were your age.
• If any of your grandparents lived on a farm when they were your age stand up.
• Ask your students why they think there is a discrepancy between the number of students standing from their generation compared to their grandparent's generation. Point out that farms are being torn down and that farming life is becoming more and more rare.
• Ask your students if they think farms are important in today's society. Why or why not?
• Ask students if they think all animals are important on the farm. Why or why not?
• Show students the Power Point on the animals and explain the briefly describe the food that they eat. This will help students formulate ideas about the animal that they choose as well as give them a start on their first piece of research.
• For the remaining time, students should start their assignment.
• Assignment: Have students pick a farm animal that interests them. Have them write what they already know about the animal, what they want to find out about the animal, and why they want to find out information about the animal.

Day 2:
• Students will begin by sharing the animal they picked and why they picked it.
• Teacher will review demonstrate how to use a Topic Hotlist, how to take notes, and how to research. The students are not limited to only the Topic Hotlist. They should use it, however they are free to visit other websites and use other resources provided that they are credible and that they get the information that is needed.
• Teacher will give students the Topic Hotlist so students can begin their research on their animal.
• Students will need to find information if it is found about the animal's eating habits, the different breeds of the animal, its use on the farm, and/or any other information they feel is useful.
• The student should look in books in the media center as well as use the topic hotlist
• Assignment: Continue research.

Day 3:
• Students should continue research in the media center and computer lab.
• It may be a good idea to have a parent volunteer to help answer questions and supervise the computer lab and the media center.
• Assignment: Students should finish any research and write the rough draft of their research papers.

Day 4:
• Field Trip to the Farm.
• Teacher will bring along digital camera; allow for students to take pictures (use discretion!).
• It may be a good idea for the teacher to have a few parents come along to help supervise and chaperone.
• Teacher Assignment: Post pictures to classroom/school web site for students to print out and use in their journals and research papers.

Day 5:
• Work Day in Computer Lab: Students will word process their research papers.
• Students will also search the internet for photographs of barns and for information about their animals as well as copy the pictures from the website where the animal picutres are posted. (Tell students to search the following web site for pictures: http://www.images.google.com)
• Students will form pairs and will e-mail their barn stories to their partners in order to practice using email and in order to read one anothers research papers. They will then print out each others research papers and begin to edit it. (NOTE: If students do not have school e-mail accounts, this part of the lesson will need to be modified.)
• Assignment: Students should finish editing their classmate's paper.

Day 6:
• Work day in classroom and computer lab: Students will talk to the classmate who edited their paper and make any changes. They should then print out the story to hand in when the editing is complete.
• Teacher will walk around classroom, offering assistance to students if necessary.
• The teacher should have a parent volunteer to help in the computer lab if the computer lab technician is unavailable.
• All research papers should be completed by the end of class and turned into the teacher. Papers should not be longer than one page!
• Assignment: Come to class prepared to work on the journals. Students should find materials around their house that they may need, such as stickers, pictures, or anything else that may be used to decorate the front of the journals. Materials needed: Any pictures, markers, crayons, scissors, glue, scrap paper, etc. (This assumes that all students will have some of these basic materials as part of their school supplies; teacher will also have an assortment of materials for students to use.)
•Teacher Assignment: The teacher should read the research papers and grade them.

Day 7:
• Work Day in Classroom: Create Journals.
• The Journals will be created by taking a colored piece of construction paper and two sheets of the white paper.
• The student will fold all three sheets of paper in half the short way. They will place the two white sheets of paper inside the colored piece of paper and place three staples in the middle on the spine to create a journal. (The teacher may have to help staple the journal).
• The student will then decorate the front and back of the journal any way that they wish using the various materials that were provided and collected at home.
• The teacher should hand back research papers to the students.
• At this time, any student who needed to make revisions suggested by the teacher should do so.
• Assignment: Work on journal if needed. The student should also come to class with seven copies of their research paper to be handed out to peers.

Day 8:
• Students will take their orginal research paper and keep it for their journal to be placed after the title page. Students should take the seven other copies and give one to the teacher (to compile a book of every student's research paper) and give the other six to six classmates. Each student should give six copies out to six different classmates, and recieve six different research papers from their classmates.
• Students should make a title page and include a table of contents with the other student's names for their stories.
• Students should glue each story in their journal that was recieved as well as their own in their journal.
• Students should decorate the pages accordingly with the left over supplies from day 7.
• Assignment: Finish journals.
• Teacher Assignment: Compile the entire classes research papers into a book by punching holes and placing each paper into a one inch three ring binder.

Day 9: Wrap up!
• The teacher will ask for volunteers to read their research papers to the class.
• Students will share their journals with classmates.
• They will share one thing they learned from this unit as a whole, and one like and dislike about this unit or their journals.
• To wrap up the lesson, show iMovie video: Wisconsin Barns: An Outdoor Museum
• From the video, discuss the types of barns, differences mentioned between past and present farm life to show students that animals are not the only important components on a farm.
• Teacher will collect the journals for grading.
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Planned Provisions for Diverse Learners:
• Have story typed out story for student
• Have journals already put together for students
• Give more advanced students an extended research project. For example, have them research their animal beyond the basic requirements, or they could research about the local barns.

Teacher Reflection:
• Did the students understand the importance of farms and animals on the farm?
• Did the students enjoy researching an animal?
• Did the students take pride in their journals, especially when showing other classmates?
• Was enough time allotted for students to finish their journals?
• List the good and bad parts of how lesson went.

Additional Resources:
Videos:
Wisconsin Barns: Stories in Wood & Stone. Ó1999 Wisconsin Public Television
Books:
Remembering When: A Tribute to the Vanishing Rural Landscape by Mary Rufledt Gladitsch
Symbols: Viewing a Rural Past by Jerry Apps
This Old Barn: Country Folks Fondly Recall-in words and photos- the Heart of Their Homesteads published by Roy J. Reiman
Barns of Wisconsin by Jerry Apps
Barns published by Friedman/Fairfax Publishers (photo book)
Heartland by Diane Siebert
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| Power Point | Topic Hot List |

For any questions or comments please email me at klingerj@uwec.edu
Page last updated on November 24, 2003