EEEK! A Spider! (Science, Literacy, Technology)

Author(s): Carolyn I. Gundrum ( http://www.remc11.k12.mi.us/bstpract/bpIII/058/058.PDF)

Amended by: Sarah Wallace and Lauren Surhe (Both in W401, Section 23620

Grade Level: This lesson is geared toward First Grade.

Timeframe: Depending on the specific needs of the students, this lesson will have an approximate duration between six and eight class sessions. Each session will last between 30 and 45 minutes.

Lesson Description or Explanation

The classic Mother Goose rhyme, Little Miss Muffet, will be used to scaffold first grade students’ research skills. This lesson is hands-on and integrates science, language arts, and technology. During the lesson, students will first learn the rhyme and discuss their prior experiences with spiders. Students will build research skills and vocabulary through learning about the new words in the rhyme (whey, curds). Finally, students will lean about how writers research their topics and keep their information organized. Through specific research points and record sheets students will record facts they have learned about spiders. The lesson will culminate in the students using their information found during research to create a “Spider Book” using Microsoft PowerPoint ®.

Indiana Curricular Standards

Reading: Comprehension and Analysis of Nonfiction and Informational Text

1.2.1 Identify the title, author, illustrator, and table of contents of a reading selection.

Writing: Process and Features

1.4.5 Identify a variety of sources of information (books, online sources, pictures, charts, tables of contents, diagrams) and document the sources (titles).

Science: The Living Environment

1.4.3 Observe and explain that animals eat plants or other animals for food.


ISTE Standards

Research and Information Fluency

3.b Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.

Digital Citizenship

5.b Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.

Assessments

Formative Assessment: During instruction the teacher will make notes about participation. The teacher will also make kidwatching notes which describe areas of strengths and weakness for each student. The teacher will speak with each student individually while they are working through the assigned task to gauge their grasp of the main concepts of the lesson.

Summative Assessment: This lesson will also be scored using a rubric. There are four objectives (participation/engagement, writing mechanics, technological concepts, and organization/ presentation) which are each evaluated on a scale from one to four. The completed rubric is attached at the end of the lesson plan.

Prior Knowledge
Curricular Knowledge or Skills: Beginning to read sight words, distinguish between fact and opinion, and have previously looked at non-fiction text.

Technology Knowledge: Letter recognition on keyboard, “home row”
Knowledge of opening and closing a program, some prior experiences using a mouse, and norms for expectations while working with computers.


Technology


Hardware:
• Computers with access to the internet.
• Proxima ® projector, or another projector which will make the teacher’s monitor visible for students.
• Printer

Software:
• PowerPoint®
• Microsoft Encarta ® 2008 (if this is not available one could also use Encarta via the www.msn.com).

Materials:
• White Board or Chalk Board
• Dry Erase Board Markers or Chalk
• Pencils, crayons
• Copy paper
• A read plastic disposable cup for each student
• Small paper cups
• Plastic spoons
• Cottage Cheese (enough for each student to try a small amount)

Books:
• Mother Goose by Tomie dePaola
• Extraordinary Eyes – How Animals See the World by Sandra Sinclair
• Approximately 20 (depends on the number of students in the class) non-fiction books about spiders. These books will encompass multiple reading levels. The books chosen should also include many of the features of non-fiction text (i.e. table of contents, index, glossary, etc.)
• Dictionary (must include the words: whey, tuffet, and curds)

Procedure

Day One—Teacher Preparation:
• Have Little Miss Muffet rhyme marked in the book for speedy access
• Have Extraordinary Eyes available
• Make certain that the white board or chalkboard are in place with chalk or dry erase markers

Day One—Activities/Procedures
Re-Aloud and Recite/Discuss Spider Experiences

o All students will gather at the carpet area and listen to they classic rhyme Little Miss Muffet. The illustrations will not be shown during the read-aloud. “Echo” recital of rhyme, so the students learn it without seeing the words.

"Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey,
Along came a spider,
That sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away!"

o Have the students instruct you as you write the rhyme on the whiteboard. Discuss the ‘unknown’ words (“curds”, “whey”, and “tuffet”). What might these words mean based on the other words in the rhyme? Record student thoughts as they are speaking.
o Discuss the meanings of the words. Look in the dictionary for the definition and read, then paraphrase.
o Look at the cover of Extraordinary Eyes. Ask students if they would be frightened away if a spider with eyes like this sat next to them.
o Discuss the reasons that a spider might have come to sit next to Miss Muffet.

Day Two—Teacher Preparation:
• Make an example of Miss Muffet’s Spider Book (attached at the end of the lesson, PowerPoint ® example presentation is attached separately)
• Whiteboard/Chalkboard and dry erase markers/chalk
• Title “Miss Muffet’s Spider Book” by: teacher’s name” written in very large print on the whiteboard/chalkboard
• Computers logged in and PowerPoint ® running on each
• White computer paper loaded in the printer
• Red plastic cups at each work station
• Assemble small paper cups and spoons for cottage cheese tasting
• Make certain to purchase cottage cheese

Day Two—Activities/Procedures
Computer Lab/Classroom Computer Stations

o Remind students to place their red plastic cup on top of their monitors if they are having trouble or have a question.
o Students will first type the title “Miss Muffet’s Spider Book” into the “Click to Add Title” textbox. Then students will type “by: student name” into the “Click to Add Subtitle” textbox”.
o Model how to insert clipart. Type ‘spider’ into the search box for clipart. Demonstrate how to insert the image and how to move it to different areas.
o Save the first slide (Title, Name, Clipart Image) as “student last name, Miss Muffet”.
o Return to the classroom (if not already there) and explain how the student chairs are like “Tuffets” and have cottage cheese (“curds and whey”) for the students to try.
o Students will try the cottage cheese if they want. Discuss how the cottage cheese is like the “curds and whey”.
o Remind students to place their red plastic cup on top of their monitors if they are having trouble or have a question.

Day Three—Teacher Preparation:
• Preview Article on Spiders
• One whiteboard list six keywords and questions about each: legs, eyes, fangs, diet, babies, silk). Students will have the same information on their “Spider Sheet”).
• Review where to guide students when navigating through Encarta ®
• Be confident in guiding students through the fact finding lesson.
• Set up the Proxima ® or projector so for group discussion.
• Encarta® running on each student’s workstation

Day Three—Activities/Procedures
In Computer Lab

o In the FIND field, type the word spider (singular, not plural)
o On the main page, locate and click on the “Multi-Media” box. Choose the box with the “spider web”. Allow the students to watch the animation.
o Teacher and students will look at the pictures and scan the text to find information about the keywords on the “Spider sheet”.
o Teacher reads and records the information with the help of the students.
o Students should have their facts completed today.

Day Four—Teacher Preparation:
• Make copies of Spider Sheet (with the fact)
• Pencils
• All different levels of non-fiction books about spiders—At least two books for every student)

Day Four—Activities/Procedures
In Classroom

o Return student copies of Spider Sheets.
o Students will review the six categories researched during the previous session.
o The students will scan the available books and look at the pictures. Students will record at least two additional facts next to each key word.

Days Five & 6 (more if needed)—Teacher Preparation:
• Login each workstation
• Open PowerPoint® on each workstation
• Proxima®
• Red plastic cups (to indicate when students need help)
• When students are finished the slides need to be printed. Once the presentations are printed, students can also illustrate their book by hand.

Days 5 & 6 (more if needed)/Procedures
In Computer Lab

o Students will add on to their title page. They will add at least seven more slides. The slides should include all of the key words listed on their “Spider Sheet” and one (or more if time) can be anything of interest they found about spiders during their research. Each of the “key word” slides must include at least two facts.
o Teacher will review how to insert clipart.
o Students add images using clipart.
o When students are finished the slides need to be printed. Once the presentations are printed, students can also illustrate their book by hand.

Differentiated Instruction

ESL

Differentiated books will be available for students to use. We will have a variety of books at different reading levels and books that are written in Spanish. Along with the different levels of texts, there will be books that have high illustration support. Students will be allowed to work with a partner. Having partners will greatly help ESL students; these partners will “review each other’s work, study together, teach each other, and support each other.” Depending on the students reading and writing level, we will have differentiated guidelines for what is expecting in the final product.


Challenge/Extend

The expectations for students that need to be challenged will be higher than some of the other students. More in depth facts will be expected along with more detailed illustrations. The expectations for sentence structure will be set higher for these students (includes: punctuation, spelling, capitalization, etc). Depending on the student’s ability, they may be expected to include more facts about the keywords and/or have at least two facts that they have found on their own that they thought were interesting in the PowerPoint.


Special Needs

Students will have the option to work with a partner, which may help assist students with specific special needs. Their partners can help them find facts in the books, write complete sentences, etc. If there is a student who has trouble seeing, then we can make sure to make font in a larger size so it is easier to see. We can conference with students to make sure that there special needs are being met to the best of our ability. Students who have trouble writing complete sentences will only be responsible for getting their ideas down on paper as best as they can (examples: lists, pictures, words). All assessments will be individualized so that all students will be held to their highest ability; we want to make sure that everyone is trying their personal best!