Formation of Learning - Lesson Planning Guide

INSTRUCTIONAL UNIT:
Teacher
Cody Elmer

Subject
ELA

Unit/Lesson Title
Investigating Animals

Grade level
2

Standards and Learning Application

CCSS:
RI.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what,
where, when, why, and how to demonstrate
understanding of key details in a text.

RI.2.5 Know and use various text features (e.g.,

captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries,
indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts
or information in a text efficiently.

RI.2.6 Identify the main purpose of a text, including

what the author wants to answer, explain, or
describe.

W.2.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which

they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to
develop points, and provide a concluding statement
or section.

W.2.6 With guidance and support from adults, use a

variety of digital tools to produce and publish
writing, including in collaboration with peers.

W.2.7 Participate in shared research and writing

projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single
topic to produce a report; record science
observations).

SL.2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details

from a text read aloud or information presented
orally or through other media.

Student friendly targets:

List questions they want to know

Use electronic tools to research
Practice finding fact fragments
Turn fact fragments into sentences
written in their own words
Write paragraph about topic
Present findings to class using digital
tools

PBL/Service Learning idea. How will students apply the knowledge and skills in a meaningful way? What is
the product or service to be created? Which creativity system will be taught and used decision making, problem
solving, invention, investigation, experimentation, or systems analysis?

Investigate animals and their lives using nonfiction text in order to enhance understanding and inspire
the students to dig deeper, want to know, seek to know, and understand themselves and their world as a
result.

Assessment
What informative assessments will be used to
show mastery of the targets?
1. Reflection journal to reflect on what they
learned or accomplished recorded each

What summative assessments will be used to show

mastery of the targets?
1. Present their findings of key details to
audience using digital tools and oral report.

day

2. Examine finished product from online

3.
4.
5.
6.

2. Reflect to celebrate all aspects of the

investigation (use rubric)
Process
Products
Skills learned
Share what they noticed, felt, discovered,
and learned.

activity for accuracy in finding facts

Get check on questions they want to know
Get check on 10 facts that show (key
details) who, what, where, when, why, and
how
Get check on sentences in own words that
use facts
Get check on paragraph using sentences

a.
b.
c.
d.

Learning Dispositions
How can you set up the climate of the class to
support the learning targets?
Create habitats around the room with nonfiction
books that fit in each area.
Have middle school reading buddy come read about
their favorite animal.
Watch a few national geographic videos about
different animals.
Have animal sounds playing in the background
during silent work time.

What personal and intellectual habits of mind are

needed to meet the learning targets?

Wonder
Question
Seek Clarity

Acquisition of Knowledge
Declarative Knowledge
Students will learn that .
Nonfiction is informational text
Well designed inquiry creates engaged
learning
Showing interest and curiosity creates
questions
Sharing findings is how we celebrate
learning
When writing about facts we need to put
the detail in our own words
Plagiarism is copying others ideas and not
giving them credit for their work
Interesting info sometimes is not
informative

Procedural Knowledge
Students will learn how to
Discriminate between relevant and irrelevant
info
Access and use info from a variety of sources
Collect and analyze relevant info
Identify key details
Identify main idea
Evaluate information
Assemble and interpret findings
Pose questions
Participate in research
Navigate online tools

Reasoning skills & Materials

What reasoning skills need to be taught to help
extend and refine the new knowledge?
Classify
Abstraction

What materials, equipment, and technologies are

needed and can enhance the learning targets?
Fact Frenzy lesson
Classroom assignments
Smithsonian national zoo -research
San Diego Zoo research
Nonfiction books -research

Kahoot -quiz

Intro_Day One
Into (Disposition & Informative Assessment)

Anticipatory Set: Key Vocabulary Word- Investigate

The students become the explorers on an adventure to discover and investigate animals around the world.
Walk around the classroom to the different habitats and preview the nonfiction animal books.

Share interesting findings and 1 thing you wonder about.

Through (Knowledge

& Reasoning skills)

Demonstration / Model

Read a nonfiction passage about an animal that interests the group.

Review fact vs. fiction (opinion) and photographs vs. drawings (abstract)

Ask students for prior knowledge facts about animals or facts from passage

Decide on a few questions students want to explore to learn more about real animals
(general)
What does it look like?
How does it move and act?
What does it eat?
Where does it live?

Show end project example Begin with the end in mind

Practice / Activity
1.

Open Classroom
1.1. Log in with student email
1.2. Go to English Language Arts class
1.3. Follow directions in Animals Day One

2. Activities in Animals Day One

2.1. Fact Frenzy

2.2. Preview animals with one web resource until everyone is done with 2.1

Beyond (Application & Closure)

Will be using the knowledge of how to find facts (key details) in nonfiction text to
research an animal of your choice.

Choose an animal you are curious about tonight.

Be thinking of what you want to know more about that animal.

Assessment (summative)

Kahoot whole group quiz game

Journal what was learned or accomplished