Lesson Title:  Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Where Do You Live?

Author: Christina Micek, St. Vincent de Paul Elementary

Introduction:  This lesson was originally designed to be taught to a class of 30, 1st grade students in a private Catholic Elementary school setting.  It is appropriate for, and can be adapted to meet the needs of ESL learners, and students in 2nd grade.

Content Area(s) and Grade Level: 1st Grade Science, Technology, and Language Arts

Academic Standards :

Science: 1.1.4    By the end of first grade, students will develop an understanding of form and function.

    Science: 1.2.1    By the end of first grade, students will develop  the abilities needed to do scientific inquiry.

   Science: 1.4.1    By the end of first grade, students will develop an understanding of the characteristics of living things.

     Science: 1.6.2    By the end of first grade, students will develop an understanding of science and technology.

      Language Arts: 1.1.4  By the end of first grade, students will read and demonstrate comprehension at grade one level, using a variety of strategies.

       Language Arts: 1.1.5  By the end of first grade, students will respond to fiction and non-fiction text through writing, drawing, and verbal responses.

Objectives:

After completing this lesson, students will be able to:

Assessment:

To determine if students have met the objectives, students will be evaluated on the habitats book that they create, and they will take a CRT (Criterion Reference Test) that will be graded on a performance based level.

Procedures:

Springboard (anticipatory set): To introduce the concept of animal homes and habitats, read the Big Book A House is a House for Me with the class.  As you read the story, discuss with students the different types of home and the animals that live there.  Brainstorm with students why they think the animal is "made" for their particular house.  Use this as a way to introduce the word habitat as an animal's home.  If your students do not have prior knowledge regarding what a grassland, pond, forest, or the Arctic are, this is a great time to introduce these habitats.

Lesson Tasks:

Before beginning the lesson with your students, assembly the "frame" of the habitat books they will create.  For each book you will need 14 pieces of 8 1/2 x 11 construction paper of various colors.  (This will include the front and back covers.)  On each page glue one of the 12 animal printout coloring and facts pages.  At the bottom of the page, glue 3-4 lines cut from a piece of 1st grade writing paper.  Staple the edges or tie with yarn to create a binding.

In small groups or as a whole class (this is best done in a computer lab situation), guide the students through the Internet Treasure Hunt Hunting for Animal's Homes located at: http://csmstu01.csm.edu/camp/cmicek/eisenhower/treasurehunt.htm

As the students visit each of the sites in the hunt to read and learn about the animal, stop and discuss each animal, and the question they are answering on the treasure hunt.  After the discussion, have students open up to the corresponding animal page in their books.  Students should color the animal picture, and then circle the part of the animal's body that makes it perfect for it's habitat.  At the bottom of the picture on the lines of writing paper, have students use this pattern to write a sentence on each animal (adapted from the text structure of the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr.):

Example: Bison, Bison, where do you live?  I live in a Grassland that is perfect for me.

This repetitive pattern is excellent for emerging readers, and is a great way to reinforce vocabulary, and the way in which each animal "matches" it's habitat.

Closure:

When students have completed their habitat books and the Internet Treasure Hunt, they should practice reading their habitat books several times at school (in small groups, with a partner, silently).  After several practice sessions, students should take the book home and read 'n share it with an adult.  The repeated readings will be great to increase reading fluency, and to increase comprehension of the concepts relating to habitats.

Explanation:

The combination of the Internet Treasure Hunt and Habitat book was chosen for the lesson so that students would experience the motivation of using technology to discover information.  The activities also allow the student to use the important science skill of inquiry as they work to learn about the different habitats and discover why each animal is suited to their specific home.  The information is made available to the student as they work to discover it, instead of sitting passively.

Credits/Resources:

The Internet Treasure Hunt used in the lesson was created with the help of the Filamentality website.

A House is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See by Bill Martin, Jr.

Thanks to About.com for clip art used on this page.