Jacky Maliborski
Owl Lesson Rationale
I choose to have the objectives revolving around scientific thinking because I am currently unaware of where my field students are academically in understanding science content. I chose to have the students observe and explore owls because I felt students like to learn about animals and owls are an interesting animal to learn about. Also this will introduce me to what they already know about owls and how they can take observations through a book and video of an owl and write something new they learned about owls. This will show me how they use scientific thinking and observations to learn about an animal.
I chose to have a chart in the beginning of the lesson to have a visual and work together as a class seeing what students already know about owls. I then thought it would be fun to read them a story about owls and show them a video of owls so they are given different perspectives and visuals to make observations from. I want to then revisit the chart and then go over what the students learned from the book and video. Aside from both the video and book I want to pass around different pictures of owls and have my students look at them and make observations. This will further extend their scientific thinking and ability to make observations. I chose to do this as a whole class because I feel it will give me a better understanding of how my students work during a whole group lesson. Also, incorporating different perspectives of information about owls will meet the various learning styles of my students.
I chose to assess students in the beginning of the lesson through informal anecdotal notes because they will be discrete and not interrupt the lesson as well as give me some information about specific students and what information they know. I then chose to have an informal aspect of assessment at the end of lesson through a worksheet and picture because this will also allow for a better understanding of what my students learned and if they met the objectives of the lesson. I like to have concrete evidence of their learning to look at outside of the classroom. I plan to do another lesson like this with a different animal so this will inform me if the lesson was successful or not.
Name, Date Jacky Maliborski Lesson #2
Regular Observed DDP
Domain (Language, Motor, Cognitive, Affective, Aesthetic, Social)
Cognitive, Language (Writing)
Activity Name (to help you organize your files)
Owls
Goal (Omnibus Guidelines)
- Children will seek information through observation, exploration, and descriptive investigations
- Children will form explanations and communicate scientific information
Objectives (observable behaviors)
- Children will learn about owls and identify different behaviors and characteristics associated with owls
- Children will view various forms of information about owls through a book, video and pictures and draw observations and information from this
- Children will formulate a sentence about what they learned about owls along with draw a picture to represent their idea
Student Assessment (linked to objectives-you may use a checklist, observation of specified behaviors, rubric or another method)
To assess my students I am going to informally use anecdotal notes. I am going to choose a select amount of students to focus on during this lesson. When we fill out the chart together as a class, I am going to discretely mark down the responses of the students using their answers as a resource for whether or not they met the objectives. Then, I am going to use a form of informal assessment and have the students write down something new they learned about owls along with drawing a picture. This is another form of concrete evidence of my student’s learning and I can assess these products after the lesson is done to truly understand whether or not my students met their objectives.
Content (facts, vocabulary, concepts)
Owls can turn their heads ¾ of the way around
Owls have great hearing
Nocturnal-active at night
Prey-an animal that is hunted from another animal for food
Roost-an owl’s home
Owlets-baby owls
Owls catch food with their sharp claws
Materials (everything you will need)
-Smart Board Technology
-Pictures of Owls (3) Complete with details
-Owls are, can and have worksheet for Smart Board
-Owl Worksheets
-Book:
Incredible Owls by Justin McCory Martin
-Internet, National Geographic video of owl connected to Smart Board for quick referencing website:
Instructional Strategies (Strategies may include but are not limited to: Sensory Engagement, Environmental Cues, Task Analysis, Scaffolding, Guided Practice, Invitations, Behavior Reflections, Paraphrase, Reflections, Modeling, Effective Praise, Telling, Explaining, Do-It Signals, Challenges. Label strategies you will use. Include time estimates for future reference)
Scaffolding, Modeling, Effective Praise, Explaining, Questioning, Time Estimates
Procedures (Introduction, steps in delivery, closure)
- What do you know about owls? I have a chart here saying owls are, owls have and owls can. Before we learn more about owls let’s work together as a class and see what we can already write in this chart about owls.
- Write information in chart based on student responses. (Take anecdotal notes in regards to responses)
- Read Book: Incredible Owls by Justin McCory Martin
Wow let’s look at this cover. What do you notice about the owl? What do you see?
- Was there something in the book about Owls that you didn’t know before that we can add to our chart? What was it?
(Add responses)
- Show video clip
Questions:
What did you see the owls doing? What observations did you make about the owls in the video?
(Add to chart)
- OPTIONAL: (if time allows and focus from students is still strong)
I am going to pass around different pictures of owls. I want you to look at them and tell me some things you notice and see in the pictures. (may or may not do this depending on time constraints)
After looking at the pictures, look at the chart again and ask students to think of what they learned about owls and if they can add information to the chart about owls. (make anecdotal notes again towards responses)
Now I want you to put on your thinking caps and think about all the different things we learned about owls today. I am going to give each of you a worksheet and want you to write down one thing you learned about owls on the line and draw a picture to go along with your sentence.
- Pass out worksheets and walk around assisting any children who need it.
Questions (questions that represent varied levels of Blooms’ Taxonomy: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. When you teach the lesson you will also ask follow-up questions to children’s initial responses, e.g. why, why do you think so, how do you know, what was your clue…)
What do you know about owls?
What do you notice about the owl? What do you see?
Was there something in the book about Owls that you didn’t know before that we can add to our chart? What was it?
What did you see the owls doing? What observations did you make about the owls in the video?
Adaptations (Ways to adapt for children in this class who you think will be especially challenged or not challenged enough by this lesson)
- If students seem off task or uninterested, clue them into what is going on by asking questions or asking them what they see so they are redirected to the lesson.
- If students are not grasping the information about owls, I plan to guide them into thinking about the information during the worksheet aspect of the lesson. This will allow me to have more one-on-one time with the students.
- If students complete all work really fast then I will challenge them to write another sentence about something else they learned about owls.
Name______
Owls______