Animals in Children's Literature
GENERAL INFORMATION
Grade Level: 2
Subject Areas: Technology Integration, Children's Literature
Approximate Time for lesson 30 -35 minutes

PRIMARY LEARNING OUTCOMES (PLO)
The primary learning outcomes to be achieved with this lesson include:
A. Student will be able to use the mouse while operating the computer
B.  Student will be able to respond to prediction questions from looking at an illustration from the story
C.  Student will listen to a children's story about an animal s/he has learned about in a previous lesson and will be able to understand how this animal is represented in the story.
D.  Student will work cooperatively in small group to relate information about the story and will make a drawing about the story using the PAINT program.
UPPER GRADES
A. Student will be able to use the mouse while operating the computer
B.  Student will be able to respond to prediction questions from looking at an illustration from the story
C.  Student will listen to a children's story about an animal s/he has learned about in a previous lesson and will be able to understand how this animal is represented in the story.
D.  Student will work independently to complete a work of art using the PAINT or similar program
E.  Student will compare characteristics of the animal as depicted in the story and compare his behaviors to the real animal by preparing a list of facts and fiction information about the animal.,

Related GPS Standards
CTAE-FS-5 Information Technology Applications: Learners use multiple information technology devices to access, organize, process, transmit, and communicate information.

English Language Arts Grades 1-5

ELA1R6 The student uses a variety of strategies to understand and gain meaning from grade-level text.
ELA2R4 The student uses a variety of strategies to gain meaning from grade-level text. The student
ELA4R1 The student demonstrates comprehension and shows evidence of a warranted and responsible explanation of a variety of literary and informational texts.

The student
a. Reads and listens to a variety of texts for information and pleasure.
b. Makes predictions using prior knowledge.
c. Asks and answers questions about essential narrative elements (e.g., beginning middle- end, setting, characters, problems, events, resolution) of a read-aloud or independently read text.
d. Retells stories read independently or with a partner.
e. Distinguishes fact from fiction in a text.

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
1. Computer with Internet connection
2. Topic Literature Web Page http://www.valdosta.edu/~klherrington/topic2.html

3.  Book Title: Living with the Mob by: Kylie Illustrated by:
4..Access to the computer and to the PAINT program with computer connected to a printer (color preferred).
5. Markers to be used to enhance printed PAINT drawing
6. Copy of lesson rubric for each group member.

 Technology Connection
Technologies that will be used in this lesson include: computer with Internet connection, a picture developed using a computer drawing program, and a designed website that includes a computer painted picture.

PROCEDURE
Part I Step One: Introduction
1. Work with a small group of students (2-5).  Tell students that today you are going to read them a special book about an animal that they have been learning about.  Can anyone guess what animal this might be?

2. Ask students 2 introduction questions

List of Introductory Questions:

a. What are some things we learned about kangaroos?

b. Who can remember the name of a female kangaroo?

(Estimated time 2 minutes)

Step Two: Teaching the Primary Learning Outcomes 

1. Go to the computer and your Topic Literature website at http://www.valdosta.edu/~klherrington/topic2.html Students should be grouped around the computer with you so they can see the screen, and have access to using the mouse

2.  Let children take turns pointing to things in your picture.
       
3        Read each question under the Paint drawing. Ask them to predict the answers of what they think.  They can also try to point to certain words on the screen.  With older students you can write more questions and also ask the students to read the questions themselves.

LIST YOUR PREDICTION QUESTIONS HERE:

a. Do you think this kangaroo is male or female?
b. Does it look like the kangaroo in the picture is in motion?
c. What does the weather look like in the picture?

4. Read the short overview of the story to the students, which is under the 3 questions
Estimated Time 5 -7 minutes
Part 2

Show the book to the children.  Tell them the title, author, illustrator

Do a VERY brief picture walk and highlight 2-3 aspects of the book

Read the story to the children.  (If the story is very long, read or tell key parts of the story or read story in 2 sittings)

For older students:  Let them take turns reading the story.

(Estimated time 10-15 minutes)

CLOSURE
After you read the story,
Ask students questions about the story and also a question related to the animal they have been learning about that was in the story.

1. What were the two animals that the kangaroo ran into?

2. What was the mob of kangaroos trying to get to?

Assessing the Primary Learning Outcome
ACTIVITY:

Collaborative PAINT Project
Encourage the children to discuss things from the story that they want to include in a PAINT drawing.
Open the PAINT program and allow each child to use the mouse to draw something from the story
Print out a copy of the completed drawing for each child, and ask them to write what they drew.  They can also enhance their group drawing with markers or crayons.

Upper Grades. Let each student work independently at the computer to draw their own PAINT picture.  Print out the picture
Ask students to list things that were facts about the way the animal's characteristics as described through the story, and things that were  fiction about the animal's characteristics or behaviors.

For Example: Fact Fox's have a keen sense of smell; Fiction: Foxes do not talk, etc.
: (Estimated time 10 minutes)

EVALUATION:
Rubric: 
 

ACCOMODATION  

Since this is a small group activity, the teacher will work individually with each student to help him or her complete the activity.

 EXTENSION

Students who complete the work before the other students can DRAW OR WRITE ABOUT THE ANIMAL IN THE STORY, THEY CAN add pictures to enhance their finished product.