Unit+of+Instruction

Our Lesson Plan We have much to learn this year, so here is an outline of one of the lessons along with the Scope and Sequence of the year....

Author: Amanda Huntoon

Primary Subject (elementary): Language Arts Grade Level: Second Grade

Introduction:

What is this unit about / what is the purpose of teaching it / what will students learn in general as a result of participating in this unit? This unit helps students identify the difference between fiction and non-fiction books. Children become so accustomed to reading fiction tales that they often have a difficult time separating the two forms of literature. This unit will teach them the different forms of non-fiction and how to write them. Unit Objectives: Time Required: 5 weeks. 
 * Student will understand the difference between non-fiction and fiction writing and the forms and qualities they have.
 * Students will understand how to research and identify accurate information.
 * Students will use the information they have from their Science unit on insect life cycles and they will do additional research to write a non-fiction book on the life cycle of the bug they choose.
 * Students will understand the importance of instruction manuals and how they are used.
 * Students will be able to write their own instruction manual for a board game that they create in groups.
 * Lesson 1**

Title of lesson: What is non-fiction? How can you tell if a book is non-fiction? What do I want the students to know? I want the students to know that non-fiction writing is a book, paper, movie, article, or any other writing that has information that is true and real. Some times books can seem like they are non-fiction because everything seems so true (for example realistic fiction) but the information is made up or unproven. Description of lesson: We are going to begin by reading a variety of fiction and non-fiction stories so that we are able to differentiate between the two based on appearance, content, and what we all learn from each book. We will then apply what we learned by breaking up individually and filling out a worksheet similar the one below (I found it at http://curriculum.dpsk12.org/Planning_guides/Literacy/2/2_3_how-to.pdf). Then we will take books and group up and do the same as a group. Due to the fact that we are able to incorporate many other subjects into this unit, we will make sure that the books we use have something to do with what we are learning in science, social studies and math. Please view this worksheet example:

Assignment: As a group identify which books are fiction and non-fiction. Individually fill out the worksheet that I create. Resources/materials needed: We will need many different fiction and non-fiction books to read together as a class and in our small group activities. We need our books and articles from the previous unit to do our homework and writing utensils, like paper and a pencil.


 * Lesson 2**

Title of lesson: When you research, how can you tell if what you are reading is really true? How do you find non-fiction writing? What do I want the children to know? Non-fiction is divided into different sections in the library; I want the students to know how to find it when they research. Online there is so much information, much of it is inaccurate and based on personal opinion, they need to know how to identify it and find reputable website that will give you factual information with sources. I would like them to know how to find the sources of the information and why you need to document where the information came from. Description of lesson: (2 days) For this lesson we will spend quite a bit of time in the library trying to find where we would locate a non-fiction book, article, or manuscript, and we will understand further why it differs from fiction books. We will first tour the library and find where to locate, non-fiction books, newspaper articles, journals, textbooks and other non-fiction writings are. We will do this through a scavenger hunt. I will have the different forms listed and hints on how to find each form of writing. The students will be in small groups and will have myself and the librarian to assist the children. They will have to document their findings and list at least one source listed from the book or article. Each student will then choose a non-fiction piece of writing that is about bugs that they will find and check it out for their homework assignment. 

After the library exercise we will do a similar activity with the internet. This will be a little tricky because it is very difficult to monitor where the students go online. Here is the worksheet that we will complete together in class!



Assignment: They will have the two scavenger hunts to complete in class and then for homework they will read a small amount, which I will individually assign each student based on the book they chose, and write a small paragraph on what they learned. They will read them to the class when the assignment is due. This will allow their fellow students to learn about the book in case they want to use it for their final book. Resources/materials needed: I will need to have the scavenger hunt planned and printed for each group. We will need the library, computer lab, paper and pencils.
 * Lesson 3**

Title of Lesson: Writing a bibliography. What do I want the students to know? I don’t think that they need to know how to write a formal bibliography, but I think that they really need to understand the importance of them. So there will be a small explanation/lecture, hopefully from a youtube movie like the following: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMbfGLOqbJ4  Description of lesson: This will be a bit of lecture, because the importance needs to be emphasized, but I will do an activity that shows that if you do not reference where you got the information it is stealing. I am working on the activity at this time, but it will be something where writing is exchanged and claimed by another person. This will be very short, but it will give them the foundation about how to document the person’s work you used when you write a paper. Assignment: All in class lecture and display.

Resources/Material needed: Pencil, paper, projector to show movie.


 * Lesson 4**

Title of lesson: Picking a bug and beginning research. What do I want the student to know? Now that we know how to research and what a non-fiction book is, we are going to write our own so that I can make sure that they fully grasp the concept. Since we are learning about insect life cycles in science, we will use what we know to write our own non-fiction books. We will choose our bug, research it, and write about it. Description of lesson: Based on our knowledge from out science class, we are going to each choose a bug and write a non-fiction book about the bug. I am going to keep the topic quite broad because the book is only going to be 5-10 pages with pictures. They can write about where it lives, how it migrates, what it eats, its life cycle, more or less anything and everything about the bug. The book needs to have at least 15 documented facts with at least two sources. We are going to choose our bug, pick what you want to write about the bug, and begin researching it. We will go over the assignment as a class and then break off individually to choose our bug. I will help them develop a story board about our topics as a group so that they know where to go from there.

Assignment (homework or in-class): This will be research and exploration at home, in the library and in the classroom. They will need to begin taking notes and planning their story. They will need to have chosen a topic and started researching it. Resources/materials needed: A computer, the library, pencil, paper, parents, and any other materials they might need.

Title of lesson: The rough draft.
 * Lesson 5**

Description of lesson: Now that we have done some research, we will begin writing our non-fiction books or manuals. We will work on our rough drafts first. We will need help from home, help from peers, and help from our teachers to get a good rough draft. We need to make sure that the students have their 15 facts from at least two sources. Assignment (homework or in-class): Write our first rough drafts of our non-fiction story or manuscript. Resources/materials needed: Paper, pencil, our research, the computer and the library.


 * Lesson 6**

Title of lesson: Revising our work. Description of lesson: Even if we are all in the same grade, I think that we can benefit a lot from helping each other revise each others work. We will do this in pairs, but I will be helping each student out as well. Assignment (homework or in-class): Revising our rough drafts, and beginning to work on our finals.

Resources/materials needed: A dictionary, a pencil, and paper.

Title of lesson: Working with our second draft.
 * Lesson 7**

Description of lesson: We are coming to the end of this unit. Now we need to figure out how to illustrate our books, add the final revision touches to our draft, and get it ready for the final product. In non-fiction books, not all pages have a picture but they can if you want. So we will illustrate our books and revised them one last and final time. Assignment (homework or in-class): Ask your parents to read through your book and help with revising and finalizing the story. The children will work on illustrating at home and in the classroom. Some of these pictures might need to be redone as well, since the final product will be laminated.

Resources/materials needed: White computer paper, markers, colored pencils, a dictionary, and the library.


 * Lesson 8**

Title of lesson: The final product. Description of lesson: We will be putting all of our final projects on to the following Prezentit presentation portfolio. We will type up our own portions of our books, choose the pictures and make a group presentation. Assignment (homework or in-class): Typing up our stories and adding the finishing touches to the presentation. Resources/materials needed: A computer, a projector, and our finalized products.

The start of the presentation....

We will work on this together, because I have found that it can be slightly frustrating. We will work as a team to create our final project together

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 * Lesson 9**

Title of Lesson: Let’s play a game! What I want the students to know: I want them to learn the importance of a manual and how it is used. Description of lesson: We are going to get into groups and play a game. These will be easy games that they have never played before so that they have to read the instructions. They will look through the instructions to understand the rules, regulations, and how to play. Assignment: Learn how to play the game.

Resources/ Materials needed: The games.


 * Lesson 10**

Title of Lesson: Make your own game and manual

What I want the students to know: The importance of a clear, understandable manual. They need to know how to make one for children that have never played the game before.

Description of lesson: They will get into groups of 4 people and make their own creative game. They will then create a clear manual about how to play the game. Then they will all swap games and critic each others game and instructions. They will then give each other feedback, and make any changes needed to their manuals. Assignment: Create your own board game with a detailed instruction manual on how to play.

Resources/tools needed: Markers, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, tape, glue, constructions paper, a computer, pencils, poster board, a variety of board games, and any other materials they want to include.


 * Lesson 11: Overview**

Title of Lesson: What did we learn?

What I want the students to know: They need to understand the importance of documenting sources, the difference between fiction and non-fiction, how to find non-fiction resources in the library and online, how to write a non-fiction book and how to write a manual.

Description of lesson: A written assignment that tests the knowledge that we have learned through this lesson.

Assignment: Just a small worksheet that assesses what the children understood from the lesson.

Resources/materials needed: Pencil and the worksheet.



 Let’s Make Music/Toquemos Música big book by Margaret Clyne and Rachel Griffiths Baking Bread by Natalie Lunis The Black Snowman by Phil Mendez Abuelito Eats with His Fingers by Janice Levy The Legend of the Poinsettia/ La leyenda de la flor de Nochebuena by Tomie dePaola Kwanzaa Fun/Kwanzaa fiestas con velas by Linda Robertson
 * Some suggested reading and resources: **

The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons Playing/El juego de la lotería by Rene Colato Lainez To learn more about these and where to get them, just click on the book title: [|Chickens Aren't the Only Ones]  ** ** by Ruth Heller ** **[|And So They Build] ** by ** Bert Kitchen **
 * Cache of Jewels by Ruth Heller
 * [|Wolves] ** by R.D. ** Lawrence **
 * [|Earthquakes] ** by ** Seymour **** Simon **
 * [|Oceans] ** by ** Seymour **** Simon **
 * [|Science Toolbox] ** by ** Jean Stangl **


 * Just a bit to help parents out at home:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLM7J_zccpU**