Learning Activity Plan for Kindergarten

Camouflage Exploration Introduction

Age/Grade level

Kindergarten

Name of Lesson
Content area(s)/developmental
domain(s) addressed

Camouflage Exploration - Introduction

This lesson will address multiple developmental domains:
Cognitive recalling details from story read the day prior, thinking about why camouflage is
important for animals, and connecting knowledge to make, and then reflect on, predictions regarding
which habitat will allow a polar bear to successfully camouflage itself.
Fine Motor practicing and strengthening pincer grasp while writing, coloring, and cutting.
Literacy participation in large and small group discussion and articulation of opinions and
reasoning.
The concept of camouflage is introduced and the skills addressed are: recall, comprehension, and
predictive thinking.

Brief description of the lesson

This lesson is:

Rationale

Timeframe

Children will be asked to define, reflect on, and explain the purpose of camouflage after being
introduced to the concept through a read aloud and complimentary activity.
A new concept/activity
A continuation of a previous lesson/activity
The children will learn to make connections between fictional text, like the superhero book read the
day prior, and informational concepts. They will continue learning how to identify key details from a
text, use those details to verbalize their understanding of a concept, in this case camouflage, and then
make educated predictions. Additionally, the students will gain a basic understanding of the inquiry
process: predict, experiment, and reflect.
15-20 minutes: mini-lesson
15 minutes: independent activity
10 minutes: post activity reflection

Learning Activity Plan for Kindergarten

Camouflage Exploration Introduction

Objective(s) of the activity

Connections to standards
Language Objectives

Resources/materials needed:
(Include any worksheets or
sources of evidence for childrens
learning you will use during the
activity)
Technology inclusion (if
applicable)
Procedures (step by step)

Children will be able to communicate their understanding of the term camouflage and articulate two
of the purposes it serves: 1) allowing animals to hide from predators; 2) allowing animals to sneak up
on its prey.
RI.K.1; RI.K.2; RI.K.8; RI.K.10
SL.K.1; SL.K.1.A; SL.K.1.B; SL.K.2; SL.K.6
L.K.1.F; L.K.6
Students will begin to become familiar with the term camouflage and supporting vocabulary such as
predator, prey, habitat, and environment. Students will be able to use the new vocabulary to
communicate two of the purposes of camouflage.
What Color is Camouflage? by Carolyn Otto
Chart Paper
Smart Board
12 x 18 White Paper
Crayons, Markers, Colored Pencils
Scissors
Glue
Smart Board
Anticipatory Set (Connection/Motivation):
To engage the children in this lesson, I will connect the super power of invisibility introduced the day
prior through a read aloud about a super hero (ex. Violet from Disneys The Incredibles or the
Invisible Woman from The Fantastic Four) to the ways in which animals become invisible in its
surroundings. How did the super heros invisibility help her in the story? Children would elaborate on
how the super heros invisibility allowed her to sneak-up on and hide from her opponent. Then I
would introduce the idea that animals can become invisible by blending into their surroundings. I
would define this ability as camouflage.

Learning Activity Plan for Kindergarten

Camouflage Exploration Introduction

Instruction/Mini Lesson:
After connecting invisibility to the idea that animals can become invisible by blending into their
surroundings and introducing the word camouflage, I will write the word camouflage on a piece of
chart paper. Then, I will ask the students if they are familiar with this word and if so, if they can list
any animals that they know that use camouflage to hide from or sneak up on other animals. After
assessing their prior knowledge, I will read the book What Color is Camouflage? by Carolyn Otto,
engaging the children in the text by asking them to see if they can find the camouflaged animals on
certain pages and briefly touching upon the animal names discussed in the story such as doe or fawn,
which they may be unfamiliar with. Before, during, and after, I will explicitly address specific
vocabulary such as predator, prey, habitat, and environment and after the read-aloud, I write them on
the piece of chart paper. After reading the book, I will ask the children: Why is animal camouflage so
important? What does camouflage allow the animals to do? I will encourage the students to think
about what we just read and discussed to answer the question.
Then I will tell the class that we will be doing an experiment/activity and answering the question,
which environment is safer for a polar bear? An environment that is mostly white? Or a very colorful
environment? Why? (Show an image of a polar bear on the Smart Board if the class is unfamiliar with
the animal). Ask them to make a prediction and then ask the class vote. On the Smart Board record the
vote asking one student to count the hands for those students who are voting for the white
environment and record the total, and another student to do the same for the colorful environment.
Then model the steps the students will be taking to complete the experiment/activity:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Show them that they will each be getting a large piece of white paper that they will be folding in half (hamburgerstyle)
Tell them to leave one half completely blank and to color the other half in any way they would like to, using
crayons, markers, and colored pencils.
Then let them know that each child will also be receiving a piece of white paper with a polar bear outlined on it
that they will each have to cut out.
After cutting the polar bear out, show them that they will be gluing the polar bear in the middle of the paper so that
half of the animal is overlapping the white side of the paper and the other half will be overlapping the colored side.
Then show the class that they will be completing the sentence: A polar bear can camouflage easily into a
__________ habitat.

Learning Activity Plan for Kindergarten

Camouflage Exploration Introduction

Independent Practice:
After providing the class with instructions, allow them work independently at their tables, while
walking around the room observing, listening to discussions, and stepping in when requested or
necessary.
Closure (sharing/reflection, next steps):
Once they are done, ask the students back to the carpet to discuss their findings. Then re-vote on the
question: Which environment is safer for a polar bear? An environment that is mostly white? Or a
very colorful environment? Ask them to explain why. If there is still confusion, reiterate the concept
of camouflage and reflect on the discussion had after the book, asking certain children to repeat their
contributions so the children can learn from one another.
Method of assessing childrens
understanding of
lesson/activity/objective(s)
(Be sure to include any tools,
rubrics/checklists and/or
worksheets you will use for
assessment(s)

Pre-assessment
As this is only the camouflage
introductory lesson, the preassessment will occur prior to the
read aloud. The word camouflage
will be briefly introduced.
Students will then be asked if they
have heard the word before, in
what context they have heard it,
what purpose it serves, and if they
can name any animals that can
camouflage themselves into their
surroundings.

Assessment of Student Learning

I will be able to gauge the
students understanding of the
concept of camouflage through:
1) The way they vote (pre and
post activity) on the
question: Which
environment is safer for a
polar bear? An environment
that is mostly white? Or a
very colorful environment?
2) The reasoning they provide
as to why the white
environment is ideal for the
polar bear
3) Their participation during
the class discussion and the
content of their
conversation during
independent work time.

Assessment of Childrens
Language Learning
During class discussions I
will observe the students use
of and comfort with the new
vocabulary introduced.

Learning Activity Plan for Kindergarten

Camouflage Exploration Introduction

Plans for differentiated

instruction/instructional
modifications

Supporting children with

identified delays or disabilities
This lesson supports children with
differing levels of linguistic,
social, and physical development.
Linguistic I will be able to scaffold
the childrens understanding and use
of the new vocabulary as needed, by
building upon the students answers
during class discussion and modeling
the use of the new language. Students
who have strong writing skills will
be encouraged to write a more indepth caption for their polar bear
activity.
Social students who are fearful of
speaking in large groups will have
other opportunities to speak and to
participate without speaking. For
example, the students will have time
to talk to their peers in a small group
of 4-6 students during independent
work time and participate in the
mini-lesson by raising their hand to
vote when predicting the ideal
environment for the polar bear.
Physical different scissors, pencils,
markers, etc. will be provided for
students who still need to hone their
fine motor skills and strengthen and
develop their pincer grip.

Supporting English Language Learners

For the English Language Learners, vocabulary will be explicitly
discussed before, during, and after the read aloud and images will
be provided when necessary. The instructions for the activity will
be modeled so that the ELLs know how to proceed and each ELL
will be sitting at a table with at least one student I feel will
support the English Language Learner and make him or her feel
included.

Learning Activity Plan for Kindergarten

Camouflage Exploration Introduction

Follow up/Extension activities

The students may be given the opportunity to write a story about the polar bear and its ability to
camouflage into an all white environment. A graph could be made utilizing the results from both the
pre and post activity votes, or for students who are struggling with the concept of camouflage, in a
small group I could use the Smart Board to show them actual examples to provide them with
additional concrete examples of the concept.

Any additional information that

would be helpful for the
observer to know
Observer feedback on the lesson plan, including commendations and recommendations for improving aspects of the learning activity