RUNNING HEAD: Brain-Compatible Strategies

EDU417 Cognitive Studies Capstone

Dr. Joanna Savarese-Levine
Lakesha Terrell
15 February 2016

Lesson Plan Week 4

Grade Level:
K-3
Lesson Objective:
Students will be able to understand the various shapes and colors that
animals come in as well as families and habitats of the animals.
Suggested Time:
Two days
Resources/Materials:
Various animal books, Construction Paper, Markers & Crayons, Scissors, Glue,
Craft eyes for gluing.
Lesson
Students will learn about some of the different animals of the world. They will
learn about the families of animas, the environments that the animas reside
in, animal facts and the different shapes and colors of animals. Once the
teacher has read the books, a short film will be shown on the topic. Once the
film is over, the teacher will then point out the animals in various locations
around the classroom. A few flash cards may also be used. Once the teacher
ensures that each student has a clear understanding on the topic, an
assignment will then be put into practice. The teacher will split students up
into small groups and will assign them a particular animal to present to the
class. They will each draw and color that animal and will each present facts
on that animal.
Modifications/accommodations for children with special needs

Modifications for special need students will be needed. Some of the

modifications will include:
Reading the animal books more than once to make sure special need
students have a clear understanding.
Have pictures of the animals discussed so students can get another visual of
what the animals look like.
Give more time to complete the assignment.
Give written directions and explain directions more than once.
Shorten directions to the assignment
Use 3-D models or show a short film on animals
Break the children up into small groups

Modifications based on brain based activities

This classroom consists of differentiated students from all walks of life.

No two students learn at the same pace so a modified lesson plan had to be
created. To make the lesson plan more rain compatible, students were
broken up into small groups. According to Eric Jenson, New research says two
to four chunks are more realistic. In addition to this shorter capacity for
working memory, our mid-term holding tank for content, the hippocampus,
has a limitation on how much it can hold.
Modifications for reading were also made. The teacher read the animal
stories more than once to the students. Some students may need the story
read on a more illustrative level. As the story is being read, the teacher will
point out the different pictures of the animals, the habitat they reside in and
the families they come from. Once all the reading has been completed, any
questions that the students have will be answered by the teacher. Before
the assignment is started, a review will be conducted to check for
understanding of the reading and of the directions for the assignment.
Modifications such as visuals are also great to use within a
differentiated classroom. 3-D models of a few animals were brought in so
that the children could see the different shapes and colors of the animals.
They were also shown a short entertaining video about the animals. The

video was not a long one and was meant to capture the attention of all of the
students by being comical.
Classrooms today are composed of all types of learners. By modifying
context within the curriculum, this will give all learners a chance to be
included and successful. With differentiated instruction, educators can
ensure that all students are reached educationally and that no child ever
feels left behind.

Original Lesson Plan

Animal Colors And Shapes

Subject: Numbers and Operations

Grade(s): K-5
Duration: 1-2 class periods

Objectives
Students will

Understand that animals come in different colors and shapes.

Describe the purposes of color in the animal world.

Use different colors and shapes to create pictures of animals.

Materials

Animal Colors and Shapes video

Crayons

White construction paper, 1 sheet per student

Print resources with images of different animals

Colored construction paper cut into different sized triangles, circles, squares, and
rhomboids

Glue

Procedures
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Use Animals Colors and Shapes to introduce common colors and shapes in the animal world.
After watching the program, ask students to share examples shapes they have seen. What body part of
most animals is circular? What animals have triangles? What animals have rhomboids?
Talk about the students' favorite animals. What colors can be found on them? Discuss some of
the purposes of color in the animal world. Why are the feathers on most male birds bright colors, while
female birds have gray or brown? How do some animals use color to stay hidden? Why are some snakes
brightly colored?
Share print images of animals. Talk about the different colors and shapes of these animals. Tell
students that they are going to create pictures of animals with different shapes. They will also draw a
picture of the animal's habitat.
Demonstrate using a print image as an example. Talk about the animal. What kind of environment
would you expect to find this animal in? Have students describe where this animal might live. Does it live
in a desert or a forest? Using crayons, quickly draw the environment on a piece of white construction
paper. Next, talk about the different shapes students might see on the animal. What shape are its ears?
What shape is its body? Use different size construction-paper shapes to create the animal. Arrange the
shapes on the background habitat, being sure to tell students that you will not use glue until it looks the
way you want it to. Finally, glue the shapes on the background habitat. Demonstrate using crayons to
make additional lines that should appear (such as whiskers) on the animal.
Making sure that students understand what they are supposed to do, give them print images of
animals and tell them to choose one to copy for their picture. Have them first draw the background habitat
and then use the paper shapes to make their animal. Check student work before allowing them to glue
their animal shapes to the background.
Once students have finished their pictures, ask volunteers to share them. Talk about the shapes
they used. Discuss the colors of the animals. Ask about the animals' habitats. Does the color of the
animal help it blend into its habitat? Display the finished pictures in the classroom.
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Evaluation
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work during this lesson.

Three points: Students were highly engaged in class discussions; were able to
demonstrate a clear understanding of the purposes of color in the animal world; and
correctly used different shapes to create unique and colorful pictures of animals that
clearly identified where the particular animal lives and accurately portrayed what it looks
like.
Two points: Students participated in class discussions; were able to demonstrate a basic
understanding of the purposes of color in the animal world; and mostly used the correct
shapes to create somewhat unique and colorful pictures of animals that vaguely identified
where the particular animal lives and generally portrayed what it looks like.
One point: Students participated minimally in class discussions; were unable to
demonstrate a basic understanding of the purposes of color in the animal world; and

created incomplete pictures that did not clearly identify a particular animal and
demonstrated a lack of understanding about what shapes might identify the animal they
had attempted to create.

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/animal-colorsand-shapes.cfm

References

Jensen, E. What is Brain-Based Learning? Brain-Based Education is the

purposeful engagement of strategies that apply to how our brain works in
the context of education, accessed from https://feaweb.org/brain-basedlearning-strategies, February 15, 2016.
Wolfe, P. (2010). Brain matters: Translating research into classroom practice.
(2nd ed.). Alexandria,VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum
Development