Week 1: Research Introduction

Lesson 1: Using research to create an animal research report (1 week)

Enroll

Day 1: I will tell students a story about an animal I saw hiking this weekend. I will
say I’ve never seen the animal before and I need their help to figure out what the
animal is. First, I will describe the animal to the students to see if they can guess
what the animal is. Then, I will show students a picture of the animal I saw. (Ex:
the animal has brown fur, made a high-pitched sound, looked like a rodent)

Experience

Once students determine that the animal I saw was a marmot, I will model asking
questions about the marmot. We will go on a walk on the river trail near the school
to observe other animals in our area. (There are often deer, squirrels, birds, etc.in
our area) Students will use their science journals to record observations of
animals they see.

Day 2: Students will share the observations they made in their science journals
with a partner. Students will then brainstorm other animals they have seen in our
area. Students will choose one animal that they would like to learn more about.
Then, students will come up with 3-4 questions they have about their animal.

Label

Students will share their questions with their table groups. Then, I will highlight
questions that are strong research questions. For example, “What do deer eat?”
is a broad question that we can research but “Do deer drink water?” is a narrow
yes or no question that students most likely already know the answer to.

Demonstrate

Day 3: Students will use their schema from our previous unit on nonfiction text
features to locate the answers to their questions. Students will use nonfiction
books from our class or school library, PebbleGo, and National Geographic Kids to
locate the information to their questions and fill out a graphic organizer to create
an animal research report.

Review

Day 4: I will share student research reports with the class. Students will evaluate
the facts and give feedback to each other about if facts make sense, if facts are
 relevant, and if facts are on topic. I will lead students in a discussion about how
asking questions helped students learn more about their animal. Students will
continue working on our research reports for 1-2 class periods.

Celebrate

Day 5: Students will then create a visual model of their animal. They may choose
to create a 3D model of their animal out of clay, paint their animal, or create a
diagram of their animal. Students will present their research projects to small
groups and students will celebrate being scientists to use research to become an
expert about something.

Week 2: How to transfer information into writing

Lesson 2: Writing details (1-2 class periods)

Anticipatory Set

I will explain to students that scientists share their findings through writing so
other people can learn about them too.

Objective

I can plan an informative paragraph about my animal.

Direct Instruction

Read Stella and Class: Information Experts and discuss how Stella’s class decided
to write about three different subtopics. I will guide students in determining
subtopics for their writing.

Modeling

I will model using an example of an animal research report to write facts about a
marmot’s habitat, diet, and body using a graphic organizer to plan an informative
writing. I will name and notice how a marmot’s fur help it survive the cold, how
their paws help them burrow into the ground, and how they find food in their
habitat.

Independent Practice

Students will use their animal research as well as conduct any additional research
to write 2 facts about their animal’s habitat, diet, and body. They will use a graphic
organizer.
 Check for Understanding

Students will share their facts with a partner. They will discuss if their facts
make sense and if they are written in complete sentences.

Closure

Students will turn in their graphic organizers to get feedback. Another lesson
about finding and writing down important facts may be necessary if students are
struggling. When students complete their graphic organizer, we will move onto the
next lesson.

Lesson 3: Writing a topic sentence and conclusion and add it to writing

(3 class periods)

Anticipatory Set

Students will work in groups to read informative paragraphs by various authors. I

find these from ReadWorks. Students will underline the topic sentence with their
group and discuss what they noticed about how the authors began their writing.

Objective

I can write a topic sentence for an informative paragraph.

Direct Instruction

Students will discuss what they noticed about the topic sentences they read. We
will then read the rest of Stella and Class: Information Experts to determine how
to create a topic sentence. We will then compare and contrast their topic sentence
with the conclusion. I will guide students to help them notice that the topic
sentence and conclusion are very similar.

Modeling

I will model 3 kinds of topic sentences: simple, question, and number about
marmots.

Guided Practice/Check for Understanding

Students will write three topic sentences about their animal. They will share their
topic sentences with a partner and then choose one sentence for their topic
sentence and one for their conclusion.
 Independent Practice

Students will use their facts and their topic sentence and conclusion to write a
rough draft of their informative paragraph.

Check for Understanding

Students will share with a partner and use a checklist to determine if they have
every element of their informative paragraph.

Closure/Celebrate

Students will type their paragraph and draw a diagram to go with it. We will share
these with each other and display our hard work in the classroom.

Week 3: Researching habitats around the world

Lesson 4: Creating a habitat model (5 days)

Enroll

Day 1: This week will begin with a game about habitats. The room will be divided
into sections of rainforest, desert, arctic, ocean, and woodlands. Each student will
get an animal and a short description of the animal’s diet and features. The student
will need to determine which habitat their animal lives in. They will share with a
partner why they believe their animal lives in that specific habitat.

Experience

Day 2: Students will choose one of the habitats that they are interested in learning
more about. They will work in groups with other students who chose the same
habitat to research to plan a poster about their habitat. They will use a checklist
to guide their work. Students will gather materials outside, use creative materials
such as paint, and use their schema on text features to add captions, labels, and
headings to their posters.

Label

Day 3: Students will draw plants and animals that live in their habitats. When
finished, I will give students a graphic organizer to list things that the plants and
animals have that are the same. Ex: desert plants need little water to survive. Then
we will discuss why those plants and animals may not survive well in other habitats.

Demonstrate
 Day 4: Students will create their posters with their groups. They will paint their
posters and use the materials gathered to intentionally place the plants and animals
in their habitats along with their text features.

Review

Day 5: Students will present their posters to the class in their small groups. They
will share the various animals and plants that live in their habitat and any unique
characteristics about their habitat.

Celebrate

We will hang the habitat posters in the hallway and we will have a gallery walk.
Students will write down something they like about each poster.

Possible Extensions: You can repeat the writing process from week 2 to write an
informative paragraph about the habitats that students researched. Depending on
the student’s needs, additional lessons may need to be added about transition
words, how to research, etc.