Kathleen Cho

May 11, 2020

Unit Theme: Rainforests

I chose this theme because I wanted students to be aware about how rainforests impact
the world and how their disappearances can lead to disastrous effects for humans, animals, and
the environment. Therefore, the big ideas I wanted students to get out of this unit was the
preservation of the rainforest, the importance of the rainforest, and ways that humans can help
keep the rainforest safe. I wanted students to learn about all the different types of species that
inhabit the rainforest and how they are all dependent on one another to survive. In addition, I
wanted to show how these plants and animals were also linked to the rest of the world and how
particular human choices can have either a negative and positive effect on them. I hope through
this unit, I am able to show students how to make good choices, and to become a bit more
conscious about how their actions can affect others.

Lesson Plan 1
Author: Richard C. Vogt
Class: ENL
Context/Background of Students: 3rd grade second language learners, advanced
intermediate
Unit (Central Focus): Rainforest
Duration: ~50 minutes Date: May 2020
Standards:
RI.3.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support
the main idea. (3-LS4-1),(3-LS4-3),(3LS4-4)
W.3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources;
take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.(3-LS4-1)
SL.3.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and
relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace. (3-LS4- 3),(3-LS4-4)
Objectives:
Content Objectives:
-Students will be able to learn about the layers of the rainforest.
-Students will be able to learn about the climate/weather of each layer of the
rainforest.
-Students will be able to learn about the different animals/plants that inhabit the
different layers of the rainforest.
Functional (Academic language Objectives):
-Students will be able to classify the different layers of the rainforest.
-Students will be able to compare the different layers of the rainforest.
Language Objectives:
-Students will be able to effectively summarize/communicate key information to
classmates.
Expected Evidence of Learning (Assessment):
-Teacher will be walking around and checking in on students during small/large group
discussion
-Teacher will collect the information written on Rain Forest Wall Charts
-Teacher will collect homework
Procedures:
1. Teacher will introduce/model the jigsaw activity to students
-For the jigsaw activity, students will be assigned one layer of the rainforest to
read about. Students who are assigned the same layer are in the same group
(expert groups).
-Each student will read about their layer and teach their classmates.
-While they are reading, they will be provided with a jigsaw chart so it can
help to organize key information that they might want to share with their
classmates.
-For the jigsaw reading chart, the template will include:
Climate/Temperature, Animals, Plants, Fun Facts
-After reading, students will gather in expert groups to talk about the text. Here,
they can finish up filling out their charts and organizing their ideas.
-Then they will get into summary groups. This will consist of one of each student
who read about a different layer of the rainforest. The groups should consist of
students from Emergent, Canopy, Understory, Forest Floor.

2. After the jigsaw activity, students will work on Wall Charts.

-For this activity, there will be charts placed all around the classroom with each
layer of the rainforest labeled.
-Students will be able to walk around and write down/draw facts they learned
while doing the jigsaw.
3. Students will come back and have a whole group discussion.
Homework:
-Choose one layer of the rainforest that interests you. You can write an essay, create a
model, draw a picture, give a presentation/video about it.
Resources/Materials:
-Rain Forests (Insiders) by Richard C. Vogt
-Jigsaw Reading Guide:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FHjRjchBVPo-YqG6S6fqwwHcAEug4XZCpXTvYq
GlUJ4/edit?usp=sharing
-Wall Charts
Differentiation Strategies:
-Different ways of information being presented: oral, visual, written
-Students are able to work both independently, in groups, and as a large class
-The different activities that promote different learning styles in order to understand the
topic.
-Jigsaw: can stagger students based on level/interests
 Homework: Students will be given different options to complete the assignment
I.e. write an essay, create a model, draw a picture, give a presentation
Anticipated Issues:
Problems:
-Students might have a hard time trying to pick out key ideas to share with classmates,
especially because the text is not written linearly, but rather there are a bunch of facts
spread out on the page.
-Students might have a hard time understanding the text.
-Students might not be able to finish all the activities during the allotted class period.
Solutions:
-The teacher will provide a list of what the students should be looking for while they are
reading about the text.
-The teacher will stagger students in groups based on different skill levels so they will be
able to help each other during expert group discussions.
-The teacher can extend the lesson for 2 days.

Lesson Plan 2

Author: Lynne Cherry

Class: ENL
Context/Background of Students: 3rd grade second language learners, advanced
intermediate
Unit (Central Focus): Rainforest
Duration: ~50 Date: May 2020
Standards:
W.3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources;
take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. (3-LS4-1)
RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to
the text as the basis for the answers. (3-LS2-1),(3-LS4-1),(3-LS4-3),(3-LS4-4)
RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to
the text as the basis for the answers. (3-LS2-1),(3-LS4-1),(3-LS4-3),(3-LS4-4)
Objectives:
Content Objectives:
-Students will be able to learn about the importance of rainforests.
-Students will be able to learn about the effects of human choices on the world.
-Students will learn about the interdependence of animals and trees in the
rainforest.
Functional (Academic Language Objectives):
-Students will be able to develop connections between the story and the real
World.
-Students will be engaged in higher level thinking.
-Students will be able to categorize key information based on texts.
 Language Objectives:
-Students will be able to listen and recall information.
-Students will be able to write and answer questions about information they
listened to.
Expected Evidence of Learning (Assessment):
-Teacher will be checking for student’s knowledge and understanding of the book during
class discussion.
-The teacher will be checking the animal chart.
-The teacher will be checking the reading questions.
-Teacher will be collecting the homework assignment

Procedures:
1. The students will read The Great Kapok Tree. Together as a class, they will do the
Read-Aloud protocol.
-While reading the book, the teacher will pause on the different animals that are
mentioned and discuss what each of them are saying. The animals in the story
give reasons not to cut down the tree and how it will either have an effect on
them or the rest of the world. The purpose of this activity will be to allow students
to begin to think deeply about each reason that the animals bring up. All these
reasons can serve as an introduction to topics that can be further elaborated
upon during next lessons, such as rainforest’s impact on the environment, forest
fires, rainforest’s impact on humans, rainforest’s impact on animals and their
homes, rainforest’s impact on different ecosystems.
-While they are reading, students will fill out the chart which gives information
about each animal.
2. After the Read Aloud, students will get into groups. Together, they will work to answer
questions based on the text.
3. The class will come back together to share their answers.

Homework:
Choose one animal you have read about in today’s class. Then, in the perspective of
that animal, write a message to the man which will further explain your reason for why
the tree is important to you. You can also choose to send a video message to him as
well.
Resources/Materials:
-The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
-Animal chart:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yI7mnl6nrJv8CMU3RkDG3AvY25DS0LdTDp49cp
XqEVs/edit?usp=sharing
-Reading questions:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O5pOJbY6j58-aBYWvx-xddOa0mJFyc3EmgvdcK
P619o/edit?usp=sharing
Differentiation Strategies:
-The material will be presented in different ways: visually, orally, written.
-The different activities provided give students the opportunity to learn the material in
different ways.
-Students are able to choose different methods of completing the homework assignment.
Anticipated Issues:
Problems:
-Students might have a hard time trying to think deeper about the animals during the
read aloud protocol since these concepts have not been brought up to them before.
Solutions:
-The teacher will help to guide the discussion so students will be able to think in the right
direction.

Lesson Plan 3

Author: Rhett A. Butler

Class: ENL
Context/Background of Students: 3rd grade second language learners, advanced
intermediate
Unit (Central Focus): Rainforest
Duration: ~50 Date: May 2020
Standards:
W.3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources;
take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. (3-LS4-1)
RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to
the text as the basis for the answers. (3-LS2-1),(3-LS4-1),(3-LS4-3),(3-LS4-4)
RI.3.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or
concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time,
sequence, and cause/effect. (3-LS2-1),(3-LS4-1),(3-LS4-3),(3-LS4-4)
Objectives:
Content Objectives:
-Students will be able to learn about the causes and effects of deforestation.
Functional (Academic language Objectives):
-Students will be able to categorize information based on reading and discussion.
-Students will be able to analyze information and have a discussion about it.
Language Objectives:
-Students will be able to define deforestation.
-Students will be able to summarize key ideas based on the text.
Expected Evidence of Learning (Assessment):
-The teacher will be checking students’ knowledge during class discussion.
 -The teacher will be walking around and checking in on students during group work (chat
stations)
-The teacher will check the information charts.
-The teacher will collect the homework assignment.
Procedures:
1. In the beginning of class, the teacher will ask students “What is deforestation?” They will
do a Think-Pair-Share protocol.
-First, the students will think about the question silently and write their answers
down on a piece of paper. Then, they will pair up a partner and discuss what they
wrote. After discussing, students will come back as a class and share their
answers.
2. Then, the class will watch a short video on deforestation. While watching the video, the
students will take notes and write down any questions that they have about it.
3. Finally, the students will do Chat Stations.
-For this activity, there will be different stations around the classroom that talk
about the different causes of deforestation. For this class, the stations will focus
on Natural Causes, Human Causes, Effects on Animals, and Effects on
Environment. All information, including pictures, maps, and graphs in the chat
stations will come from https://rainforests.mongabay.com/
-Students assigned to each station in the beginning of this activity will work as a
group and rotate around different stations. Each group should read all the
material presented in the stations and will discuss. In addition, they will work
together to fill out the information chart.
4. After, students will come back as a class and have a whole class discussion.
Homework:
Write, make a video, or draw a picture about different ways that you can help minimize
the effects of deforestation. What can you do to make a difference?

Resources/Materials:
-Deforestation video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS5FTnW3Jqo&t=56s
-Chat Station Materials: https://rainforests.mongabay.com/
-Information chart:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OPI6nTYySBT54zN_fweo-Kp80uN7sQU04W9IAL
_jQOM/edit?usp=sharing

Differentiation Strategies:
-Different ways of information being presented: oral, visual, written
-Activities provide students to learn/understand the material in different ways.
-Staggering students based on level/interests in chat station groups
-Different choices for homework assignment
Anticipated Issues:
Problems:
-Students might be overwhelmed with the amount of information being presented.
Solutions:
-Students will work in groups to fill out the charts about information being given at each
chat station. Although it seems like a lot, work can be split up between group members
and with practice from previous lessons, they will be able to pick out key ideas about
each topic.