Teaching science through picture books: A rainforest lesson
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=31
A lesson plan for grades 3–5 English Language Arts and Science
In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, a study of the tropical rainforest is introduced through the picture book Welcome to the Green House by Jane Yolen. This science lesson, which incorporates reading, writing, and technology, is a template that can be used with other books by Jane Yolen to teach about the desert, the polar ice cap, and the Everglades.
Before reading, students will:
- brainstorm a list of words associated with the rainforest
- draw and describe a picture representing their concept of the rainforest
- work together in groups to brainstorm a list of facts about the rainforest
During reading, students will:
- discover locations of the tropical rainforests through a globe or map
- listen to text read aloud
- determine and take notes on new vocabulary and facts about the rainforest
- participate in classroom and group discussions of the text
- draw and describe a picture representing a new level of knowledge about the rainforest
- discover features of the text structure
- reread the text to practice fluency
After reading, students will:
- choose from a variety of genres (e.g., letter, description, poem) and write about the rainforest
- generate a list of questions about the rainforest and proceed in a small group to research using the Internet
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 3
- Goal 1: The learner will apply enabling strategies and skills to read and write.
- Objective 1.04: Increase sight vocabulary, reading vocabulary, and writing vocabulary through:
- wide reading.
- word study.
- listening.
- discussion.
- book talks.
- book clubs.
- seminars.
- viewing.
- role play.
- studying author's craft.
- Objective 1.04: Increase sight vocabulary, reading vocabulary, and writing vocabulary through:
- Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
- Objective 2.02: Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, or viewing by:
- setting a purpose.
- previewing the text.
- making predictions.
- asking questions.
- locating information for specific purposes.
- making connections.
- using story structure and text organization to comprehend.
- Objective 2.06: Summarize main idea(s) from written or spoken texts using succinct language.
- Objective 2.02: Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, or viewing by:
Grade 4
- Goal 1: The learner will apply enabling strategies and skills to read and write.
- Objective 1.04: Increase reading and writing vocabulary through:
- wide reading.
- word study.
- knowledge of homophones, synonyms, antonyms, homonyms.
- knowledge of multiple meanings of words.
- writing process elements.
- writing as a tool for learning.
- seminars.
- book clubs.
- discussions.
- examining the author's craft.
- Objective 1.04: Increase reading and writing vocabulary through:
- Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
- Objective 2.02: Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, and viewing by:
- setting a purpose using prior knowledge and text information.
- making predictions.
- formulating questions.
- locating relevant information.
- making connections with previous experiences, information, and ideas.
- Objective 2.06: Summarize major points from fiction and nonfiction text(s) to clarify and retain information and ideas.
- Objective 2.02: Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, and viewing by:
Grade 5
- Goal 1: The learner will apply enabling strategies and skills to read and write.
- Objective 1.03: Increase reading and writing vocabulary through:
- wide reading.
- word study.
- word reference materials.
- content area study.
- writing process elements.
- writing as a tool.
- debate.
- discussions.
- seminars.
- examining the author's craft.
- Objective 1.03: Increase reading and writing vocabulary through:
- Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
- Objective 2.02: Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, and viewing by:
- making predictions.
- formulating questions.
- supporting answers from textual information, previous experience, and/or other sources.
- drawing on personal, literary, and cultural understandings.
- seeking additional information.
- making connections with previous experiences, information, and ideas.
- Objective 2.02: Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, and viewing by:
Science (2005)
Grade 5
- Goal 1: The learner will conduct investigations to build an understanding of the interdependence of plants and animals.
- Objective 1.01: Describe and compare several common ecosystems (communities of organisms and their interaction with the environment).
