Animal research: A multimedia approach

Students will be working with a partner to research a favorite animal. They will be required to use a wide variety of resources which include multimedia software packages, the Internet, and various books. The students will be looking up general information about their animal, such as its habitat, place on the food chain, size, etc. Ultimately the students will be responsible for presenting the information they have gathered in some form of multimedia presentation. This activity is primarily student-oriented rather than teacher-oriented in that the students will be selecting what animals they want to research and what materials they want to use in creating their report. The teacher will give some basic requirements and guidelines to ensure that students are on task.

A lesson plan for grade 4 English Language Arts, Information Skills, and Science

By Amy Edwards

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Related topics

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• work cooperatively with a partner to choose and research an animal of their choice.
• use a wide variety of resources to conduct research on their animal.
• use a wide variety of technological resources with which to research and compose a report.
• give an oral presentation using a written report, multimedia software packages, reference materials, and other relevant sources.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

3 weeks

Materials/resources

• various books on different animals
• access to encyclopedias
• North Carolina Wild manual
• Rubric of assessment

Technology resources

• Online or electronic encyclopedias
• National Geographic Mammals software package
• access to the internet
• Video Camera and/or digital camera
• Television
• Scan Converter for the television
• Any other software packages that may be appropriate to use during this lesson

Pre-activities

• Students will have completed a unit on animal and plant interdependence.
• The concept of a habitat should be covered or reviewed.
• Students should have already learned the basic concepts of how to research information using books and encyclopedias.
• Students should already be familiar with word processing capabilities.
• Students should be introduced to the various multimedia packages.
• Students should know some of the basics of maneuvering on the Internet (for research purposes).
• Students should have prior knowledge of customary and metric measurements for the purpose of understanding animal weight, size, etc.

Activities

1. After students have gained the necessary background knowledge (Pre-Activities), inspire students’ interest in this project by sharing some books about various animals.
2. Take the students to the computer lab and spark their interest of the importance of animals and their habitats by allowing them to imagine that they are a zoo keeper in charge of creating a habitat for a rare tiger.
3. To further inspire students’ interest in this project (and to get the wiggles out) allow the students to play “Oh, Deer!” which can be found in a North Carolina WILD manual. This will emphasize habitat, animal needs, and population growth and decline. This activity can be used any time during the lesson (see instructions for play under Supplemental Information).
4. Review the various reference materials and demonstrate how to use them to conduct thorough research. (This may be a great collaboration opportunity with the media specialist.) Emphasize the importance of reading all of the information and then deciding what would be important to them to use in their report. They will need to research important facts such as the animal’s habitat, eating habits, size, etc., but the students will be able to self-select other information that they feel may be relevant to their report. They can do this with print and electronic sources.
5. If this lesson plan has been implemented in a previous year, then show the students video clips of those reports to show them how the lesson could be presented. Or, give a demonstration of a report. This will give the students a good sense of the goal they are working toward before they even begin their research!
6. (This is the most time-consuming part of this unit.) The teacher plays the role of a facilitator during this time by going around and assisting those who need help. Place all of the needed resources around the room and allow students to pair up with their partner (you may choose them or the students may choose them). Assign the students to work with the materials at different times to avoid arguments over resources. Students can also use the internet to research their animal choice. Teacher can monitor internet searches for animal information or assist in locating these sites after animal selections have been made (students should be made aware of AUP guidelines when using the internet).
7. Students may work on rough drafts of their reports and print out hard copies of information they may need for their report (i.e. written information, pictures to use in their presentation). They should also familiarize themselves with necessary software programs or internet sites so they can effectively use them in their reports. As students finish their written reports, their work needs to be proofread and edited before they take it to a final copy. The proofreading can be performed by other students, the teacher, or a combination of the two. When the report is ready to be written into a final copy, then students could be given the option either to hand-write or word process. If they use a word processing program to type their reports they will need to save and retrieve their documents for printing when completed.
8. After students have taken their report to a final copy, they will need to decide and finalize which other sources they want to use when they give their report. The students will actually use these sources as they are giving their report. For example, if a student is researching tigers and wants to show a movie clip of a tiger’s roar that they found on a multimedia encyclopedia, they will need to decide at what point during their presentation they will want to show this clip. They should be encouraged to show images of animals from the multimedia programs, from the Internet, and from books that they may have used in their report. Students may also opt to draw pictures of their animals to use in their presentation. Students need to be aware of copyright issues and citing sources.
9. After students have written their final report and decided what other items they want to use in their presentation, they should be allowed to practice giving their presentation. (This allows all of the students to catch up should they be behind.) This also allows the students to decide at what point they will need to pause in their report to show a picture on the computer, a clip from the Internet, a picture from a book, or a frame from a video. This will allow the students to have a more smoothly flowing report.
10. The students will present their reports in front of the whole class. Each student should share equal responsibility in giving their report. The computer should be connected to a scan converter so that the students in the audience can see the images that students may project. After a pair of students present their report, students in the audience may ask them questions about their animal. The teacher may ask questions as well in order to further check student’s knowledge. The teacher may opt to video tape their presentations to assist them in grading and to have for future references.

Assessment

• Teacher observation while the students are composing their report.
• Usage of the following rubric

Supplemental information

How to Play “Oh, Deer!”

Divide the students into 4 groups:
• Group 1: DEER
• Group 2: FOOD
• Group 3: WATER
• Group 4: SHELTER
1. If you are playing in the gym, for example, have the DEER go to one end of the gym. Have FOOD, WATER, and SHELTER go to the opposite end of the gym.
2. Students who are representing FOOD will cover their stomachs with both hands. Those who are WATER will cover their mouths with both hands. Those who are SHELTER will make a tee-pee sign over their heads. These students must constantly keep these signals the whole time they are representing them.
3. The object of the game is for the DEER to go out and find FOOD, WATER, and SHELTER which are the main things they need to have in their habitat for survival. The students should learn the things that animals need in their habitat as well as understanding that a lack of one of these needs or an abundance of these needs will either lead to a deer over population or a decline.
4. To begin the game the teacher should tell the students to turn their backs to each other. While their backs are turned, the students will put up their hand signal. The deer must also choose and make a hand signal in accordance to what they want to “go after” in their habitat. For example, if a deer wants some food, then it needs to cover its stomach with both hands. After everyone has chosen their signal, then the teacher will count to 3 and tell the deer to go get what they need. The students will turn and face each other. The deer will then look for a students who has a hand signal that matches theirs. They will then run to that student and take them back to their side of the gym with them. When a FOOD, WATER, or SHELTER is taken back to the DEER side, then they become a deer. This is to emphasize that when an animal’s habitat has the needs to support it, then they will produce more offspring.
5. On the next round of the game there will probably be more deer than the food, water, and shelter can support. The students may choose to be whatever need they want. When a deer goes in search for one of the three needs and cannot find one, then that deer is supposed to die and to come back as food, water, and shelter. This is intended to help the students learn about life cycles.

Comments

I implemented this lesson in my third grade classroom this past school year. Even though it is very involved and takes about 3 weeks to complete (working on it about 1 hour a day, the students really enjoyed doing it and learned a lot about animals and various resources. This lesson could be modified for almost any grade level and could be used as a model to research other subjects.