Date: December 27, 2003

Grade Level: 3, 4

Subject(s):

• Information literacy
• Language arts
• Science

Duration: 4-5 45-minute sessions

Description: This is a lesson that requires students to use various sources of expository texts in order to research different bear types.

Goals: Virginia State Standards Virginia’s fourth grade standards for reading contains several requirements pertaining to nonfiction reading (expository text included): 4.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction. a) Formulate questions that might be answered in the selection. b) Summarize content of selection, identifying important ideas and providing details for each important idea. c) Describe relationship between content and previously learned concepts or skills. d) Identify new information gained from reading. 4.6 The student will demonstrate comprehension of information resources to research a topic. a) Construct questions about a topic. b) Collect information, using the resources of the media center, including online, print, and media resources. c) Evaluate and synthesize information.

Objectives:

Instructional Objectives:

1. To present expository text to students and the valuable information it can provide.
2. To provide instruction that will allow students to utilize reference materials to gather information.
3. To provide students with an opportunity to utilize charts to present information.
4. To give students an opportunity to present information to the class.

1. The students will listen to information presented about bears, and complete a KWHL chart with the information they know, want to know, how they will gather the information, and what they have learned at the completion of the activity.
2. The students will work in pairs to research three bears of the pair’s choosing, and complete a Spider Chart on the reasons they choose each of the three bears. The students will use the Internet, encyclopedias, the book “Bears, Bears, Bears,” and dictionaries to research their bears.
3. The students will choose a final bear to write an expository piece on, and present it orally to the class.

Teacher Materials: Bears, Bears, Bears by Wayne Lynch; KWHL Chart ; Bear Chart ; Spider Web ; Dictionaries; Encyclopedias; Atlas; Internet Access

Student Materials: Notebook/Loose Leaf Paper, Pencil, Highlighter

Vocabulary:

• reproduction
• habitat
• hibernate
• mammal
• nomad

Procedure:

Anticipatory Set: Begin the lesson reading excerpts from Bears, Bears, Bears , by Wayne Lynch. As a class, begin to fill in the KWHL chart. Have the class give items they already know about bears, what they want to know about bears, and how they will learn about the bears. Discuss the ways they will learn about the bears, such as the Internet, encyclopedias, the book Bears, Bears, Bears by Wayne Lynch. Close by looking that different bears on the Bear Chart they can choose to research.

The Sequence of the lesson:

1. Read excerpts from the book Bears, Bears, Bears (Lynch, 1995) aloud.
2. Place the five vocabulary words on the board and have them copy them down.
3. Allow the class time to look the words up in the dictionary and write down the definitions on a clean sheet of notebook paper. Have them turn them in.
4. Now, begin the KWHL chart by having students participate.
5. Once the K, W, and H columns have been completed, hand out the Bear Chart containing the bear types. Each student gets one, despite the fact they will be working in pairs. I want each to have their own for their folder.
6. Explain they will get into pairs (pair the students here) and choose three bears from the Bear Chart to research. Have them highlight the three bears their team will be examining.
7. Once they choose the three bears, hand out the Spider Webs.
8. Explain they will place two reasons why they chose the bears they chose. Remind them that they will come back and do the conclusion once they choose their final bear to do their presentation on.
9. Allow them to begin their research. This step will take a couple of class periods.
10. Once they have finished their research and completed their Bear Charts, they will then choose a final Bear to present to the class.
11. Once they have chosen their bear, they will finish their Spider Webs by placing the two details that led them to choose the bear they will present.
12. After they complete their Spider Webs, complete the KWHL chart by filling in the L column, what they have learned.
13. Review the KWHL chart as a class.
14. Now, allow them to begin the final writing project for presentation.