 Subject: English Language Arts
Grade Level: 1-3
Materials: You will need the book "The Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body," chart paper, an overhead projector, transparencies, markers, computers with Internet capacity, and worksheets.
About: Students use the Internet and a specific website to conduct research on the brain, the heart, and cells. While learning to locate and determine important information in expository text by recognizing signal words, they develop concept skills and think critically through discussions and sharing of information. They understand what is inside the human body, particularly cells, the heart, and the brain, and understand how these things function without their cognitive input. By viewing their assessment online, they practice using true-false questions and begin to understand themselves as learners. The lesson is also differentiated and provides students with higher capabilities an extension by having them complete a story-plot diagram online.
Students create a scientific learning center by using index cards with various definitions and characteristics to show their understanding of the lessons. While designing the activity, they must choose the important and relevant information that will make the center time purposeful.
Today's students are surrounded by an increasingly globalized society where technology plays a vital role in learning. This unit helps build schema about the human body. With its visual representation of information, it benefits, motivates, and engages students. The online quiz checks for understanding, and sets a purpose for future readings and research on the topic. The Frayer Model acts an anticipation guide as well as an assessment. It also introduces vocabulary with key phrases as “signals." The multimedia applications provide a multi-faceted, multi-sensory approach to learning. It leads to curiosity and inquiry, which are critical means of acquiring knowledge. When students are engaged, they become interested, and when they are inquisitive, they are able to generate a list of things they need to know. The use of signal words written in capital letters, used on the website, helps the students to identify important information from the text. These signal words are beneficial for future expository lessons on various topics. By reading the narrative portion of the story first, students can facilitate a personal interaction with the text, which helps in comprehension. The second reading, of the speech bubbles, enhances the story line. Finally, when the fact part is read, it makes the text easier to comprehend when students investigate the informative portion.
Teachers often comment that they find the Magic School Bus series difficult to read with students. Quite frequently, I notice my students are very interested in these books and try to read them independently. The series is difficult for independent reading but can be of great value when introduced in proper sequence. These lessons can be differentiated in the levels of difficulty. Remember to set the purpose of each lesson, in order for the students to get their brains ready. Teaching is more effective when students are aware of the cognitive function that the activity addresses. The homework assignments are essential in assisting in their reflection sheets and enhancing discussion. They also clarify any misconceptions the student might have about the lesson. Research shows that educators can change the way children think and learn by incorporating as many content areas of instruction as possible throughout the day.
http://hometown.aol.com/emorris300/myhomepage/index.html
| Students identify and describe characteristics of the human heart, brain, and cells. |
| Students ask related questions and report verbally on the human body. |
| Students use the Internet to gain information. |
| Students describe and locate the human heart, brain, and cells. |
| Students develop concept skills by using signal words in order to determine importance in informational text. |
| Students learn and add new words to their content vocabulary. |
| Students understand the difference between the genres of reality and fantasy. |
| Students learn about true-false questions. |
| Students share ideas, facts, observations, and opinions while creating charts and diagrams to record important information. |
| Students understand that the human body consists of many things that work without our effort, such as the heart, brain, and cells. |
| Students discuss books daily with the teacher, a classmate, or in a group. |
| 1-3 |
| English Language Arts |
| Students show they understand a read-aloud by making predictions discussing cause and effect. |
| 1-3 |
| English Language Arts |
| Students create charts and diagrams to record important information. |
| 1-3 |
| English Language Arts |
| Students use their own writing ideas and language from books they have read. |
| 1-3 |
| English Language Arts |
| Students begin to plan out their writing. |
| 1-3 |
| English Language Arts |
| Students share ideas, facts, observations, and opinions with classmates and teachers. |
| 1-3 |
| Science |
| Students observe, investigate, describe, and classify objects. |
| 1-3 |
| Science |
| Students work individually and in groups to collect, describe, record, and share ideas and information. |
| Science |
| 1-3 |
| Students are able to use a variety of media and technology resources for directed and independent learning activities. |
| Technology |
| 1-3 |
| Students use technology as a tool for scientific inquiry to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions. |
| Technology |
| 1-3 |
| Students gather information and communicate with others by using technology. |
| Technology |
| 1-3 |
| Students learn to operate computer hardware and applications in a productive manner. |
| Technology |
| 1-3 |
|
| Day 1: Using the Frayer Diagram |
| Students understand the purpose of the Frayer Model diagram. |
| Students complete the Frayer diagram. |
| Students create charts and diagrams from recorded important information. |
| Students share ideas, facts, observations, and opinions with classmates and teachers. |
| Students recognize new words and add them to their content vocabulary. |
|
| Overhead projector with transparencies of the Frayer diagram and wipe-off markers |
| Student copies of the Frayer diagram worksheets |
| Chart with information that was generated from the "Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body" by Diana Cole |
| The book "The Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body" by Diana Cole |
|
| Prior to this lesson, the class read the storybook "Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body" several times, making sure that the narrative portion is read first, then the speech bubble portion, and finally the informative portion. The children have had various discussions regarding the topics of the human body, and a chart has been gernerated with the information that has been determined collectively to be important. |
| The teacher asks the students "What Makes Us Tick?" while explaining that it is an expression for something that makes us be a living thing. Remind the students of the things that they have already learned from the story book by taking a picture walk. Also discuss the difference between reality and fantasy. |
| Tell the students that today they are going to learn how to list things they know about the human body by completing a Frayer diagram. This is used to prime the brain, activate schema, and determine the level of knowledge on a particular topic. It also is used to establish the grouping of students for the activities based on this unit. |
| Teacher reviews selected vocabulary such as "description" and "characteristics" on the topic of "cells inside the body" and other words that have been determined to be unknown. |
| The teacher models, on the overhead or chart paper, the Frayer diagram and thinks aloud regarding what he/she learned about human cells. By referring to the chart of information established from the read-aloud discussion, the teacher reviews the characteristics, definitions, and words to know about the topic “Cells." |
| There are two versions of the Frayer diagram: "The Primary" and the other diagram contains characteristics, definition, examples, and non-examples. The teacher can choose which version to use, depending on the particular grade level or level of abilities. |
| After the think-aloud, the teacher asks students to contribute to the chart by giving various descriptions and information that they might think is relevant. At this point it is a good time to discuss how to determine important information from nonimportant information. |
| The teacher distributes the diagram to each student and reminds the students to refer to the chart of information that they have made together, to think about what they remember from the book, and work with their partner at their table. |
| While circulating around the room, the teacher makes sure the students are completing the worksheet properly, confers with students, takes notes on their thoughts, and documents the outcomes and future lessons that might be necessary. The teacher might also make a mid-workshop interruption and express to the children some of his/her noticings of students work or things that they need to be mindful when writing. |
| After all the students have completed the worksheets, the teacher asks students to share their thoughts and ideas (possibly adding to the chart) and collects the worksheets. |
|
| Students are provided with either the book or copies of selected pages of the book "Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body." They also have another copy of the Frayer diagram as well as a reflection sheet. They complete the diagram and sheet based on what they found most interesting from the lesson. |
|
| The teacher reviews the homework sheets and updates students on their knowledge. These worksheets are then compiled in order to group the students for future lessons or to clear up any misconceptions that students might have on the topic. |
|
| Day 2: Your Body Is Made Of Cells |
| Students understand the meaning of text when reading for information. |
| Students learn about the human body through Internet research and taking notes. |
| Students locate important information by recognizing "signal words" in the text when reading expository text. |
| Students collect facts and describe the function of human cells. |
| Students learn about true-false questions. |
|
| Internet access and a copy of the selected webpage on a transparency |
| Human Body worksheets for each student and for overhead projector |
| Copies of Frayer diagram and exit cards |
| http://hometown.aol.com/emorris300/myhomepage/index.html http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~acarpi/NSC/13-cells.htm (For differentiation) |
|
| Ask students about the conscious level of what they do (Example: walk, talk, jump, etc.). Tell students that we make them happen. We are conscious of the functioning of our bodies. But there are certain things that happen inside of us that we have no control over. Ask the students if they know what some of those things are. While reminding them of the Magic School Bus discussions and readings, refer to the chart that has been created from the prior lessons. The students should be aware that they are going to use the Internet and a special website to read about human cells. |
| Tell students that today they will learn how to find important information by looking and recognizing special signal words. |
| Explain how looking for special words in our readings can help us locate information faster. If we remember those words, learning will be easier. Create a chart for the following signal words: such as, also, for instance, and evidence. |
| Share on overhead using the transparacy of the webpage: http://hometown.aol.com/emorris300/myhomepage/index.html. The teacher displays the Human Body worksheet and the webpage, alternating the sheets, on the overhead. When displaying the webpage, the teacher thinks aloud while he/she reads and refers to the chart that was created on signal words. The important information and facts are written on the transparency of the human body. |
| After locating three words or phrases, ask the children to help complete one or two more important facts from the shared reading of the webpage onto the Human Body worksheet. |
| Once this is completed, students use the Internet and http://hometown.aol.com/emorris300/myhomepage/index.html webpage to work in pairs and locate information. |
| Remind the students that when researching, they need to stay on the topic of cells. If they feel that they are done with their worksheet, they can go to the following website for some extra exposure of information on the human cell: http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~acarpi/NSC/13-cells.htm |
| Tell the students that when researching a topic, they become "word detectives" and important thinkers. Thinking is important for learning. The teacher then ciruculates and takes notes on the students working and confers with several students, discussing the things that they learned and any questions they might have on the topic. |
| The students gather on the carpet and share their findings and they are added to the chart. The students ask questions and share their ideas. |
| The students go back to their seats and complete an exit card that instructs students to: List three words you learned. List two words from the webpage you like to know more about. Write one question you still have. |
|
| Frayer diagram concept:cells, with reflection sheet and copy of the completed worksheet used in class as a reference. True-false question sheet. |
|
| The Frayer diagram is used as an assessment of understanding and used for future lessons. The teacher also uses the information from the diagram when conferring with students to help in reteaching the topic and/or any concept clarifications the students might have. The exit cards are also used as an assessment. |
|
| Day 3: The Heart Makes Us Tick |
| Students locate important information by recognizing signal words in the text when reading expository text. |
| Students use the Internet to gain information by doing research. |
| Students share ideas, facts, observations and opinions with classmates and teachers about the heart. |
| Students explain how the heart pumps blood throughout the body. |
| Students locate the heart and describe its function. |
|
| Internet access and a copy of the selected webpage on a transparency |
| Copy of text from story that discusses the heart, Human Body worksheets for each student, and prior overhead demonstration transparency |
| Copies of the Frayer diagram concept: the copies of the exit cards and Heart homework worksheets |
| http://hometown.aol.com/emorris300/myhomepage/index.html |
|
| Show the students the color copied pages of the heart from the story. Ask them to tell their partners what they have learned so far. Once the students have discussed the topic of the heart, the teacher returns to the list of information from the human body worksheet from prior lessons and the chart of signal words compiled. |
| "When we do research, we take information and break it into parts and think about what we learned. We use the resources from research that was done before and add new information to it. Our thinking can change as we learn and add new ideas to what we already know about the topic. We also have been using signal words." |
| The students practice the same task that was done before, using signal words to locate or finding important facts. The teacher displays the webpage transparency and discusses his/her thinking. For example: "When I read about the heart, I say to myself, 'The heart has chambers! I didn't know that they are four hollow spaces!' I am trying to make a movie in my mind." Tell students to close their eyes and try to make a movie of the heart and what it looks like. |
| Ask for several ideas and briefly discuss. The students repeat the same procedure they did before using the Human Body Worksheet. Model how to go to the section of the webpage that says "The Heart" and look at the different sections of the page. Remind the students to scroll down to the third topic from the top. Model how the information that has been gathered is reviewed and visualized. |
| Students use the Internet and go to: http://hometown.aol.com/emorris300/myhomepage/index.html. While working with partners, students complete their Human Body worksheets and read the information on the selected page. |
| Remind the students that they are word detectives. Then circulate, confer, and update the assessments and knowledge the students have on the topic. |
| Tell the students that when they are reading nonfiction books, they can use this strategy as well. Circulate, confer, and update the assessments and knowledge the students have on the topic. |
| The students that have completed the assignment can go to:http://smm.org/heart/ |
| The students gather on the carpet and share their findings, which are added to the chart. The students share their ideas and ask questions. |
| The students go back to their seats and compete an exit card answering these directions: List three words you learned. List two words from the webpage you want to know more about. Write one question you still have about the topic. |
|
| Frayer diagram concept: the heart, with reflection sheet and copy of the completed worksheet used in class as a reference. The students also answer questions about the heart. |
|
| Frayer diagram concept: the heart with reflection sheet and copy of the completed worksheet used in class. The teacher also uses the information from the diagram when conferring with students to help in reteaching the topic and/or any concept clarifications the students might have. The exit cards are also used as an assessment. |
|
| Day 4: The Brain: Computer in Your Head |
| Students use the Internet to gain information on the human brain. |
| Students share ideas, facts, observations, and opinions with classmates and teachers about the human brain. |
| Students locate important information by recognizing signal words in the text when reading expository text. |
| Students explain features of the human brain. |
| Students understand the function of the human brain. |
|
| Internet access and a copy of the selected webpage on a transparency |
| Human Body worksheets for each student and prior overhead demonstration transparency, copies of the Frayer diagram concept: the brain, copies of the exit cards. |
| Copy of page from the "Magic School Bus" pages about the Brain, the information chart that has been gathered from prior lessons |
| http://hometown.aol.com/emorris300/myhomepage/index.html |
|
| Refer to the way that we have been thinking while looking for information. Ask the students what they think that we have been using during those lessons. Functions of the brain: the human brain allows us to think, move, feel, see, hear, taste, and smell. It controls our body, gets information, analyzes information, and stores information to our memory. The brain produces electrical signals, which together with chemical reactions makes the body parts communicate Nerves send these signals throughout the body. The human brain weighs about three pounds. |
| Tell students they are like living computers that are information seekers and sorters. Every time you learn something new, you are getting smarter, and every time you think, you are using your brain. The brain is always working--even while you sleep--and the brain holds and does special things in special sections. |
| The teacher and the class share the reading, on overhead, using the transparacy created of the webpage: http://hometown.aol.com/emorris300/myhomepage/index.html. Teacher thinks aloud as he/she skims the webpage to locate the information on the brain. Mention that skimming is a special way to locate information quickly. When a person skims, he/she read in chunks and uses the brain in a special way. |
| Display the Human Body worksheet transparency and the Webpage, alternating on the overhead. When displaying the webpage, teacher thinks aloud and refers to the chart that was created on signal words. The information is then placed on the other overhead sheet of the Human Body focusing on the section of the brain and possible questions that might arise. Students participate in locating facts to add to the transparency of the worksheet. |
| Teacher distributes Human Body worksheets that the students have been working on and copies the selected page from the storybook to the working partners. The students review their findings with each other and write down any questions that they might have on the topic. |
| Students are then instructed to go to the webpage that is located at http://hometown.aol.com/emorris300/myhomepage/index.html. While working with partners, students complete their worksheets and read the information on the selected page. |
| Remind the students that they are looking for "signal words" that are all in capital letters. Also, the students should find a fact from the sentences that don't have signal words. Teacher then circulates, confers, and updates the assessments and knowledge the students have on the topic. |
| The students that have completed the assignment can go to this site about the brain: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html |
| The students gather on the carpet after their practice and share their findings. That information is then added to the chart. The students ask questons of each other and share their ideas. |
| Following the share, the students go back to their seats and compete an exit card answering these directions: List three words you learned. List two words from the webpage you like to know more about. Write one question you still have about the topic. |
|
| Frayer diagram concept: the brain, with reflection sheet and copy of the completed worksheets used in class as a reference |
|
| Frayer diagram concept: the brain, with reflection sheet and copy of the completed worksheet used in class. Conference notes are used for assessment. The teacher also uses the information from the diagram when conferring with students to help in reteaching the topic and/or any concept clarifications the students might need. The exit cards are also used as an assessment. |
|
| Day 5: How Smart Did You Get? |
| Students participate in an interactive assessment on their knowledge of the human body. |
| Students compile newly acquired information in order to create an enrichment center. |
| The students ask related questions about the human body. |
| The students report verbally on what they have learned about the brain, cells, and heart. |
| The students work with a peer to write and illustrate a piece about a part of the body that they have learned. |
|
| http://scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/games/quizzes/index.htm and copy on overhead |
| Index cards and markers |
| Frayer diagrams completed from prior lessons on the heart, cells, and the brain. |
| The Human Body worksheets from prior lessons |
|
| Tell the students that they have already practiced answering true-false questions. Review the homework questions from lesson #2. Remind them that it is either correct or incorrect. It is the same as true or false. Teacher stimulates a discussion with students about true-false statements and questions. |
| Remind the students of Mrs. Frizzle and the trip that the class took inside the human body. Discuss how we have been learning about the human body and the important features of the things that are going on unconsciously in our bodies. |
| The teacher models what he/she has already learned from the other lessons by using the human body worksheet and Frayer diagram as a reference. The special true-false language is modeled using various topics. The teacher poses a question and asks the students whether it is true or false. |
| By probing, the teacher has the students support what they feel might be a correct or a wrong answer. The teacher models the section that the students are to go into. Ask students what they think might happen if they go to another link on that webpage. |
| The students go to the initial webpage used for research and click on the Quiz section called "How Smart Did You Get? " or http://scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/games/quizzes/index.htm. The students work with their partners and answer the questions about the things that they have learned. If they are finished, they may go to:http://bodiestheexhibition.com/bodies.html. Go to the education link and scroll down to "Fun Facts." (They have an exhibit in certain states that a class can visit.) |
| The teacher circulates and takes notes on the students and confers with several students, discussing the things that they learned and any other questions they might have on the topic. While speaking individually with various students, the teacher reminds the class about the information that they learned and how we figured out the important things. |
| The teacher calls students to the carpet in order to demonstrate how information is put onto the index cards with descriptions. The teacher uses all the resources that have been generated from the research, discussions, and homework. The teacher draws a picture of a topic such as the brain on one side of the index card and writes the characteristics of that topic on the other side. |
| The students go into groups to use the information that they acquired with the signal words and work in pairs planning what to write, draw, and cast off as unessential information. |
| When the students are finished, the cards are collected and distributed to different students (making sure that they don't get the card that they designed) after the class compiles the index cards and collectively decides, based on the their schema and charts, what is a good description, what does not make sense, and what needs more detail and information. We are pretending that we are writing these cards about our journeys into the human body and we are going to show the principal what we learned. |
| When all the cards are deemed acceptable, they are placed in the enrichment center for use during various activities. |
|
| Students take home the new content vocabulary sheet about the human body. They write one question that they have on a topic. Students with Internet access at home can take the quiz again if their score was low. They also write about something important they have learned from these lessons. |
|
| The students will correctly answer 6 out of 8 questions from the quiz. Assessments are also done throughout the unit and are both formal and informal. The information that has been collected from this unit of study is evaluated and documented with the conference notes. Also, the students, as an extension to this lesson, can visit:http://readwritethink.org/materials/plot-diagram and complete the interactive-story plot diagram. |
|
|
Eva Morris
EMORRIS300@aol.com
P.S 164
4211- 14th Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11219
P.S. 164 has been my “home” for the past 9 years. The multicultural population of my students motivates me to give them as many experiences and possibilities for building their schema within a curriculum that is standards based, everchanging, and demanding in accountability. I work in a 1st grade classroom and assist students in the 4th and 5th grade with academic intervention. My Bachelor's Degree is in Sociology of Urban Children and I have a dual Master's Degree: General Education and Special Education. Participating in professional development, whenever the opportunity arises, is essential to me. I have been fortunate to attend many workshops at Teachers College and, as a result, I am able to apply that knowledge in the classroom.
Important documents for this lesson plan.
|
