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This lesson is on researching and charting farm animal information


Math, Science  


1, 2, 3  

Title – Animal Charts
By – Jamie Rettke
Subject – Science, Math
Grade Level – 1-3
Topic: Learning basic facts and ideas through research of farm animals

Grade level: second grade – bilingual

State Standards

n     1.C.1f: Use information presented in simple tables, maps, and charts to form an interpretation

n     5.A.1a: Identify questions and gather information

n     15.C.1a: Describe how human, natural, and capital resources are used to produce goods and services

n     17.C.1a: Identify ways people depend on and interact with the physical environment (e.g., farming, etc.)

Student objectives: when asked, the students will be able to:

1.      Correctly answer 8 out of 8 questions presented about the assigned animal

2.      Construct an Animal Chart with information about the assigned animal

3.      Identify 1 example of how farms/farm animals play a role in our daily lives


For the teacher:

·        A copy of Nature’s Children: Donkeys

For each group of 2 students:

·        A copy of one of the following books:

o Nature’s Children: Goats      o Nature’s Children: Pigs

o Nature’s Children: Cows      o Nature’s Children: Horses

o Nature’s Children: Sheep       o Animales de Granja: Cedos

o Animales de Granja: Ovejas       o Animales de Granja: Vacas

·        A sheet of large white paper

·        Student worksheet with “information squares”

Materials preparation:

            The instructor will need to construct a map of information researched from Nature’s Children: Donkeys.  Copies of student worksheet will need to be made for students to record their information.

Motivation component: (~ 5 minutes)

             The instructor will review ideas presented in the video watch during an earlier activity.  Introduce students to the animals they will be researching.  Explain the activity to the students.

Learning Activity  (~ 60 minutes)

1.      The instructor will first model how to research information in the books provided.  This will be done by first asking one of the questions to be researched.  Then, the instructor will show the table of contents, explaining how it can be used to help find the information.  Turn to that page and read the information needed. Then place that information in the appropriate information square on the sheet of paper.  Model to the students that after pasting information squares on the paper, they will draw lines to connect them to the center circle.  In that circle, they will draw a picture of their animal.  Show the students what the finished product will look like.

2.      The students will be broken up into groups of two students each.  Although the students will work in groups, each will construct their own animal map.

3.      Each group will be given a book and questions on an information sheet.  The students will need to read the information in the book to find the answers to their questions.  After finding the answers to the assigned questions, they will write their responses in the appropriate squares.

4.      Once all information is gathered, the students will cut out each square, pasting them on a large sheet of white paper.  The students will then draw a center circle and connect each square to that circle.  Later, the students will draw a picture of their animal.

Closure: (~ 5 minutes)

             Ask the students various questions about the uses of each animal.  This will be used for assessment as well as closure.  Ask the students to find things they use in their daily lives that come from farms.  Main idea to be expressed during closure of the lesson: the usefulness of each animal and how they play their part in our everyday lives.  If time is available, ask various students to present their information to the class.


1.       Informal observations during data collection and questioning (Formative)

2.        Animal biography sheets (Formative)

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