Plants that Eat Bugs Lesson Plan

Mike Labagh

Lesson Plan – Plants That Eat Bugs

Subject:

Fountas and Pinnell

Content Area:

Reading

Topic:

Fiction and non-fiction texts

Objectives:

·         Given vocabulary, the students will participate and practice new vocabulary words in the story by giving an example of each word in a sentence of their own.

·         Given a text, the students will complete a picture walk and make oral predictions about what may happen in the text or what the text is mainly about.

·         Given the text, the students will complete a read aloud of the text in small groups.

·         Given different text samples, students will be able to decipher between fiction and non-fiction

·         Given a text, the students will know and be able to read it while participating in a running record assessment.

Methods:

·         Direct Instruction

·         Modeling

·         Guided Practice

·         Application

·         Assessment

Materials:

·         Venus Fly Trap

·         Printables

·         Journals

·         Fountas and Pinnell text, Plants That Eat Bugs

·         http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/life-venus-flytrap-catches-flies.html - video clip

·         Index cards

·         Pencils and Pens

·         Computer with Internet access

Motivation:

Teacher will say, “We will grow our very own Venus Fly Trap in our classroom. Does anyone know what a Venus Fly Trap is? First we will watch a video clip of a real Venus Fly Trap in action, then we will read about some very interesting plants. After that, we will learn the difference between fiction and non-fiction texts and then we will complete some fun activities before we grow our own Venus Fly Trap!”

Activities:

·         The teacher will introduce the book; Plants That Eat Bugs

·         The students will practice the vocabulary in the text.

·         The students will complete a read aloud of the text.

·         The students will read fictional and non-fictional text and decide which type of text they are reading

·         The students will complete related activities.

·         The students will complete a running record of.

Practice Activity:

The students will read, Plants that Eat Bugs. As a group the teacher will describe why this is a non-fiction text. The teacher will make note of pictures, stated facts in the text (bugs eat leaves, some plants eat bugs) and remind the students about the video clip they saw. The teacher will then read with the students 4 stories and the students will decide which story is fiction and which is non - fiction. The students will be looking for facts, describing details, talking animals or objects, and using their prior knowledge about concepts to decide if something can really happen or not. The teacher must guide as needed as each student’s prior knowledge is not the same! The students will underline information (at least 3 details) that they feel is important in deciding whether the story is fiction or non-fiction. As a group, the teacher and the students will discuss possible answers.

Independent Activity:

The students will read 3 different stories. 2 will be fiction, 1 will be non-fiction. The students must read the passages and decide which is fiction or non-fiction. The students must then underline the reasons (at least 3 details) from the story that helped them decide which to choose. As a group, the teacher and the students will review answers. Students that are able to complete this assignment easily can complete comprehension questions of the texts that they are reading, while other students are reviewing how to decipher between fiction and non-fiction.

Evaluation:

·         Completed Assignments, including the extension lessons

·         Participation

Closure:

The teacher will ask the students what the purpose of the fiction and non-fiction lessons were. The teacher will review the concepts of fiction and non-fiction with the students. The teacher will then assist the students in growing the Venus Fly Trap.

Assessment:

·         Monitoring the students asking for help when needed if it is needed (this is important! We want students to ask us questions. This is also how we get to know our students)

·         Ongoing

·         Self-Assessment questionnaire

·         Running Records

·         Reviewing extension lessons with students. They are important as well as they focus on writing, critical thinking, and Mathematical concepts.