Katlynn Bennett

Georgia Southwestern State University Lesson Plan

Created by GSW School of Education

Classroom/Lesson Context

X Whole Group _____ Small Group _____ One-on-One

0 Students with IEPs/504s 0 ELL Students

____ Other (Please specify:) ____________________________________

Please specify the number of students:

10 Girls 10 Boys

Learning Central Focus

Lesson Plan Title: Basic needs: Plants and Animals

Grade Level: 1st Grade

Central Focus: The students will be able to identify basic needs of plants and animals.

Content Standard:

S1L1. Students will investigate the characteristics and basic needs of plants and animals.

a. Identify the basic needs of a plant. 1. Air 2. Water 3. Light 4. Nutrients

b. Identify the basic needs of an animal. 1. Air 2. Water 3. Food 4. Shelter

Student Learning Goal(s)/ Objective(s): The student will be able to identify the basic needs of
plants and animals with 85% accuracy.

Skills/procedures: Name the different basic needs for plants and animals.

Concepts and reasoning/problem solving/thinking/strategies[1]: Investigate and be able to

describe the basic needs plants and animals use for survival.

Prior Academic Knowledge and Conceptions: Basic content knowledge about plants and
animals and differences between plants and animals.

Common Errors, Developmental Approximations, Misconceptions, Partial

Understandings, or Misunderstandings: The students might confuse certain plants for
animals. The students may not understand what basic needs of animals and plants are.
Students may not know what survival means.

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Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks

Launch: 5-7 Minutes

I will start the launch by getting all the students attention. I will turn off the lights and wait for the
classroom to grow quiet. Once I have everyones attention, I will play a short song video on
YouTube called The needs of an animal. The video is a song video a little over a minute long
that describes on a 1st grade level what an animal needs for survival. While the students are
watching the video, I will be standing to the side of the classroom allowing them time to focus
and take in the video. I will then go over the words of the song with the students after it is over
to make sure they understood them. I will then ask my students thought provoking questions
such as How do you think this song will tie into the lesson? What might our science lesson be
about today? Do you think that plants and animals need the same things to live? The students
will be sitting in their desks facing forward quietly unless I call on them to answer. I will say
Good Job to the students who answer correctly and I will help the students who didnt give me
a correct answer. I will try to enhance their thinking by saying Well what do you think about
animals needing food to live?

Instruction: 10-15 Minutes

To start the lesson, I will start by making sure I have all the students attention. After all the
students are looking at me, I will walk to the white board and draw a T chart. One side of the T
chart will be labeled Plants and the other side of the T chart will be labeled animals. I will ask
the students to raise their hands and answer my question. My question will be What do you
think plants need to live? I will allow the students time to answer my question. I will write down
their responses under the part of the chart labeled Plants. I will repeat that process for the part
of the chart labeled animals.

After we go over the T chart as a class, I will present a PowerPoint over plants and animals.
Before I start the presentation, I will make sure I have all the students attention by turning the
lights off and then back on. The PowerPoint is not very long, so after we finish I will start asking
the students questions like does anyone remember what a plant needs to live? and True or
False, animals need air to live? I will give the students time to respond. If they are correct I will
reward them with praise, if they are incorrect I will ask them to think a little harder and maybe
ask a friend for help.

I will then go over all the definitions with the class. Animals need food, water, air and shelter to
live. I will ask the students if they can give me an example of each. To help enhance their
thinking, I will ask questions like, what kind of shelter does a bird live in? a pond or a nest? or
a question like what kind of food does a kitten eat? I will then repeat this process for all of the
terms that go along with what plants need to live.

Structured Practice and Application: 25 Minutes

Once we finish the class instruction, I will ask the students to put everything away and wait for
their desks to be cleared. I will then begin to explain what we are going to do next. As a class,
we are going to make a short booklet on the needs of plants and animals. I will explain that this
is a group activity and we will do it together as a class. I will pass out a couple sheets of paper
to each student. I will then stand at the front of the class room and show the students how to
fold the booklet. I will do this slowly so that every student keeps up and doesnt get behind.

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Once the booklet is put together, we will begin to write/draw a different plant or animal need on
every page. On page one it will say animals need ______ to live. I will ask students to raise
their hand if they want to give me an answer to put in the blank. I will ask them to try and
remember the words to the song we learned and what we went over on the PowerPoint and
what we discussed on the T chart. I will write all the correct answers on the board so none of the
students get behind. I will allow the students to have time to draw pictures under each sentence.

After we finish the booklets I will check over them to make sure the students got all of the
information and I will then ask the students to put the booklets away in their folders that are
inside of their desks. I will then pass out a work sheet about plant/ animal needs. I will read and
explain the directions carefully. The worksheet will require the students to fill in blanks about
what plants and animals need. I will allow students time to complete the worksheet. Once they
are finished, the students will turn the papers into me and I will grade them. This gives me an
opportunity to see what the students know about plant/ animal needs. I will use this worksheet
as a study guide for the students to use before we have a test at the end of the week.

Closure: 5 Minutes

After I finish the instruction and application, I will review everything that we learned. I will ask the
students if they can remember the words to the song that we learned. If anyone wants to
volunteer, I will allow them to say it out loud alone or with a couple friends. I will reward the
students if they can do this with a great job! I will then go around the room and ask every
student to give me one thing that a plant or animal needs. If the students are correct, I will give
all of them positive feedback. If the students are not correct I will help them think differently and
reconsider their answers.

Differentiation/ Planned Support

The students will learn the lesson on plants/ animal needs as a class. The purpose of doing the
worksheet as individuals is to give me the opportunity to know which students understood the
instruction. For the students who are struggling, I will create small groups where they can
receive better and more personalized instruction. Throughout the rest of the week the students
will receive small group time where they will be able to get the help that they need.

Student Interactions

We will be working in large group for the majority of this lesson. This allows students time to
interact with one another and listen to each others ideas. The students will have the opportunity
to ask a friend if they are struggling with an idea or a concept.

What Ifs

Multiple things could go wrong during the lesson. If there is a problem with the technology, I will
be prepared to write everything out on the white board and have the students take notes. I will
have everything printed out prior to the lesson so I will have the information even if the
technology isnt working.

Theoretical Principles and/or Research Based Best Practices

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This lesson was constructed using backwards design. I kept the end in mind as I prepared the
lesson. I tried to use different approaches for all learners, visual, kinesthetic and audio.

Materials

Access to YouTube, PowerPoint Presentation, paper and materials for booklet, worksheet, and
white board.

Students will have pencils, scissors, crayons and other materials needed for booklet.

Academic Language Demand(s)

Language Demand

Students will be reading while viewing the PowerPoint, listening while we review and writing in
their booklets.

Language Function

Students investigate and identify what plants and animals need to survive on a first grade
instructional level.

Content Specific Terms

Living: something that is alive

Air: what animals and plants need to live, provides oxygen

Plants: a living organism that needs air, water and nutrients and the sun to live

Sun: the star the earth orbits around, provides light and warmth

Water: the basis liquid of living organisms

Animals: a living organism other than a human

Language Discourse

Students will participate in listening and reading while viewing the PowerPoint. Students will
demonstrate writing abilities while making the booklet and completing the worksheet.

Language Syntax

Students remain seated and quiet during the lesson. Students raise their hands to respond.
Turning the lights off capture students attention. There were no charts or graphs used in this
lesson.

Support

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Support is given to the students in any area it is needed. If they need help reading or
understand a word, phrase or concept I will spend time addressing it. Reviewing was used to
help the students comprehend the material.

Assessments

Type of Modifications to the Evaluation Criteria

assessment assessment so that all
Description of
students could What evidence of student learning
assessment (related to the learning objectives and
(Informal or demonstrate their central focus) does the assessment
Formal) learning. provide?
Students will be
required to complete
a worksheet about
Students are filing in
Informal the needs of plants
blanks using a word bank Students understanding of
and animals.
and matching needs to the needs of plants/ animals.
Students must know
plans and animals.
these needs and be
able to identify them
on their own.
Informal Students will answer Students can ask one
Verbally responding with the
verbally during a another for help and
correct answer or idea.
classroom review. support.

Analyzing Teaching

Worked/Didn't Worked

Due to lack of time in the classroom, and the need for students to get extra help in areas of
math and ELA that they are struggling with, I was unable to teach this entire lesson. I did teach
most of it. The launch really worked to grasp the students attention. They continued to refer to
the song throughout the entire lesson. I feel like the song really set a good foundation for the
rest of the lesson. The T chart really helped put a visual to the information. This helped the
students when they were finishing their worksheet. Working in a large group gave students the
opportunity to use one another for help and support. The worksheet really helped show me
which students were understanding and which students were struggling with the content.
Reviewing the lesson helped bring it all together and clear up any misconceptions. I feel like as
a whole; the lesson was successful. There were few students who did not do well on the
worksheet. I think as a group the students learned a lot and really gave me their attention. The
students asked several very good questions that helped other students use deeper thinking.

Adjustments

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Some of the words and content were a little too hard for 1st graders to understand. They have
not been exposed to a lot of science lessons this year regarding plants and animals. I would
change some of the vocabulary to be a little easier for the students to grasp. The students
would have really struggled filling out the work sheet since there was not a word bank on the
sheet. The T chart really helped them follow directions more clearly. If I could add a word bank
to the worksheet and go over every word before I ask them to begin I would try that.

Proposed Changes

Whole group: The vocabulary used in the lesson will be a little easier for this age group to
understand and relate to. The vocabulary will be words that students have used or seen before.
The students will have a word bank to look at while the fill out the worksheet and we will go over
every word to make sure the students fully understand.

Justification

These changes will help the lesson flow more smoothly. I will not have to stop and explain a
word or a phrase as often. Students will have the materials needed and can follow along without
any distractions or interruptions. The directions will be clearly stated and understood by the
students.

Resources

Worksheet assessment:

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The needs of an Animal song video: https://youtu.be/k4UDf3tF_O4

Basic needs PowerPoint: https://www.slideshare.net/smithjulie/basic-needs-power-point