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Learning Experience/Unit

What Ants Can Do by St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES

Subject

English Language Arts (NYS P-12 Common Core)

Grade Levels

Elementary, 1st Grade

Assessment

The students will be assessed using a rubric. See attached rubric

Ants Rubric.pdf

Learning Context/ Introduction

During this learning experience, the students will gather information about ants from video and various texts, make a graphic organizer, and they will create a writing project comparing themselves to ants.

Duration

Five Classes

Essential Question

What makes ants different from people?

Instructional/Environment Modifications

Day two and day four requires the teacher and students to be in the computer lab. It is also helpful to have at least one additional adult to assist while in the lab.

Procedure

Day One: (45 Minutes)

The students will be introduced to a story in the first grade Harcourt Reading series called Ants. Before reading the story, the teacher should ask the students what they already know about ants. The teacher will then record the student's responses. The children will read the story Ants in small groups. After reading the story, the students will view a video about ants. The video is called The Lives of Ants & Bees for Students: Ant Bodies, and the specific segment is The Head, Thorax, & Abdomen 0:03:29. Before viewing, remind the children that they will need to retell facts about ants after viewing the video. After viewing the video, the teacher should add any additional facts about ants that the children may have learned after watching the video.

Day Two: (45 Minutes)

Read aloud the story Ants again today. The students should be seated in the computer lab. Review computer room rules and etiquette. The students will search the internet for an image of an ant to print for a writing project later in the week. It will be necessary to have two adults in the computer lab. The students will do a search for ant images, select one and print the image for later use. The students should pick an actual photo of an ant, not an animated image.

Day Three: (45 Minutes)

The teacher will ask the children to brainstorm some things that people can do, but an ant can not do. The teacher should record the student responses on chart paper. The teacher should then place the students in pairs. The children will then share their ideas about what they can do that an ant can not do with their partner. The students will then take a picture of their partner acting out the thing that they can do. The teacher should then download the pictures into a folder that the children can access from the computer lab.

Day Four: (25 Minutes)

The children will need to be seated in the lab. The students will open up the picture file created by the teacher and find their own digital picture. The students should then print the picture for the writing project they will complete tomorrow.

Day Five: (45 Minutes)

The children will mount their ant picture and digital photo on writing paper. The children will write one complete sentence that tells what they can do under the digital photo. The students will then write one complete sentence that tells what ants can do under the image of the ant.

Reflections and Feedback

The students found this learning experience fun and exciting. I would definitely recommend having two adults in the computer lab for first grade students. There were many questions and students who needed help locating and printing a picture of an ant. The teacher could give the students a specific link to a page where the ant images are located. This might eliminate a lot of confusion for the students. The students loved using the digital camera as well.