EdTPA Lesson Plan Format, Grades 1 6

Fordham University Graduate School of Education

ANIMAL CHARADES
CONTEXT &
DEMOGRAPHICS

EXPLANATION
Animal Charades will be facilitated to kick off the Animal Diversity unit. The key objectives of the lesson
are to aid students in defining the concept of wildlife and to distinguish between domesticated and wild
animals. The objectives of the lesson align with the New York City Department of Education K-5 Scope and
Sequence key ideas and science standards. This lesson will be used as an informal assessment to gauge
student knowledge of / familiarity with different animals. Student participation in Animal Charades will
inform and guide the teachers engagement and support of students throughout the unit.
Animal Diversity is planned for a 1st grade class of 25 students, in a New York City Department of
Education Public School located in a middle to low-income community. Six children in the class have an
individual education plan (IEP) and receive services for speech therapy, occupational therapy, and guidance
counseling. There are no English Language Learners in the class, and student reading levels range between B
and H.

CENTRAL FOCUS or
ESSENTIAL QUESTION

There are many different types of animals in the world. How can we tell if an animal is wild or domesticated
or tamed?

LEARNING TARGETS &

ASSESSMENTS

Following Animal Charades students will be able to identify that there are two identify that there are two
types of animals throughout the world, wild and domesticated/tame.

(AIM / OBJECTIVE)

Students will also be introduced to or reminded of some of the many different types of animals in the world,
which will be animals explored throughout the unit.
The brief writing that students complete of their animal will be reviewed as informal assessment of continued
writing development/progress.
As students classify their individual animals into wild or domesticated, informal assessment and observation
of their reasoning will be recorded for comprehension of the concepts of wild or domesticated (tamed).
Categorization of their animal into wild or domesticated will be a gateway point for comprehension. If
students do not understand how to place their animal, additional questioning or explanation might be
necessary.

NYS or NYC Common

Core STANDARDS

Key Ideas:
LE. Key Idea 1: Living things are both similar to and different from each other and from nonliving things.
LE. Key Idea 2: Individual organisms and species change over time.
LE. Key Idea 4: The continuity of life is sustained through reproduction and development.
NYC Science Standards:
-

Each animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and
reproduction.
In order to survive in their environment, plants and animals must be adapted to that environment.
Each kind of animal goes through its own stages of growth and development during its lifespan.

Academic Language

Directional:
-

charades: a game in which a person acts out what is written on a piece of paper

Content Specific:
-

animal: a living organism (thing) other than a plant

wildlife: animals that live in a natural state, providing their own food, shelter and other need in a
suitable habitat

domesticated animal: domesticated animals are those that humans have kept in captivity and bred
for special purposes

adapt

Language Function:
-

categorize: place in a particular group

GROUPING

Animal Charades will be conducted as a whole class activity. Students will sit in a half moon shape on the
carpet, and will be called towards the opening to act out the animal they select. They will select their animal
from a baggie when they navigate from their seat to the stage. The teacher will keep time, and each
performing student will select the next student to act out their animal.

PRIOR ACADEMIC
LEARNING AND
PREREQUISTE SKILLS

Students should have some familiarity with a variety of animals, both wild and domesticated. However, this
lesson is also being used as an informal assessment of students basic knowledge of animals.
Students must be able to write/attempt to write an animal to be selected for the charades game, even if the
writing is phonetically. Students must also have some basic reading skills, so they can read the paper they
pull from baggie.

MATERIALS
/RESOURCES

The materials needed for this lesson are:

-

INSTRUCTIONAL
SEQUENCE

Post Its
Pencils
Brown Paper Bag
Chart Paper with two categories or groups listed, Wild and Domesticated
Timer

Motivation or Hook
Today, you will each have the opportunity to act out an animal in front of our class. You can do whatever
sounds and movements that animal does, so we as a class can figure out what animal it is. By each one of you
acting out an animal, we can learn more about the type of animal they are.
Procedures
T: To start, I need each you to write your name on the post. Then, you can write the name of any animal you
would like. It can be animal that is your pet, an animal you have seen at the zoo or aquarium, an animal you
have learned about on the Animal Planet or another television show, or one you have seen in the wild, say on
a walk in the park or at the beach. It is ok if you cannot spell the name of the animal 100%, just use your
spelling strategies to do your best.
Take a minute to think about what animal you are going to write. When you are ready, put your thumb on
your heart and I will give you a post it. When you have finished writing, please fold it in half, so your
tablemates cannot see what you wrote, we want to keep them a secret. You have just a minute to write your
animal, so we can start our game.

Rev. 11/2015 Moliterno/Caballero/Huber

Teacher distributes a post it to each student. As students finish, teacher collects them and puts them into the
brown paper bag. As students do this they are directed to the carpet in a half moon shape.
T: Each of you will each select a paper and will have 10 seconds to act out the animal so that the class may
guess what it is. The person who correctly guesses will help us determine if the animal is wild or
domesticated, and we will add that animals name to our chart.
T: Now, before we start, can someone tell me how we know an animal is wild?
Teacher puts characteristics of a wild animal on the board.
T: Can someone else tell me how we know an animal is domesticated or tame?
Teacher puts characteristics of a domesticated animal on the board.
T: Ok! Lets play Animal Charades.
As each student completes his turn, the teacher also asks each student to explain how we know that animal is
wild or domesticated.
Closing
At the end of the lesson the teacher will circle back to the essential question, how can we tell if an animal is
wild or domesticated, soliciting some final answers from several students, before transitioning to the next
period of the school day.
MODIFICATIONS FOR
DIVERSE LEARNERS
FOLLOW-UP &
STUDENT WORK
SAMPLES

Struggling readers will be given support to read the post-it selected, using decoding strategies. The classroom
para will provide additional support to the six students with IEPs throughout the lesson, should they require
it.
The post-its will be collected as a small writing sample, and students responses to wild v. domesticated and
explanations will be recorded.
As this is the initial lesson, there will be a variety of follow up activities that will build off of Animal
Charades. The read aloud that will follow, Animals Everywhere, will review and scaffold off of the mornings
lesson. The book teaches students about both wild and domesticated animals.

FORMAL ASSESSMENT
& STUDENT VOICE

TEACHER
SELF-ASSESSMENT

The post-its will be collected as a small writing sample, and students responses to wild v. domesticated and
explanations will be recorded. As students classify their animals into wild or domesticated, informal
assessment and observation of their reasoning will be recorded for comprehension of the concepts of wild or
domesticated (tamed). Categorization of their animal into wild or domesticated will be a gateway point for
comprehension. If students do not understand how to place their animal, additional questioning or
explanation might be necessary.
Teacher self-assessment to be completed following the lesson.
Anticipated issues:
-

students not knowing how to act out the animal they selected
students not following the 10 second timer
students confusing wild and domesticated during charting portion of activity

Rev. 11/2015 Moliterno/Caballero/Huber