Created By: Sierra Afoa

University of Alaska Southeast

Alaskan Plants & Animals

A Kindergarten Unit
 Abstract

Alaskan plants and animals play a role in the life of every individual living in the state of

Alaska. Students interact with their environment daily and it is important they learn about the

different things they come into contact with. This unit was created with the intention of teaching

young students, in K-1, about plants and animals found in Alaska while integrating the lessons

with math, writing, art, and science. The unit design and assessments can be differentiated in

order to fit the needs of all students. Students will learn about survival, movement, shapes,

habitats, and so much more throughout this 3-4 week long unit.

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 ED620 Unit Design Alaskan Plants & Animals

Candidate Name: Sierra Afoa Host Teacher Name: n/a

School: n/a Grade Level: K # of Students: 24
Date Range Unit: TBD Length of Unit: 3-4 weeks
Overall Theme of Unit: Alaskan Plants & Animals Content Area: Science, Math, Art, Writing

Describe the demographic make-up of your target classroom:

24 students that are culturally diverse and attend a public school in Alaska.

Alaska Content Standard:

 Science - K. Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: Animals, Plants, and Their Environment K-LS1-
1 – Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to
survive.
 Art – DA:PR4a-K – Make still and moving body shapes that show lines (e.g., straight, bent, curved),
changes levels, and vary in size (large/small).
 Math – K.G.1. – Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes and describe their relative
positions (e.g., above, below, beside, in front of, behind, next to).
 Writing – Writing Standards Grade K – 2) Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to
compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply
some information about the topic.

Transfer Goal(s) - Unpacked Standard (Transferability)

Science
 A student can research different habitats for many different plants and animals
 A student can identify what animals need in order to survive
Art - A student can construct body movements to show the different parts of a plant
Math - A student can identify different shapes found in the different environments that plants and animals live in
Writing – A student can construct drawings of different plants/animals and label them

Alaska Cultural Standard for Educators:

B. Culturally-responsive educators use the local environment and community resources on a regular basis
to link what they are teaching to the everyday lives of the students.
.

STAGE ONE: Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings (Meaning)

BIG IDEA: What influences does the environment have on how plants and animals survive?

Enduring Understanding(s) : Essential Questions to be Considered: (As related to

Students will understand that – these are the BIG ones….)
Science
 All plants and animals have basic needs in order
to survive.
 There are many different environments around
the world
Art – They can use their bodies in order to create shapes
and engage with the environment
Enduring Understandings…) (1 or 2 are sufficient)
Science - How does the environment impact what plants
and animals live in Alaska?
Art – How does movement with our bodies help us to
better understand plants and animals?
Math – What kind of shapes can you find in habitats in
Alaska?
Writing – How does combining pictures and writing

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 Math – Shapes are found everywhere we look in the world
Writing – Using the combination of drawings and writing
can explain thinking and expand on what we know
STAGE ONE (con’t):
Objectives/Learning Targets (Acquisition)
Knowledge and Skills: Ask Yourself: What knowledge
and skills related to content and/or content language
should students know and be skilled at doing by the end
of the lessons? (Content and Language)
Science
K - All living things need water to survive
S - Identify what different plants and animals use as
food
Art
K – You can use your body/movements to represent
different things
S – Use your body in order to move like different
plants/animals
Math
K – Shapes can be found in the outdoors/different
habitats
S – Identify different shapes/where they are located in
the real world
Writing
K – Drawing and writing can be combined in order to
label plants and animals
S – Labeling the different parts of an environment and
what animals are found there
together create more understanding?
STAGE TWO:
Assessments/Acceptable Evidence Of Learning
Sources of Evidence: Ask Yourself: Do these assessments
measure the identified Objectives – the content and content
language knowledge and skills? Have I indicated whether
they are Formative, Summative, and/or Performance?
All three types must be included.
You will embed these in each lesson, as appropriate.
Knowledge
- Students will choose an Alaskan animal of
interest to them and research information about
the animal’s nutrition, habitat, animals that prey
on them, etc. as homework. They will then give a
2-3 minute oral presentation of their animal
presenting the information in the form of their
choosing (poster board, book,
pictures/drawings, etc.)
Summative/Performance
- Thumbs up/Thumbs down “Do animals NEED
this to survive?” The teacher will ask the class as
a whole if animals need different things in order
to survive. The students will respond with either
a thumbs up for “yes” or a thumbs down for “no”
– Formative
Examples: “Do animals need ________ to survive?”
- Candy
- Water
- TV
- Water
- A House
- Food
- The teacher will lead a class discussion on what
plants and animals need to survive. The teacher
will also take notes of student’s answers on a
large piece of paper – This task can be done at
the beginning of the unit and revisited at the end
to see if any information changes/comparison
(Formative for beginning/Summative at the end)
- Game – Students will be put into groups of 4-5.
Each student will get a card from the teacher
with a plant or animal on it and have to act it out
without using any noise and without telling the
group what their card is. The group members
will take turns guessing the card and acting it
out. (Performance/Formative)
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 Skills
- Students will be directed to create a drawing of a
habitat and what animals may be found living
there. When students are done drawing, they will
label the different animals, the water, and plants.
The teacher can help students with spelling and
give hints when needed. (Summative)
- The teacher will teach the class a song/dance
about plants (using the Youtube video
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=9bFU_wJgvBI) and students need to
participate and move their bodies
(Performative/Formative)
- Students will each get a worksheet with a picture
of a habitat on it. Students will be instructed to
circle the different shapes that they can find in
the picture. (Formative)

STAGE THREE: Learning for Understanding/ Instructional Activities

Learning Activities and Strategies:
 Instructional activities should lead to meeting the Objectives above.
Ask Yourself: how will the students meet the Objective(s)?
 Embed the Assessments into the lesson – (Tip: some instructional activities can serve as assessments.)
Ask Yourself: how will students demonstrate their understanding of the content or the content language?
 The entire focus should be directed toward meeting the Transfer Goal(s) and Enduring Understandings as well as
answering the Essential Questions for the lesson.
Ask Yourself: By the end of the lesson, 1) can students answer the all or part of the targeted Essential Question? 2) Do
they have a better grasp of the Enduring Understanding? 3) Have they reached, or are they on their way to reaching, the
Transfer Goal?
DO: For each instructional activity, specify: What will the teacher do? What will the students do?
Pre-Requisites: What is the prior knowledge students have to have before starting this lesson?

Students need to know some names of basic plants and animals found in Alaska.

Overview/Introduction/Main Hook (Make a connection with students’ backgrounds using an authentic situation to
start them thinking about the objectives and the essential question the lesson addresses.)

Ask students what they know about the ideas of “survival” and “habitat”. After having a discussion with the class, show
them the video of Olaf from Frozen dreaming about living in the summer time and how he cannot “survive” in the heat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFatVn1hP3o . Describe how he needs to live in a cold habitat and what humans
need to survive.

Mini-hook/ Process: Teacher does/ Student Product: Assessment/ Strategies to

connection to prior Does Evidence of Learning accommodate specific
learning/knowledg student variability/
e accommodate all
learners

Lesson 1 - Science Teacher will read the book The Teacher will lead a class Choice – Students are
Alaska Mother Goose by Shelley discussion on what plants and given the choice on what
Objectives: Gill to the class. After reading, the animals need to survive. The animal they would like to

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Identify different teacher will lead a discussion of the teacher will also take notes of research and how they
Alaskan animals different animals found in the book student’s answers on a large would like to present this
and what they eat. and what they ate/where they lived piece of paper – This task can information.
(land, ocean, forest, etc.) Teacher be done at the beginning of
Make observations will also ask students what plants the unit and revisited at the ELL – While the teacher
about different and animals need to survive and end to see if any information is reading, they will speak
environments write student’s answers down on a changes/comparison slowly and pause between
(forest, tundra, etc.) large piece of paper in the front of pages to show the picture
and how animals the classroom. Homework – Students will in order to create more
survive in them. pick an Alaskan animal and time for processing and
Teacher will pull up the Katmai find 3 facts about what they understanding
Hook: Teacher National Park livecam of the brown eat, where they live, and one
will lead a bears fun fact with their families Visual/Audio – Students
discussion about https://explore.org/livecams/brown- and share that with the class get the chance to watch
animals and what bears/brown-bear-salmon-cam- at the end of the week. The bears on a livecam and
they need to brooks-falls. Students will be asked teacher will supply 1 book for listen to them. Students
survive by asking questions to make each student about their also get to listen to a book
students to raise observations/inferences about the specific animal to gather being read to them.
their hand and talk bears and the environment they are information from.
about how they in. Movement – Students get
care for their pets ELL – Student will be given to move around the room
(if they don’t have Students will each get a card with sentence starters for each of in order to answer
a pet, what they an Alaskan animal on it. The the pieces of information questions about their
think that would teacher will ask questions and have required in order to help the animal.
need to do to take students choose which side of the student focus on the
care of one). room their animal would be. information/research instead
Students will Students will go to the side of the of the writing.
participate verbally room they believe is the correct
by raising their answer. After students have chosen,
hand and sharing the teacher will lead a discussion
when called on by about each question to assure
the teacher. understanding.

Sample Questions:
 “If your animal lives on land
stand by the whiteboard, if
your animal lives in the water
stand by the door.”
 “Stand by the whiteboard if
your animal only eats meat,
stand by the door if your
animal only eats plants.”
 “If your animal needs water to
survive stand by the
whiteboard, if your animal
doesn’t need water to survive
stand by the door” (trick
question)
 “If your animal is bigger than
you stand by the whiteboard, if
your animal is smaller than
you stand by the door.”
 “If your animal eats other
animals stand by the door.”

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 Students will get a blank piece of
paper and be instructed to draw a
picture of themselves and include
everything that they NEED to
survive (house, food, water) using
colored pencils or crayons.
Lesson 2 – Art & Teacher will draw a plant on the Teacher will lead a class Movement/Visual/Audio
Writing board and ask students to help label discussion asking about the – Students get to dance
the picture. Students will verbally different parts of a plant along with the video about
Objectives: participate by raising their hand and the parts of a plant
Students will know waiting to be called on to help label Students will be directed to
that drawing and the plant. create a drawing of a plant in Speaking – Helping
writing can be its environment and label the teacher label the plant on
combined in order Teacher will place the students into different parts of the plant. the board
to label plants and 5 groups of 4-5 students and pass out
animals. the plant labeling puzzles. Students Kinesthetic/Tactile –
will work together in order to put the Students get to physically
Students will be puzzle together and with the proper touch the puzzle pieces
able to use their label of each part of the plant and move them around to
bodies in order to solve the problem
create shapes and Students will return to their seats
engage with the and the teacher will have placed Choice – Choice of what
environment. different pictures of plants found in plant to draw and label
Alaska around the room and blank
pieces of paper at each student’s Writing – working on
Hook: Watch this seat. Students will then find a plant, labeling, having the words
YouTube video of draw it and its environment, label it, needed written on the
a fun song that and then color it. board for students to use.
describes the
different parts of a ELL – Teacher will use a
flower. Allow visual chart to give step by
students to stand up step directions and leave
and dance along the visuals on the board
with the video if for students to refer back
they want. to.
https://
www.youtube.com/
watch?
v=9bFU_wJgvBI
Lesson 3 - Math Teacher will lead a class discussion Students will each get a Visual/Audio – Students
about shapes and where they can be worksheet with a picture of listening to the book being
Objective: found in everyday life. Students will an animal in its natural read by the teacher
Students will be participate by raising their hand and habitat. Students will be
able to identify sharing their ideas with the rest of instructed to circle the Speaking – Working with
different the class. resources that animals would a partner in order to find
shapes/where they use in that habitat. the different resources
are located in the Students will be placed into pairs animals use in their
real world and the teacher will give each environment
partner group a picture of an animal
Hook: The teacher in its habitat. The students will be Working in Pairs/ELL –
will read Walter’s instructed by the teacher to circle Provides support for
Wonderful Web by everything in the picture the animal students that may need
Tim Hopgood to can use as food. Once the students more help than others and
the students and are done the teacher will instruct also gives students the
have a discussion students to put a square around what chance to work on

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about the different the animal will use as a source of teamwork.
shapes that were water. After that, the teacher will
found in the book. instruct students to put a triangle
around where their animal might
sleep. The partner groups will take
turns showing the class what they
found in their picture.

Teacher will wrap up the lesson by

leading a discussion about how
animals that live in the same habitat
may interact with it differently (eat
different things/sleep in different
places) and how different shapes can
be found everywhere we look.
Closure: Bring it all together with the focus of the lesson and the Objective. Tie the closure for each lesson in with the
Main Hook, the Objective, and the Essential Question.

 Review the Essential Question: How does the environment impact what plants and animals live in Alaska?
 Teacher will again ask students about different plants/animals found in Alaska and what plants/animals
need to survive. Using the same piece of paper as in Lesson 1, write down the new answers that students
give in a different color marker.

UNIT REFLECTION Cultural Capital: Discuss how this Unit increases your students’ access to “Cultural
Capital.” (Address the varied ways your assessment, instructional, and differentiation strategies assess and
access the background knowledge and experience of the students, how you attempt to connect your lessons with
students’ backgrounds: languages, abilities, and local culture(s), and how this Unit creates opportunities for
students to have more equal and authentic access to “mainstream” culture regarding the content of your Unit.)

This unit is all about Alaska and its environment. Students get to learn more about the state that they live in. The
lessons start out by having students think about their home and how that is their habitat that they live in. Students
are also asked to use their background knowledge of pets and how to care for them in order to understand
survival. Students get to bring their different experiences to the classroom and share it with their classmates
through class and small group work. Students have the opportunity to learn from each other when working in
pairs and this helps to build their knowledge of different cultures and different ways of life. Connecting to the
environment is the main focus of this unit and is one of the best ways for students to learn more about where they
live and connect to “mainstream” culture.

Culminating Performance Task

For the Student:

You are an animal expert at the Alaska Zoo. The zoo needs you to give a short presentation about your
favorite Alaskan animal to your classmates to teach them more about the animals found in this state.
Your job is to create a 1-3 minute presentation about an Alaskan animal of your choosing by answering
the following questions:
Where does your animal live? What is its habitat like?
What does your animal eat?
Is your animal a predator or prey?
2 more interesting facts about your animal.

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You will also need to create something to present your information on. It can be a drawing, a poster, a
slideshow, or another visual of your choosing. Your goal as the animal expert is to help teach your
classmates about your favorite Alaskan animal and get them excited about learning more!

Kindergarten Presentation Rubric

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Level of Exceeds Proficient Developing Needs
proficiency Improvement

Category/
Descriptor
Content - The student’s - The student’s - The student’s - The student’s
information is information is information is information is
accurate. accurate. accurate. not accurate.
- All of the - All of the - Most of the - There are
required required required many pieces of
information is information is information is information
present in the present in the present in the missing from
student’s student’s student’s the
presentation. presentation presentation (1- presentation (3
- The student 2 items are or more)
includes extra missing).
information to
their
presentation.
Visual Aid - The visual aid is - The visual aid - The visual is - The visual is
organized and is organized somewhat not organized
easy to read. and easy to organized and or easy to read.
read. can be read.
- The visual - The visual
- The visual
improves - The visual does not have
improves
understanding of assists in the key
understanding
the information understanding information
of the
being presented. of the included.
information
- The visual adds being information.
more information presented
to the
presentation
(includes
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 pictures, maps,
graphs, etc. )
Presentation - The - The - The - The
presentation presentation presentation presentation
lasts between 1- lasts between does not meet does not meet
3 minutes. 1-3 minutes. the required the required
- The student time of 1-3 time of 1-3
- The student
speaks loud minutes. minutes.
speaks loud and
and clear for
clear for - The student - It is hard to
everyone in
everyone in the speaks loud hear/
the class to
class to hear. and clear for understand
hear.
- The student everyone in what the
- The student the class to student is
does not need to
uses the visual hear. saying.
use the visual in
once or twice
order to - The student - The student
in order to
remember their reads their needs help
remember
information. information from the
their
straight from teacher when
information.
the visual. presenting
their
information.

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