Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

Name of Teacher Candidate: Madeline Maggio Date: April 13, 2020

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Lesson Title: The Town Mouse and Country Mouse Aesop Fables

Curriculum Areas Addressed: Science and Literacy

Time Required: Instructional Groupings: Are you using whole group, small
30 min group, partners, quads, homogeneous, heterogeneous?
Whole class: heterogeneous mix
Standards: List the GPS/CCGPS that are the target of student learning and are key to this lesson. Include the number and the text of each
of the GPS/CCGPS that is being addressed. If only a portion of a standard is addressed, include only the part or parts that are relevant.

SKL2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to compare the similarities and differences in groups of
organisms.

a. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how animals can be grouped according to their features.

ELAGSEKRI2: With prompting and support, identify the main topic (main idea) and retell key details of a text
(supporting details).

ELAGSEKRL3: With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

As a result of this lesson students will…

Essential Question: (Essential questions should be used to guide instruction.) What are ways we can group animals?
Learning Objectives: (Objectives are stated in measurable/observable terms. These should reflect the thinking skills, skills of the
discipline. These represent the skills that will be assessed.)
My students will be able to explain the different way animals survive based on what they eat and where they live.

Support for Academic Language

Vocabulary: (What Academic Language will be taught or developed? Identify the key vocabulary and/or symbols specific to the content
area. These may be derived from the standards.)
- Wheat stalks
- Sparingly
- Luxuries and delights
- Banquet
- Dainty
- Ventured
- Servants
- Den
Language Demands: (Language demands is defined as the specific ways that academic language (vocabulary, functions, discourse,
syntax) is used by students to participate in learning tasks through reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking to demonstrate their
disciplinary understanding. Identify the following way/ways that students will participate in learning tasks to demonstrate disciplinary
understanding: reading, writing, listening, or oral language.)
Students will acquire language through listening and speaking by participating in discussion, asking questions, and debating. They will also
acquire and demonstrate vocabulary through writing.
Syntax: (Syntax is defined as the set of conventions for organizing symbols, words, and phrases together into structures, such as sentences,
tables, or graphs. Identify the supports that will be provided for students to organize the information – charts, graphs, diagrams. These must
relate to the Language Function.)
Graphic organizer: comparing the things country mouse enjoyed verses the things town mouse liked.
Opinion Drawing convention
Assessment (Each learning objective must be assessed. How will students demonstrate their understanding or the lesson’s objectives?

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

How will you provide feedback for the students? What type of assessment will be used? What evidence will be collected to demonstrate
students’ understanding/mastery of the lesson’s objective? What constitutes success for the students?)
Assessment Strategy: (Identify the assessment strategy/strategies to be used for assessment of the learning objectives listed above.
Each learning objective should be assessed. DO NOT restate the learning objective.)
Graphic organizer (formal evidence): comparing the environments
Thumbs up/down(informal): throughout read aloud to confirm students are understanding
Creative project (post-assessment): demonstrating difference in environments

Evaluation Criteria: (Indicate the qualities by which levels of performance can be differentiated and that anchor judgments about the
learner’s degree of success on an assessment.)
Graphic organizer:
- 1-2 characteristics incorrect/misplaced: success
- 3-4 characteristics incorrect/misplaces: lack of understanding/misconceptions
- 5 or more characteristics incorrect/misplaced: failure (did not meet objective)
Thumbs up/down
- Thumb up indicates the student is understanding content
- Thumb sideways indicates the student has a lack of understanding within the content
- Thumb down indicates student is not learning/understanding the content
Creative picture:
- Detail, accuracy provided: success
- Lack of detail, unclear, environment: misconceptions/lack of understanding
- Lacks an animal, incorrect environments: failure

Steps in the Lesson (Include the attention getter or the hook for the lesson; the introduction; the lesson procedures including
strategies/planned supports for whole‐class, small group, and individual instructions; and differentiated activities.)
Attention Getter or Hook: (State how the attention of the students will be piqued at the start of the lesson.)
Read aloud: The town mouse and the country mouse
-ask questions that keep students engage while reading: referring to setting, characters emotions, predictions
- pause at vocabulary words and go over the meaning
Introduction: (State how the lesson will be introduced. This should communicate the purpose of the lesson, be directly related to the
goals and objectives of the lesson, tap into prior knowledge/experiences, and develop student interest.)
Completing a Venn Diagram as a class, comparing and contrasting the town mouse and country mouse.
Students will use clues from the reading to compare/contrast their environments, emotions/attitudes, and food
choices. Why do they prefer to live differently? What is the difference in their homes?
Instructional Strategies: (Use a bulleted or numbered format to communicate the procedures for the lesson – what the teacher will do
as well as what the student will do. Describe the strategies which will be used to support students’ learning. Knowledge of students’
cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development along with their cultural backgrounds should be evident.)
- Each student will be given a blank sheet of paper and directed back to their seat.
- On one side of the paper they will draw the countryside and on the other they will draw the town. In each of the environments
they will draw the mouse that prefers that home and label it either “country” or “town.”
- After instructions, students will be invited to hold up their thumbs to represent their comfortability when it comes to being able
to complete this assignment
- Feedback will be given to students who seem to be confused or stuck on their drawings, recognized by observation. They will
receive ideas and reminders from the story to help them continue.
- Students can refer back to the Venn diagram on the board to help them with their pictures.
- This illustration (summative assessment) will represent the students’ understanding

Closure/Wrap up: (Describe how the CONTENT of the lesson will be summarized.)
Students will be invited to share their illustrations and explain how their picture represents their understanding. Students will be asked
questions to review this lesson and spark interest for the next. What animals, other than mice, might want to live in the country? The city?
Why do you think that animal would like to live there?

Instructional Supports
Resources and Materials Used to Engage Students in Learning (Provide citations for all resources that you did not create.
Attach key instructional material needed to understand what you and the students will be doing. Examples: class handouts, assignments,
slides, and interactive white board images.)
The town mouse and the country mouse fable:https://americanliterature.com/author/aesop/short-story/the-town-mouse-and-the-country-
mouse
Venn diagram template drawn on smartboard

Additional Resources and Materials Used to Increase Teacher’s Background Knowledge of the Content: (List any

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

websites and sources of materials and background information that you will need or use as the teacher to engage the students.)

Other Relevant Information

Clear Links to Learning Theories, Educational Research, and Principles of Development:
Erikson Psychosocial theory: explore within limits and then support the child’s choice. Erikson emphasized
that the ego makes positive contributions to development by mastering attitudes, ideas, and skills at
each stage of development.
Connections to Technology and/or the Arts:
Technology is used by pulling the up the fable. Also used for displaying Venn diagram template, interactive and
shared writing so students can see their ideas being confirmed.
Art is incorporated through students drawing their understanding of the lesson
Description of Collaboration with Others: (These might include the inclusion teacher, media specialist, counselor, guest speaker,
grade level coordinator, community experts, families, etc.)

Name of Teacher Candidate: Madeline Maggio Date: April 14, 2020

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Lesson Title: Pets

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

Curriculum Areas Addressed: Science and Language Arts

Time Required: 40-45 min Instructional Groupings: Are you using whole group, small
group, partners, quads, homogeneous, heterogeneous?
Whole group
Standards: List the GPS/CCGPS that are the target of student learning and are key to this lesson. Include the number and the text of each
of the GPS/CCGPS that is being addressed. If only a portion of a standard is addressed, include only the part or parts that are relevant.

SKL2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to compare the similarities and differences in groups of
organisms.

a. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how animals can be grouped according to their features.

W.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.

As a result of this lesson students will…

Essential Question: (Essential questions should be used to guide instruction.) What are ways we can group animals?
Learning Objectives: (Objectives are stated in measurable/observable terms. These should reflect the thinking skills, skills of the
discipline. These represent the skills that will be assessed.)
Students will be able to explain how pets behave, what they look like, and what they need to be taken care of.

Support for Academic Language

Vocabulary: (What Academic Language will be taught or developed? Identify the key vocabulary and/or symbols specific to the content
area. These may be derived from the standards.)
-pets
- depend on
- checklist
Language Demands: (Language demands is defined as the specific ways that academic language (vocabulary, functions, discourse,
syntax) is used by students to participate in learning tasks through reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking to demonstrate their
disciplinary understanding. Identify the following way/ways that students will participate in learning tasks to demonstrate disciplinary
understanding: reading, writing, listening, or oral language.)
Students will acquire this academic language through oral language (asking and answering questions, discussing and debating thoughts),
writing and listening.
Syntax: (Syntax is defined as the set of conventions for organizing symbols, words, and phrases together into structures, such as sentences,
tables, or graphs. Identify the supports that will be provided for students to organize the information – charts, graphs, diagrams. These must
relate to the Language Function.)
-list: needs for the baby chicks
Assessment (Each learning objective must be assessed. How will students demonstrate their understanding or the lesson’s objectives?
How will you provide feedback for the students? What type of assessment will be used? What evidence will be collected to demonstrate
students’ understanding/mastery of the lesson’s objective? What constitutes success for the students?)
Assessment Strategy: (Identify the assessment strategy/strategies to be used for assessment of the learning objectives listed above.
Each learning objective should be assessed. DO NOT restate the learning objective.)
- Summative assessment: creative project and written description
- Formative assessment: asking questions
Evaluation Criteria: (Indicate the qualities by which levels of performance can be differentiated and that anchor judgments about the
learner’s degree of success on an assessment.)

Creative project with descriptive sentence:

- Student creates accurate/reasonable home for their pet, representing its necessities, project is creative and represents student’s
effort: success performance level
- Project portrays unclear environment for the pet, creativity is shown but accuracy is missing: still lacks understanding
- Project portrays no effort or creativity, student places pet in a home that is very unreasonable: Fails to understand

Steps in the Lesson (Include the attention getter or the hook for the lesson; the introduction; the lesson procedures including
strategies/planned supports for whole‐class, small group, and individual instructions; and differentiated activities.)

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

Attention Getter or Hook: (State how the attention of the students will be piqued at the start of the lesson.)
Gather the students to make a circle around a box of materials and ask questions like:
What do these objects make you think of?
What would you need these different items for?
What could you use them for?
Place the box in the middle and give students the opportunity to explore the different items in the box. Allow them to answer your
questions with a variety of responses but refrain from explanation. Check for misunderstanding but do not teach.
Introduction: (State how the lesson will be introduced. This should communicate the purpose of the lesson, be directly related to the
goals and objectives of the lesson, tap into prior knowledge/experiences, and develop student interest.)
Question: Explain the answers to these questions. What animals do you think would make a good pet? Which animals would not make a
good pet? What are some specific examples of pets? After students give ideas, sing the song “I Have a pet” to the tune of “Bingo”
(link to song attached below)
Discuss: Current class pet- baby chicks waiting to hatch. Build on their prior knowledge of learning how to care for the baby chick eggs to
inferring ways to take care of other pets.

Instructional Strategies: (Use a bulleted or numbered format to communicate the procedures for the lesson – what the teacher will do
as well as what the student will do. Describe the strategies which will be used to support students’ learning. Knowledge of students’
cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development along with their cultural backgrounds should be evident.)
- Students will share their pet preference and as a class, come to an agreement on a pet.
- Once the class decides on a pet, you will construct a list of items and materials that one will need to care for this pet. For
example, if it were a dog, we would need materials such as: food, water, dog crate, leash, etc.
- The materials will be written in a list format on the board at the front of the class.
- Student learning will be promoted by providing subtle examples and sparking new ideas. Provide feedback of what certain items
are used for, for example, informing students that a leash is used to walk a pet.
- To asses’ students, ask questions referring to the role of a specific item.
- After the list is complete, students will be given plastic play animals (examples of pets) and instructed to make a home for their
animal out of materials given to them. Students will be instructed to give their pet a name and write a sentence(s) describing its
home, how it behaves, and what it looks like.
- They will be evaluated based on their description
Closure/Wrap up: (Describe how the CONTENT of the lesson will be summarized.)
Students will share their pet and the home they constructed for it. Sharing will give other students a review on the type of each pet, what a
pet requires, looks like, lives, and a pet behaves. Students will be observed and checked for understanding.
Questions: What was the most exciting part of the lesson? What did you learn?
Instructional Supports
Resources and Materials Used to Engage Students in Learning (Provide citations for all resources that you did not create.
Attach key instructional material needed to understand what you and the students will be doing. Examples: class handouts, assignments,
slides, and interactive white board images.)
- Plastic play animals
- Materials for habitat: Construction paper, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, puff balls, pennies, scissors,
and glue
- Hook: a box of materials that are used to care for pets, such as: collar, bowl, bed, food (variety of
types), leash, treats, toys (variety of types), etc.
- Song: I Have a Pet http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems49.html

Additional Resources and Materials Used to Increase Teacher’s Background Knowledge of the Content: (List any
websites and sources of materials and background information that you will need or use as the teacher to engage the students.)

Other Relevant Information

Clear Links to Learning Theories, Educational Research, and Principles of Development:
- Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theory of cognitive development: draws on both imaginative and literal thought processes
- Piaget’s theory of cognitive development: The theory deals with the nature of knowledge itself and how humans gradually come to
acquire, construct, and use it. Links through hands-on approaches.
- Erikson Psychosocial theory: explore within limits and then support the child’s choice. Erikson emphasized that the ego makes
positive contributions to development by mastering attitudes, ideas, and skills at each stage of development.
- Montessori: Independence and Observation

-
Connections to Technology and/or the Arts:
Art: implementing play and creativity into the lesson through an art project.
Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

Technology: providing the lyrics to the song

Description of Collaboration with Others: (These might include the inclusion teacher, media specialist, counselor, guest speaker,
grade level coordinator, community experts, families, etc.)

Name of Teacher Candidate: Madeline Maggio Date: April 15, 2020

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Lesson Title: Farm Animals

Curriculum Areas Addressed: Science and Language Arts

Time Required: Instructional Groupings: Are you using whole group, small
45-50 min group, partners, quads, homogeneous, heterogeneous?
Whole group
Partners: heterogenous

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

Standards: List the GPS/CCGPS that are the target of student learning and are key to this lesson. Include the number and the text of each
of the GPS/CCGPS that is being addressed. If only a portion of a standard is addressed, include only the part or parts that are relevant.

SKL2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to compare the similarities and differences in groups of
organisms.

a. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how animals can be grouped according to their features.

W.KI.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from
provided sources to answer a question.

As a result of this lesson students will…

Essential Question: (Essential questions should be used to guide instruction.) What are ways we can group animals?
Learning Objectives: (Objectives are stated in measurable/observable terms. These should reflect the thinking skills, skills of the
discipline. These represent the skills that will be assessed.)
Students will be able to identify the similarities and differences between pets and farm animals.
Support for Academic Language
Vocabulary: (What Academic Language will be taught or developed? Identify the key vocabulary and/or symbols specific to the content
area. These may be derived from the standards.)
- Environment
- Incubator
- Hatching
Language Demands: (Language demands is defined as the specific ways that academic language (vocabulary, functions, discourse,
syntax) is used by students to participate in learning tasks through reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking to demonstrate their
disciplinary understanding. Identify the following way/ways that students will participate in learning tasks to demonstrate disciplinary
understanding: reading, writing, listening, or oral language.)
-Language is acquired through listening and oral language (asking and answering questions, discussing, communicating with peers)
Syntax: (Syntax is defined as the set of conventions for organizing symbols, words, and phrases together into structures, such as sentences,
tables, or graphs. Identify the supports that will be provided for students to organize the information – charts, graphs, diagrams. These must
relate to the Language Function.)
Diagram: Sorting/grouping animals by their characteristics
Assessment (Each learning objective must be assessed. How will students demonstrate their understanding or the lesson’s objectives?
How will you provide feedback for the students? What type of assessment will be used? What evidence will be collected to demonstrate
students’ understanding/mastery of the lesson’s objective? What constitutes success for the students?)
Assessment Strategy: (Identify the assessment strategy/strategies to be used for assessment of the learning objectives listed above.
Each learning objective should be assessed. DO NOT restate the learning objective.)
- Diagram: Separating into pet/farm groups
- Asking questions (formative assessment)
- Talk to a partner-refer back to class (formative assessment)
Evaluation Criteria: (Indicate the qualities by which levels of performance can be differentiated and that anchor judgments about the
learner’s degree of success on an assessment.)
Diagram:
- Student in correct group and could give reasons why his/her animal was a pet/farm animal: success performance level
- Student was in correct group but does not have any reasons for choosing the box: lacks understanding
- Student was in the incorrect group and does not know the characteristics for either group of animals: failure to understand
Steps in the Lesson (Include the attention getter or the hook for the lesson; the introduction; the lesson procedures including
strategies/planned supports for whole‐class, small group, and individual instructions; and differentiated activities.)

Attention Getter or Hook: (State how the attention of the students will be piqued at the start of the lesson.)
Listen to the song Old Macdonald Had a farm while watching the video. (linked below) Then sing the song and narrate the song with animal
puppets, paper pictures of animals on popsicle sticks.

Introduction: (State how the lesson will be introduced. This should communicate the purpose of the lesson, be directly related to the
goals and objectives of the lesson, tap into prior knowledge/experiences, and develop student interest.)
Create two boxes of tape on the ground, label one box pets, and the other box farm animals. Assign students an animal by handing them a
picture card. They will use what we learned about pets and their previous knowledge of farm animals to decide which box they will move to.
Students will stand in the box that their animal falls under.
Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

Instructional Strategies: (Use a bulleted or numbered format to communicate the procedures for the lesson – what the teacher will do
as well as what the student will do. Describe the strategies which will be used to support students’ learning. Knowledge of students’
cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development along with their cultural backgrounds should be evident.)
- Have a class discussion on the topic of our classroom pets. Explain that our chicks will hatch one day and grow big and turn into
chickens. Where do chickens live?
- Our chickens will move to a farm because we will not have enough space in our classroom to care for them anymore. We will run
out of resources
- Game: Place students in heterogenous partners, so one is able to help and provide feedback to the other.
- Each student will have an animal card taped on their back. Students will be instructed to only look at their partners card, and not
to look at their own.
- The student is allowed to ask their partner questions that will help he/guess what animal is one their back. Students will use
what they have learned to help them guess. Questions can include: Am I a pet? Am I a farm animal? What noise do I make? How
big am I? Students will repeat this game 2 more times, switching partners every 10 minutes
- They will be receiving feedback from the teacher, giving them example questions, checking for understanding, and observing
their discussions. Students are being assessed based on how well they perform in the activity.
- After they are done, Students will share their guess with their table group, and they will find out if they were correct or incorrect.
This allows for feedback and discussion with their peers before asking for the teacher to explain.

Closure/Wrap up: (Describe how the CONTENT of the lesson will be summarized.)
What is your favorite farm animal? What else do you want to know about farm animals?
Instructional Supports
Resources and Materials Used to Engage Students in Learning (Provide citations for all resources that you did not create.
Attach key instructional material needed to understand what you and the students will be doing. Examples: class handouts, assignments,
slides, and interactive white board images.)
- Old Macdonald Had a farm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6HzoUcx3eo
- tape
- Stack of index cards with both pets and farm animals

Additional Resources and Materials Used to Increase Teacher’s Background Knowledge of the Content: (List any
websites and sources of materials and background information that you will need or use as the teacher to engage the students.)

Other Relevant Information

Clear Links to Learning Theories, Educational Research, and Principles of Development:
- Montessori: Independence and Observation
- Piaget: hands-on approaches
- Erikson: explores within limits and then support the child’s choice.
- Vygotsky: draws on both imaginative and literal thought processes

Connections to Technology and/or the Arts:

Technology: computer and projector were used to pull up a YouTube video

Description of Collaboration with Others: (These might include the inclusion teacher, media specialist, counselor, guest speaker,
grade level coordinator, community experts, families, etc.)

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

Name of Teacher Candidate: Madeline Maggio Date: April 16, 2020

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Lesson Title: Zoo Animals

Curriculum Areas Addressed: Science and Language Arts

Time Required: 45-50 min Instructional Groupings: Are you using whole group, small
group, partners, quads, homogeneous, heterogeneous?
Whole group
Standards: List the GPS/CCGPS that are the target of student learning and are key to this lesson. Include the number and the text of each
of the GPS/CCGPS that is being addressed. If only a portion of a standard is addressed, include only the part or parts that are relevant.

SKL2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to compare the similarities and differences in groups of
organisms.

a. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how animals can be grouped according to their features.

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

W.KI.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from
provided sources to answer a question.

As a result of this lesson students will…

Essential Question: (Essential questions should be used to guide instruction.) What are ways we can group animals?
Learning Objectives: (Objectives are stated in measurable/observable terms. These should reflect the thinking skills, skills of the
discipline. These represent the skills that will be assessed.)
Students will identify characteristics of animals that are classified as zoo animals. Students will make a connection between behavior,
physical attributes, and habitat.

Support for Academic Language

Vocabulary: (What Academic Language will be taught or developed? Identify the key vocabulary and/or symbols specific to the content
area. These may be derived from the standards.)
- Zoologist
- Environment
- Nocturnal
Language Demands: (Language demands is defined as the specific ways that academic language (vocabulary, functions, discourse,
syntax) is used by students to participate in learning tasks through reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking to demonstrate their
disciplinary understanding. Identify the following way/ways that students will participate in learning tasks to demonstrate disciplinary
understanding: reading, writing, listening, or oral language.)
Students will acquire academic language through reading, writing, listening and speaking, they will use it during the lesson to demonstrate
their learning and understanding.
Syntax: (Syntax is defined as the set of conventions for organizing symbols, words, and phrases together into structures, such as sentences,
tables, or graphs. Identify the supports that will be provided for students to organize the information – charts, graphs, diagrams. These must
relate to the Language Function.)
- Checklist of animal characteristics to record their experience.
Assessment (Each learning objective must be assessed. How will students demonstrate their understanding or the lesson’s objectives?
How will you provide feedback for the students? What type of assessment will be used? What evidence will be collected to demonstrate
students’ understanding/mastery of the lesson’s objective? What constitutes success for the students?)
Assessment Strategy: (Identify the assessment strategy/strategies to be used for assessment of the learning objectives listed above.
Each learning objective should be assessed. DO NOT restate the learning objective.)
- Formative assessments: Thumbs up/down/sideways and asking questions
- Summative assessment: checklist (scavenger hunt) and creative expressive project (animal imitation)

Evaluation Criteria: (Indicate the qualities by which levels of performance can be differentiated and that anchor judgments about the
learner’s degree of success on an assessment.)
Checklist:
- Checked boxes accurately represent the characteristics of animals introduced on the tour: success performance level
- 1 check was either missing or added in the incorrect space: still has misconceptions or lack of understanding
- 3 or more missing or incorrect check marks appeared on the checklist: identifying failure of understanding
Steps in the Lesson (Include the attention getter or the hook for the lesson; the introduction; the lesson procedures including
strategies/planned supports for whole‐class, small group, and individual instructions; and differentiated activities.)
Attention Getter or Hook: (State how the attention of the students will be piqued at the start of the lesson.)
Visit the link to the live Panda camera at the Atlanta zoo. https://zooatlanta.org/panda-cam/
Allow students to watch how the panda moves and behaves on camera. This will give students a sneak peek to
zoo life sense the field trip to the zoo cannot happen.
Introduction: (State how the lesson will be introduced. This should communicate the purpose of the lesson, be directly related to the
goals and objectives of the lesson, tap into prior knowledge/experiences, and develop student interest.)
Propose the questions: What are some other animals we might have seen at the zoo? Introduce a zoologist to
the students and explain how they research and learn about the animals. Zoologists learn about animals so they
are able to take care of them and so that humans can visit the zoo and experience seeing animals from all over
the world.
Instructional Strategies: (Use a bulleted or numbered format to communicate the procedures for the lesson – what the teacher will do
as well as what the student will do. Describe the strategies which will be used to support students’ learning. Knowledge of students’
cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development along with their cultural backgrounds should be evident.)
Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

- Create an environment in the classroom that resembles a zoo environment. This will be done as a whole class, with the teacher
as the head zoologist/tour guide.
- Take students through a virtual tour of the San Diego zoo, using this interactive website https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/live-cams
(includes descriptions of the animals in the zoo, as well as, live cameras to see the animals in action.)
- Begin by having students go to their desk and put on their very own safari hat, making them feel like explorers. (make/gather
hats prior to lesson). Provide each student with a clipboard and a zoo scavenger hunt checklist.
- Before proceeding with the tour, explain each characteristic on the checklist, so students are familiar and able to recognize it
during the tour.
- Students will be exploring and studying the animals and will check off a box on their checklist if they are introduced to an animal
with a characteristic on the checklist. (scavenger hunt attached below) Evaluate students understanding of recognizing physical
characteristics.
- After exploring each exhibit, be sure to ask students questions and to give the guide thumbs up/down/sideways to express their
understanding of each animal’s characteristics and behavior.
- In transition between each zoo animal, instruct students to take a lap around the classroom to act as if you are traveling to the
next exhibit.
- After your class has explored the animals at the zoo, instruct students to pick their favorite zoo animal that they learned about.
Invite students to imitate their animal, with movements, sounds, and activities that imply the behavior of their chosen animal. As
the teacher, go around the room and talk to each student, who can only reply as their animal. Try and guess the animal they each
student is imitating. Evaluate and give feedback to students based on the behavior they are displaying.
Closure/Wrap up: (Describe how the CONTENT of the lesson will be summarized.)
As a close, sing the song Zoo as a class. Reviewing animals from the zoo tour, in addition to other animals that could live at the zoo. Ask
students: Do you have any questions? How are zoo animals different from farm animals and pets? What else do you want to learn about zoo
animals?
Instructional Supports
Resources and Materials Used to Engage Students in Learning (Provide citations for all resources that you did not create.
Attach key instructional material needed to understand what you and the students will be doing. Examples: class handouts, assignments,
slides, and interactive white board images.)
-Live panda cam: https://zooatlanta.org/panda-cam/
-Virtual Zoo tour: https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/live-cams
-Song: Zoo to the tune of “Skip to my Lou” by Meish Goldish http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems27.html
- Zoo scavenger hunt worksheet (attached below) from teacherspayteachers.com

Additional Resources and Materials Used to Increase Teacher’s Background Knowledge of the Content: (List any
websites and sources of materials and background information that you will need or use as the teacher to engage the students.)
https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/live-cams : will require exploring prior to the lesson to prepare for the tour
Other Relevant Information
Clear Links to Learning Theories, Educational Research, and Principles of Development:
Piaget’s theory: hands-on approaches
Erikson explore within limits and then support the child’s choice.
Vygotsky: draw on both imaginative and literal thought processes
Connections to Technology and/or the Arts:
Technology: virtually exploring the zoo websites using a computer and projector. Implementing interactive
websites into learning experience.
Arts: Incorporating drama into lesson when taking on the role of zoo tourists and creating a similar environment
simulation, allowing students to express their creativity.
Description of Collaboration with Others: (These might include the inclusion teacher, media specialist, counselor, guest speaker,
grade level coordinator, community experts, families, etc.)

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

Name of Teacher Candidate: Madeline Maggio Date: April 17, 2020

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Lesson Title: Create your own animal

Curriculum Areas Addressed: Science and Language Arts

Time Required: 40 min Instructional Groupings: Are you using whole group, small
group, partners, quads, homogeneous, heterogeneous?
Whole Group
Standards: List the GPS/CCGPS that are the target of student learning and are key to this lesson. Include the number and the text of each
of the GPS/CCGPS that is being addressed. If only a portion of a standard is addressed, include only the part or parts that are relevant.

SKL2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to compare the similarities and differences in groups of
organisms.

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

a. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how animals can be grouped according to their features.

W.KI.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from
provided sources to answer a question.

As a result of this lesson students will…

Essential Question: (Essential questions should be used to guide instruction.) What are ways we can group animals?
Learning Objectives: (Objectives are stated in measurable/observable terms. These should reflect the thinking skills, skills of the
discipline. These represent the skills that will be assessed.)
Students will compare and contrast the characteristics of pets, farm, and zoo animals. Students will make a connection with these
characteristics and apply it to their experience.
Support for Academic Language
Vocabulary: (What Academic Language will be taught or developed? Identify the key vocabulary and/or symbols specific to the content
area. These may be derived from the standards.)
- The five senses: taste, smell, touch, hear, sight
Language Demands: (Language demands is defined as the specific ways that academic language (vocabulary, functions, discourse,
syntax) is used by students to participate in learning tasks through reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking to demonstrate their
disciplinary understanding. Identify the following way/ways that students will participate in learning tasks to demonstrate disciplinary
understanding: reading, writing, listening, or oral language.)
Students will gain academic language through listening, speaking, and writing.
Syntax: (Syntax is defined as the set of conventions for organizing symbols, words, and phrases together into structures, such as sentences,
tables, or graphs. Identify the supports that will be provided for students to organize the information – charts, graphs, diagrams. These must
relate to the Language Function.)
- Graphic organizer: comparing and contrasting pets, farm, and zoo animals.

Assessment (Each learning objective must be assessed. How will students demonstrate their understanding or the lesson’s objectives?
How will you provide feedback for the students? What type of assessment will be used? What evidence will be collected to demonstrate
students’ understanding/mastery of the lesson’s objective? What constitutes success for the students?)
Assessment Strategy: (Identify the assessment strategy/strategies to be used for assessment of the learning objectives listed above.
Each learning objective should be assessed. DO NOT restate the learning objective.)
Narrative story introducing their animal of choice
Creative project representing their animal of choice

Evaluation Criteria: (Indicate the qualities by which levels of performance can be differentiated and that anchor judgments about the
learner’s degree of success on an assessment.)
Narrative story
- Accurately represents the animal they created, correcting explaining characteristics: success performance level
- Unclear connection to their animal of choice, a few incorrect characteristics: a few misconceptions/lacks understanding
- Does not represent their creative project, characteristics do not align with their description, lack of effort in project: failure to
understand
Creative project:
- Effort and creativity are both shown in the puppet, accurate animal representation: success performance level
- A few misconceptions in the physical characteristics of their animal, unclear representation still lacks understanding
- No effort shown in creative project, did not follow guidelines: failure in understanding
Steps in the Lesson (Include the attention getter or the hook for the lesson; the introduction; the lesson procedures including
strategies/planned supports for whole‐class, small group, and individual instructions; and differentiated activities.)
Attention Getter or Hook: (State how the attention of the students will be piqued at the start of the lesson.)
Invite students to explore plastic play animals that include all three groups of animals: pet, zoo, and farm. Place three hula hoops on the
ground in the middle of the room and label each circle a different animal group. Instruct students to explore the bucket of animals and place
them into their designated circle, based on the knowledge they have gained through their learning experiences.
Introduction: (State how the lesson will be introduced. This should communicate the purpose of the lesson, be directly related to the

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

goals and objectives of the lesson, tap into prior knowledge/experiences, and develop student interest.)
Ask students for examples of pets, examples of farm animals, and examples of zoo animals. How are zoo animals different from farm
animals? Could a zoo animal also be a pet? Why or why not? Show the students a series of animal pictures (printed pictures on notecards)
while asking them what group you would place them in.
Instructional Strategies: (Use a bulleted or numbered format to communicate the procedures for the lesson – what the teacher will do
as well as what the student will do. Describe the strategies which will be used to support students’ learning. Knowledge of students’
cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development along with their cultural backgrounds should be evident.)
- Each student will create their own paper plate puppet animal, choosing an animal we learned about in the unit or make up their
own animal.
- Students will be given a variety of materials and the freedom to make whatever animal they desire. After creating their animal
puppet, students must make up the characteristics of their animal.
- First, is my animal a pet, farm animal, or zoo animal? What does my animal look like? Feel like? Smell like? Sound like? Taste?
What does my animal like to eat? Where does it live? They will prepare a short narrative that they will share with the class.
- Students will be sharing their narrative orally, ask students questions during their explanation to prompt their description and
evaluate their understanding.
- After all students are finished sharing, individually asses creative projects to evaluate understanding.
Closure/Wrap up: (Describe how the CONTENT of the lesson will be summarized.)
Students will gather in a circle on the carpet and share their favorite animal we have learned about. Any remaining questions will be
answered and explored. We will share our favorite experience we had in these learning experiences.
Instructional Supports
Resources and Materials Used to Engage Students in Learning (Provide citations for all resources that you did not create.
Attach key instructional material needed to understand what you and the students will be doing. Examples: class handouts, assignments,
slides, and interactive white board images.)
- 3 hula hoops
- plastic play animals
- printed pictures of animals
- Materials for creative puppet project: paper plates, construction paper, markers, crayons, puff balls, googely eyes, pipe cleaners,
glitter, cotton balls, scissors, glue, etc
Additional Resources and Materials Used to Increase Teacher’s Background Knowledge of the Content: (List any
websites and sources of materials and background information that you will need or use as the teacher to engage the students.)

Other Relevant Information

Clear Links to Learning Theories, Educational Research, and Principles of Development:
Piaget: hands-on approaches
Erikson: explore within limits and then support the child’s choice.
Vygotsky: draw on both imaginative and literal thought processes
Montessori: Independence and observation

Connections to Technology and/or the Arts:

Arts: Creativity shown through the creation of animal puppets, students created their animals with the freedom
to explore their imagination.
Description of Collaboration with Others: (These might include the inclusion teacher, media specialist, counselor, guest speaker,
grade level coordinator, community experts, families, etc.)

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College