Lesson

Title/Focus

Where are certain animals

found within Alberta, and why?

Cour
se

Science Grade 3
English Grade 3

LESSON OUTCOMES

Demonstrate awareness that animals require different habitats in order to meet their
basic needs of food, water, shelter and space
Choose appropriate forms of oral, print and other media texts for communicating and
sharing ideas with others

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. By the end of the lesson, students will demonstrate an awareness of the habitat needs of
various animals through visual, oral and demonstrative formats. (Understanding)
2. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to produce visual and written
representations of their specific research [Poster Presentation or Write-up].
(Understanding)
3. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify important/relevant attributes
of effective research. (Understanding)

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Flash Cards with animal names on them

Ipads with pre-approved websites based on wildlife
Resources from the library based on wildlife (Nature Encyclopedia. What is
Hibernation? What is migration? Underground habitats. Animal Homes. Backyard
Habitats. A Grassland habitat. Life in a Grassland. Forest Food Chains. A Forest Habitat.
Why am I Rare? Gone Wild. The Food Chain. Predator! Predator. Nature All Year Long.
My First Nature Treasury. The Nature Book. The Jumbo Book of Nature Science. Alberta:
A Natural History.)
Resources from LearnAlberta for online information: trueflix bookflix
Poster paper
Previous poster for an example
Markers
Tape
Checklist (Pre-made)

PREPARATION AND LOGISTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Make Ipad cart available to students who want technology based research
Make resources available to students who want book based research
Have flash cards ready to hand out
Depending on the how well the teacher knows the class, we will either decide the
groups ahead of time or leave it to chance. Pre-decision would be to avoid unfair
assessment.
Have an example of a previous poster

Guiding questions on the board (Prompt questions)

PROCEDURE
Introduction

Introduce the overarching question: What is the purpose of the Parks in

Alberta?
This is done through a brief skit, pretending to be a Parks Ranger. Introducing
ideas about: What kinds of animals are found in Alberta Parks? Ideas about the
relationship between predators and prey, and what that categorization means.
What kinds of habitats are evident in Alberta? Forest, prairie, mountains,
caves, lakes & rivers, rural & urban. What kinds of animals do we see within
Lethbridge? Are there animals that can be found in both urban settings and
natural settings? What animals live exclusively in the wild?
Body

Animal
Research

Development
of Mini
Project

1. Have students stand up and find the corresponding

animal that is presented on the flashcard they have been
given
2. Ask students to determine whether they are predator or
prey
3. Ask partners to take either an Ipad or Resource book
(whichever they prefer) and begin researching the
animal that was presented on their card
a. Does your animal exist in a city, outside of the city,
or both?
b. What does your animal eat?
c. Does your animal make a shelter? If so, what kind of
shelter?
d. How much space does your animal need to live?
1. Describe the assignment to the class
1. Students will create a poster about their animal
shown on their card that answers the questions
posed above.
2. Show an example from a previous students
poster - make sure to describe that the project
needs a visual element and a written portion on
the poster. Discuss the rubric for the assignment.
3. Tell students that their will be an oral
presentation when they are finished in which half
of the students will walk around and view the
other halfs presentations and vice versa.
b. Have the poster paper and markers ready up at the front.
c. Allow students time in order to complete the projects.

Tim
e

10
min

Tim
e

30
min

30
min

Oral
Presentation
s

1. Once the projects have been completed, ask the students

to hang their posters around the classroom (use the tape
provided by the teacher)
2. Gather students together and hand out the checklist
1. Describe the purpose of the checklist - complete
the checklist while viewing your classmates
works. Put an X or a check mark after finding the
appropriate animal and name the animal on your
checklist
b. Divide the partner groups in half and have one half of
the groups stand by their project
1. Describe the purpose of the project is to inform
your classmates on what you have researched.
For 15 minutes, allow the other half of the
students to view their classmates projects.
2. Remind the students who are viewing that they
are to fill out their checklists while going to
different projects.
b. Have students begin their presentations, once the 15
minutes is up, switch the presenters and the viewers for
15 minutes. (Walk around the classroom and observe
each students presentations)
Closure

Closure

Have students return to their seats once the presentations

are complete.
Use prompt questions to engage students in discussion
o Which of these animals can be found within
Lethbridge?
o Which ones do you think are found outside of
Lethbridge?
o Which animals are found in both?
o Do you think Parks are like homes for animals
that can't live with humans?
o Are Parks designed to keep humans out, or to
keep animals in?
o How can we ensure that other animals can
acquire the resources they need to be
comfortable?
Allow students to finish filling in any blanks in their
checklist throughout the discussion
Have the students hand in their checklists

Assessment

35
min

Tim
e

10
min

Exit Slip (Checklist) Formative Assessment (Learning Objective #1)

Observation and Discussion (Through presentations and closure
discussions) Formative Assessment (Learning Objectives #1- 3)
Grammar on presentations - Formative Assessment (Learning
Objective #2)
Clarity of content (Learning Objectives #1-3)
Posters - Summative Assessment (based on rubric)

How will the technology enhance student learning?

This lesson gives students the opportunity to engage with technology by implementing iPads
inside the classroom as research tools. Students will use the iPads to research the animals that
they will presenting via their posters. Through the technology, the students are able to get in
depth and easy access to the information that they require in order to complete their posters. This
in depth information gives the students the tools to learn about their animals in ways the teacher
would be unable to achieve in such a short period of time. It is through the use of technology that
the class is able to engage with so much material; this, in turn, allows them to share their
knowledge with others when they present it later. Instead of the teacher trying to teach about a
vast array of animals, the students all research one animal with technology and share their results
with each other. The use of the iPads in this situation advocates a learner centered environment;
students learn from their own research, and later, from each others material.

What are the important considerations when integrating this technology (student skills,
technology access, engaging students, etc.)?

When looking at how integrate iPads inside the classroom there a few things to consider. The
first would be the availability of the technology to the students. This is easily addressed in
situations where schools supply the computers/tablets for student use. However, if students
cannot gain access to the technology, there are paper resources (textbooks, articles, books) within
the lesson for them to use instead. Another consideration would be how we can engage students
in using the technology. This is usually simple, as students love the idea of using technology in
the classroom because it changes the pace of the class for them. Students that are less thrilled
about the use of iPads are welcome to use the physical resources or work near a student who can
encourage their digital skills and willingness to engage with the technology. The students digital
skills are also a huge consideration when it comes to implementing technology in the classroom.
Not all students are digitally literate and they may struggle with the idea of research or even
using a tablet. As a teacher, it is a great idea to set up a small class to show the basics of how to
use the technology and how to conduct effective research on and offline. As teachers, technology
is an extremely useful tool; however, we must be cautious and use it correctly or it will not
benefit our students fully.

Describe any potential downsides or cautions to using the technology or the way in which
you will be using it.

There are some big things to consider while using iPads in the classroom to help students engage
in research. One large problem is that students are easily sidetracked by other websites that do
not pertain to the assignment (online games, memes, etc.) and this could keep them from
engaging in the research and learning the necessary information about their animals. This can be
minimized by starting students on the websites that they should be on, or constant monitoring of

devices by the teacher to encourage accountability on the iPads. Another issue with the iPads is
that students may not be able to adequately use search engines and therefore, will not be able to
use the technology effectively in the classroom. We can advocate digital skills by holding a short
class on how to use search engines when researching different school related things. This could
help students in their quest to research their animals during the lesson.