PED3141 (Instructor: P.

Milley)

Lesson Plan Version 1.0

Name of student: Eve Sinhaseni (5626398)

Title: Grade: 2 Subject/Course: Language Time:

An Animal Guide for Scaredy Squirrel Strand: Writing 75 minutes

Lesson Description

This lesson is designed to practice writing skills via creating a factual brochure about pets and animals based on the
Scaredy Squirrel Makes A Friend story. The book will be read aloud in class by the teacher and the goal is to elicit a
class discussion about pets in the home and animals in the book and then brainstorming about how to look after a pet.
Students will then identify the differences found in factual how-to vs a personal how-to text. The final product that will be
assessed from this lesson is a brochure created individually or in pairs about an animal found in the Scaredy Squirrel
book to help Scaredy Squirrel be more informed about the animals that he is afraid of.

Stage 1: Desired Results

Ontario Ministry Curriculum Expectation(s)
The expectations for Grades 1 to 3 focus on the foundational knowledge and skills the students need in order to
establish a strong basis for language development.

Overall:
Writing:
(1) Generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience;
(2) Draft and revise their writing, using a variety of informational, literary, and graphic forms and stylistic elements
appropriate for the purpose and audience

Specific:
2.1 Write short texts using several simple forms (e.g., a friendly letter; a factual recount of a scientific or mathematical
investigation; a recipe describing the procedure for cooking a favourite food; directions for playing a game; a paragraph
describing the physical characteristics of an animal; an original story or an extension of a familiar story, modelled on
stories read; their own variation on a patterned poem; an advertisement for a toy)

Stage 2: Evidence of learning and assessment procedure

Student performance: Purpose This is a formative assessment for the students

Students will practice sequencing a story based on a set
of images and communicate about the story to their
peers.
Students will communicate and discuss with their peers
about animals and steps needed to take care of animals.
Students will produce a brochure based on the book
Scaredy Squirrel.
Knowledge, skills, attitudes/values:
Knowledge of animals and pets and how we take care of
our furry friends
Collaboration skills when working with their group on the
chart paper activity
Creativity
Positive attitudes
abilities to clearly communicate their message about animals
and pets through a brochure.
Tool(s) (e.g., checklist, marking scheme, rubric, observation,
interviews):
Use a checklist and observation to assess students
abilities to work within a team and for their
participation efforts during class discussion.
Use a rubric to assess the students brochure and
class presentation.

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 PED3141 (Instructor: P. Milley)

Stage 3a: Planning learning experience and instruction

Instructional strategies: Student grouping
Teacher-led discussion Individual brochure assignment
Group discussion about how-to look after an Group chart activity
animal Pairs for presentation and assessment of brochure
Class discussion to elicit key vocabulary and Class discussion
target concepts of stating factual information.

Resources: Considerations:
Literary forms spread out in the class (dictionary, Technology failure use chalkboard/whiteboard
information book, brochure) Student absence make up lesson/homework
PowerPoint presentation Dying markers for chart paper use chalkboard
Scaredy Squirrel Makes A Friend book by
Melanie Watt
Chart paper and marker for groups
Prepared brochure templates for each student
Peer-assessment form (per pair)

Stage 3b: Learning experience and instructional process

Motivational Hook (process for grabbing and focusing students attention)
Timing: 15 mins
During recess, the teacher will lay out books and brochures around the classroom and prepare the PowerPoint
slide for refreshing students memory about sequencing and animals.
When students return to class, they will be instructed to sit down in their groups. Ask students if they have a pet.
As a class, we will have a discussion about animals and pets. What is the ideal pet? What are different pets
around the world? Are there any animals that they are afraid of?
Show a PowerPoint presentation about pets found in different Disney movies (ex. Aladdin Tiger, Up Dog,
Pocahontas Racoon, Aristocats Cat, Peter Pan Hooks Parrot, Beauty and the Beast Horse). In each
slide, have students identify the animal. Ask Students if they have any similar pets.
Distribute chart paper to each group and have them brainstorm about how to take care of a pet and assign each
group an animal.

Open (process for signal direction of lesson and agenda)

Timing: 15 mins

After the class discussion, the teacher will read Scaredy Squirrel Makes A Friend to the class. As a class, we will
sequence the story from beginning to end. We will identify the main character, the purpose of the text, and the
challenges that Scaredy Squirrel faces. We will answer the Wh questions about the story: Who, What, When,
Where, and Why. Primarily, we will look at which animals Scaredy Squirrel is afraid of (piranhas, beavers,
walruses, bunnies, Godzilla) and the ideal friend he wants to make (fish) and the friend he ends up meeting
(dog).
The teacher will ask the class: What could help Scaredy Squirrel know more about the animals that he is afraid
to encounter and the friend he makes outside of his home? Students will hopefully say books or brochures (from
observing around the class).
On the PowerPoint slide show, read a factual text about an animal and then read a personal blog about an
animal. Then on the slide where the two texts are side by side, ask students to identify key differences between
the texts. (Use of I in personal vs a third person perspective in factual). Look at texts in the classroom and
show a factual dictionary text and compare it to a blog about a personal opinion of an animal.
Body (main instructional and learning processes to build understanding, skills, attitudes)
Timing: 25 mins

Introduce the project for the lesson which is to create an informational brochure for Scaredy Squirrel about the
animals in the world. This is to be done individually but if students want to pair up then that is ok too. This

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 PED3141 (Instructor: P. Milley)

brochure will include information about ONE selected animal to help Scaredy Squirrel find out more about the
animal. Teacher hands out prepared templates of brochures to each student and instructs students to include 1-
3 pictures for the animal, answer What (the animal is and what colour and what it looks like) and Where (it can
be found land or water, its ideal habitat). It will have a how-to of preparations for the animal and how to look
after it. It will also include a checklist of what the animal needs to live happily and survive.
This is an informational brochure. Therefore, there should not be any personal voice indicated on the brochure.
Teacher walks and monitors student activity.
Consolidation (processes for application and practice of knowledge, skills, attitudes)
Timing: 10 mins

Once students are finished the assignment, students will briefly share their animal partner about what their
animal is, what it looks like, what colour(s) it is, about its habitat, and their how-to look after it. Their partner will
read their brochure and they will check a box on the brochure which indicates it is Scaredy Squirrel approved
(meaning that the brochure was clear and concise).
Students will be given a criteria to assess their peers brochure.
Closure (processes for recapping, looking ahead)
Timing: 10 mins

Class discussion about the assignment to see what they liked or disliked about the assignment.
Ask class if this activity helped students learn more about their animal.
Discuss about personality traits that is needed to look after a friend or an animal.
To connect it to the global community, the teacher can ask students about how humans can positively impact the
world to ensure that animals and humans can cohabitate.
To extend the lesson further, we can create a how-to poster about conservation for the planet since it is a home
for humans and animals.

Rationale for the lesson plan (see Assignment 3 description on Blackboard Learn):

This lesson plan emphasizes the need for students to understand the writing for a purpose and audience
as well as being able to identify the characteristics of different literary forms. Although identifying the style
of literature is part of the reading strand, it allows students to have an example text to format their writing
activity. The use of backward design planning is implemented here by looking at the overall goal of
completing a factual brochure about a topic (animals).From recognizing that goal, We use the students'
prior knowledge of animals and pets to scaffold the basis for this assignment.

The Language curriculum gave several ideas of short texts to assign for students to do and I felt that my
rationale for choosing a brochure was that it included elements of various styles of writing (such as a
dictionary definition, a factual text, a checklist, and a how-to step by step of what to do when coming
across the animal in the environment).

This lesson plan is applicable to students in their daily lives as they will encounter situations where they
need a brief informative and concise guide. By having a class discussion, students work with the teacher
to formulate the outline for writing animal facts and work on the format of the brochure together. In a
group discussion, the students collaborate and discuss ideas about how to look after an animal that was
assigned to them. Here, we observe how students interact with each other as this is an important life skill.
By having a peer assess their finished brochure, students learn how to write for a purpose and audience
and this peer assessment will be tied with teacher assessment.

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PED3141 (Instructor: P. Milley)

Cooper, D., & Adams, K. (2007). Talk about assessment strategies and tools to improve learning.
Toronto, ON: Thomson/Nelson.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2006). The Ontario curriculum grades 1-8: Language. Retrieved from
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/language18currb.pdf

Watt, M. (2007). Scaredy Squirrel makes a friend. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press.