ABC Wide World of Animals
Computer Software Lesson Plan
Eileen McKee
Overview of Plan: The following plan utilizes the software Wide World of Animals. It is designed for a 5th grade classroom, and is incorporated into a science unit on animals. The unit focuses on classifying animals into kingdoms and identifying the characteristics of animals within the different kingdoms. This lesson requires that each member of the class have individual access to a computer. One class computer session of information gathering is a sufficient amount of time for doing research, and the remainder of the project can be done in the classroom without the use of computers. An additional class computer session is needed in order to orient the children to the software. The initial orientation session is teacher-led, but during the following two sessions, students work independently for the purpose of creating a project.
Overview of Software: Wide World of Animals is an extensive database that is ideal for researching information about different types of animals. Users can select a specific animal and view textual information, pictures, and videos about the animal. Other features of the software include informative sections on environments, countries, and general animal-related topics. The software is non-linear and contains detailed information about hundreds of different animals. Students will utilize its content by focusing on the textual and graphical information that it provides about a specific animal and its environment.
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Student will be able to:
Instructional Materials
Lesson Sequence
The lesson will take place over several days. The first day, the entire class will go the computer lab, where each child will have his or her own computer. One hour will be spent orienting the children to the software. Particular emphasis will be placed on finding information about different types of animals and their environments. The first 40 minutes will be spent guiding the children through the different features of the program, and the next 20 minutes will be free time during which students can explore the software and ask any questions that arise.
The second day, the assignment will be explained to the children while they are in the classroom setting. This introductory explanation session will take about 45 minutes. Children will be instructed that they will select one animal on the computer program, and use the software to find facts that will enable them to write three multiple choice questions about their animal as well as at least 6 facts that will later be incorporated into a fictional story. One of these facts in the story must include the animal’s kingdom and scientific name.
The third day, the class will go the computer lab for 1 and 1/2 hours and do their research. They will select their animals, and use the software to find relevant information to the two areas. The multiple choice questions will be done at this time, and facts for the story will be written down. Throughout the research session, the teacher will circulate throughout the room, and encourage students to follow links to related information. If a student is done early, he or she may play the animal trivia game in the program.
The fourth day will take place in the classroom for a period of 1 hour and 15 minutes. For the first 15 minutes, the teacher will explain to the class that they will be making a big board game of animal trivia. The game will include a long path with different blocks, some of which might include special instructions such as "go back" or "roll again". The game will make use of a die, and students will give input about ideas for the game. Children will then be divided into two groups. One group will write their multiple choice questions on large cards and illustrate them. The other group will work on making the game board. The game board will be done on butcher paper, and certain children will be assigned to draw the path, while others illustrate the surrounding areas and write special instructions. After a half-hour, the roles of the two groups will be switched. All cards will be collected at the end of the hour, and if more time for decorating the game board is needed, class time later in the day could be spent for this purpose. Cards will be collected at the end of the day and will be laminated.
The fifth day, students will have 1 hour to begin writing their fictional story. They will be encouraged to use their creativity, and the only guidelines for the story are that it should be written about one fictional animal of their selected type and that it should be written as a story rather than a list of facts. In addition to the 6 facts, the story should include fictional story elements. If the students are not finished after an hour, they will be able to finish at home.
As a means of closure, on the sixth day, the children will begin to play the game. The rules are flexible - either one question could be read to all of the teams, or different questions could be read to each team. Answers will appear on the back of the laminated cards. As an orientation, there could be one "whole class game" when the children play in teams of four or five. The game would ideally be used with smaller groups, and such groups could play during free time throughout the day. Students who are willing to share could read their stories to the class.
Evaluation or Assessment
In order to evaluate whether the learning objectives were successfully met, the teacher will read the stories and ensure that at least six facts are present, as well as the correct kingdom name of the chosen animal. Before the game is played, all game cards will be selected and checked for accuracy. As a means of closure, the stories could be copied and bound together in a book that would be distributed to class members.
Software Evaluation Table of Contents | Table of Contents for Lesson Plans | Evaluation - Wide World of Animals
Last revised January 30, 2001