Introduction
|
How many of you have a pet at home? What do you do to take care of that pet? Do you know how much it costs or how much time it takes to care for that pet? Pets require food, water, a place to live, and attention from their caregivers. We are going to choose a pet for our class. You are going to explore different pet options for our class and decide which pet would fit best into our classroom and our class family! |
Task
Our class is going to be broken up into teams of four to five people. There will be four options of pets to choose from. Each person on the team is going to have a task assigned to them. The jobs are:
Fact Finder: This person will research an animal and finds facts about the animal, its likes and dislikes, how it interacts with adults and children, and what food it eats. These facts will be shared with the group to see which animal fits best with the children and teacher in our class.
Home Builder: This person will research the type of home the animal needs and the things that will need to be purchased or gathered to make a comfortable environment for our class friend. These facts will be shared with the group to see which animal habitat would best fit in our classroom habitat.
Cost Counter: This person will keep track of how much the animal costs, how much it’s home will cost and compare the financial needs of the animals with their team to decide which is best. Costs will include its cage, food, toys, medical expenses, etc. This person will work hand-in-hand with the home builder and fact finder who will let them know what different things the animal will need.
Animal Advocate: This person will research how much attention and care the animal will receive each day and week to see which animal’s needs fit in best with the classroom schedule.
The animals you have to research are a guinea pig, a parakeet, a ferret, and a lizard. Once you have researched and presented one of the roles, you will then move on to another for the next animal. When you finished researching and sharing each animal with your group, your group will create a presentation to tell which animal you feel would fit best in our classroom and why.
Process
Get started and have fun!!
Meet and strategize.
Meet as a group and decide which animal you will start with. Each team member will choose a role and research for that animal. Once the research has been completed for that animal, group roles will switch for the next animal. Each student is going to do each role for a different animal.
Next: Talk it out!
Discuss your findings as a group and decide which animal you think is best for the class. You must come together as a group and choose one animal that you think will make the best pet for our class.
Finally: Present your information.
Have you all finished your research?
I sure hope so!
Now it is time to put together your final projects. This should be a fun way to put together all of your information your group has gathered. Work together on this presentation. Every member of your group had to complete a task. This should be presented in your presentation.
Types of presentations you can choose are:
-
PowerPoint
-
Poster Board
-
Tri-Fold Board
-
Homemade Book
***If your group has a different presentation idea, please get it approved by me
Your Presentation Should Include:
-
Information from the Fact Finder
-
Information from the Home Builder
-
Information from the Cost Counter
-
Information from the Animal Advocate
-
Pictures
-
Make Colorful
This presentation will be divided into 6 parts. Please follow this guide for your group’s presentation.
Part 1:
Your group will state which pet (parakeet, guinea pig, ferret or lizard) your group chose to be our new classroom pet.
Part 2:
A fact finder in your group will present the information on the pet you chose.
-
likes and dislikes
-
how it interacts with adults and children
-
what kind of food it eats
Part 3:
A home builder in your group will present what type of home we would need for the pet of your choice in our classroom.
Part 4:
A cost counter in your group will present how much money they predict that the pet of your choice will cost. Remember to break it down according to:
-
food
-
home
-
toys
-
anything else you can find
Part 5:
An animal advocate in your group will present how much attention and care the pet of your choice will need. Share what kind of schedule you think the class could come up with to take care of the pet.
Part 6:
All group members will tell why they feel this pet would be the best pet for our class. Use your research to back up your answer!
You will then present your presentation to the class to try to get them to take your side.
Evaluation
| # | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group | ALL group members contributed equally to the presentation, were on task, and well versed in the material. | Most group members contributed to the presentation, were on task most of the time, and were well versed in the material. | A few group members contributed to the presentation, rarely on task, and not well versed in the material. | Certain members contributed to the presentation, group was not on task, and not well versed in the material. | 15 |
| Knowledge Gained | Students can accurately present, interpret, and answer all questions related to the chart in the poster. | Student can accurately present, interpret, and answer most questions related to the chart in the poster. | Student can accurately present, interpret, and answer several questions related to the chart in the poster. | Student appears to have insufficient knowledge about the information from the chart in the poster. | 35 |
| Visual Appeal and Graphics | The poster is visually appealing in terms of design, layout, and neatness; all graphics are related to the topic and make it easier to understand. | The poster is somewhat visually appealing in terms of design, layout and neatness; Most graphics are related to the topic and most enhance and add to understanding. | The poster lacks appeal in terms of design, layout, and neatness; several graphics relate to the topic. | The poster is not visually appealing in terms of design, layout, and neatness; graphics do not relate to the topic. | 20 |
| Chart | All parts of the chart are completed, free of grammar and spelling errors. | The chart was completed with minor grammar and spelling errors. | The chart was either incomplete, or complete with major grammar and spelling errors. | Chart was incomplete. | 30 |
Conclusion
Reflection:
-
What have you learned from this experience?
-
Did you enjoy this lesson?
-
What are some ways you would change this activity?
Summary:
This lesson should have allowed you to work in groups and participate with your classmates. This lesson also allows you to persuade your other classmates into agreeing with you. During this lesson you will gain information about different pets and learn new facts. I hope you had fun and good luck on your presentations!
Questions:
-
Did you find it easy to persuade your classmates to choice the pet you wanted?
-
Could you use this skill somewhere else except this lesson?
-
If so, where and how?
-
What was the hardest part of this activity?
