Cows and the Ozone

Common Core Connection

This standard is about analyzing text closely to ask and answer questions. So, I try to do both in this lesson since it is one of the last lessons in the unit. Asking students to generate questions from the picture and key words is highly complex, because they have to make the connection that bold words, title, and pictures represent what is in the text.  Then finding specific answers to those questions is risky, because they may not be there.  This is a totally student driven lesson where I facilitate, and support them in their quest for information, which makes learning more meaningful.

Lesson Overview

In this lesson I chose two interesting text. First of all just the title makes me want to read Cow Power for the guided practice, and Record Breaking Year for Ozone Hole makes me quite curious.  Finding interesting text really helps the students stay engaged throughout the lesson, and many interesting texts are complex.

We do Transitions every twenty minutes or so and I made a video to capture this. We also work in small groups (Partners) throughout the lesson and I included a video of this as well.

Introductory Activity

First I tell the class the lesson plan and that today we are going to learn about cow power. So, this has them laughing and curious. Then I play this video.  This lays the foundation for the complex issues in the cow power text.

Last, I share the lesson goal. I can answer questions about the details in a text.