I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

The Natural World

Essential Question:

Why do we need to care for nature and our environment?

Bridge:

Image of My Excursion

Content:

"Owl Moon" by Jane Yolen

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To have the children simulate being out in the natural world.

Activity: Have the children imagine they are on a dark night excursion with a
trusted adult companion to find some treasure. Have them place themselves in a beautiful place looking for a particular animal. Have them tell their imagined stories to each other.

Assessment: What kinds of special animals did you and your classmates imagine?
List them

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: To have the children share their imagined journeys.

Activity: Have the children tell each other of their imagined excursion and the special animal they were looking for and why.

Assessment: The richness of the stories and the fun the children have telling them

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: To have the children create a visual from their imagination.

Activity: Have the children draw a picture of their excursion and share it with a partner.

Assessment: The details in the picture and the originality of the excursion

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To understand and enjoy the book.

Activity: Read the story Owl Moon.

Assessment: The attentiveness and understanding on the part of the children

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: To elicit from the children details of the story.

Activity: Introduce the children to similes. (A figure of speech where two unlike things are compared.) Then have the children examine the text for similes. Have them find three.

Assessment: Accuracy of their answers

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective: To have the children represent their own excursion story.

Activity: Have the children create a story book of an imagined (or real) excursion. Encourage them to use similes. Also they may use pictures from magazines as well as their own drawings to illustrate their one night journeys.

Assessment: Quality of their finished product.

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: To afford the children an opportunity to share their work.

Activity: Have the children share their stories with a partner.

Assessment: Interest on the part of the listeners and enjoyment of the presenters

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: To afford the children an opportunity to become storytellers with younger children.

Activity: Have the children read their story to a younger child. Record what the child says. Share it with your partner. Discuss these reactions in the large group.

Assessment: The impact of the younger child’s comments on the story creator. Was the experience enjoyable, would they change any part of their story, what did the younger child learn, what did they learn.

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: