Objectives:
Students will describe what animals need to survive (water and the appropriate food), as well as how various zoo animals move. Students will also write and illustrate an original story about the zoo, including information on feeding animals. Students will create a poster advocating conservation efforts such as recycling or conserving water and describe how this will help endangered animals.


Grade Level: Kindergarten


Procedures:


DAY 1

• In a whole group discussion, students will list things that they believe animals need in order to grow and be healthy. Teacher will write down their suggestions on large chart paper.
• Using the SmartBoard, teacher will have the students participate in naming, sorting and classifying zoo animals using the program at:
  http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/the_zoo/eng/Introduction/default.htm
• Teacher will read aloud: "DK Readers: Feeding Time" by Lee Davis, "Feeding Time at the Zoo" by Shahan, and "Lunch at the Zoo: What Zoo Animals Eat and Why" by Joyce Altman.
• Teacher will review the chart paper with the class and record any new information and observations the students come up with after listening to the stories.
• Teacher will introduce the Playmobil zoo sets. Special attention will be given to the zoo keeper's role in feeding the animals, using the feeding station to determine the proper food for each animal. Students will be encouraged to group animals according to whether they are herbivores or carnivores. Students will be allowed to explore and play with the Playmobil sets daily for a week.

DAY 7

• Using crayons and writing paper, students will write and illustrate an original story, featuring the Playmobil zoo sets. Stories should have a beginning, middle and ending, and include feeding the animals appropriate food. Students will be given a total of 120 minutes over 4 days to complete their book.

DAY 11

• Teacher will read aloud: "Almost Gone: The World's Rarest Animals" by Steve Jenkins and "Will We Miss Them? Endangered Species" by Alexandra Wright.
• In whole group discussion, students will list things that they think they could do to help endangered animals. Teacher will record these on SmartBoard.

DAY 12

• Students will attend the Oklahoma City Zoo, paying particular attention to endangered species such as the Asian elephants, tigers, jaguars, leopards, gorillas, and chimpanzees.
• Upon returning from the zoo, teacher will go over the conservation tips provided by the zoo, http://www.okczoo.com/conservation/tips-for-home/
• Students will compare their previous ideas on conservation with the new information, with teacher writing changes and new ideas on the SmartBoard.
• Students will return to the Playmobil zoo sets and sort the animals according to endangered or not endangered. Students will be encouraged to restructure the zoo to remove endangered animals and act out how the Playmobil children would feel if those endangered animals were no longer on our planet.
• Students will each create a poster using markers and constructions paper, choosing an endangered species to illustrate and showing at least 3 ways students can help conservation efforts.

Materials:

• Various Playmobil zoo sets (see itemized list)
• In class SmartBoard
• Writing paper, large chart paper and construction paper
• Pencils, crayons and markers
• "Almost Gone: The World's Rarest Animals" by Steve Jenkins, "Will We Miss Them? Endangered Species" by Alexandra Wright, "DK Readers: Feeding Time" by Lee Davis, "Feeding Time at the Zoo" by Shahan and "Lunch at the Zoo: What Zoo Animals Eat and Why" by Joyce Altman.

Results:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of what animals need for survival (food, water and shelter) and how conservation efforts effect the survival of animals in the wild via an original story and a conservation poster. Teacher will grade each student using rubrics. Lesson will be considered successful if at least 89% of students achieve a "Satisfactory" or "Exemplary" on each of the projects. The Playmobil sets will remain a permanent part of the classroom, available for play during daily center time.


Story Rubric:
Teacher scores each story using rubric. Final grade is determined based on average of rubric.

Unsatisfactory

• Story is not original in any part.
• Story is missing 2 of the 3 parts: beginning, middle and ending.
• Story does not include feeding of animals.
• Story is not illustrated.

Satisfactory

• Story is not wholly original, but contains some original aspects.
• Story has at least 2 of the 3 parts: beginning, middle and ending.
• Story includes at least one instance of feeding an animal appropriate food.
• Story is illustrated, but students did not use at least 5 colors.

Exemplary

• Story is original.
• Story has beginning, middle and ending.
• Story includes at least two instances of feeding an animal appropriate food.
• Story is illustrated and student has used at least 5 different colors per page.

Poster Rubric:
Teacher scores each story using rubric. Final grade is determined based on average of rubric.

Unsatisfactory

• Student has not illustrated any animals.
• Student lists fewer than 2 conservation tips.

Satisfactory

• Student has illustrated an animal but it is not endangered.
• Student includes 2 conservation tips.

Exemplary

• Student has illustrated an endangered animal.
• Student includes at least 3 conservation tips.

Oklahoma Priority Academic Student Skills Covered in Lessons:

SMALL MOTOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Standard 1: The student will participate in activities that involve small motor skills.

• Demonstrate increased control of hand and eye coordination while using pegs, beads, pattern blocks, crayons, pencils, paint brushes, finger-paint, scissors, glue and a variety of puzzles.

SCIENCE: Life
Standard 2: The student will observe and investigate plants and animals.

• Observe and describe what various plants and animals need for growth.
• Observe and describe how animals move (e.g. walk, crawl, hop and fly).

SCIENCE: Earth/Space
Standard 3: The student will investigate and observe the basic concepts of the Earth.

• Describe simple conservation measures used to protect the environment (e.g. recycling and careful use of water).

WRITING/GRAMMAR/USAGE AND MECHANICS: The student will express ideas effectively in written modes for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Standard 4: Modes and Forms of Writing. The student will communicate through a variety of written forms, for various purposes, and to a specific audience or person.

• Introduce modes and forms of stories with a consistent focus of a beginning, middle and end that describe, explain, or tell about familiar objects, people, places, events or experiences.

Requested Playmobil Sets:

4850 Large Zoo
4851 Children's Zoo
4852 Asian Animal Enclosure
4853 Meerkat Family
4854 Koala Bears with Kangaroo
4855 Zoo Vehicle with Trailer
7995 1 Large, 1 Small Elephant
4827 Wild Life Waterhole
4828 Buffalo with Zebras
4830 Lion Pride with Monkeys
4831 Ostrich Family with Nest
3253 Baby Giraffe with Zookeeper
4461 Feeding Station
7220 Hippo with Calf
7226 2 Kangaroos with 2 Joeys
7980 African American Family
7981 Mediterranean/ Hispanic Family
7982 Asian Family
7983 Caucasian Family
7989 Rhino with Calf