Frogs: A Thematic Unit Plan
An AskERIC Lesson Plan
Submitted by: Lisa Turturice
Endorsed by: Dr. Karlyn Wood, SUNY/College at Old Westbury
Date: 31 July 1996
GRADE LEVEL: Grade 2
The theme of this unit, "Frogs," is especially appropriate for children at this
level because they are fascinated with animals and
are often highly motivated to explore their immediate environment. The unit can be adapted
for children at other primary and
lower intermediate grade levels. It is assumed that the children will be acquainted with
their local environment and that they have
previously had some introductory study of their local neighborhood.
OVERVIEW:
The overall purpose of this interdisciplinary, thematic unit of study is to help young
children learn more about the metamorphosis
and development of an amphibian species as they become involved in a number of
interdisciplinary lessons and activities over a
three or four week period. The lessons and activities of the unit are specifically
designed to help the children to develop related
concepts as they gain an appreciation of ways frogs help our environment. The children
will also have experiences in caring for
animals, and they will have opportunities to express themselves through creative work in
art, nusic, and movement activities.
THEME: Frogs
POSSIBLE TITLES: "Frogs"
"From Tadpoles to Frogs"
"Becoming a Frog"
"Changes in Frog Development"-
Method of involving students in selecting a title: --
The children can suggest possible titles in class, or they can be encouraged to write
their title suggestions and place them in a
suggestion box. The suggestions will then be reviewed by the class, and one title will be
selected by a vote.--
A small group of children will be selected to create a banner on which the title will be
written for display in the classroom.
GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
Content:-
To help children broaden their concepts of living things as they learn more about the
metamorphosis and development of frogs.-
To help children develop an understanding of the basic needs of animals through the study
and care of tadpoles as they develop
into adult frogs.
Attitudinal:-
To help children appreciate the contributions and importance of frogs to the environment.-
To help children broaden their understanding of other cultures.
Process:-
To provide children with direct observational experiences.-
To provide the children with opportunities to create stories, art, and music, and to
express their feelings through movement and
dance.
DESIGN OF THE UNIT PLAN:
Note: This section of the unit plan lists the disciplinary areas and provides brief
statements of ideas for the lessons and activities
to be included in the unit. The list has been prepared from a graphic web--which is not
duplicated here. If desired, the web can
be reconstructed by:
1) writing the theme, "Frogs," in the center of a blank page; 2) circling the
theme with the names of the disciplines listed below;
3) writing each activity and lesson idea so that it radiates out from its related
discipline; 4) drawing interconnecting lines among
the various ideas and disciplines to indicate that the activities and lessons are
interdisciplinary and to show how they relate to
one another.
Art:-
Have the children sketch the changes they observe as they watch tadpoles develop
throughout the study.-
Have children sketch different kinds of frogs in their local environment and those found
in the various learning materials they
explore. -
Help children to prepare a mural from sketches of their observations.
Language Arts:-
Provide a display of resource books and children's literature having frogs as a theme.-
Read Frogs, by Gail Gibbons, to the class. (Use a directed listening approach.)-
Write creative stories having frogs as main characters.
Mathematics:-
Prepare a chart or graph showing children's observations of the stages of growth of their
tadpoles.-
Have children predict how many of their tadpoles will develop into adult frogs. Match
predictions with results at the conclusion
of the study.
Movement/Dance:-
Develop an exercise or dance that encourages the children to use their arms and legs to
show movements of frogs.
Music:-
Teach the children songs having frogs as a theme.-
Encourage children to write their own songs about frogs.
Science:-
Grow tadpoles in an observational learning center.-
View pictures of different kinds of frogs in CD-ROM encyclopedias and other science
software. -
Show the internet program on virtual frog dissection.-
View a video tape or film showing the stages of development from eggs to mature adult
frogs. -
Have children observe and imitate through movement activities the ways frogs move.-
Listen to tape recordings of frog sounds to identify different kinds of frogs.
Social Studies:-
Show a media presentation that discusses the large population of frogs in Arizona.-
Locate Arizona on a map of the United States. -
Read information to children that indicates some cultures eat frogs legs as a delicasy.-
Help children locate the countries read about on a world map.
INTRODUCTORY LESSON PLAN:
(Note that only the introductory lesson for the unit is presented here. Other activities
and lesson plans indicated in the unit plan
design (above) are explained in greater detail following the introductory lesson plan in
the "Descriptions of Other Lessons and
Activities.")
The initial lesson involves directed viewing of a video tape or film on the metamorphosis
of tadpoles. This first lesson in the unit
is designed to introduce the new unit to the children and to prepare them for their study
of frogs.
Unit Theme: Frogs
Grade Level: Grade 2
General Objectives: -
To promote interest in the study of frogs.-
To prepare the children for observing the development and metamorphosis of frogs in a
classroom learning center.
Estimated Time: 30 - 40 minutes
Behavioral Objective:
After viewing a film on the metamorphosis of tadpoles--from eggs to adult frogs--the
children will list the major changes
reviewed in the film.
Procedure:
In preparation for this lesson, obtain tadpoles in advance. Be sure to arrange for
adequate space to hold a tank with the
tadpoles. The tank will be set up following this introductory lesson.
1.Remind the children that their last unit was on the environment. Ask them to recall some
activities from that unit.
2.Begin with a class discussion on tadpoles.
-Ask if anyone has ever seen or caught a tadpole. (Some of the children may while others
will not have seen tadpoles.)
-Ask the children what they think tadpoles look like. (Responses may include the idea that
tadpoles are small, that they have
long tails and large eyes.)
-Ask how big or how long children think tadpoles are? (Children may estimate that tadpoles
are small, about the size of a finger,
the eraser on a pencil.)
-Ask the children if they know what happens to tadpoles as they grow. (Some children will
know that the tadpoles develop into
frogs; others may not know.)
3.At this point, show the children a picture of tadpoles. The picture will help the
children to confirm or modify their concept of
what tadpoles look like.
4.Ask if the children if they think it might be possible to grow tadpoles in our
classroom. (The children will be very likely to want
to try.)
5.Explain that over the next several weeks the class will be studying frogs, and as part
of the study, the children will be
observing the tadpoles grow and develop. Explain also that they will need to learn as much
as possible about tadpoles in order
to care for them. Also, tell the children they will now view a film that will give them
some important information about how
tadpoles develop.
6.Introduce the film: Explain that the film will show what happens to tadpoles as they
grow and develop and that the children
need to watch very carefully to learn about what happens to the tadpoles and also to find
out what the tadpoles will need in
order to be healthy and grow.
7.Show the film, reminding the children first to watch very carefully and to pay close
attention to what tadpoles need to remain
healthy and to see what happens to the tadpoles as they grow.
8.After the film, ask the children the following questions:
-In the film, we learned about what tadpoles need in order to grow. What are some of the
things you remember from the film?
(Responses should include adequate water, air and algae for food. As the children respond,
list their contributions on a chart.
Later, the chart will be posted next to the tadpole tank.)
-What happened to the tadpoles as they grew? (This question will test the behavioral
objective of the lesson. The children
should have observed that eggs developed into tadpoles, that the tadpoles developed legs,
their tails became shorter and
disappeared, and that the tadpoles became frogs.)
9.Closure: Review with the children the stages of development they have observed in the
film and the chart listing what their
tadpoles will need to order to grow. Then explain that the next activity in their study
will be to prepare the tank for the tadpoles,
that they will care for the tadpoles themselves, and watch them develop into frogs like
the ones they saw in the film.
Materials:-
Photographs of tadpoles, preferably an actual size and an enlarged version-
Film (or video tape) presentation showing development of frogs from eggs to adults
(Teachers will need to determine the best
resources that are available in their local school media centers and community
libraries.)-
Large chart paper and markers
DESCRIPTIONS OF OTHER LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES:
The following descriptions expand on the ideas mentioned above in the "Design of the
Unit Plan." These descriptions will be
helpful in constructing complete lesson plans. The descriptions include specific
information about each lesson or activity idea and
suggest its main purposes in the unit.
Art:-
The class will go on an excursion to a stream, pond, or other local body of water to look
for different the kinds of frogs found in
their environment. They will make colored sketches of the frogs they see while at the
site, and the sketches will later be
transferred to a large mural. The purpose of this activity is for the children to learn to
identify frogs common in their environment
and to provide an opportunity for them to practice their cooperative grouping skills as
they create a mural to summarize what
they have observed.
Language Arts: -
Read the book, Frogs, by Gail Gibbons. As the children listen to the book and examine the
pictures, they will be able to see the
various parts of tadpoles and mature frogs. This directed listening experience will
provide another opportunity for the children to
observe the change process and also to learn what tadpoles and frogs need in order to
live. The activity will also serve to
develop the children's listening skills. The story will review and help to reinforce the
developmental process from tadpoles in
mature frogs.-
Have the children write stories with frogs as the main characters. The children should be
encouraged to be unique and creative
in their writing. The purpose of this exercise is to have the children experience writing
as a positive, creative, and enjoyable way
to express their ideas.
Mathematics: -
Once the tadpoles and tank have been set up, have the children predict how many of the
tadpoles will develop into adult frogs.
After the metamorphosis, match the children's predictions with the actual results. The
purpose of this activity is to engage the
children's interest in the development of the frogs and to provide them with an
opportunity to apply prediction--a useful
mathematics application at the synthesis level. -
As the children observe the tadpoles developing into frogs, have them construct a chart
showing the stages they observe. The
chart should also indicate how long each stage took. The purpose of this graphing activity
is to show the children how they can
use a graph to show observed changes.
Movement/Dance:-
Have the children observe the movement of frogs in films, video tapes, in the environment,
and in the learning center as their
tadpoles mature. The purpose of this activity is to provide a direct observational
experience and to prepare the children for a
creative dance exercise.-
After watching the movements of frogs, the children will be asked to contribute to
creating a dance exercise. Movements will
include both arms and legs. The purpose of this activity is to provide the children with
an enjoyable, healthful exercise related to
the unit theme.
Music:-
Work cooperatively with the school music teacher to teach some children's songs having
frogs as a theme. The songs can be
sung occasionally in the classroom.-
Encourage the children to make up songs of their own about frogs. Some children may want
to teach their songs to the class, so
some time will need to be allocated for this activity. The purpose of the music activities
is to provide children who find music a
helpful way of learning with the opportunity to use it as a way of learning and knowing
more about this theme.
Science:-
Provide CD-ROM versions of encyclopedias or other science software that include
information about frog development. In
small groups, help the children to navigate to information about frogs and to view the
movements of frogs that are shown in the
software. The children will discover that there are numerous types of frogs in the world
through this computer-based activity. As
a follow-up activity, children will listen to audio tape recordings of different frog
sounds and attempt to decipher which sound
goes with each type of frog. The purpose of these activities is to enhance the children's
research skills as well as to provide
practice using computer technology to investigate a theme.-
The children will observe the virtual frog dissection on the internet and view a video
tape or film that reviews the different stages
in the metamorphosis. The purpose of these activities is to provide essential background
knowledge of the various
developmental stages and to acquaint them with the anatomy of a frog. Both will be helpful
to the children as they make
drawings of their observations throughout the unit.-
(Science and Art): Help the children to prepare an observational learning center. Set
aside an area where the children can view
their tadpoles and have a place to make sketches of the changes they observe over a period
of time. The beginning of
development is a fairly slow process, so the children may only want to make sketches once
a week; once developmental
changes become noticeable, they should make sketches every two or three days. The purpose
of this activity is to have the
children engage in research appropriate for their level. The activity will give them an
opportunity to note changes through the
entire cycle of development and to focus on all the stages in the metamorphosis of the
tadpoles.
Social Studies: -
Show the children a video tape or film that discusses the over-population of the frogs in
Arizona. As a follow-up to the viewing,
help the children to locate Arizona on a map of the United States. The purpose of this
activity is to help the children realize that
frogs may present problems in places where they are overabundant. Locating Arizona will
help to develop early mapping skills.-
After learning that some cultures eat frogs' legs as a delicacy, help the children to
locate the countries of those cultures on a
world map. The purpose of this activity is to help develop cultural awareness and to
promote early map reading skills.
EVALUATION TECHNIQUES:
Periodically observe the children during group work in the learning center area. Watch for
their ability to share materials and
ideas.-
Have each child maintain a unit portfolio. Involve the children in selecting materials for
their portfolios. The following are
examples of some materials that will be included:
--Samples of daily or weekly sketches showing their observations of the growth process.
--Samples of the children's written work and work in progress, including mathematics and
creative problem solving ideas and
any graphs that are developed.
--Individual sketches the children prepare for their mural.-
Administer an examination at the end of the unit to assess the children's mastery of the
facts, concepts, and generalizations
developed in the study. The examination will be either written or oral, depending on the
children's individual reading abilities. It is
expected that the children should achieve a grade of at least 75 percent on the
examination.
MATERIALS:
General instructional materials, equipment, and background information for the teacher:-
Live tadpoles -
Tank for the tadpoles-
A film or video on tadpole development -
Recordings of frog and environmental sounds and music with the environment as a theme-
A wide selection of children's informational and story books focusing on frogs from the
school and public libraries-
Maps of the world and the United States-
Classroom computer with CD-ROM and connection to the Internet-
Encarta Encylopedia (latest revision) CD-ROM-
Grolier Encylopedia (latest revision) CD-ROM
Internet resources of particular interest:-
"Whole Frog Dissection Project" - A rich source of information on the growth,
development and anatomy of frogs found on the
World Wide Web at:
-
"National Wildlife Federation" - A valuable resource for teachers on
environmental issues found on the World Wide Web at: