PROUD TO BE A LION! 1. Define the term family based on the variety of human families represented in our own classroom community.

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1 Christine Payack Fairhill Elementary School, Fairfax, VA August, 2010 Grade Two, Virginia Science Strand: Life Processes. PROUD TO BE A LION! Major topics developed in this strand: basic needs and life processes of organisms; the physical characteristics of organisms; orderly changes in life cycles; behavioral and physical adaptations; survival and perpetuation of species. Standard 2.4 Plants and animals undergo change throughout their lives. Essential Knowledge Students investigate and build upon their understanding that animals undergo life cycle changes and development in order to perpetuate the species and survive. Mastery Objective: By the end of this unit, students will be able to: 1. Define the term family based on the variety of human families represented in our own classroom community. 2. Identify the members of their own human families and important family roles. 3. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences of human family members represented in our own classroom community. 4. Recognize the important survival needs of human babies. 5. Determine the family group as represented by the lion families at the National Zoo. 6. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between a lion family and our human families. 7. Identify the important survival needs of lion cubs. Kid Friendly Language: Today we will begin to celebrate our own families. Then we will also learn about the new lion families at the National Zoo! We will find out how the new lion families and our own human families are alike and how they are different. I. Vocabulary: family, life cycle, pride, cubs. II. Materials: Art paper, pencils and colored pencils. The art paper will allow space for each child to draw and identify the members of his or her family. Have available a photograph of family members when you

2 were young and a photograph of your siblings and yourself today. Model creating a drawing of your family household today which can include pets. III. Activator: This first activity will take place during one day and may extend over two class periods. This activity will give each child the chance to celebrate the members of his or her family, without judgment or presumed characterizations. Show them examples of your family members from the past and present, encouraging them to include people who might not live with them at this time, such as parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. Teacher: Before we meet the new lion families at the National Zoo, let s find out about our own families! Here are examples of my family. The first one is a photograph of my family when I was X years old. (Name your family members.) This photograph was taken recently. (Again name your family members.) Here is the family I live with today. (This photograph has each family member pets included labeled.) I would like each of you to draw yourself and the members of your family. You will use this paper and your colored pencils. (If music to work by is important in your classroom, you might choose songs from Free to Be You & Me by Marlo Thomas or other music that celebrates our similarities and differences.) IV. Follow up: Have the children share their work with their desk group members. Randomly choose two names from the class and ask those children if they are comfortable sharing their drawings. On chart paper, brainstorm the variety of names you give your family members, such as brother, sister, mom, dad, aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, etc. including affectionate nicknames. V. Homework: Send home a letter to parents explaining our lesson and inviting them to send in to class photographs of family members. Ask for labeled photos of class members when they were babies or toddlers. These photos will be returned after you are done sharing them. VI. Homework Follow up: The next day, begin to display the family photos that are brought into the classroom, placing them alongside the children s family drawings from the previous day s work. Then begin to focus on the baby and toddler photos. The children will bring these photos to their desks and share them with their desk group members. Think about these questions: What are the babies doing in the photographs? How are human babies taken care of? Draw on the children s ideas, guide the discussion and list these possible observations from the photographs. They might notice... Babies eating, napping, taking a bath. (Eating, sleeping, cleaning needs) Babies wearing different kinds of clothing that protect them. Babies being carried from place to place. Babies living in various kinds of homes. (Shelter needs)

3 Babies learning many important things from the adults who care for them. (Learning skills for survival) VII. Direct Instruction & Activities Focusing On the Lions: Part One Teacher: (With the help of the art teacher, unveil a large silhouette of a male lion.) Now we are going to learn about the lions at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Raise your hand if you have been to the National Zoo. (Children share) Have any of you seen the lions at the zoo? (Children share) The zoo is home to two female lions, Shera and Nababiep, and one male lion, Luke. Shera and Nababiep are called lionesses. Ask partners to take turns brainstorming and recording all they think they know about lions. On a piece of drawing paper, they may use words or drawings to record and share their ideas. Each pair chooses one fact to share with the whole group. Record all ideas on the large lion silhouette without judgment. (At this point, view the National Zoo s Great Cats Photo Gallery and meet the lions on an LCD projector or computers, if you are able.) Great Cat Photo Gallery: Meet the Lions: VIII. Direct Instruction & Activities Focusing On the Lions: Part Two The next day... Teacher: I have very exciting news to share with you! Shera and Nababiep have given birth to lion babies, called cubs. They were born in cubbing dens where they are safe with their mothers. Their family is called a pride. The cycle of life is happening at the zoo! (List the words lioness, cubs, pride and life cycle on chart paper labeled, Lion Families. Make the connection between a bike wheel and the turning cycle of life.) Procedure: Give each child a primary journal with the label, PROUD TO BE A LION! (We will discuss the connection between the words pride and proud.) Each page of this journal will have space for drawing and a space for writing. Hopefully, you will be able to connect to the National Zoo s lion webcam. You will also connect to any new lion updates and find out more in the latest keeper update. National Zoo Lion Keeper Updates:

4 After the initial excitement of watching the lions, direct the children to quietly observe the lions and draw what they notice on the space provided in their journals. Point to the lines where they can write down questions for the lions. Tell the children, If the lions could talk to you, what questions would you ask them? You might give them an example such as, Cubs, how long do you sleep everyday? or Do you get along with your brothers and sisters? After the above activity, collect and display their journals next to our human family photos and drawings. The class will start to create a Lion Family Gallery area. Each day, have a designated Proud To Be a Lion time. Observing the lions on the lion webcam, drawing and asking questions, connecting to any new lion updates and finding out more in the latest lion keeper update will be a daily occurrence for at least one week. Set aside morning or afternoon time to research together the answers to some of their questions possibly focusing on four a day. Add lion facts to the lion silhouette. Begin to share the similarities between your families and the lion family focusing on the following categories: food needs; sleeping; protection and safety; playtime and learning; shelter. IX. Independent Practice/Assessment 1: Proud To Be a Lion Puppet Show! If you have a daily morning TV News Show at your school, have the children create a Proud To Be a Lion puppet show performance in order to share their knowledge about the lion families at the zoo with the entire school community. With the help of the art teacher, design a traveling puppet show theater, including scenery and puppets. The show may have five to six acts (depending on the number of desk groups in your class). One act will be performed each morning on the News Show. All the children will create lion puppets, both adults and cubs. You might even make puppets depicting the keepers. Each desk group will write one act a puppet script focusing on a specific lion family topic. These topics might include: Description (how they look); food/diet needs; sleeping needs; protection and safety; playtime and learning; and shelter needs. The puppet show might include actual lion sounds and music perhaps a song you compose together with the help of the music teacher. You might also perform our puppet show for parents and invited guests. You can publish the entire puppet show script and display it in the school library for other classes to sign out and read. IX. Independent Practice/Assessment 1: Proud To Be a Lion Radio Show! If you do not have a daily morning TV News Show at your school, but do have Morning or Afternoon Announcements, have the children create a Proud To Be a Lion radio show in order to share their knowledge about the lion families at the zoo with the entire school community. With the help of the music teacher, have students create sounds to go along with your script. The radio show might include actual lion

5 sounds and music perhaps a song you compose together. The show may have five to six acts (depending on the number of desk groups in your class). One act will be performed each day during announcements. Each desk group will write one act with each script focusing on a specific lion family topic. These topics might include: Description (how they look and the sounds they make); food/diet needs; sleeping needs; protection and safety; playtime and learning; and shelter needs. Your radio show might include advertisement posters to put up around school perhaps a project to do with the help of the art teacher. You might also perform your radio show for parents and invited guests. You can publish the entire radio show script and display it in the school library for other classes to sign out and read. Connecting Idea: If your school mascot is the tiger, at some point make the following connection between tigers and lions: Our school mascot is the tiger. I found out that tigers and lions are close relatives. Without their furry coats, lion and tiger bodies are so similar that only experts can tell them apart. This is definitely a fact you might share with the school community at the beginning of our puppet show or radio show performance. Recommended Readings and Resources Alden, Peter C., National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife. New York: Alfred A Knopf, Inc. Discovery Books, Wild Discovery Guide To Your Cat, Understanding and Caring for the Tiger Within. London, Discovery Communications. Macdonald, David, editor, The Encyclopedia of Mammals. NY: Facts on File. National Zoo Cat Facts. National Zoo s Great Cat Facts. Smithsonian Institution, Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World s Wildlife. NY: Dorling Kindersley. Inc.. Wildlife Explorer Cards. Explore Zoobooks Magazine.

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