Animals+Two+by+Two

=7 Learning about animals with Three Blind Mice=

Learning outcomes

 * Students will gain an understanding of the relative sizes of animals by comparing them to mice.
 * Students will develop phonemic awareness by using alphabet letters to name foods that begin with the letters.

Time required for lesson
40 minutes

Materials needed

 * Recording of “Three Blind Mice” from nursery rhyme CD, such as [|100 Songs for Kids] **or** text version from nursery rhyme book
 * [|Nursery Rhyme Flip Chart] **or** large chart paper with the nursery rhyme “Three Blind Mice” written on it
 * [|Mouse Count] by Ellen Stoll Walsh.

Pre-activities
If you’re not using a flip chart, write the nursery rhyme on chart paper for students to see.

Activities
I’m a little hungry mouse. > Can’t you see? > Foods that start with > __are for me!__ > __Would you please pack me__ > __a great big lunch?__ > __What do you think__ > __I’d like to munch?__ //Here’s a little mousie,// > //peeking through a hole// [Poke index finger through fist of the other hand.] > //Peek to the left// [wiggle finger to the left] > //Peek to the right// [wiggle finger to the right] > //Pull your head back in// [pull finger into fist] > //There’s a cat in sight!//
 * 1) **Anticipatory set**: Ask students what they know about mice.
 * 2) Listen to the song “Three Blind Mice” from the nursery rhyme CD, or read the rhyme to the class.
 * 3) Recite the rhyme while students look at the posted words on the chart.
 * 4) Sing the following song, “Hungry Mouse,” to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot,” and have the students name foods that begin with various letters of the alphabet:
 * 1) __Have the students compare mice to different animals by having them fill in the blanks: A mouse is smaller than a__ __, but bigger than a__ ___. For each animal the students name, talk about other ways in which the animal is similar to and different from a mouse.
 * 2) Recite the following fingerplay, showing students how to make each move:
 * 1) Read the book Mouse Count.
 * 2) Conclude the lesson by asking the following questions:
 * What other things come in threes?
 * If the mice are blind, what other senses might they use?
 * What do you think mice like to eat?
 * What other creatures have a long tail like a mouse?

Assessment

 * Check oral answers for food words beginning with a certain letter.
 * Check oral answers for comparing the mouse to other animals.

Extension
Play the mouse trap game: Players (the mice) form a ring. Two of the players are chosen to be a mousetrap. They face each other, take hold of both hands, and hold their arms high. The rest of the mice march around in the ring — either to march music or a familiar tune — while going under the mousetrap made by the two players. When the leader blows a whistle, all mice stop and the trap comes down and catches any mouse that happens to be under their arms. The mouse who is caught goes to the center of the ring and the game proceeds. When the next player is caught, these two make a new mousetrap at the opposite end of the circle from the original one. Game proceeds until all mice have become traps. Animal Diversity Purpose

To motivate and guide student observation of animal and plant similarities, diversity, and appropriateness to live in different environments; to show that stories sometimes give plants and animals attributes that they don’t really have.

Context

This lesson exposes children to a wide range of animals and guides them through observation of animal similarities, differences, and environmental adaptations. This lesson can be used as part of a study of plants and animals. Before doing the lesson, students should know the meanings of the terms plant, animal, and living.

As //Benchmarks for Science Literacy// points out, “Observing is not enough. The students should have reasons for their observations—reasons that prompt them to do something with the information they collect.” Students should be encouraged to ask questions, to find answers by careful observation, and to compare their findings with those of other students. They can use their findings to create exhibits with photos, drawings, and even live specimens from the area where they live. (//Benchmarks for Science Literacy,//[| p. 102].)

Research shows that lower elementary students tend to consider only vertebrates as animals, or to group animals by similarities in external appearance, behavior, or habitat. Young students also define plant in a narrow way, failing to classify grass, trees, and vegetables as plants. In addition, these students "typically use criteria such as ‘movement,’ ‘breath,’ ‘reproduction,’ and ‘death’ to decide whether things are alive. Thus, some believe fire, clouds, and the sun are alive, but others think plants and certain animals are nonliving.” (//Benchmarks for Science Literacy,// [|pp. 340–341].) In their study of plants and animals, students should be guided to an understanding that internal structures and processes can be more significant than external features in classification.

Because this lesson includes only online observations, students also will need ongoing opportunities for hands-on observation (using hand lenses, if appropriate) with many kinds of living plants and animals in as many environments as possible. Also, because the main lesson concentrates only on animals, students will need similar lessons that deal with plants.

Ideas in this lesson are also related to concepts found in the following benchmark:
 * 5A The Living Environment: Diversity of Life (K-2) #3

Planning Ahead

Materials: > Note: This student E-Sheet helps students access the Where Can Animals Live? online book, which is used in the Development section.
 * [|Animal Diversity] student E-Sheet
 * [|Where Can Animals Live?] teacher sheet
 * //The Adventures of Marco and Polo//, by Dieter Wiesmuller

Motivation

To introduce the lesson, present a living animal or plant as a hands-on classroom example. Ask students to talk about or draw things that they observe and share their observations with the class.

Ask students: Explain to students that they're about to see an online book with pictures of many animals. Their job is to observe things about these animals and to figure out how they are alike and different from each other. Another thing they will study is where these animals live and why they can live there successfully.
 * What do you see, hear, smell, or feel as you observe this plant/or animal?
 * How can plants/or animals be like each other?
 * How can they be different from each other?

Development

Using the [|Animal Diversity] student E-Sheet, present the Where Can Animals Live? online book to the class. Pause as each graphic is displayed and ask students the questions shown with the pictures one at a time. Encourage independent questions and discussion.

Stimulate students' thinking about the animals they're observing and why they live in certain places by asking questions such as: As the class goes through the online book, students' answers will vary. Encourage them to focus on true similarities of the animals in relation to their environments. See the [|Where Can Animals Live?] teacher sheet for sample student responses.
 * Where does this [animal] live?
 * Do you think it could live in [somewhere different]? Why or why not?
 * Do you think [something else] also could live in this [animal's] environment? Why or why not?

Assessment

Ask a series of questions to tie together student observations during the lesson.

Ask students: To illustrate the main concepts of the lesson, read the book titled //The Adventures of Marco and Polo// by Dieter Wiesmuller. This story explores the life of a monkey (Marco) and penguin (Polo) that become friends. They visit each other's homes and decide that they'd like to live together. However, when they try to do that, they realize that they each have their own needs and need to live in their own environments.
 * What are some ways in which all of these animals are alike?
 * How are they different?
 * What are some features that help animals live in cold environments? In hot environments? In forests or in the water?

Use this story (or another one like it) to illustrate ideas in the related benchmark for this lesson: "Stories sometimes give plants and animals attributes they really do not have."

Extensions Younger students can study animal features more closely through the [|Friends of the National Zoo Coloring Pages]. These pages offer outlined images of eight animals (lion, flamingo, giant panda, giraffe, komodo dragon, orangutan, sea lion, toucan) that can be printed out for coloring.

If your computer's browser is relatively recent (Netscape 6.0 and Internet Explorer 5.0 and later), use the [|Animal Gallery] of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park to extend student learning about animal attributes, similarities, differences, and environments. Choose the option View Slide Show and page through the photos. Since there are more than 30 photos in the slide show, you may want to limit the number of pictures viewed, depending upon the capabilities of the class. Ask questions about each animal and encourage students to offer their own questions and observations.

Encourage students to choose a favorite animal from this lesson and then to carry out further research about it, using the sites listed above as well as books, videos, and web-cams. The [| Wildlife Facts] section of the National Parks Conservation Association website can be used by older students to gather information about more than 25 wild animals. Students can report about their animals to the class. Created :02/05/2004