ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: Students will understand that writing a research paper and presenting it orally to an audience can be done in both an informative and entertaining manner and that there is a wide variety of research resources available to them. Goal(s): Students will become proficient in the use of a variety of research resources. Students will write with a dual purpose in mind.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: What facts about a specific vertebrate will give the audience a clear picture of the animal and its life cycle? How can the information be presented in an entertaining and unique way? Objectives: Students will become familiar with various vertebrates by researching a specific vertebrate and writing to inform and entertain. Students will gather information from various resources to write their report. Students will use a visual aid such as a picture, artifact, etc. Students will give an oral presentation of their research paper.

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding? No specific quizes will be given. The students will be required to relate two facts about each vertebrate after they have listened to the presentations. What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding?  Each student will be given a list of criteria to be included in their research report. This list includes such questions as- What is the preferred habitat of your animal? What does the animal eat? How does it obtain its food? Is your animal a part of any preditor/prey relationship? List any interesting/unique facts asbout your animal. What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding? Students will write and present the report in first person and will be challenged to present the information in a unique/entertaining way. What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect? Classroom observations, research paper rubrics, presentation rubrics

Instructional Strategies

Students will use both inquiry-based and project-based learning to research their chosen vertebrate. Through research, using a variety of sources and tools, the students will gather, categorize, and record information. Using project-based learning they will write a research paper and give an oral presentation on their vertebrate.