B RAZIL Emily Schultheis November 29, 2012

I NTRODUCTION : Harris Hill Elementary Clarence Central School District Amy Stewart Third Grade About 25 students 3 push-in special education students Taught over four days in 40-minute sessions

O BJECTIVES : Students will be able to write an expository paragraph about the country of Brazil containing sentence fluency and all parts of a paragraph with % accuracy. Students will be able to complete a concept map (graphic organizer) to convey ideas and information about Brazil with % accuracy. Students will be able to complete a Venn Diagram comparing Brazil and the United States with % accuracy.

E SSENTIAL QUESTIONS : How does the Yanomami tribe survive in the rainforest despite culture extinction? How do Brazilian companies and people make money? What is the culture of Brazil like?

G UIDING Q UESTIONS : What language do people in Brazil speak? What is the most popular sport in Brazil? What do companies in Brazil manufacture? How is the Yanomami tribe affected by deforestation?

P URPOSE : This lesson is part of a Social Studies unit on tropical rainforests. As per the Clarence Central School curriculum, the third grade students study a country where tropical rainforests are found. Brazil contains the largest tropical rainforest in the world, the Amazon Rainforest. The activities in this lesson follow the curriculum. This lesson incorporates Social Studies and English Language Arts.

C OMMON C ORE ELA S TANDARD : CCR Anchor: Text types and purposes (W. CCR) Strand: Writing (W) Grade: 3 Standard: 2. Write informative/ explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

S UPPORTING S TANDARD : Geography Key Idea 1 Performance Indicator: study about how people live, work, and utilize natural resources.

S TUDENT T ASKS : Before Instruction: Complete a concept map with information the student already knows about Brazil. Day 1: Complete a Venn Diagram comparing the United States and Brazil. Day 2: Students will set up “stores” in the classroom and “go shopping” to represent the economy of Brazil.

S TUDENT T ASKS : Day 3: The teacher presents a PowerPoint on the Yanomami tribe of Brazil. The students complete a worksheet on cultural extinction by writing paragraphs. A visitor from the Buffalo Science Museum visits the class. Day 4: The students play a “Family Feud” style game as a summative assessment.

S TUDENT W ORK : Concept Map Scoring: Only the correct responses are marked as correct.

D EVELOPING

P ROFICIENT

D ISTINGUISHED

S TUDENT W ORK Paragraphs on Cultural Extinction Scored on a 4-1 rubric

R UBRIC 4321 Brazil factsProvides 3 or more accurate facts about the Yanomami Tribe. All sentences are expository. Provides three facts about the Yanomami tribe Provides 1 fact about the Yanomami tribe Student provides 0 facts Or Facts are not accurate

R UBRIC C ONTINUED 4321 Structure of a Paragraph Includes topic sentence, at least 3 details, and a concluding sentence. Details relate to topic sentence. Includes topic sentence, at least 3 details, and a concluding sentence. Details relate to topic sentence. One part of the paragraph is not included. Two parts are not included Or Details do not relate to topic sentence.

R UBRIC C ONTINUED 4321 Spelling and grammar No spelling or grammar mistakes (including capitals) 1-2 spelling or grammar mistakes 3-4 spelling or grammar mistakes 5 or more spelling or grammar mistakes

D EVELOPING

P ROFICIENT

D ISTINGUISHED

D IRECTIONS : Few people realize that the rainforest is home to many indigenous people. They are faced with many threats, such as disease and deforestation. Do you think the Brazilian Congress should pass the bill to let gold miners mine on the Yanomami land? Explain your answer. Pretend you are talking to a friend that does not know anything about the Yanomami tribe. Tell your friend where this tribe lives and how they survive.

S TUDENT W ORK Venn Diagram

D EVELOPING

P ROFICIENT

D ISTINGUISHED

C ONCEPT M AP S CORES : P RE AND P OST -T EST Number of Students Levels

M ODIFICATIONS Modification Type Specific Modification RationaleBenefits EnvironmentalPreferential seating for special education students. Students will sit close to the aide so she can spend equal time among the three students. Students are able to have modifications and help in a timely manner. Students stay on task.

M ODIFICATIONS C ONTINUED Modification Type Specific Modifications RationaleBenefits MaterialEnlarging the paper Students with visual impairments need the paper enlarged to read the words. Students are better able to read the words on the paper, therefore better completing the task.

M ODIFICATIONS C ONTINUED Modification Type Specific Modification RationaleBenefits InstructionExtra time to complete the assignments. Students need extra time to complete assignments for multiple reasons, as indicated on their IEP. Students have more proficient work when given extra time to think about and write answers.

R EFLECTION Thank you to my peer review group! As a result of this learning experience, I now understand the importance of giving a pre-test. It allows the teacher to measure what the students already know, and when the scores are graphed, students growth can easily be measured. The scores on the post-test show significant growth when compared to the pre-test.

S TUDENT Q UOTES One student said, “Miss S., you are my favorite teacher!” Throughout the rainforest unit, students created PowerPoints to present to the class, and then taught the class how to use PowerPoint. The students that presented said, “We did this because Miss S. does PowerPoints. It’s so fun!” As the rainforest bulletin board (which demonstrated layers of the rainforest) was being taken down, students in the class shouted, “Deforestation! Deforestation!,” which shows they really understood the concept.

Harris Hill third grade class with a visitor from the Buffalo Science Museum. We held an anaconda skin!