African Animals – Report Writing

Materials needed:

• African Animals by Caroline Arnold
• chart paper
• animals-from-the-african-grasslands-report-sample

Web Resources:

• Enchanted Learning – information about grasslands and print outs of the animals that live there. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/grassland/grassland.shtml
  
• Wild Life Experience – http://www.thewildlifeexperience.org/documents/TWE_Curriculum_K-2.pdf
• Photographs from Africa’s Grasslands – http://www.fotosearch.com/results.asp?keyword=grasslands+africa+&category=&searchtype=sss

This lesson will be used during our focus on report writing. The children are learning the painted essay format of report writing with an introduction, body, and conclusion.

Before reading the book, tell the students that we will read a book that tells us about many different animals. All the animals live on the continent of Africa and we will be focusing on those animals that live in the grasslands. The grassland are a tough place to live. Each animal is able to adapt to live in this environment.

Background about grasslands from: (Wild Life Experience – http://www.thewildlifeexperience.org/documents/TWE_Curriculum_K-2.pdf)

Animals living in grasslands have adapted to a life of extreme environmental conditions (wind, fire, cold, heat), few trees and little water. Because grass is a major food source, grassland animals have evolved specialized ways of eating grass to reduce competition for the same resource. Grassland animals protect themselves in many ways:

• They hide low in the grass or underground.

• Their camouflaged coats help them blend into their environment.

• Their senses of sight, smell and hearing are well developed.

• Those with long legs use their speed to elude predators.

Vocabulary:

adaptation, grassland, Africa

Lesson (may go over a couple of days):

Make a T- chart with each animal going down the side. On the other side, leave room to write down how the animal adapts to the environment.

Read pages 4-32, complete the chart as you go.

Review the parts of a report: introduction, body, and conclusion.

As a group, write an introduction for the report. An example is:

Africa is a big continent, or land mass. Grasslands cover part of Africa. The animals that live there are very different from each other, but they have all learned to adapt in order to live on the grasslands.

Focus sentence: There are many adaptations animals have in order to live on the grasslands.

Model writing some of the facts from the chart in the body of the report. Make sure to model the use of interesting vocabulary and good transition words. Remind them that all of their sentences in the body should go along with the focus sentence.

The students can go back to their seats and work on the body of the report. They can use the report handout to write on and to draw their picture.

When the class has finished, bring them back together and as a group, write the conclusion of the report. Type of the conclusion and add it as the final page to each student’s report.