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Desert Clues

Project Description

The children in my class have already thoroughly enjoyed a story set in the desert. In order to springboard from their expressed interest we will further develop our background knowledge about desert habitats. We will then apply our newly gained knowledge of desert habits as we create our own fictional stories by using a hands–on-method of developing writing and literary skills.

The class will come to realize that location, weather, plants, and animal life contained in the desert is distinct. They will, at the very minimum, acquire vocabulary specific to desert life. Hopefully, they will develop an understanding of specific plants, animals, and weather events in a desert habitat.

In the role of an author, they will work with a partner to gather and present facts about desert life. This will be done in the form of tables and pictures in a PowerPoint presentation. This information will then be shared with classmates to be used as a background as they learn to embed inferences in their own books set in the desert.

Project Goals

Essential Question:

What makes a habitat unique?

Specific Questions:

What are the unique features of a habitat?
What makes a desert unique?
How do you make a PowerPoint presentation about deserts?
What inferences can you make about a desert?
What desert inferences can you include in your writing?
How did your inferences describe a desert setting?
Did the problem in the book take place because the story was set in the desert?

Illinois and CPS Learning Standards

*State Goals*	*Chicago Academic Standards*	*Chicago Frameworks*
*State Goal #2*	*Chicago Academic Standard A* *Chicago Academic Standard B*	*CFS # 4* *CFS # 2*
*State Goal #3*	*Chicago Academic Standard A*	*CFS # 1 - 5*
*State Goal #10*	*Chicago Academic Standards A*	*CFS # 1* *CFS # 3*
*State Goal #12:*	*Chicago Academic Standards B*	*CFS # 1,2,3,4,5*

Unit Prerequisites

- Read The Three Javelinas

Performance Actions

Access:

Access the Internet to gather information about the desert’s plants, mammals, reptiles/invertebrates, rocks/minerals, birds clothing all of the Sonanran Desert.
Visit the school or public library to gather books and resources about the desert.
Interview desert experts in the community such as desert landscapers, employees of the Botanical Garden in Phoenix, employees of the Arizona Sonoran Desert in Tucson, or the Garfield Botanical Garden in Chicago.
Search books about the desert. (Byrd Baylor's)

Interpret:

List needs of animals & creatures.
Compare and contrast animals, plants, and weather in Chicago and the Sonaran Desert.
Apply the elements of desert life to fictitious characters.

Produce:

Develop story boards for a fiction book taking place in the desert.
Draw pictures of the characters, setting, and problem of the fiction book you will write.
Build a PowerPoint presentation your group will give.
Create a book with desert inferences and facts.

Communicate

Articulate other authors' inferences as they read fiction.
Present PowerPoint presentation to classmates and at the library.
Inform audiences of desert animals, plants, weather, and clothing.
Disclose desert inferences in their own book.

Evaluate:

Assess your effectiveness in the cooperative groups.
Judge the effectiveness of your PowerPoint presentations.
Test your book for enough desert inferences.( There should be at least one inference on each page.)