A First Grade Inquiry Unit: Nothing But Nets Written by

Jeanne Henry Dr. Emily Alford

Holy Family Catholic Academy 2515 Palatine Rd

Inverness, IL 60067 Archdiocese of Chicago, IL

Unit Overview: description of first grade challenge

First grade students will receive a special letter from NothingButNets and the U.N. Foundation asking them to help tell people about malaria and how to end this terrible disease. Attached is a curriculum plan for a mini-unit that focuses on animal characteristics, how those characteristics help animals survive, and ways in which people can be protected from some harmful animals like the mosquito. The lessons are designed to enhance a primary unit on animals, usually taught across the United States in first or second grades (1). The attached curriculum meets the content established by Illinois State Goal 12; Know and apply concepts that explain how living things function, adapt and change, and Illinois State Goal 17, Understand world geography (2). The curriculum is color coded, linking standards and benchmarks to teaching activities. These materials include activities that engage the students as well as provide other resources (or links to specific websites) necessary to complete the unit. The mini-unit culminates with students working in teams to create a book or brochure that is similar to the storybook “Nets are Nice”, posted on the Malaria No More website (www.malarianomore.org/kids/educational-material.php) . The children’s book will highlight how mosquitoes impact the lives of millions of men, women, and children and how “NothingButNets” can save them. The children’s books will be published and distributed to families and select members of the community. The children’s work can be found at the end of this document. (1) All references are made to Illinois State Goals and Standards. Please refer to your specific state’s goals and standards for reference. (2) The curriculum also meets the content established by the Office of Catholic

Schools, Archdiocese of Chicago Curriculum Framework.

Holy Family Catholic Academy 2515 Palatine Rd. Inverness, Illinois 60067

Dangerous Animal Inquiry Learning Mini-Unit

First Grade Curriculum

Index

Description of First Grade Challenge Dividers to Separate Unit Components Letter to Students from NothingButNets and the UN Foundation Inquiry-Based Learning Planner Lesson Plans Non-Fiction Reading Resources:

Dangerous Animals book by Dr. Emily Alford, Ed.D Map of Africa

“Africa”, article by Jeanne Henry

“The Mosquito”, article by Dr. Emily Alford, Ed.D

Features of a Mosquito

Life Cycle of the Mosquito

ear Students, The United Nations Foundation, in partnership with the United Nations, needs your help. Each day a dangerous animal kills an African child every 30 seconds. Look at the second hand of the clock in your classroom. Watch and count, 1, 2, 3… 30. Another child has died. One million men, women, and children die each year. Do you know anything about Africa? What is this animal? What does it look like? How can you help save lives? The animal is a certain kind of mosquito that causes a disease called malaria. You can help by learning about the mosquito and malaria as you study about other animals that live on Planet Earth. Your teacher is going to read a book that tells the story of nets that are saving the lives of children by keeping them from being bitten by mosquitoes. Listen carefully. After you have read the book, you will find out how you can help. The book that your teacher will read is the ONLY book that tells about this problem. The United Nations Foundation needs your help. We would like you to work in teams to create more books or a brochure. Your books or brochure can be given to parents and people in our community. We want people to make donations to Nothing But Nets so the United Nations Foundation can fund nets for children being infected with malaria. Your materials can tell about these dangerous animals and how to help save lives. We hope your books will make people want to donate money to buy more and more nets.

Teaching and Learning Events Opening Activities

Estimated time: 1 hour

Engaging the Learner

Active, intellectual engagement of students results in successful instruction. The opening activities for this series of lessons are designed to introduce big ideas for the content and engage students in discovery and authentic tasks. A strategy employed to accomplish this task is to

design activities that help learner’s make connections between the curriculum content and their experience. A learner’s experience

includes interests, cultural experiences, values, and beliefs. With these above points in mind, begin the unit by completing the following

opening activities.

Teaching and Learning Event: Opening Activity The teacher introduces the mini-unit by having students guess animals that s/he has picked by giving them clues about the animal’s features. S/he then reads the letter from the United Nations Foundation that outlines the issues about mosquitoes and malaria and the challenge to raise awareness and money. Following these activities, s/he reads the book, Dangerous Animals.

Description and Detailed Sequence of Activities:

• Locate the book, Dangerous Animals, located in the Resource section of this document

• Gather the students together, seated on the floor near the teacher’s chair. • Explain that you are thinking about two animals and you will give clues about the

animal’s features so they can successfully guess its identity. • Ask the class to guess the name of the first animal. Give the following clues one

at a time and allow students time to guess the animal’s name: it’s covered in fur, has large teeth, has claws, the fur is colored golden or yellow. This animal lives in Africa (did you guess that it’s a lion?).

• Now give the following clues for the second animal: it’s considered to be the most dangerous animal in the world; kills more people than any other; is very, very small; has a proboscis; it has wings (DO NOT reveal the name of the animal).

• Read aloud the book, Dangerous Animals. • Now, hand each student a copy of the letter from the United Nations Foundation

and read it aloud. NOTE: Be sure to explain that the mosquito is a special kind and not found in the United States.

• Re-read the letter and discuss the major points with your students. Now complete Task Analysis as detailed below.

• Send the U.N. letter home so that parents are informed about the project.

In order to set parameters for content and focus on the challenge, complete task analysis using the following strategies:

1. Pin or tape two pieces of chart paper on the wall. Label the first one, Task Analysis and the second sheet, Questions we have to answer.

2. Ask, “What are we being asked to do (see the model at the bottom of this page)?” The answer to each question is found in the body of the letter from the United Nations Foundation. Response; “We need to create books or brochures to let people know about the problem so that they will donate money.” Write the student’s response on the first sheet of chart paper. Then probe further by asking, “What will the money be used for?” Student response, “The United Nations will purchase mosquito nets to protect people.” Add this response to the first statement.

3. Ask, “What information do we need to include in our book or brochure?” Student response, “We need to learn about mosquitoes and malaria.” Write this response under the task on the first chart.

Ask, “Is there anything else we need to include?” Student response, “We need to tell people about Africa.” Again, add

this response to the chart. Finally, ask, “What questions do we have now? What do we need to learn to write our book?” List the questions on the

second chart. See model charts below.

Then ask, “What do we need to learn to write our book?”

Ask, “What are we supposed to do?”

Chart paper on wall

Task Analysis • create books or brochures to let

people know about the problem so that they will donate money and the United Nations will purchase mosquito nets to protect people

We need to learn about • mosquitoes and malaria • NothingButNets • Africa

Questions we have now (samples):

• What is malaria? • Where is Africa? • What is Africa like? • Why do mosquitoes bite people? • How do they bite? • How can we keep mosquitoes from

biting? •

Teaching and Learning Events Social Studies Goals, Standards, and Benchmarks

Estimated time: 1 hour

State Goal 17: Understand world geography and the effects of geography on society, with an emphasis on the United States.

Standard A. Locate, describe and explain places, regions and features on the Earth

• Use maps and/or globes or other resources to locate continents

• Identify Africa and describe the continent’s location and place features (climate, landforms, vegetation, wildlife, etc.)

Teaching and Learning Event: Read “Nets Are Nice”

The information in this book is intended to give students background information on mosquito nets, Africa, and the

disease. (Ideally, students are paired and given copies of the book to read before the teacher starts the read aloud activity.

Even if they are at the emergent stage, the pictures in the book will convey important information.)

Description and Detailed Sequence of Activities:

• Download and print the book, “Nets Are Nice” from the following website: http://www.malarianomore.org/kids/educational-materials.php This book was developed by Scholastic for the website Malaria No More.

• Use the first lesson (Lesson One: Reading and Discussing Nets are Nice) plan detailed at the following Malaria No More website: http://www.malarianomore.org/kids/materials/g1-teachinguide.pdf

• Scroll to the bottom of the webpage to discover great websites on Africa. Some of these sites are appropriate for early readers.

Class book or brochure.

• Writing the book. Use chart paper to record information that children have learned from the book and the websites.

Look back at the questions and post any answers gained from these activities.

• Place students in four teams; Africa, Mosquitoes, Nets, and World Malaria Awareness Day and donating money (optional). The teacher will work with each team individually and help them synthesize information from their article.

• Show each team pictures about Africa, nets, mosquitoes, or World Malaria Awareness Day, and have them select one that they would like to include in their book or brochure. Pictures are available at the U.N. Foundation website in the Teacher Resource folder. Following the next lesson, insert pictures into the product and have the class agree on the text.

• For brochure, click and hold ‘file’ to locate the project gallery. Select brochure.

Note: Additional information about Africa, mosquitoes, and mosquito nets are provided at this site. Each team is given an

article to read and share with the class. Teams present information about their assigned topic to the whole class

(jigsaw activity).

Teaching and Learning Events

Social Studies Goals, Standards, and Benchmarks, continued Estimated time: 60

State Goal 17: Understand world geography and the effects of geography on

society, with an emphasis on the United States. Standard A. Locate, describe and explain places, regions and features on

the Earth • Use maps and/or globes or other resources to locate

continents • Identify Africa and describe the continent’s location and

place features (climate, landforms, vegetation, wildlife, etc.)

Teaching and Learning Event: students are given opportunities to re-read the book, Nets Are Nice and informational articles about Africa,

Mosquitoes, Nets, and World Malaria Awareness Day.

Description and Detailed Sequence of Activities: • Create a display that includes a large map of Africa (locate

map of Africa from Resource section, create overhead transparency, project to butcher paper taped to wall, cut out picture), pictures of African children (located at www.NothingButNets.Net/downloads), and large mosquito picture. Purchase netting from fabric store. If money is to be donated, then pictures of children can be moved from the African map and placed under the netting. If no money is to be collected, move children’s pictures when book is distributed to community.

• Place students into three teams; Mosquitoes, Africa, Nets (corresponds to the chapter in the book and the articles).

• Each team reads their article and discusses the information.

• The teacher then meets with each team and summarizes the important facts on chart paper. Relate the information back to the questions. Teams use the summaries to write the page for the class book in their own words (see below). While meeting with teams, students may re-read Nets Are

Nice, or see additional information from the websites found at the back of the book

• Have students ask additional questions (note: careful, this could expand the unit because young children have lots of questions!).

Class book or brochure

• Use the template provided in Microsoft Word’s Project Gallery to create a brochure, Microsoft Publisher, or a Word document for creating a book using the following directions.

• Open a Word document and click and hold ‘Format’ to locate and click on “Columns’. This format can be used to insert pictures in one column and text in the other column to create a class book. Use the ‘Drawing’ tools to insert a text box, then insert a picture and text boxes with captions, etc. A file of animal pictures is available at the website and you can use the following website to give students other picture choices. http://www.wpclipart.com/

• Use the information summarized on charts about Africa as well as, maps, pictures, and descriptions to create text for the book or brochure. Student teams use the notes summarized in meeting with the teacher to create a page for the book. Encourage them to use their own words to tell the story

Teaching and Learning Events Science Goals, Standards, and Benchmarks

Estimated time: 30 minute

State Goal12. Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences.

Standard A. Know and apply concepts that explain how living things function, adapt and change. Standard B. Know and apply concepts that describe how living things interact with each other and with their environment.

• Explain structures in organisms (e.g. plants, animals) that serve specific functions in growth and survival (e.g., birds have feathers; fish have fins; trees have leaves).

• Evaluate ways animal features and behaviors can help or hinder an organism’s survival in a particular habitat.

Teaching and Learning Event: This activity is designed to help children

understand the relationship between an animal’s features and its environment.

Description and Detailed Sequence of Activities:

• Students work in teams of 3 or 4 and trace one person in the group on a large sheet of butcher paper. Then they work together to label each of the features found on their bodies. Have them share their work and discuss how each feature is used. This information will be compared to the features of mosquitoes in order to determine how humans can be protected from these flying pests.

• When teams are reporting on how the feature helps them, take notes of the features on chart paper and how those features help human animals survive.

• The diameter of a mosquitoes’ proboscis is 30 micrometers; that of a human hair is 50 micrometers. Use a strand of hair to show size (mosquito proboscis is almost half the size of a human hair). Read aloud the article, “Mosquitoes’ and show the diagram of the insect (from website). Students work in their teams to label the parts of the mosquito. Discuss the proboscis as a mouthpart and ways in which the parts of the mosquito help it survive. Ask, “How can we protect people from mosquitoes?” DO NOT

PROVIDE ANSWERS TO THIS QUESTION AT THIS TIME. ADDITIONAL LESSONS WILL ASSIST STUDENTS TO SCAFFOLD THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF ANIMAL FEATURES TO POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS FOR PROTECTING HUMANS FROM MALARIA.

Class book or brochure • Continue discussing the articles children have read describing

mosquitoes and nets with each team individually. Use chart paper to record information that students have learned. This information summary can be used for writing their books. Pictures from this activity, along with captions, can be included in the class book.

Teaching and Learning Events Science Goals, Standards, and Benchmarks

Estimated time: 30 minute

State Goal12. Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences.

Standard A. Know and apply concepts that explain how living things function, adapt and change. Standard B. Know and apply concepts that describe how living things interact with each other and with their environment.

• Explain structures in organisms (e.g. plants, animals) that serve specific functions in growth and survival (e.g., birds have feathers; fish have fins; trees have leaves).

• Evaluate ways animal features and behaviors can help or hinder an organism’s survival in a particular habitat.

Teaching and Learning Event: In this lesson children are asked to

perform tasks without using their thumbs. They will understand the connection to animal features the importance of the feature for survival. Now they can be guided to answer the question,

“How can we protect people from this dangerous animal.”

Description and Detailed Sequence of Activities: • Gather the children on the rug before recess. Explain to them that you would like

them to do an experiment. They are to get ready for recess without using one of their features, their thumbs! They must zip and/or button their coats, pull on their boots, do any tying and “putting on” without using either thumb. Tell them they must also play any games outside without the use of their thumbs. When they come in, they are to take off their outside clothes, get their snack, and open and eat their snack, all without using their thumbs.

• Teacher puts a piece of 1/2 inch masking tape around the palms and thumbs of the children’s hands who volunteer for this activity. If a child objects, DO NOT USE TAPE. Children try to dress in outdoor clothes without thumbs. (When frustration level gets high, teacher helps them dress.) If the mini-unit is implemented in a season other than winter or early spring, then skip the coats and zippers and proceed with the following activities.

• Children play recess games such as jump rope, hopscotch, ball, and draw with chalk on the blacktop.

• When children return from recess they remove outdoor clothing. (This is usually a little easier and some children can accomplish it by themselves.)

• Children get snacks and try to open bottles of juice, packaged snacks, yogurt, etc., without thumbs. (Again, when frustration level gets too high, teacher

helps.) After snack, gather children around teacher. On a chart, list some of the things that were impossible to do without thumbs, and some of the things that were more difficult and took much longer to do without thumbs.

• Discuss what might happen if we were not able to use our thumbs. (We might freeze, because we couldn’t close our coats; walk out of our shoes because we couldn’t tie them or starve because we couldn’t get the packages open for the things we like to eat.)

• Lead children into a discussion of what would happen to the mosquito if we made it impossible for it to use one of its features, the proboscis. Ask children what would be some way we might be able to keep the mosquito from using its proboscis. (The nets do not allow the proboscis to get near the children or the adults.) Re-read the book, “Nets Are Nice”, pages 12-15. Then go to the following website and scroll through the slideshow so your children can learn how 2.8 million nets made their way to Mali. Scroll down to the middle of the page (http://www.nothingbutnets.net/nets-save-lives/ ).

• Children discuss the use of nets and how they can help eliminate malaria.

Class book or brochure • Complete the pages for the book or brochure.

Dangerous Animals (book) Map of Africa

Mosquito (article) Life Cycle of the Mosquito (article)

Diagram of Mosquito Features (worksheet) Africa (article)

and

Uganda, Angola, and Mali.

By Jeanne Henry Africa is the second largest continent and contains the largest hot desert in the world, the Sahara Desert. The Atlantic Ocean is on Africa’s west side, the Indian Ocean is on the east side, the Mediterranean Sea on the north side, and the Red Sea is on the northeast side. Africa has miles of long coastlines. Africa straddles the equator and has a range of climates. Central and southern Africa contains savanna and rainforest regions, producing hot moist climates.

There are 53 countries in Africa. The over 900 million people who live there speak over 1,000 languages and make up many different tribes. Africa is home to many interesting animals. Elephants, lions, zebras, rhinoceroses

hippopotamuses are but a few of these amazing animals. Africa is home to some of the world’s most beautiful and unusual flowers. Insects, such as mosquitoes, thrive in the warm, moist, jungle areas. Some mosquitoes carry a deadly disease called Malaria. These mosquitoes are often found in the African countries of Madagascar, Zambia, Nigeria,

by Emily Alford

proboscis

The mosquito bites people to feed on blood. They nd people by using their senses. The mosquito

th.

fi has chemical and visual sensors. They can sense people breathing, sweating, and moving around. They also can sense an animal’s warm

Mosquitoes have a mouthpart called a proboscis that is like a tiny needle. Their proboscis draws blood from humans and animals into their stomachs. Their wings help them move closer to eople and animals. When they are

wing

pclose to the animal they land, insert their proboscis, and suck blood.

t

a

head

horax

,

bdomen

Mosquitoes are insects. They have three body segments. The segments are the head, the thoraxand the abdomen. Very fast humans can run 5 miles per hour. Mosquitoes can fly only 1 mile to 1.5 miles per hour. They catch us when we are sleeping, walking, or standing. Only female mosquitoes bite people or animals. The males only sip nectar from plants. Male mosquitoes pollinate some plants

Some mosquitoes carry a disease called malaria. Thename of the mosquito that has this disease is named

Anophele. There are 3,500 species of mosquitoes. Human malariais transmitted only by females called Anopheles. Of the 430 Anopheles species, only 30-40 can give malaria to people. These special mosquitoes are in Africa. They like li t th t t d h id Ni t t f

THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE MOSQUITO By Jeanne Henry

ADUL QUITO: The aduand drinks blood. She needs this meal of blood to make eggs. She then finds eggs. She may lay as many as 400 little eggs in or around the water. EGGS:

The eggs stick together and form a raft. The eggs float on the water for one or two days. They hatch into larva.

LARVAE:

surface of the

upae are sometimes called tu

T MOSlt female mosquito bites an animal or person

water in which to lay her

The larvae are sometimes called wigglers because they wiggle up and down in the water. They breathe air through a tube like a snorkel that pokes through the water. After about seven days, they change into pupae. PUPAE:

mblers. Pupae Plive for a few days near the surface of the water. They breathe through two tubes on their backs. They do not eat. They hatch into adult mosquitoes. The adult mosquito lives about four weeks.