EGGS

1. EGGS Literature Focus Unit EDU 315 Cassie Palmer

2. Literature Selection • An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Aston • Eggs by Jerry Spinelli • First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger • Guess What is Growing Inside This Egg by Mia Posada • Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss • Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss • Scrambled Eggs Super by Dr. Seuss • From Egg to Chicken by Gerald Legg • Rechenka’s Eggs by Patricia Polacco • Where do Chicks Come From? by Amy E. Sklansky

3. Theme Study • Students will participate in a thematic unit on the egg-to-chick transition. They will also focus on the different sizes of eggs that different birds lay. • It will integrate reading, writing, math, science, art, physical education, and music. • They will develop an understanding of the egg-hatching process.

4. Language Arts: Reading Activities • Students will read many fiction and non-fiction books about eggs and chicks through silent reading, group reading, and reader’s theater. • Students will read their own stories and poems to the class. • Teacher will read various books to the class.

5. Language Arts: Writing Activities • Students will keep dialog journals with teacher as the eggs incubate. They will record their thoughts, feelings, and observations. They will be asked to write in it daily on their own time after finishing assignments or at home. Teacher will give ideas as to what to write about at the beginning of the week. • Students will each write a hypothesis on the “Hypothesis Board” about what they think their chick looks like. • Students will write and illustrate a story about the life of a chick. • Students will add descriptive words to the Egg Word Wall. • Students will write a four-verse rhyming poem about birds or eggs. • Students will get into groups and write their own reader’s theatre scripts about birds and eggs. • Students will bring a recipe for eggs to combine into “Class Eggbook” • Writer Workshops and Peer Conferences

6. Language Arts: Speaking Activities • Students will join in a grand conversation on what they like about different birds. • Students will participate in a reader’s theater of their very own stories. • The students will use the author’s chair to read their poems and stories to the class. • Students will have small group discussions and we read different books. They will classify them into fiction and nonfiction groups and explain their reasoning. They will also discuss their opinions about each book.

7. Language Arts: Listening Activities • Students will listen to an explanation of the hatching process from a chicken farmer. • Students will listen to their classmates as they read their stories and poems to the class. • Students will listen to their classmates as they present their reader’s theater scripts. • Students will listen carefully during grand conversations. • Students will listen to chicken/egg stories daily. • Students will listen to classmate's chicken songs.

8. Language Arts: Viewing Activities • Students will view chickens on a farm OR have local chicken farmer come into class. • Students will view interactive websites to learn about eggs and chickens (technology). • Students will view photographs of different kinds of eggs. • Students will view the reader’s theater performance. • Students will view the word wall. • Students will view the chickens hatching. • Students will take care of an egg overnight to see how fragile eggs are.

9. Language Arts: Visually Representing Activities • Students will display their poems artistically. • Students will illustrate their stories. • Students will create an Egg Word Wall and a Hypothesis Board. • Students will dye eggs. • Class Egg Book • Model of the Egg • Math Survey

10. Science Activities • Students will learn about the egg-to-chicken cycle by hatching their own chicks. • Students will study what happens to chicks win the egg while they develop. • Students will compare/contrast different types of eggs. • Students will learn the make-up of an egg by going to www.crackingeggs.co.uk and clicking on the puzzle tab. • Students will view a cracked, raw egg and name the yolk, shell, and white/clear albumen. They will then make their own model of those three parts of the egg. • Students will read Where Do Chickens Come From and draw their own life-cycle of the chicken. • Students will read Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg and view picture clues and guess what animal baby is inside each egg. • Students will read Green Eggs and Ham and make green scrambled eggs. • Students will watch chicken and octopus eggs hatching on film and compare/contrast them.

11. Mathematics Activities • Students will graph the weights of different sizes of eggs. • Students will weigh eggs before and after being hardboiled. • Students will learn how eggs are symmetrical. They will draw the line of symmetry across pictures of eggs and birds. • Students will be guided to take a survey on who likes/dislikes eating eggs and graph results. • Students will expand survey/graphing knowledge by graphing the survey “What is your favorite way to eat eggs?” in groups.

12. Social Studies Activities • Students will create a KWL chart about eggs and chickens. • Students will learn about birds and eggs that come from different parts of the world. • Students will learn which states have the most chickens in the United States. • Local chicken farmer will discuss the process of hatching eggs. • Students will study the environment needed to hatch an egg.

13. Music and Art and PE Activities • Students will dye/decorate their own eggs after reading Rechenka’s Eggs . • Students will present their poems creatively. • Students will write chicken songs. • Students will learn the chicken dance. • Egg Race.

14. Technology • www.crackingeggs.co.uk • www.goldeneggs.com • http://warrensburg.k12.mo.us/webquest/animals/index.htm • http://www.sunnyqueen.com.au/ • Camera: take pictures during trip to farm and of all egg activities • Watch eggs hatching: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYLm3SK_vRE =Chicken • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6mtZSzYeM0 =Octopus

15. Language Arts Strategies • Activating Background Knowledge: Students will recall information they know about chickens and eggs. • Brainstorming: Students will hypothesize what they think will happen with the eggs. • Playing with Language: Students will use words creatively through poems, stories, and journal entries. • Visualizing: Students will illustrate their stories.

16. Language Arts Skills • Print: Students will know words on the word wall. • Comprehension: Students will distinguish if stories are fiction or non-fiction. • Language: Students will use many skills in their writing assignments.

17. Grouping Patterns • Large Group: Grand conversation, fieldtrip to the farm/farmer visit, teacher-read stories, word wall, reader’s theater presentations, poem and story presentations, egg races, egg cookbook, hypothesis board, egg survey, view cracked egg, KWL chart, study environment of incubation period, chicken dance. • Small Group: Writing of reader’s theater scripts, discussions on books, view pictures of eggs, weigh/graph eggs, egg compare/contrast, guess what’s in eggs, study birds of different areas, write chicken songs • Individual: Writing stories and poems, journal entries, drawing lines of symmetry, egg model, life cycle of chicken, dye eggs.

18. MORNING Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Language Arts *Grand Conversation *Teacher read story *Small group discussion *Eggs start incubating *Start dialog journal *Teacher read story *Small group discussion *Hypothesis board/Word wall *View pictures of different eggs *Ask for egg recipes *Teacher read story *Small group discussion *Write story on life of a chick *Writers Workshop *Teacher read story *Small group discussion *Write egg poem *Write/present reader’s theater *Peer Conferencing *Students present stories and poems *Put together “Class Eggbook” *Visit a chicken farm OR have chicken farmer come into class to talk about the process of hatching Art/Music/PE *Do the Chicken dance *Dye/decorate eggs after reading Rechenka’s Eggs *Illustrate story *Frame and title poem *Egg Race AFTERNOOON Math *Weigh and graph different sizes of eggs *Compare/contrast weight of raw vs. hardboiled eggs *Find lines of symmetry on eggs and pictures of birds *Take a survey on like/dislike eating eggs *Graph results *Survey on favorite way to eat eggs *Graph results Science *Crack raw egg to teach parts *Create models *Give students egg to care for *Read “Where Do Chickens Come From?” and draw the life cycle *Egg videos-Compare/Contrast *Read “Guess What’s Growing Inside This Egg” and guess as groups *Study the incubation process *Record Temperature and humidity *Incubation video *Read “Green Eggs and Ham” and make green scrambled eggs Social Studies *KWL Chart *Study different countries’ birds *Find which state has the most chickens *Study ways different people around the world eat eggs *Make eggs as a class following other countries’ strategies

19. Assessments • Rubric: KWL Chart and hypothesis board • Analytical Assessment: Poem and story • Participation: Group activities, music/PE performances • Informal observation: Reader’s theater, presenting stories and poems • Completion: Journal entries • Accuracy: Egg weights, survey results • Test: spelling over Word Walls