This Kidspiration Lesson was designed with the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum in mind: http://mdk12.org/instruction/index.html

There are two files that feature this activity. One file is in Kidspiration, where I would recommend this activity be carried out because of the presentation features, the other is in Inspiration (an attachment at the bottom of the description which follows). Although Inspiration offers more teacher information, you will note when you try to move the objects onto the background… the images disappear in Inspiration, but in Kidspiration they remain visible to the child.

Lesson Plan outline:
1. How long is the lesson designed to take not including story hour, 1hr 30min
2. What age will you target? Kindergarten
3. What content do you want to focus on (subject area health, math, history, etc.)? science, diversity of life
4. The unit title diversity of life
5. Instructional goals
a. Recognize similarities and differences between humans and animals found in different regions of the state of MD.
b. Each lesson will build upon the 1st by comparing each new place we learn about to one we have already looked at.
c. Additional lessons could be built into this outline (if found successful) by adding a comparisons of plants.

6. Objectives
a. Organize data collected and draw conclusions about similarities and differences between humans depending upon the region of MD they are from.
b. Discuss similarities between humans and animals that result in certain external features (for example: omnivores, herbivores, and carnivores have similar eye placement).
c. Explain ways in which humans are more like one another than like other animals (for example: discuss how humans houses are not animals homes).
d. Identify and describe observable parts of animals that make some of them alike in the way they look and the things they do (for example: how many legs do the insects have? Or where do pigeons, robins, and owls sleep? Why don’t ducks sleep in high places also?.
e. Compare descriptions of the features that make some animals very different from one another (for example: when a deer is scared it can run very fast to get away from danger but when a skunk gets scared it will give off smell that makes its predator’s eyes water while it scurries into a hole).
f. Identify a feature (such as webbed feet) that distinguishes animals that sleep or live by water and discover other similar features they might share (like laying eggs). Or raccoons, skunks, mice are all omnivorous scavengers that are most active at night, will live in dark man-made places, and love human garbage.
g. Compare ideas about how the features of animals affect what these animals do (for example many grass eating animals have a lot of predators and are often more active at night, they also have eyes on the side of their heads to see more, and are very cautious, and can run very fast).

1. Rationale: my rational behind this lesson plan is to not only meet several voluntary state curricular mandates but also teach children about the state they live in, Maryland. My hope is to begin to help educate them about their current environment, so that they can have a frame of reference as they learn about or visit new places.
My rationale behind using Kidspiration is that it provides features that reach many different types of learners audio, visual, tactile, and caters to children with a variety of disabilities. To help students see text and symbols you can vary the font or image size. For dealing with a class at different skill levels you can use the talking interface to read the text in menus, toolbars and dialog boxes.

7. Content
Note my activity can be expanded upon by:
*comparing each new place we learn about to a place we have already looked at
*and by adding in other animals and plants

a. from my research below (see reference section) I have chosen 4 ecosystems we will focus on:
i. city life,
ii. suburban life,
iii. rural life, and
iv. costal life.
I have created 2 Kispiration lesson plan templates for the first of these, city life.
i. city life
1. we will talk about the types of people
a. when they sleep
b. where they live
c. what they eat
2. we will talk about types of animals
a. when they sleep
b. where they live
c. what they eat

8. Instructional procedures
a. Each day for our story hour we will read 2 books (or book chapters) about:
i. A particular region in the state of Maryland
ii. A story about an people and animals that lives in this type of ecosystem (or region)
1. I have identified many different ecosystems we could focus on as a class, but settled on a very general understanding of the differences between city life, suburban life, rural life, and costal life because I will be teaching kindergarteners.
iii. Although each region of Maryland has city life, suburban life, rural life, and costal life ecosystems to some degree we will talk about the most abundant ecosystem for the region we are focusing on. However, we will also talk about how each region can have other ecosystems as well.
b. After story hour we will then go to our class map of MD and point out the parts of MD we are focusing on today.
c. We will then use the Kispiration templates I designed to learn more about specific animals and people that live in this ecosystem.

9. Evaluation procedures: POST-assessment is built into the Kispiration data that I will collect at the end of their activity
10. Materials
a. Computers
b. Kidspiration
c. Headphones for children that do not read

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

MD has 5 regions http://www.mdisfun.org/planningamarylandvisit/kidsroom/Kids%20Room%20Mar... that result in different species living there
1. MD Western Region
a. Have plants such as http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/nativesMD/lists.htm#mountain
b. The western region is known for its
i. Mts,
1. great for apples,
2. peaches
3. maple syrup
4. honey
5. lumber
ii. lakes,
iii. Appalachian trail
c. The Mt region is also know for it wineries

2. MD Central Region
a. This is where the state capitol is, Annapolis
b. This region also includes many waterfront villages, town and cities such as Baltimore (MD largest city). also known as the Atlantic Coastal Plain region and includes
c. Part of this region contains Piedmont plateau which has plants such as http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/nativesMD/lists.htm#piedmont
d. There are many types of people who live in this region
i. City folk
1. Industry workers
2. Technology engineers (3 defense museums)
3. artists and musicians
ii. Fisherman
iii. Farmers (especially horse breeders)

3. MD Capital Region
a. This region includes
i. Farm land
ii. Cities such as Washington DC
iii. Suburbs
4. MD Southern Region
a. Have plants such as http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/nativesMD/lists.htm#coastal
b. This area is known as the Atlantic Coastal Plain region and includes
i. Farmland
ii. woods,
iii. fields,
iv. ponds,
v. swamps, and
vi. beach ecosystems
c. the farmers that live here farm
i. Tobacco
ii. Corn
iii. Wheat
iv. Soybeans
d. Many fishermen live here harvesting fish from the Chesapeake Bay

5. MD Eastern Shore Region
a. Have plants such as http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/nativesMD/lists.htm#coastal
b. This area is also known as the Atlantic Coastal Plain region and includes
i. farmland
ii. woods,
iii. fields,
iv. ponds,
v. swamps, and
vi. beach ecosystems
c. the farmers that live here farm
i. Tobacco
ii. Corn
iii. Tomatoes
iv. Cattle
v. Chickens
vi. Wheat
vii. Soybeans
d. Many fishermen live here harvesting fish and crabs from the Chesapeake Bay

State Symbols
State Flag: Black and gold quarters (the arms of Lord Baltimore’s family, the Calverts) along with red and white quarters (the arms of his mother’s family, the Crosslands)
State Song: “Maryland, My Maryland,” written by teacher James Ryder Randall after a Civil War riot in Baltimore
State Dog: Chesapeake Bay Retriever, a hunting breed with webbed paws and a waterproof coat
State Cat: Calico, with colors resembling the Maryland flag
State Bird: Baltimore Oriole, with black and gold coloring
State Fish: Striped bass, also known as rockfish
State Crustacean: Maryland blue crab
State Boat: Skipjack, the last working boat under sail in North America, used for dredging oysters in the Chesapeake Bay
State Flower: Black-eyed Susan, with black and gold coloring and a blossom of 13 petals
State Tree: White Oak
State Sport: Jousting, which requires horseback riders to spear small, suspended rings State Folk Dance: Square dancing
State Drink: Milk
State Dinosaur: Astrodon johnstoni, “star tooth,” which lived between 95 and 130 million years ago
State Fossil Shell: Ecphora quadricostata, an extinct Chesapeake Bay snail
State Insect: Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly, with orange and white spots on a black base
State Reptile: Diamondback terrapin, also the University of Maryland College Park mascot

Bees: (Reference: Southwick, E. E. "Bee sleep". American Bee Journal 131:165-166, 1991)
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/agnic/bee/faq.asp?qid=38

Butterflies: http://www.nides.bc.ca/Assignments/Insects/Butterflyfaq.htm#top
http://www.butterfliesetc.com/rearingadult.html

Deer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deer
http://www.maine.gov/sos/kids/allabout/wildlife/deer.htm

Ducks: http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/aab/020_roost.php

Frogs: http://cgee.hamline.edu/frogs/science/faq1.html
http://www.wsu.edu/DrUniverse/frogs.html

Ladybug: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/insects/ladybug/Ladybug.shtml
http://stri.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Coccinellidae
http://www.wonderquest.com/ladybug.htm

Mice: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/rodent/Mouseprintout.s...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mice

Owls: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl

Pigeons: http://www.answers.com/topic/rock-pigeon-1

Rabbits: http://www.yptenc.org.uk/docs/factsheets/animal_facts/rabbit.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit

Raccoons: http://www.wildlife-museum.org/wildlife/solutions/Raccoon.php

Robins: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/birds/printouts/Robinprintout....
http://web.mac.com/wildlifeweb/iWeb/Robin-Facts/

Skunks: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk

Snakes: http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312800/snake.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312800/snake.htm
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/deptmpl.asp?url=/content/dep/herps/sna...

Spiders: http://www.amonline.net.au/spiders/resources/biology.htm#sleep

Squirrels: http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312800/squirrel.htm