Interactions in Ecology and Literature

Integrated Science and ELA Lessons for Gifted and Advanced Learners in Grades 2-3

Tamra Stambaugh, Eric Fecht, Emily Mofield

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000493771
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Winner of the 2015 NAGC Curriculum Studies Award

Interactions in Ecology and Literature integrates ecology with the concept of interactions and the reading of fictional and informational texts. This unit, developed by Vanderbilt University's Programs for Talented Youth, is aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Next Generation Science Standards.

Students will research questions such as "Should animals be kept in zoos?" and "Should humans intervene to control overpopulation of species?" They will examine relationships among living things and the environment as well as relationships between literary elements in texts through accelerated content, engaging activities, and differentiated tasks.

Ideal for gifted classrooms or gifted pull-out groups, the unit features fictional texts from Lynne Cherry, Katherine Applegate, and Jacqueline Woodson; art from Mark Rothko and Georges Seurat; informational texts about deforestation and a variety of animals; biographies about Michael Jordan, J. K. Rowling, and Walt Disney; and videos about food chains, food webs, and more.

Grades 2-3

Lesson 1Everything Interacts: Concept Introduction and The Great Kapok Tree

DOI: 10.4324/9781003235828-4

Key Question

How do the interactions of different textual elements help readers understand the purpose of a text?

Objectives

Content: To analyze and interpret fiction, nonfiction, and art, students will be able to:

• analyze how literary elements interact to promote meaning within a story or poem; and
• evaluate how an author uses language, structure, and point of view to reveal purpose and/or advance a claim.

To understand ecosystems, students will be able to:

• synthesize information to explain how interactions in an environment among living things bring about change; and
• analyze the relationship between living organisms in an environment.

Process: To develop interpretation, analysis, and communication skills in the language arts, students will be able to:

• respond to an analysis of literature, nonfiction, or art by developing arguments or elaborating on explanations through writing a variety of texts (e.g., essays and paragraphs, including relevant and sufficient evidence to support claims).

Concept: To develop conceptual thinking about interactions in the language arts and science, students will be able to:

• use inductive reasoning to develop generalizations about interactions; and
• examine the relationship between interactions generalizations in multiple contexts.

Accelerated CCSS for ELA

• RL.4.1
• RL.4.2
• RL.4.3
• RL.4.7
• RI.4.2
• RI.4.6
• W.4.2d
• W.4.9
• SL.5.1c
• SL.5.1d
• L.4.6

Accelerated NGSS

• 3-LS4-4

Materials

• The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Cherry (to read aloud; one copy for each small group—optional)
• Chart paper and markers (for small groups of students)
• Sticky notes (one medium-sized pack per student; or a stack of blank sticky note-sized scrap paper or small note cards)
• Handout 1.1: Literary Analysis Cubes (optional; folded into cubes)
• Handout 1.2: Blank Literary Analysis Wheel—Primary (if not using cubes)
• Handout 1.3: Deforestation Pros and Cons
• Handout 1.4: Blank Text Analysis Wheel—Primary
• Handout 1.5: Concept Organizer
• Rubric 1: Product Rubric (Appendix C)

Introductory Activities

1. Explain to students that they will be learning about interactions among animals, people, books, art, words, and the environment. Ask: What is an interaction? Solicit a variety of responses. Explain that “inter-” means between. So “inter-” actions are actions between different living and nonliving things.
2. Give each student a set of sticky notes or scrap paper. Ask students to walk around the room and look outside, noticing different people, animals, insects, plants, and objects that interact. Have them record each interaction on a separate note.
3. Divide students into pairs or small groups. Ask them to combine their interaction examples with their partner(s) and organize them into different categories.
4. Afterward, discuss:
   • What is similar about all of the interactions we shared?
   • What are the differences?
   • What are some different reasons why things interact? (Sample response: To help each other, serve a common goal, survive, get food, communicate, etc.)
   • Can nonliving things interact? (Sample response: Living things can interact with living and nonliving things.)
   • What are some positive interactions you noticed? Negative interactions?
   • Neutral interactions? Explain.
   • What might happen in our environment or classroom if interactions did not occur?
   • Can someone live without interacting?
5. Explain: In this unit, we will be focusing on four generalizations about interactions (a generalization is a statement that is true across multiple objects, situations, subject areas, and things):
   • Interactions are inevitable.
   • Interactions allow for changes.
   • Interactions are caused by multiple influences.
   • Interactions can be positive, negative, or mutually beneficial.
6. Display these generalizations in the classroom, as these will be referred to throughout the unit. You may also consider creating a concept map-working wall so students can add their connections between the content and concepts they learn each lesson.
7. Distribute chart paper to each group. Assign each group a different generalization. Tell groups to write their generalization in the middle of the chart paper and then create a concept map that shows at least five different examples that represent their generalization in another subject area or in their lives. Afterward, conduct a gallery walk for students to view and ask questions about each other’s generalization posters.

In-Class Activities to Deepen Learning

1. Engage students in a quick debate: Should humans cut down trees for purposes of shelter or safety? Students can stand on opposite sides of the room to defend their point of view. Solicit a variety of responses.
2. Divide students into small groups. Distribute a copy of The Great Kapok Tree to each group. Have students explore the cover of the book, paying attention to the interactions that they see. (These may be the interaction of colors, animals and nature, words and pictures, etc.) Ask them to discuss which generalizations about interactions are noticeable from the cover.
3. Tell students that as you read you want them to pay attention to interactions found within the text. Read aloud The Great Kapok Tree, or conduct a reader’s theater by assigning different students to read an animal part. The narrator reads all of the parts that are not spoken by the animals.
4. After reading, ask the following text-dependent questions:
   • What interactions were important to the story (i.e., man and the tree, man and the animals, the animals with each other, man and his environment)? How did these interactions bring about change?
   • The boa constrictor initially tells the sleeping man, “This is a tree of miracles …” Explain what this statement means.
   • What benefit does the tree provide each animal? What benefits do the animals provide the tree? How are the interactions mutually beneficial? What examples from the story tell you this?
   • Who or what do you think is the most central character in this story—the man, the animals, or the tree? Why?
   • What is the main conflict or problem in the story, and what is done to resolve it?
   • How does the author use the illustrations to help the reader understand the impact of the man cutting down the tree? (There is an increase in the number of animals who live in or depend upon the tree gathering together as the story progresses.)
   • What does the great kapok tree symbolize (e.g., hope, life, survival, preservation)? (If students are unfamiliar with symbols, help them recognize that a symbol is something that represents something else. They may understand that a heart may symbolize love, a flag may symbolize freedom, a flower may symbolize life, dark clouds might symbolize sadness or gloom.)
   • How does this story make you feel? Why? (Explain that “mood” is the reader’s feeling when reading a story.) What then is the mood of the story? How does the author accomplish that through illustrations and words? Does the mood change or remain the same throughout the story? Explain.
   • How do the illustrations of the man change throughout the course of the story? Notice his facial features and how the illustrator positions the man on each page. Why is this important to the meaning? (As the illustrations progress, the focus is on the man, with his image becoming increasingly larger or close up, as the story becomes all about whether or not he will destroy the animals’ home. Although his eyes are initially shut, they open, as he has been enlightened by the information shared by the animals.)
   • The bee tells the sleeping man, “You see, all living things depend on one another.” What is the bee saying about interactions? What other interaction examples are present in the story?
   • What is the author’s message about natural resources? Changes in the environment? Changes in people?

Literary Analysis Questions With Added Complexity

1. Divide students into small groups based on their understanding of the story and readiness levels.
2. Provide each small group with two Literary Analysis Cubes (Handout 1.1) or the Literary Analysis Wheel—Primary (Handout 1.2). Tell students that not only do characters interact with each other or other things (i.e., nature) in a story, but authors also use interactions of different story elements and techniques to convey a message.
3. Explain that students will be examining different ways in which different story elements interact by either rolling cubes or using the Literary Analysis Wheel—Primary and drawing arrows to show interactions. Guide students through the following questions using the wheel or the cubes. If this is the first time using the wheel or the cubes, you may need to explain some of the categories. Additional information and examples can be found in Appendix A.
   • Setting + Characters: How does the setting of the rainforest, and more specifically the Great Kapok Tree, influence how the characters respond to the man? Provide examples from the story.
   • Use of Words/Techniques + Characters: How does the author help us understand the importance of the Great Kapok Tree as being vital to life? (Sample response: The number of animals that live in the tree help us understand the tree’s importance for a variety of animals.)
   • Sequence/Plot + Characters: How does the introduction of each animal add to the conflict of the sto...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents Page
• Acknowledgements Page
• Introduction
• Pretest
• Pretest Rubric
• Lesson 1 Everything Interacts: Concept Introduction and The Great Kapok Tree
• Lesson 2 Interactions Among Living and Nonliving Things: Ecosystems and Food Chains
• Lesson 3 Interactions and Literature: A Novel Study
• Lesson 4 Interactions and Perspective: Art Analysis
• Lesson 5 Interactions and Balance: Simulating Ecosystems
• Lesson 6 Interactions Through Words and Images: Poetry Analysis
• Lesson 7 Interactions and Invasive Species: Overpopulation of Wild Boars
• Lesson 8 Interactions Through Positive Relationships: Picture Book Study
• Lesson 9 Interactions and Change: The True Story of Ivan
• Lesson 10 Interactions and Teamwork
• Lesson 11 Interactions Within Us: Biography Study
• Lesson 12 Culminating Project
• Posttest
• Posttest Rubric
• References
• Appendix A: Instructions for Using the Models
• Appendix B: Blank Models and Guides
• Appendix C: Rubrics
• About the Authors
• Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Alignment
• Next Generation Science Standards Alignment