Free 3rd Grade Research Clubs Lesson Plan

Topic: Investigating animals and writing about their characteristics

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to research and write about the characteristics of different animals.

Materials

• Computers with internet access
• Writing paper and pencils
• Tools for research (e.g. dictionaries, encyclopedias, Google searches)

Warm-up

• Ask students to brainstorm what they know about animals. Write their ideas on the board.
• Ask students to share their favorite animals and why they like them.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of research clubs and explain that this will be the focus of their research project.
• Explain that a research club is a group of students who work together to research a topic and present their findings to the class.
• Explain the steps of research, including:
• finding sources of information
• organizing and analyzing the information
• writing up the findings
• Ask students to brainstorm animals they would like to research and write their ideas on the board.
• Select one animal to research as a group and brainstorm a list of questions they would like to answer about that animal.

Guided Practice

• Have students work in small groups to find sources of information about their chosen animal.
• Have each group organize and analyze the information they find using the questioning skills they have learned.
• Have each group present their findings to the class and answer any questions the class may have.

Independent Practice

• Have students choose a partner and research a second animal that is not the same as their first animal.
• Have students create a research club poster about their two animals, using the questioning skills they have learned.
• Have students present their posters to the class and answer any questions the class may have.

Closure

• Review the questioning skills that were learned during the lesson.
• Ask students to share one thing they learned about their two animals during the project.

Assessment

• Observe students during the independent practice and group presentations to assess their understanding of the questioning skills and their ability to conduct research and present their findings.
• Administer a quiz to assess students' retention of the information about the two animals they researched.