4th Grade The Cobra Effect: Rats In Hanoi Lesson Plan (Reading)

Topic: The Cobra Effect: Rats in Hanoi

Objectives & Outcomes

• students will be able to explain the concept of the "cobra effect" and give examples of how it has happened in real life.
• students will be able to create a better plan for the extermination of rats in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Materials

• diagrams of the rat infestation problem in Hanoi
• chalkboard or whiteboard
• markers or chalk
• paper and pencils for each student

Warm-up

• Begin the lesson by showing the students a picture or diagram of the rat infestation problem in Hanoi. Ask the students what they think might be causing the rats to appear in the city and how the government might deal with the problem.
• Encourage the students to come up with as many creative solutions as they can think of.

Direct Instruction

• After the warm-up, explain to the students that the rat infestation in Hanoi was caused by a Cobra Effect. Demonstrate what a Cobra Effect is by showing the students another picture or diagram of the solution that the government came up with to solve the rat infestation problem.
• Explain that the solution was to spray the city with DDT, which is a powerful insecticide that kills rats. However, DDT also kills other insects, including mosquitoes, which are the main food source for birds. Birds are important because they help to control the spread of disease and eat insects that damage crops.
• Point out that by trying to solve the rat infestation problem, the government ended up causing a bigger problem - the decline of the bird population.

Guided Practice

• Divide the students into small groups. Give each group one of the problems from the warm-up, along with the solution that causes the Cobra Effect.
• Have the students work together to come up with a better solution that avoids the Cobra Effect. They can use the information they learned about DDT and birds to guide their thinking. They can also discuss other solutions that they can come up with that avoid causing a bigger problem.

Independent Practice

• Have the students work on a group project to come up with a solution for the problem of rat infestation in Hanoi. They can draw on their ideas from the warm-up and the guided practice, as well as come up with new ideas.
• Have the students present their solution to the class, and explain why their solution avoids the Cobra Effect.

Closure

• Review the main points of the lesson: the concept of the Cobra Effect and how it can lead to unintended consequences when solving a problem.
• Ask the students to share something they learned from the lesson.
• Thank the students for their participation.

Assessment

• Observe the students during the class discussion and independent practice to see if they are able to explain the concept of the Cobra Effect and give an example of the problem and solution.
• Collect and review the students' presentation or skit to assess their understanding of the concept of the Cobra Effect and their ability to give an example of the problem and solution.