Animals in Alberta need your help!

Whats happening?!
Alberta is changing! Cities are getting bigger. This
means that they need to use more land to make more
space for the cities. When this happens, animals lose
their homes and the things that they need to survive.

How can we help?

Alone, or with a partner, pick a wild animal that lives in
Alberta and tell people about what that animal needs to
survive. Be sure to include ways that people can help to
protect the animal!

Instructions:
A. Pick a wild animal that lives in Alberta! Some examples of animals are:
- Bison
- Cougar
- Black Bear
- Bull Trout
- Any other wild animal in Alberta that you can think of!

The animal I have chosen is:_______________________________________________

B. Research your animal! Find information about your animal using the library, the
classroom, the community, and the computer. You will need to find the answer to
these questions about your animal:

1. What does your animal look like?

________________________________________________________________
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2. What does your animal need to live?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
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 3. Where is your animals habitat (Home)?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

4. Why is this place a good habitat (home) for your animal?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

5. How do the things people do threaten your animal and its habitat (home)?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

6. Why is it important to protect your animal and its habitat (home)?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

7. How can people help your animal survive?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

C. Choose a way to tell people about your animal! You can pick from these
projects to show your research about your animal:
- A poster
- A website
- A presentation
- A brochure
- A video
The project I have chosen is: ______________________________________________
*Remember! The project that you choose must show your answers to the questions in
part B.

If you have any questions or need any help, please come talk to me.
Good Luck!
 Animals in Danger Checklist:
Name: ________________ My Animal: _________________

Have I completed the following?

I have described my animal

I have described what my animal needs to live

I have described my animals habitat (home)

I have described why the habitat is good for my animal

I have identified what people do that can harm my animals habitat

I have explained why it is important to protect my animal and its habitat

I have suggested ways to help my animal survive

I have collected information from a variety of sources

I have presented my research using one of the options (a poster, a story,

a presentation, a brochure, or a video)
Stacie Ryan
Ed 3504 MNO
October 13, 2017
Reflection
There were three students that did not require any differentiation with the original
assignment. First, Wyatt states that he does not care for reading, although there is nothing to
suggest that he has difficulties with it. Therefore, he likely would not have much difficulty
completing the assignment. The second student is Nicole. She says that she enjoys school and
understands the importance of learning. She does not fall behind very often and will not hesitate
to ask for help if she needs it. As she does not have any prior struggles with school, it is not
likely that she would require differentiation. She also enjoys learning about the world around her,
therefore this project would likely engage her. The third student is Molly. While Molly dislikes
math, there is nothing to suggest that she struggles in or dislikes other subject areas. She has also
expressed a love of art, so having her create a brochure would be something she would find
engaging. Molly also mentioned that she would like to be a zoo keeper one day, so a project on
animals would interest her.
There were two students that did require differentiation. Patrick is an English Language
Learner (ELL) from Guatemala. In his interview, he did have some difficulty understanding the
questions and required clarification on them. He may struggle to understand what is required due
to the big blocks of text and the language on the assignment. Providing clear instructions and
simplified language would benefit Patrick. Kyle may also require differentiation as he expresses
frustration when it comes to reading and writing, therefore he would not be very interested in
completing the assignment. He would be more likely to thoroughly read the instructions if they
were chunked into smaller blocks of text. He is also very analytical and struggles with creative
thinking, so he may have difficulties with designing a brochure. Kyle would benefit from being
able to choose which format he would like to use to present his work. A checklist would also
give him the opportunity to ensure that he has finished all the work for the project.
Prior to giving the assignment, there are several formative assessments that need to be
completed. The teacher would need to ensure that the students have developed their reading and
writing skills enough to be comfortable with completing a research project. This would be
formatively assessed by being familiar with students reading levels through observation and
having them hand in journal entries. This allows the teacher to evaluate where the students stand
with these skills. Students would also need to have a base knowledge about Albertan Wildlife
and factors that threaten their environment. This would be formatively assessed through a class
discussion about the topic, or by having the students complete an activity exploring different
animals habitats and needs and thinking about what happens if they are not met. Finally, the
students would need to be familiar with the concept of completing research. The teacher could
prepare them by giving a lesson about proper research techniques. After the lesson, the class
would work together on a research project that would model the one they will be given. The
teacher would formatively assess how comfortable the students are with searching for
information by having them each find a source to contribute. Finally, student would complete a
formative self assessment checklist prior to handing their project in. The checklist would
highlight all the information required to have the project completed. If the students were unable
to check off one of the boxes, they would know to return to the project to complete that item
before handing it in.
In my version of the assignment, several components of the assignment to make it more
appealing for the students. First, the language and organization of the assignment was modified
to make it easier for the students, especially Patrick, to understand and follow. The instructions
were also broken down in to steps to ensure that students followed a process for their research
and had direction on what to complete first. These changes enhance the content validity, as
reading the assignment will not get in the way of Patricks ability to demonstrate his knowledge
about the project and Kyle will find it easier to follow the steps for the assignment. (Gareis &
Grant, 2015) In addition to this, the changes make the assignment more universal. The students
were also given the option to work with a partner for this project. While Molly, Nicole, and
Wyatt would all be okay doing the project individually or with a partner, Patrick and Kyle would
benefit from having a partner to work with who could explain certain terms or help them with
research. I also included an option for modality, which will allow the students to present their
information in a way that will play to their strengths. Finally, a checklist, which outlined all the
information that they would be evaluated on, was provided so that students could verify that they
completed all the components of the project prior to handing it in. This will encourage students
to self-monitor, thus enhancing learning. (Davies, 2011) This change will increase the quality of
the assignment, as they students know exactly what they must have done prior to handing it in.
 Reference List
Davies, A. (2011). Making Classroom Assessment Work. Courtenay, BC: Connect 2 Learning.
Gareis, C. R. & Grant, L.W. (2015). Teacher-made Assessments: How to Connect Curriculum,
Instruction, and Student Learning. New York, New York: Routledge.