 Nonfiction Animal Research Using the six levels of Bloom’s taxonomy to differentiate curriculum based on student readiness and feedback

The Challenge  Modifying a nonfiction research project by using Bloom’s taxonomy in order maximize the amount time each student is engaged and learning.

Thinking Levels  Knowledge – recall of facts  Comprehension – understanding information  Application – Use the information  Analysis – Break down information  Synthesis – Create new or different models  Evaluation – Rate the value of the information

Choosing a Nonfiction Book  The teacher will take into account the student’s current read level to guide them choosing a book at the appropriate reading level.  Students will get to choose the animal they want to research.

Contract for Project Competition  This contract will help students become responsible for completing their daily work in a timely manner.  It will help students organize what they need to accomplish each day.  It will also keep track of whether the student worked independently, with the teacher, or with a peer.

Knowledge  Students will take notes on what the animal looks like, the animal habitat, diet, offspring, enemies, and any other interesting facts. These notes will be recopied to the final paper.

Technology  Students will have access to a variety of kid friendly websites that provide text, audio, and video information about their animal.  Pebblego.  Groilers  Kids.natonalgeographic.com

Comprehension  The note taking will help students to paraphrase and have a full understanding of all the information the have gathered about their animal. Daily feedback sheets will help students understand what they have been successful with and what was challenging

Application  Students will give a brief presentation about the animal they researched. This will help the student transfer the information they have learned and adapt to a different setting.

Conclusion  Bloom’s taxonomy gives the first grade nonfiction animal research project structure and organizes the student’s learning.  The contract of project completion helps students stay organized and helps take note of what the student is able to do independently, with a teacher, and with a peer.  The daily feedback form helps the student reflect on what they accomplished, what worked, what didn’t work, and evaluate their own learning.

Analysis  Students will design they lay out of their research papers. Students will need to take into account the different traits of their animal to rearrange the information they have collected to have a presentation that makes sense and has a good flow.

Assess  The daily student feedback form gives the student an opportunity to reflect on the work they do each day. What was the best? What was the worst? What they learned?  Student rate their learning for the day on a scale from 1 – WOW. 1 being the student did not learn very much to WOW the amount of learning was surprising to the student.