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Animals are not the first thing that comes to mind when we talk about war, unless, of course, you are Cheryl Harness! From the same author that educated us about Sergeant Stubby comes another high interest story of an animal in war. Your students are going to love it. |
English/Language Arts
Explore the use of case for emphasis
Twice in the first paragraph, Author Harness makes the choice to use all capital letters for a word. Ask students to discuss why she might have done this. What does this accomplish? Can they find other examples of capital letters used for emphasis? Are there places this makes sense in their own writing? Are there instances where this should never be utilized?
Explore the use of tense - historical present
Some readers may notice that Author Harness changes from present to past tense within the paragraphs of this Minute. If they do not notice - make sure to point it out. Tense can be confusing for young writers, so take this opportunity to point out the use of present tense when describing an historical event - a usage known as the “historical present.” Have students talk about how this affects the tone of the piece by creating a sense of immediacy despite describing an event that occurred nearly a century ago. Have them identify where the tense switches back to past and see if they recognize the pattern. As a culmination, ask students to pull a piece from their journals about a past experience and change the tense to present to try to mimic the results in this Minute.
Explore setting a scene
This Minute begins with the setting of a scene where the author speaks in second person directly to the reader, asking the reader to do some work before she shares the narrative of what’s happening. Have your students do a close read of this opening paragraph. Consider asking them to draw a picture to accompany Author Harness’s words. What has the author done to stoke the reader’s imagination? What senses are involved in the scene she describes? After your students pull this apart, ask them to write a scene-setting vignette of their own, evoking all of the senses and creating a picture for the reader.
Social Studies
Explore communication - carrier pigeons
Communication is a critical element of human history. Have students create a timeline of communication throughout history. At what point do birds appear as a means of human communication? Would human history have evolved differently without the use of birds and other animals as a means for human communication? Invite some critical thinking!
Explore animals in war
Animals have played many roles in many wars, and many animals were utilized by all sides in fighting the first world war. Have students begin by imagining what animals could be utilized and how they could make a difference. THen send them to find out the facts to back up their thinking. The British Library has published an article giving an overview of the roles of the many animal participants in World War I that may assist students in the research.
Explore WWI
This Minute provides a perfect anticipatory set for introducing or continuing exploration of World War I. Have students define the focus of this article so they realize that understanding an entire war would require masses of reading covering multitudes of topics and perspectives. Have them generate a list of different possible topics to explore when learning about a war, with a focus on creating focused, researchable questions.
STEM
Explore biology - animal behavior
How has the human race domesticated animals for their use? Why do some birds work better than others? Have different birds been considered for their abilities to act as message carriers? Have students define the characteristics that would be necessary for a bird to carry a message, then create some charts to establish which birds could be considered and which could be immediately ruled out.
Research Skills
Explore Google search features
Google provides some unique search features that deserve definition to establish a common vocabulary with your students when giving them directions to search the internet for answers. Featured snippets are the brief summaries that appear below each search result. The information panel on the right is generated from a knowledge graph created by collecting data about how people search and the common results they are seeking. That knowledge graph is also the source for the carousel at the top - that ribbon of related visual information that sometimes appear when students search. Model a WWI search for students and point out these features.
Explore the use of case for emphasis
Twice in the first paragraph, Author Harness makes the choice to use all capital letters for a word. Ask students to discuss why she might have done this. What does this accomplish? Can they find other examples of capital letters used for emphasis? Are there places this makes sense in their own writing? Are there instances where this should never be utilized?
Explore the use of tense - historical present
Some readers may notice that Author Harness changes from present to past tense within the paragraphs of this Minute. If they do not notice - make sure to point it out. Tense can be confusing for young writers, so take this opportunity to point out the use of present tense when describing an historical event - a usage known as the “historical present.” Have students talk about how this affects the tone of the piece by creating a sense of immediacy despite describing an event that occurred nearly a century ago. Have them identify where the tense switches back to past and see if they recognize the pattern. As a culmination, ask students to pull a piece from their journals about a past experience and change the tense to present to try to mimic the results in this Minute.
Explore setting a scene
This Minute begins with the setting of a scene where the author speaks in second person directly to the reader, asking the reader to do some work before she shares the narrative of what’s happening. Have your students do a close read of this opening paragraph. Consider asking them to draw a picture to accompany Author Harness’s words. What has the author done to stoke the reader’s imagination? What senses are involved in the scene she describes? After your students pull this apart, ask them to write a scene-setting vignette of their own, evoking all of the senses and creating a picture for the reader.
Social Studies
Explore communication - carrier pigeons
Communication is a critical element of human history. Have students create a timeline of communication throughout history. At what point do birds appear as a means of human communication? Would human history have evolved differently without the use of birds and other animals as a means for human communication? Invite some critical thinking!
Explore animals in war
Animals have played many roles in many wars, and many animals were utilized by all sides in fighting the first world war. Have students begin by imagining what animals could be utilized and how they could make a difference. THen send them to find out the facts to back up their thinking. The British Library has published an article giving an overview of the roles of the many animal participants in World War I that may assist students in the research.
Explore WWI
This Minute provides a perfect anticipatory set for introducing or continuing exploration of World War I. Have students define the focus of this article so they realize that understanding an entire war would require masses of reading covering multitudes of topics and perspectives. Have them generate a list of different possible topics to explore when learning about a war, with a focus on creating focused, researchable questions.
STEM
Explore biology - animal behavior
How has the human race domesticated animals for their use? Why do some birds work better than others? Have different birds been considered for their abilities to act as message carriers? Have students define the characteristics that would be necessary for a bird to carry a message, then create some charts to establish which birds could be considered and which could be immediately ruled out.
Research Skills
Explore Google search features
Google provides some unique search features that deserve definition to establish a common vocabulary with your students when giving them directions to search the internet for answers. Featured snippets are the brief summaries that appear below each search result. The information panel on the right is generated from a knowledge graph created by collecting data about how people search and the common results they are seeking. That knowledge graph is also the source for the carousel at the top - that ribbon of related visual information that sometimes appear when students search. Model a WWI search for students and point out these features.
© Karen Sterling, 2018 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission
