Frog ID: My Frog is Missing!

Level of Activities:
2nd - 4th grade

Materials:
A computer station with Internet access and a printer, wide variety of unique toy frogs (one per student), paper bags (one per frog), "Missing Frog Report" forms (one per student), large bulletin board - labeled with the large caption "Missing Frogs" - and a camera (digital or regular) or scanner.  NOTE:  If you can't locate a nice collection of toy frogs, an alternative would be to use die cut (or other paper frogs) that have been decorated in various styles by students in other classes. Other animals could also be used (i.e. My Bear is Missing! My Pet Rock is Missing!) to adapt this lesson.

Strategies:
This "Frog ID" lesson is designed to provide interesting integrated activities that incorporate technology.  These activities could be completed by individual students (or small groups of students) in a computer learning station combined with whole-group sessions.

Assessment:
Each student is assessed on the quality of his/her written description, level of participation at the learning station and in the whole-group activity, and with a teacher-created assessment that is located at http://www.funbrain.com. The students know the special secret word that is used to access the Missing Frog.  Other educators can log in, set their password, and then access "Missing Frogs" quiz and then simply copy or modify it for use with their students.
 

Objectives:
The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) indicate the following skills at the specified grade levels:
 

1. The student is expected to use available technology for aspects of writing, including word processing, spell checking, and printing.
2. The student is expected to demonstrate understanding of language use and spelling by bringing selected pieces frequently to final form and "publishing" them for audiences.

1. The student is expected to measure length, capacity, and weight using concrete models that approximate standard units.
2. The student is expected to use tools such as real objects, manipulatives, and technology to solve problems.

1. The student is expected to collect information using tools including rulers, meter sticks, meauring cups, clocks, hand lenses, computers, thermometers, and balances.
2. The student is expected to measure and compare organisms and objects and parts of organisms and objects using standard and non-standard units.

1. The student is expected to use a variety of input devices such as mouse, keyboard, disk drive, modem, voice/sound recorder, scanner, digital video, CD-ROM, or touch screen.

Math

1. The student is expected to estimate and measure lengths using standard units such as inch, foot, yard, centimeter, decimeter, and meter.
2. The student is expected to use tools such as real objects, manipulatives, and technology to solve problems.

1. The student is expected to collect and analyze information using tools including calculators, microscopes, cameras, safety goggles, sound recorders, clocks, computers, thermometers, hand lenses, meter sticks, rulers, balances, magnets, and compasses.

1. The student is expected to use available technology for aspects of writing such as word processing, spell checking, and printing.
2. The student is expected to demonstrate understanding of language use and spelling by brining selected pieces frequently to final form, "publishing" them for audiences.

1. The student is expected to use a variety of input devices such as mouse, keyboard, disk drive, modem, voice/sound recorder, scanner, digital video, CD-ROM, or touch screen.

Math

1. The student is expected to estimate and measure weight using standard units including ounces, pounds, grams, and kilograms.
2. The student is expected to use tools, such as real objects, manipulatives, and technology to solve problems.

1. The student is expected to collect and analyze information using tools including calculators, safety goggles, microscopes, cameras, sound recorders, computers, hand lenses, rulers, thermometers, meter sticks, timing devices, balances, and compasses.

1. The student is expected to use a variety of input devices such as mouse, keyboard, disk drive, modem, voice/sound recorder, scanner, digital video, CD-ROM, or touch screen.
2. The student is expected to produce documents at the keyboard, proofread, and correct errors

.

1. The student is expected to collaborate with other writers to compose, organize, and revise various types of texts, including letters, news, records, and forms.
2. The student is expected to use available technology to support aspects of creating, revising, and publishing texts.
3. The student is expected to select and use reference materials and resources as needed for writing, revising, and editing final drafts.
4. The student is expected to write to influence such as to persuade, argue, and request.

Procedures:
 

1. The students need to have prior experiences with measurement (length and mass including the use of rulers and a balance scale), basic word processing skills, and Internet skills (such as the use of on-line dictionaries, encyclopedias, other resources, and lots of experience using the resources at http://www.funbrain.com) The students should have already used a digital or other camera to take and then print individual pictures of the classroom's extensive collection of unique toy frogs.
2. Students go to the computer learning station as scheduled.
3. At the station, each student locates and opens a bag with his/her name already labeled by the teacher.  Each bag contains a unique toy frog.
4. The student gives his or her frog a name, examines it closely, and prepares an on-line "Missing Frog Report" form.  In order to complete this step, students are directed to use Internet resources to obtain information (dictionary to find descriptive words, sites to find basic information about frogs - such as what they eat and the names of enemies, etc).
5. He or she then takes a piece of paper from the art center and draws a "police artist sketch" of his/her missing frog.   The sketch is then posted on the classroom's "Missing Frogs" bulletin board."   The student locates the photograph of his/her frog (see step 1 above), labels it with the frogÌs name (assigned by the student), and then places it in the paper bag. The "missing frog" is then placed in a special box (labeled "Missing Frog Help Center" on the teacher's desk.
6. After each student has completed the above steps, the frogs are removed from the "Missing Frog Help Center" box and the photographs are taken out of the bags. Frog Day is declared! Each student is given his/her "Missing Frog Report" and the frogs are distributed randomly. Be sure that no student has received his/her own frog.
7. Each student is given a ruler.  Each student gets a turn to read his/her "Missing Frog Report" and asks if anyone thinks that they have their missing frog.  If nobody responds, that studentÌs frog remains "missing."  If someone responds, then the photo is used to verify that the frog has found its owners.  At the end of the activity, any remaining frogs are identified with their photos and "Missing Frog Reports."
8. Students are evaluated on the quality of their descriptions, level of participation, and through a teacher-created assessment that can be located at http://www.funbrain.com, a site that should also be very familiar to each student.

 

1. Site of the "Missing Frogs" quiz and lots of other games and quizzes
2. References and tons of resources linked by SW District
3. The Exploratorium (lots of great links to frog sites)
4. Links at Foerster Elem.
5. Kid-friendly Searcher to locate other frog sites

These pages were developed through TeacherTECH , a teacher-training program sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education (CEEE) with support from the National Science Foundation through EOT-PAC.