Learn about some Alberta wild animals
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Week of Feb. 2/26
This simplified version of information in Canada’s citizenship guide focuses on several of the first Europeans to explore Canada.
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Lesson plan overview
| Task | To learn about some wild animals common in Alberta |
| CLB level | CLB Stage I (CLB 1-3) |
| Delivery method | Online |
| Class size | 10-15 students (vary the number of activities according to your class size) |
| Estimated time | 1.5 hours (depending on class size) |
| CLB Skills and Competencies | Speaking: Interacting with others Sharing information Listening: Interacting with others Comprehending information Reading: Comprehending information |
| Language focus | Learn the vocabulary needed to understand this topic. Learn the vocabulary needed to describe these animals. Learn the singular and plural versions of these animals’ names and characteristics. Use the appropriate grammar structures and vocabulary to respond personally to the reflection questions. (Encourage students to respond in full sentences.) |
| Cultural focus | Understanding the English names of these common animals may make students feel more at home in their new province. Students will also understand safety issues related to some of these animals. |
| Specific task learning objectives | Students will be able to identify some wild animals commonly seen in Alberta. Students will learn to describe these Alberta animals (e.g., the animals have wings, antlers, hooves, etc.). Learn the singular and plural versions of these animals’ names and characteristics. |
| ESL Directions original video (🎥) and audio (🔊) activities? | This lesson plan includes video (🎥) and audio (🔊) activities. |
| Resource attribution | ESL Directions original resources are marked below with an asterisk (*). Feel free to use these, but please give credit to ESL Directions. |
Lesson plan
Warm-up: Introducing the topic and defining our terms
- Today, we will be talking about some wild animals that are commonly seen in Alberta.
- What is wildlife?
- Can you name some wild animals you have seen in Alberta?
Learning the names of the animals
- Alberta wild animals tiptiles* (Photos and videos of wild animals.)
- Listen to the names of these animals again* 🔊 (Ask students to pay attention to the pronunciation of these names. Notice the difference between the singular and plural forms. Ask students to think about what these animals look like.)
- Alberta’s wild animals* (Random image activity to help students identify each animal. Spin the circle at the top right to move on to the next animal.)
Learning how to describe the animals
FEATURED CONTENT
- Animal characteristics* (Matching text/photo pairs about animal characteristics, e.g., animals with hooves, claws, horns, antlers, etc.)
- Listen to the vocabulary again* 🔊 (Ask students to pay attention to the pronunciation and meaning of these words. Notice the singular and plural forms.)
- Characteristics of Alberta wild animals* (Students choose all of the characteristics that apply.)
- Alberta wildlife video* 🎥 (Short video introducing the animals and their characteristics.)
- Further external resources (use as needed):
- Parks Canada: Banff National Park, A wild year (Video of one season in the park. Ask students to call out the animals they see in the video.)
- ATESL Resource Library: Parks Canada: A wild year (Various resources on the wild animals in Banff National Park posted on the ATESL website.)
Assessment/review tasks
- Alberta’s wild animals*
- Spinning wheel vocabulary activity:
- Ask students to identify the animal using full sentences if they can, e.g., this is an owl, etc.
- Ask them to describe the animal, e.g., this animal has wings, this animals has claws, etc.
- Ask them for the singular and plural versions of the animal names and descriptive words.)
- Spinning wheel vocabulary activity:
Reflection questions
- What Alberta wild animals can you name?
- What wild animals have you seen here? Describe these animals.
- Do you have any favourite wild animals? Why do you like them?
- What animals are safe to go near and what animals are dangerous?
- What kinds of wild animals do you have in your home country?
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CANADA WORDWALL ACTIVITIES
Wordwall is a very useful interactive lesson-creation site. If you sign up for a free Wordwall account, you will be able to see our “Canada” folder, which includes ESL Directions activities that you can add to your lessons.
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ABOUT ESL DIRECTIONS
ESL teacher, movie buff, constant reader, and former editor and communications pro. Now a graduate of the Teaching English as a Second Language program at the University of Manitoba and an ESL teacher in Edmonton, Alberta, I specialize in teaching online classes of beginner ESL students.
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