Lesson Plan - Welcome to Sloth School!

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Learning Objective

Students will identify ways that a wildlife center helps young sloths survive in the wild.

Text Structure

Problem/Solution

Content-Area Connections

Life Science

Standards Correlations

CCSS: RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3, RI.3.4, RI.3.5, RI.3.6, RI.3.7, RI.3.8, RI.3.10, L.3.4, SL.3.1

NGSS: From Molecules to Organisms

TEKS: Science 3.9

1. Preparing to Read

Watch a Video: Hanging With Sloths

Discuss: What are some things that all sloths have in common?

Preview Words to Know

Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

  • rainforests
  • veterinarian


Set a Purpose for Reading

Draw attention to the “As You Read” question. Have students be on the lookout for ways sloth school helps these animals.

2. Close-Reading Questions

1. Why do the sloths at the rescue center need human help? Sloths usually learn from their mothers. But the sloths at the rescue center are ones that got hurt, left behind, or separated from their mothers when their mothers got hurt.

(RI.3.3 CAUSE/EFFECT)

2. How do a sloth’s claws help it live in its rainforest home? The article says that a sloth uses its strong claws to grip onto tree branches. That lets it hang upside down in the rainforest.

(RI.3.1 TEXT EVIDENCE)

3. What is the section “Lessons for Life” mostly about? This section is mostly about how the center helps sloths learn to live in the wild. For example, the center teaches sloths how to climb and choose fresh plants to eat.

(RI.3.2 MAIN IDEA)

3. Skill Building

FEATURED SKILL: Demonstrate Understanding

Use the Skill Builder “Swing Into School!” to have students note similarities between sloth school and their own classroom.

(RI.3.1 DEMONSTRATE UNDERSTANDING)

Differentiate & Extend

Multilingual Learners

Invite learners whose native language is Spanish to read the Spanish version of this article alongside the English version. Page 8 quiz questions are also in Spanish.

Striving Readers

Have students read or listen to the lower-level version of the article, underlining ways the center helps sloths.

Growth Mindset

Use the text as a springboard for discussing how we grow as learners. Ask: Why do experts at the sloth school give sloths chances to make mistakes? Do you think making mistakes is important for human learners too?

Text-to-Speech