Card Conclusions

SUBJECTS: Science, Language Arts, Art, and Physical Education

GRADES: K-3

KERA GOALS: Meets KERA goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6

ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS: Accessing information and ideas; reading; listening; speaking; systems and interactions; constancy; self-control and self-discipline; interpersonal skills; productive team membership; consistent, responsive, and caring behavior; rights and responsibilities for self and others; critical thinking; conceptualizing; decision making; problem solving; and expanding existing knowledge

DURATION: One 25-45 minute period

GROUP SIZE: One classroom of 25 to 35 students (or less)

SETTING: Indoors or Outdoors

KEY VOCABULARY: people, plants, animals, rocks, pollution, ranger hat, arrowhead, cards

ANTICIPATORY SET: Today we are going to play a card game! How many of you have ever played the card game “Old Maid?”

OBJECTIVES: The students will be able to: 1) Work productively in small groups to collect all of the cards needed to make a park; 2) Make appropriate decisions to collect the needed cards.

MATERIALS: 36 cards, total:

• 6 people cards
• 6 rock cards
• 6 plant cards
• 6 animal cards
• 6 arrowhead cards
• 5 ranger hat cards
• one pollution card

Cards can be made from the examples found with the pdf version of this lesson by gluing them to 3" X 5" index cards. You may want the children to color the cards as an art lesson the day before you play the game. OR, students can make their own cards for each category above.

BACKGROUND: National parks were established to protect the resources found within their boundaries. These resources include plants, animals, rocks and the land, and people. People include persons important in the park’s history, visitors, and park staff. Each park has significant resources that have helped to establish it as a national park.

PROCEDURE:

1. The teacher tells the students that the class is going to play a game that is like “Old Maid.” This game is called “Oh No! Pollution!” For this game the students will need to collect the things it takes to make Mammoth Cave National Park. The teacher asks the students to name these things. The students should respond with plants, animals, people, and rocks.
2. The teacher writes the topics on the board and then asks the students to name things that would go under each one of them. The teacher also asks the students if they remember the two symbols that are special about a national park.
3. The teacher explains that the students are going to play a game and places them into six small groups in different areas of the room. After the cards have been thoroughly shuffled, each group will be given 6 cards. To win the game they will need to have a complete set of cards-1 plant, 1 animal, 1 person, 1 rock, and 1 of each symbol. But there is a catch, one hat is missing and has been replaced with something bad – pollution. If a group gets the pollution card they will want to get rid of it. Just like you want to get rid of the Old Maid, you will want to get rid of pollution. The teacher may wish to place a complete set of cards in view of the students for reference.
4. The students look at their cards and as a group choose the best move.
5. The students decide how many cards they will need to trade. After they have decided, they pick one member of their group to go to the center of the room to trade their cards with another group. The student that is selected to trade cards repeats the number of cards they are trading until they exchange cards with another group. They can only trade with a group that wants to trade the same number of cards.
6. The groups continue to trade cards until one group has a set of all six cards. When a group has a complete set they shout the word “park.” The game stops. Any student in the middle goes back to their group with the cards they have in their hand when the word “park” is shouted.
7. The group that shouted park reads their cards to make sure they have a plant, animal, people, rock, arrowhead, and ranger hat card. If they have all six they get six points. The other groups check their cards to make sure they do not have a complete set. If another group has a complete set of six cards they also get six points. The teacher keeps score on the blackboard.
8. The other groups now check their hands to see which one is holding the pollution card. This group receives 0 points for this round.
9. The remaining groups get a point for each part of a set they have, no points are given for the duplicates.
10. The teacher collects the cards and shuffles them to be dealt again. The class can play as many rounds as desired. The teacher may wish to use the items on the cards to review what the class has learned about Mammoth Cave National Park.

CLOSURE: Today we played “Oh No! Pollution!” and collected all the things it takes to make Mammoth Cave National Park. We also learned that pollution is a very bad thing and that is why it is important to take care of this very special place.

EXTENSIONS:

1. The teacher could have the students make their own cards by drawing or cutting out pictures from magazines.
2. The student could make a collage of pollution pictures that could effect Mammoth Cave National Park and their community.
3. The students could write another government agency, the U. S. Forest Service, and ask for information from or about Woodsy Owl.