Efraín of the Sonoran Desert: A Lizard's Life Among the Seri Indians

In the Classroom:

Core Curriculum: (Arizona State Standards)

Science: Recognize and distinguish similarities and differences in diverse species. Identify characteristics of plants and animals (including extinct organisms) that allow them to live in specific environments

History: Use stories to describe past events, people, and places

Language Arts: (Reading) Identify facts, main idea, sequence of events, define and differentiate characters and determine the author's purpose in a range of traditional and contemporary literature. (Writing) Organize content, including necessary components of the selected format, for a specific audience.

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Goals: To use literature to learn about lizards, and discover the history of Seri Indians and their life among the lizards in the Sonoran Desert.

Objectives: Students will use their illustration to retell to the class about the lizards.

Grade Level: Third/Fourth Grade

Duration: This lesson will take approximately 60 minutes.

Materials: - Paper - Markers - World Map - Informational books on lizards - Imagination

Before Reading: *Students will learn to identify body parts, colors and type of lizards. *Students will locate the Sonoran Desert on the world map. *Students will make a prediction of what the story will be about based on the bookcover.

After Reading: *Students will discuss how they feel about the story. *Students will discuss the different names of lizards. Students will look through lizards book / other references to pick out a picture of lizard for their drawing.

Follow Up: *Students will draw their own lizards and give their lizard a new name according to colors, body parts and type of their imagined lizard.

Presentation: Students will share their illustration with the class and share the details of their imagined lizard.

Connections to other content: The book integrates with classroom curriculum in the areas of science (deserts and animals), language arts (general reading and writing), art (coloring and drawing), and social studies (Southwest Desert and Seri Indians).

Additional plan: This lesson could be integrated into a multi-lesson unit by having students create their own book including their pictures, what they have learned about lizards and Seri Indians. They would then present their book pages to the class.

Suggestion for reference: www.desertmuesum.org Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

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