An Ambush of Tigers and a Rhumba of Rattlesnakes—Collective Nouns

Subject Area: Language Arts

Grade Level(s): 7

Duration of Activity:

One class period or longer, depending on the number of computers available for student use

Description of Activity:

The students will play online games that reinforce collective nouns in the form of animal group names. The teacher will construct these games through a free Internet site, Quia / http://www.quia.com.

Objectives:

• The students will review common animal group names that are collective nouns and learn some new ones by visiting a teacher-prepared Web site that contains games related to the lesson.

Materials/Equipment:

• Computers with Internet access
• Handout 1: Animal Group Names
• Handout 2: Animal Group Names Assessment
• Handout 3: Comical Collective Nouns

Prerequisites (skills or background needed):

• Students will need basic knowledge of how to use a computer.
• Students should be able to access a bookmarked Web site.

Procedure

Teacher Component: The teacher will

1. compile a list of the collective nouns with which he/she wants the students to become familiar. Handout 1: Animal Group Names shows a list of animals and their appropriate group names. To view sample games that can be played using these collective nouns, visit the Web page Animal Groups—A Collective Noun Matching Game / http://www.quia.com/jg/150566.html.
2. open a free account with Quia / http://www.quia.com. Log in as a FIRST TIME USER and follow the on-line instructions for creating a new account. The accounts are free for 30 days; however, all activities that you create will remain on the Web site and will be accessible from the time of their creation foward. If you choose to create any type of assessment, however, the assessment will be available only to you during your 30-day trial period, unless you become a subscriber.
3. type in the list of nouns and the appropriate group names that he/she wants the students to master after setting up this account. See Handout 1: Animal Group Names for examples.
4. list the activities or games that he/she desires the students to use. Quia does the rest.

Student Activities:

1. The students will use the teacher-created Quia Web site to learn and review the animal group names and then complete either the online version or paper-and-pencil version of the assessment using Handout 2: Animal Group Names Assessment.

Accommodations:

• If only one computer is available, the teacher can print the pages from the World Wide Web.
• If limited numbers of computers are available, students can take turns going to the computer. If students do need to take turns going to the computer, schedule this activity on a day when students are reading independently or writing in their journals. Scheduling this way will eliminate students missing part of a lesson while at the computer or having the rest of the class sitting while waiting on their turns.
• If limited numbers of computers are available, students can work in teams to play the games.

Extension Activities:

• Research British English—Collective nouns are words that refer to groups, usually of people or animals. Examples would be team and herd. The verb after a collective noun is typically in the singular, but it may be in the plural, especially when written in British-style English. The difference reflects a difference in point of view. The singular stresses the group as a non-personal unit, and the plural stresses the personal individuality within the group. For example, in the United States we would say, "The team is having a party," a collective noun followed by a singular verb. The British might say, "The team are having a party," a collective noun followed by a plural verb. The students could research British English to find other examples of how the use of the English language differs from country to country.
• Students might make up some of their own group names. Use Handout 3: Comical Collective Nouns to show examples.
• Each student could be assigned a collective noun and then be asked to find a clip art object that represents his/her collective noun. Using Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Word, or Microsoft PowerPoint, students could use the copy/paste options to create a collection of their noun. These nouns could be labeled and displayed in the classroom or hallway, used to create a booklet, or used in a presentation.
• The students could create activities for the Quia Web site, open accounts, and have their activities available on the World Wide Web. These activities would need to be approved prior to posting by the teacher.

Integration:

• Language Arts
• Science

Assessments:

1. Using Handout 2: Animal and Group Names Assessment, a traditional pencil-paper test could be given where the students match each animal with its group name.
2. Quia Web site also offers the option of giving an online test if computers are available for students to do this. Use the same link: Quia / http://www.quia.com and follow the instructions for constructing an online test.

URLs:

• Quia
  http://www.quia.com
• A Beastly Garden of Wordy Delights
  http://www.anapsid.org/beastly.html
• Names for Birds: A Partial List
  http://www.bcpl.net/~tross/gnlist.html
• Collective Nouns: The More the Merrier
  http://www.burger.com/pluralns.htm
• Names of Animals, Babies and Groups- EnchantedLearning.com
  http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/animals/Animalbabies.shtml
• Animal Groups
  http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0768513.html
• Sample Games Created by the Author of This Lesson
  http://www.quia.com/jg/150566.html
• Animal Congregations, or What Do You Call a Group Of...?
  http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/help/faq/animals/names.htm

Curriculum Frameworks

Mississippi:

Seventh Grade

4. Read, listen to, and view multimedia sources to select and use information. (R, W, S, L,V)
11. Demonstrate continuous progress toward control of penmanship, grammar, mechanics, sentence structure, and usage of standard English in the context of writing and speaking. (R, W, S, L, V)
12. Acquire and use appropriate vocabulary and spelling concepts. (R, W, S, L, V)

National Educational Technology Standards (NETS):

4. Use content-specific tools, software and simulations (e.g., environmental probes, graphing calculators, exploratory environments, Web tools) to support learning and research. (3, 5)
5. Apply productivity/multimedia tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, group collaboration, and learning throughout the curriculum. (3, 6)

TerraNova:

07 Sentence Structure (Level 11-21/22)
Demonstrate an understanding of conventions for writing complete and effective sentences, including treatment of subject and verb, punctuation, and capitalization.

Demonstrate an understanding of conciseness and clarity of meaning in combining two sentences.

Link and Feedback to Author(s):

Pam Hammond, Winona Junior High School, Winona, MS
pamhammond@yahoo.com