This is where we tell you more about the episodes in this unit, including the scope and sequence of the language skills involved.
Episode 33 – We begin our unit on Animals with a look at horses. This lesson takes sequencing skills to a higher level. We sequence preparing a horse for riding, including the steps to saddle a horse. You’ll find lots of verbs and nouns having to do with horses, as well as great footage of these magnificent animals.
Episode 34 – Here’s where we learn specialized vocabulary as it pertains to horses. That includes the description of a horse by its color and the movement or gait of a horse. We also feature a short interview for viewers to comprehend. Our director’s daughter Michelle demonstrates the four main gaits of a horse.
Episode 35 – Cats are the stars of this episode. Viewers learn about an organization that helps stray cats. We learn some English Phonics skills, using the short “A” sound. We also enjoy some of the sayings and idioms about cats and their meanings.
Episode 36 – More Cats, Viewers see short video clips from a larger video about an organization that serves stray cats (C.A.T.S.). Assessing and building listening comprehension are the language skills used here.
Episode 37 – Dogs get their turn in this episode. After some practice with a different word family with the short “A” sound, we find words rhyming with “dog” using the short “O.” Beyond this basic phonics work, we explore some of the sayings and idioms in English having to do with dogs.
Episode 38 – This episode is all about pets, another example of domesticated animals. The basics of pet care are presented in a video clip from Maimi/Dade County in Florida. Listening comprehension and vocabulary are supported with a video clip that includes captioning. Viewers also learn about an organization that trains dogs and supplies them to deaf people across the country, an organization that exists in Southern Oregon. We also explore more English phonics with the short “E” sound by finding words that rhyme with the word “pet.”
Episode 39 – Comparing and Contrasting is the language function we stress in this episode. By comparing and contrasting the two most popular pets – cats and dogs – we demonstrate the use of a Venn Diagram to organize facts for the function, then we model how to use conjunctions and other signal words to compose sentences comparing and contrasting cats and dogs. This activity is followed by a brief video about rabies, a deadly disease that was once carried by dogs in the United States, but is not known to infect dogs here today.
Episode 40 – This episode begins our learning about farm animals. We share strategies for memorizing unfamiliar vocabulary, particularly the names of common farm animals. We share videos of farm animals from an area farm, and we use models and pictures to help facilitate the English names for these animals. One video clip features scenes from the Jackson County Fair.