Unit Opener General Resources Page

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To open this unit, I post a KWL chart titled, Animals on the board. Ask; WHAT do you know about animals and list TS responses. Ask: What do you want to learn about Animals and list TS responses. Read and discuss the unit opener A Time for Playing. Ask: What did you learn about animals and list TS responses that are not under the K column of the chart. Review the KWL chart. During journal writing, TS write what they've learned about animals and illustrate these facts in their journals.Also, I tie this unit in with our Science Theme - Animals. I check out books about animals from the library. During Science, I read a book that correlates to our state objectives. After reading a story in the OC big book, I record info. learned about animals on the chart daily. This procedure is also done with any books I read during science.
Throughout the unit, be sure to answers the questions listed under the W chart of the chart.

I put my students into four groups and rotate them every 20-25 minutes. Each station has an activity having to do with the unit.We create animals such as a pink flamingo, monkey, giraffe that each student will make. I use different types of materials such as pipe cleaners, paint, yarn etc. Once I am done with the activities the class comes together to brainstorm what we did and ask the students if they know what we will be learning about. Once we have established what the unit is we then brainstorm all the animals we know and what we know about them.

Introduce different habitat by either using books or pictures. Set up 4 different stations. At each station set out magazines, color pencils, paper poster size white paper. Draw a circle map on poster size paper and title a habitat in the middle circle (Forest, Desert, Ocean, Rain forest) or any habitat that you want to address in the unit. Allow students to cut out or draw pictures to glue onto the poster. You can rotate the students so that they will have a chance to work on each habitat. You can refer back to these circle map at the end of the unit to see if they would change anything.

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