Animals Are Everywhere!

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Through these center-based activities, children will explore the animals that inhabit the earth.

OBJECTIVE
The students will:

1. Describe similarities and differences in the appearance of animals (e.g., size, shape, body coverings)
2. Distinguish similarities and differences in how animals grow and behave
3. Identify major structures of animals (e.g. arms, wings, legs, beaks, claws)
4. Compare various habitats of animals

LESSONS FOR THIS UNIT
Lesson 1: A Planet Full of Animals
Lesson 2: Magnificent Mammals
Lesson 3: Something's Fishy!
Lesson 4: Beautiful Birds

REPRODUCIBLES
Animal Safari Observation (PDF) (PDF)

CULMINATING ACTIVITY

If possible, teach this unit using live animals as examples, either in the classroom or on a field trip. After building plenty of background knowledge about animals, we visit The Natural History Museum and the zoo. Students bring clipboards with a recording sheet for the different kinds of animals they see. They record one animal for each category (see printable). We make "binoculars" out of empty toilet paper rolls that we use to "spot" the animals on our Animal Safari.

SUPPORTING BOOKS

Books for Teaching About Animals

ARTICLE	Raised by the Pack Who helps a wolf pup grow up? Its mom does. Its dad does too. But they aren�¢����t the only ones. Wolf pups are raised by the whole pack, or family group
LESSON PLAN	Teaching With Leo Lionni This lesson is part of a whole unit written on Leo Lionni. This lesson focuses on his book An Extraordinary Egg.