On the Home Stretch

We've finally made it to single digits-- now that today is over there's only 8 more student days left!!!  And as much as I L.O.V.E my class this year, May certainly has a way of making you ready for summer.  We are through with the Harcourt reading series, "structured" math lessons, report card assessments, and DIBELS.  I've devoted the last two weeks to fun, themed lessons. 

This week it's all about animals.  What better way to learn about nonfiction texts than through hands-on projects.  Today we learned about 5 of the 6 main habitats. 

We first learned what animals need for survival: food, water and shelter.  "Shelter" naturally led us right into discussing habitats.

Next, we watched the five habitat videos on Brain Pop Jr.  Hey, what can I say, Mrs. Morse has to have time to grade assessments and enter them into the computer.

Then it was on to the fun stuff.  I divided the class into 5 groups, 4 kids in each group.  They used lots of nonfiction books to draw their habitats onto large butcher paper.  Before each group got started I showed them how to pull out coordinating colors for their habitat.

The groups worked really hard on their backgrounds for a long time.

When they were ready, each child chose at least 3 animals to illustrate, cut out, add to their posters.

The children wrote their habitat facts on seperate pieces of paper.  They had to list the animals and plants.  Then tell a few interesting facts.

After their projects were finished we shared the final products.