All About Animals

This week we finished up our All About Animals unit of study.  We spent about 6 weeks researching and writing about animals.  I love this unit of study each year because it engages kids while covering nonfiction reading, writing, and science standards.  The end result is a chapter book full of nonfiction text features showcasing their learning.

I give my students a choice between 8 different animals to learn about: snakes, elephants, dolphins, sharks, penguins, butterflies, orangutans, and bears.  I have chosen these animals strategically.  They cover a variety of animal groups (reptiles, mammals, insects, etc.) and habitats (ocean, dessert, polar, etc.).  For my lessons I use frogs (amphibians) as my animal for research together as a class.

A benefit to using just these 8 animals to choose from is that I have collected lots of books to be used for research.  Also, we visit the Indianapolis Zoo as a culmination of our learning and I know all of these animals can be found there, which is very exciting for the kids and extends their learning.

Okay, enough about animal selection... on to the writing!

One of the areas I hit hard during this unit is nonfiction text features.  Here is just one student's book (not all of it... just a taste)…

Front Cover

Title Page

Dedication Page

Table of Contents

Chapter with Headings and Sub-Headings

Diagram

Glossary

(We bolded words throughout the book and then included those words in a glossary.)

Meet the Author

Back Cover

(Note:  This kid added the reading level info all on his own.  Hahaha!)

These books will be on display this spring for an open house with parents.  My students are very excited to show off all their hard work.  Hope you enjoyed taking a peek into our All About Animals unit of study!

It's Time for a Sale!

It's time for a TPT sale!  Everything in my store is  up to 25% off when you use the promo code below.  Happy Shopping!

CYBER MONDAY SALE!!

Happy Cyber Monday (& Tuesday!)

EVERYTHING in my TPT store is on SALE!!!

We love Tic Tac Boo!

Tic Tac Boo has been a big hit during math stations this week.  My high ability 1st graders have loved the challenge of adding and subtracting by tens.

TIC TAC BOO

I only printed one set of this game, which includes the ghost cards with number sentences and 6 different game boards.  My kids are playing as a group of 4-6, depending on how many kids are at that station during a rotation.  They love to be able to play together in a larger group, rather than just with one partner.  Good to switch things up sometimes!

Of course, using the Target Dollar Spot mini erasers helps, too!

Grab this in my TPT shop this weekend and you are set for this Halloween week.

Pirate's Booty

Arrgh, Mateys!  It's time for Pirate's Booty!

In this game of Bump!, your students will collect pirate's booty by occupying spaces on the game board.  The treasure they covet is candy, of course!

Students will roll 3 dice, add the sum, and place a game marker on that number.  If a player is on that spot, they can bump them and take over that spot on the board.  The player with the most spaces occupied at the end of the game wins.

Now available in my TPT shop, just in time for Halloween math activities!

Tic Tac Boo!

New!  I just created these Tic Tac Boo! game boards so that my advanced 1st graders can practice adding and subtracting with tens.

Now available in my TPT shop!  CLICK HERE to preview!

Teacher Tip:  When cutting out the ghost cards, leave a 1/8" or so border of orange background around each side to add a pop of color to your cards.

Shiplap Pencil Cup Labels

New!  These shiplap style pencil cup labels will look great in any classroom!

Included are both circle and rectangle shapes.  Both come in these 3 designs:
- white labels with shiplap background
- shiplap labels with white background
- white labels with white background

Grab yours today during the TPT sale and save up to 25%!  {SHOP HERE}

Happy Shopping!