My Animal Project
Students will use their creative thinking and decision making skills to create a new animal, choose what’s necessary for their animal’s survival, and create a habitat for the animal. By allowing students to make most of the decisions for this lesson, they will feel ownership in this lesson and motivated to learn to meet the science standards.
Lesson Created By: LauraWhitener
Essential Question
What does an animal need to survive?
Grade(s):
- Kindergarten
Subject(s):
Recommended Technology:
iPads or chrome books for see-saw application
Other Instructional Materials or Notes:
My Animal activity sheet
manipulatives that represent food
manipulatives that represent water
manipulatives that represent air
Book to engage students
Video about what animals eat
Lesson Progression
1. The teacher will introduce the lesson by engaging the students. The teacher can engage the students by reading a nonfiction book about animals. I recommend What Do Living Things Need? Written by Elizabeth Austen.
2. Next, the teacher will explain to students that animals need a habitat, food, water, and air in order to live.
3. Then, the teacher will have students draw and name their animal using the activity sheet attached.
4. After that, students will choose what type of shelter and food they want their animals to have. (Teachers can lay out different manipulatives on students desk. Students will participate in imaginative play by using the manipulatives to represent food, shelter, water, air.)
5. Once students have drawn their animals, named them, and picked their resources, they can film and talk about their animals and their habitats on the iPads.
6. Teachers should use the See-Saw application on an iPad or chrome book for students to film and talk about their project. This allows students to use manipulatives in the video, explain their thinking, and really get creative with their animal projects.
Tips: For kindergarten, this could be a great opportunity to set up the lesson as science centers.
Center 1: Read aloud with the teacher
Center 2: Choosing and drawing your animal
Center 3: Pick manipulatives (food, air, water, shelter)
*At this center have an iPad for the group with the video called “What do animals eat?” it is attached in resources
Center 4: Film on iPads
Center 5: Present and share to a partner
My Animal Project
View Resourcevideo for center 3
View ResourceStandards
- Life Science: Exploring Organisms and the Environment
- K.L.2 The student will demonstrate an understanding of organisms found in the environment and how these organisms depend on the environment to meet those needs.
- RI Reading–Informational Text
- W Writing
- De.CR Creating - I can conceive and develop new design ideas and work.
Assessments
ipad/chromebook video (formative assessment)