We see Animals at the Zoo

Anticipatory set: Students will listen to various animal noises and try to guess what animal they are.
The students will then take a trip to the local zoo and will document all animals of all sorts with their digital cameras.

Student goal: Students will be able to identify observe similarities and differences in appearance and behavior of animals.

1. Upon return from the zoo field trip the teacher will print off all pictures from the day that turned out. The students will talk about the animals they saw.
2. The teacher will write the animals named on a chart. As the animals are named, the teacher will ask a student to come up and find the correct animal and it will be taped next to the word and the students will repeat after the teacher.
3. The teacher will ask the students to compare two animals that are similar and two animals that are different. The teacher will ask for details as to what makes them similar or different.
4. The teacher will have three large pieces of chart paper and ask the students to look at the animals and identify the homes in which they live according to their similarities (e.g., legs, wings). The papers will then be labeled with Land, Water and Air.
5. The students will then have to sort the appropriate animals according to their homes.
6. The students will then be broken down into 3 groups each group getting either land, water or air. The students will then make a book using the pictures They will glue the picture to a piece of card stock, write the word below it and complete this for all the pictures that have been sorted into their category.
7. The students will then make a Cover incorporating Land, water or air and then laminate the books before putting into the class library.
8. The groups will present their finished books to the class.