Ocean Animals- A Kindergarten Research Project

Materials:
For research: 1 manila folder with a blank library card pocket affixed to the inside
4-5 index cards
Pencil
For presentation: access to Kidspiration software, posterboard, markers, crayons, glue, access to images of chosen ocean animals

Activating Strategy: The class has been learning about the ocean as a habitat for animals. The teacher will ask the class to brainstorm some ocean animals that they have been learning about. After discussing, the teacher will ask each student to choose one ocean animal that he or she would like to find out more about.

Teaching: Students will first go (in small groups based on which animal they chose) to conduct research in the media center with the media specialist and the classroom teacher. We will do “pocket folder research”, in which the students will write down one fact each on index cards, and store their index cards inside the pocket attached to the manila folder. Students will draw a sketch of their animal on the outside of the folder and write the animal’s name. They will each collect 3-5 facts to use in their final projects.

Summarize: Students will use the information that they collected to write about their animals and to create presentations. They will use the “animal concept map” in the science portion of the Kidspiration software to help organize the information that they found into a graphic organizer. The students will then use the writing tool in Kidspiration to take what they wrote in the graphic organizer and write a rough draft of what they learned, edit with the help of a teacher, and create a final draft to publish and share.