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Alternatives to the animal report

In Rethinking Reports, page 2.1

Year after year, students are assigned an animal report, a factual report on a species of their choice. My son chose the Harpy Eagle for his third-grade animal report — and proceeded to re-submit that report with only slight modifications for years thereafter!...

By Melissa Thibault.

KidSenses Children's InterACTIVE Museum

The interactive exhibits at this children’s museum spark the imagination and kids have fun as they play and learn.

Format: article/field trip opportunity

Port Discover

Students will enjoy visiting this new hands-on science and health center which is geared to the pre-k to fifth grade curriculum.

Format: article/field trip opportunity

An integrated lesson comparing the butterfly and frog life cycles

Students will build on their prior knowledge about the butterfly life cycle to compare and contrast the life cycles of butterflies and frogs. Students will locate butterflies on the school grounds and create pictographs and models of fractions to explain their findings mathematically. Students will also use a variety of resources to read about and study the food, space and air needed by butterflies and frogs to grow. They will create visual and written products to demonstrate their findings.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Development, Mathematics, and Science)

By Martha Dobson and Margaret Monds.

Nine ducks swim in newly transplanted wet-rice field

Nine ducks swim together in a newly transplanted wet-rice field. Four are white and two have mottled brown feathers. They swim in the blue-tinted water feeding on algae and insects among the young green rice seedlings. Once rice seedlings are transplated into...

Format: image/photograph

Arachnid anatomy!

This lesson is part of a science unit entitled “Spiders: Fact and Fiction.” During this lesson, learning will focus on specific body anatomy, functions and distinguishing characteristics of spiders.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Science)

By Susan Sharples.

Animal research: A multimedia approach

Students will be working with a partner to research a favorite animal. They will be required to use a wide variety of resources which include multimedia software packages, the Internet, and various books. The students will be looking up general information about their animal, such as its habitat, place on the food chain, size, etc. Ultimately the students will be responsible for presenting the information they have gathered in some form of multimedia presentation. This activity is primarily student-oriented rather than teacher-oriented in that the students will be selecting what animals they want to research and what materials they want to use in creating their report. The teacher will give some basic requirements and guidelines to ensure that students are on task.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Information Skills and Science)

By Amy Edwards.

Bird watching made elementary

Observing and identifying birds can be a gateway to a variety of learning experiences. This primer will get you started birding.

By Linda Dow.

Estuaries in North Carolina: A primer

Estuaries are places near the coast where freshwater and saltwater mix. Influenced by ocean forces yet partly sheltered from them, estuaries have unique and fascinating ecologies. This article explains what estuaries are, their geology and role in the larger...

By Waverly Harrell and Jennifer Godwin-Wyer.

The pottery makers

In Intrigue of the Past, page 3.4

Archaeologists do a bit of shrugging when asked about the Woodland—that time and lifeway tucked between 1000 BC and AD 1000. Some things they readily understand, but others leave them wondering.

Resources on the web

Walk in the Woods

Take a cyberwalk in the woods and learn about the animals and plants you encounter or write a journal entry or story about nature! (Learn more)

Format: website/activity

Provided by: University of Illinois Extension-Schools Online