Nonfiction text and Animal Habitat Investigative Literacy Unit

Hi Amazing Friends!

I have had a bit of absence from my blogging lately.

I've been enjoying my down time with my sweet family and friends!

I hope you all had an amazing holiday!

Now that our house seems back in order.... all of those new toys have found a place in our children's rooms, I am ready to get back to blogging and creating.    Although as I write this, our entire downstairs floor is littered with Legos, Buzz Light Year, Cabela's trucks, and on and on.  

**Big Sigh**

Teachers in my district go back to school next Wednesday.  This is when my panic sets in every year.  I just can't help it!   Although I've known for several months when the BIG STATE TEST is, I seem to put it out of my mind.  AND then January comes!  I suddenly begin to panic.  Do any of you feel this same way?

So as I've been playing with my kiddos over break and eating WAY TOO MUCH  ( Thank goodness this new fitness plan with my friend doesn't begin until next week.),I've been thinking about IT.  You guessed it... SCHOOL, and how I can incorporate my lessons and units so that I don't feel like I spend these next few months teaching to the test.  Ugh!!! Dislike!!!

When we come back to school, we will be reading several nonfiction texts from our basal reader.  Along with some other great nonfiction texts from Scholastic News and texts I have in my classroom library.  These nonfiction texts are about animals.  In science we will begin our unit on animal habitats.  My goal is to blend these nonfiction texts from our basal with our science unit into a large investigative literacy unit.  I  plan to incorporate the animal habitats and information to create literacy rich stations to use during our reading time that are aligned to the Common Core.

Here are just a few things I will be using with our Animal Habitats Investigative Literacy Unit:

 

This is by Rachel Lynette and is absolutely fabulous!  It can be used with any nonfiction text. Click on the picture above to be taken to the link for more information.

2.  Online resources for research for kids

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/ 

http://www.kidsbiology.com/animals-for-children.php

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals.html

3.  Animal Habitat Investigative Literacy Unit for Bigger Kids

I created this unit to incorporate into our reading and writing stations.  This 45 page mega pack comes with 5 different activities that are aligned to the Common Core Standards.  

Included are:

- Animal Habitat Research Project- this project takes you through each step of the research process and includes a rubric for assessing each student's project. - I am incorporating this part of the unit into our writer's workshop.

- Animal Habitat Matching Cards with a Student Work Mat- perfect source of nonfiction text and a great way for students to incorporate what they have learned about animals and their habitats.

- Habitats and Biomes Main Idea Task Cards with a student work mat- Students read nonfiction text about a particular habitat.  Then students must choose the main idea of this piece of nonfiction text.

- Animal Habitat Inference Task Cards with a student work mat-  Students read each set of cards that have nonfiction text with clues about a particular habitat or biome.  Students must make an inference about which habitat the card is  referencing.

-Animal Friends Point of View Postcards-  Students pose as a particular animal from its habitat and must write to an animal friend.  Students must write about the location of their habitat, climate, dangers faced in their habitat, and other animal friends in this habitat.

I'm excited to begin this unit with my students.  I LOVE how our animal habitat unit in science will be easily incorporated with our reading.  We will also be using Rachel Lynette's activities to discuss nonfiction text features.

I would love to hear your suggestions on activities to use with our animal habitats or great nonfiction texts that could be used with our unit!   

AND for the first 3 people who comment with a nonfiction book or kid friendly website  that would be great to use with our animal habitat unit, I will send you my "Animal Habitat Investigative Literacy Unit for Bigger Kids".

Enjoy your down time my friends!!!