IIff mmyy aanniimmaall ccoouulldd ttaallkk iittmmiigghhtt ssaayy .. .. ..

TThhiiss iiss wwhhaatt mmaakkeess mmyy aanniimmaall aa ssttaarr .. .. ..

My AMAZING Animal Report

MMyy AAnniimmaall IIss aa MMaammmmaall BBiirrdd FFiisshh RReeppttiillee AAmmpphhiibbiiaann IInnsseecctt

II lleeaarrnneedd aabboouutt mmyy aanniimmaall bbyy __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

by

HHeerree iiss aa ddrraawwiinngg ooff mmyy aanniimmaall..Fast Facts About

My Animal

LLiivveess iinn __________________________________________________

CCoolloorr oorr CCoolloorrss ______________________________________

SSoouunndd IItt MMaakkeess ______________________________________

SSiizzee ________________________________________________________

WWeeiigghhtt ____________________________________________________

LLiiffeessppaann __________________________________________________

FFoooodd IItt EEaattss ____________________________________________

EEnneemmiieess __________________________________________________

MMyy AAnniimmaall .. .. ..

IIss EEnnddaannggeerreedd IIss NNoottEEnnddaannggeerreedd

Name of My Animal

MMyy aanniimmaall’’ss hhaabbiittaatt iiss .. .. ..

CCCC OOOO OOOO LLLL !!!!

WWWWOOOOWWWW !!!!

HHeerree iiss wwhhyy mmyy aanniimmaall wwoouulldd oorr wwoouulldd nnoott mmaakkee aa

ggoooodd ppeett::

AAAAWWWW EEEE SSSSOOOO MMMM EEEE !!!!

CCooppyyrriigghhtt ©© 22000000 bbyy SScchhoollaassttiicc IInncc.. IISSBBNN:: 00--443399--1155553377--11

HHeerree aarree ttwwoo ffaasscciinnaattiinngg ffaaccttss aabboouutt mmyy aanniimmaall .. .. ..

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INSTANT PERSONAL POSTER TEACHING GUIDE

INTRODUCING THE POSTER

elcome to Instant Personal Poster:My Amazing Animal Report! This interac-

tive poster will introduce your students to researchskills as they explore an area of interest to all chil-dren––animals! The customized format allows eachstudent to gather information on a different ani-mal to share with the class.

These poster activities are designed to encour-age students of all different learning styles to excelin their research efforts. Students will use diverseskills such as researching, recording, drawing,and talking to complete the activities.

Direct your students to research specific ani-mals that you may be studying as a group, or havethem choose the animal on their own. You maywish to group your students in pairs to conductthe research.

BUILDING BACKGROUND

Introduce some basic principles of the animalkingdom. Discuss such terms as: mammal, bird,fish, reptile, amphibian, and insect. Brainstormdifferent animals and have students place them inthe appropriate groups. Then encourage studentsto use deductive reasoning to figure out what char-acteristics the animals in these groups share.

Make sure you have plenty of books availablefor student research. Visit the classroom and pub-lic libraries as a group and work with students tofind appropriate Web sites.

USING THE POSTER

My Animal Is a…Students can use the information you generatedas a class to figure out what type of animal theyare researching. You can assist students by creat-ing a checklist of each animal class.

Drawing of My AnimalEncourage students to use a variety of resourcesto make their drawings as accurate as possible.Help them notice details about animal colorationand other attributes.

Fast Facts About My AnimalReproduce the questions in this section as achecklist for students to complete as they work.Create a graphic version of this list for beginningreaders.

My Animal’s Habitat Is…Explain that a habitat is an animal’s homeand must have food, water, and shelter.Create a web displaying different habitats.As your students gather their information,have them write the name of their animals inthe correct habitats.

This Is What Makes My Animal a StarEncourage students to take notes as theyresearch the most important information abouttheir animals. They can then use this informa-tion to write or draw one special thing aboutthe animal.

MyAmazing AnimalReport

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If My Animal Could TalkEncourage students to “think like an animal.”What message might their animal relate if it couldtalk?

Good PetCreate a pro and con chart for students in whichthey list all the reasons their animals would orwould not make a good pet. Have them analyze theinformation they recorded and make their deci-sions. What are they and why?

SHARING THE RESULTS

1. Have students share their posters with the group.

2. Create a mural of the different animal habitats.Display the posters on the mural.

3. Display the animal pictures on a bulletinboard-sized map of the world. Show whereeach animal lives.

4. Collect each student’s poster and create a classanimal book. Lend it to the school library.

CONNECTING TO STANDARDS

My Amazing Animal Report activities connect tothese language arts and science content stan-dards:

summarizing and organizing information

asking questions

classifying organisms

observing and identifying characteristics

scientific process

ASSESSING STUDENT WORK

Students will complete the posters in a variety ofways. Use this checklist to help assess their mas-tery.

Were they able to complete the information in Fast Facts?

Did they use multiple resources to do their research?

Could they group their animals?

Did they understand the concept of habitat?

Did they share information orally or through display?

TAKING IT FURTHER

Play “Who Am I?” a (21 questions) game in whicha student answers questions about a mystery ani-mal until the group guesses the animal. Createanimal puppets, habitat dioramas, animalmobiles, and other art projects to display in youranimal center.

Keep a naturalist journal in the classroom forstudents to record observations when they see ananimal in the wild (of course, a squirrel or pigeoncount!).

Adopt a classroom pet––fish, or even worms, willdo. Have students participate in caring for andobserving them.

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ISBN: 0-439-15538-X © 2000 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. Poster written by Liza

Charlesworth; teaching guide written by Anne Schreiber; poster design by Jaime Lucero;

teaching guide design by Pamela Simmons and Norma Ortiz; illustration by Maxie Chambliss.

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