Special Features

of Animals
An integrated Science, Art, Literacy
unit
1st grade
Kaatje Harrison

Introduction

Sour
c

e: M
cG

r aw-

Hill R
eadi
ng

Explore a picture of giraffes eating.

Discuss the features or special characteristics,

describing words for Giraffes.

Demonstrate and practice the sign for giraffe,
which features its long neck. Demonstrate and
practice the sign for horse, which is two fingers
together and twitching ear at the top side of your
forehead.
Create a shared writing piece Venn Diagram of
the special features of Giraffes and Horses.
the
This was done on
y first
smartboard with m
grade class
We first did
d then
characteristics, an
t that
when we figured ou
traits,
they were common
we moved them,

Won
der

s Un
it 4 W
eek
1

e and
Differences in hors
es.
giraffe running styl
alking
When a giraffe is w
s like a
or galloping, it look
horses
nning
Run. When it is ru
y
fast, it is completel
p
different, like a ho
gs, front
front legs, back le
legs, back legs.

Source: freepik.com

Video horse galloping: https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=z
QDAUv6d_KY
Video Giraffe running:
https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=K
dRtxTH2UNM
Slowly, it is similar to a horse,
but when it goes fast, it hops.

Source: runningmagazine.ca

Unit Overview
Literacy Folktales about how animals got

their special features.

Science Animal Features and Adaptations,
as well as classifications
Integrated Arts Projects:
Literacy Art extensions Cartoon version of

animal story, mini-book version of animal

story, Acrostic poem.
Tissue paper project of animal with writing
about a special feature.
Music and Dance Saint-Saens carnival of
animals move like the animals to the music
Drama acting like an animal with scene
guidance.

PA Standards for 1st Grade

S3.3.A. Biological Sciences - Know the similarities and differences of living

things.
S3.3.A.2 Biological Sciences - Know that some organisms have similar external
characteristics and that similarities and differences are related to
environmental habitat.
S9.1.A Production and Performance of Dance, Music and Visual Arts - Use
nonlocomoter/locomotor movement, tempo, levels, pathways and movement
size in dance.
S9.1.B - Production and Performance of Dance, Music and Visual Arts Create
and Perform dance.
S9.1.G - Production and Performance of Dance, Music and Visual Arts - Use
choices of voice and movement to create original improvised characters or
bring to life story character.
S9.1.J - Understand that actors warm up their voices and bodies to strengthen
and protect them.
S10.4.R. Physical Activity - Understand that when you are on-task you can
stay focused and keep working on the job without the teacher directing you.
S10.5.A Concepts of Movement Understand that there are many ways to
move our bodies.

PA Standards for 1st Grade

(cont.)
S1.2.A Reading Critically in all content areas Identify,

analyze and apply knowledge of the elements of a variety of

informational texts to demonstrate an understanding of
information presented.
S1.3.A. Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
Identify, analyze and apply knowledge of elements of a
variety of fiction and literacy texts.
S1.4.B Types of Writing Informational Develop and
demonstrate the writing of informational pieces that
provides real world information.
S.1.4.A Types of Writing Narrative Develop and
demonstrate the writing of narrative pieces that include the
main idea of read texts and sequences of events.

Objectives

Students will compare and contrast animals features in a Venn

Diagram in a whole group setting.

Students will compare and contrast animal features in a Venn
Diagram independently.
Students will create own versions of stories and folktales we have
read by independently producing a mini-book or cartoon with a
beginning, middle and end.
Students will create their own tissue paper animal with a title and
their name.
Students will write about one of the animals special features using
first grade conventions of writing with emergent spelling, proper
capitalization and punctuation.
Students will expressively respond with dance and movement to
Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals.
Students will expressively create animal characters who dramatically
move as their animal character would in a variety of situations.

Objectives (Cont.)
We will create a Mammal Facts mini-book.
We will sort create a graphic organizer of

mammals using pictures of animals who

are mammals.
We will compare and contrast birds and
mammal characteristics.
We will compare and contrast reptile and
bird characteristics.
We will compare and contrast amphibian
and reptile characteristics.

Literacy
We will read folktales from the Wonders

series:
A Tail of a Tale about how Beaver got his

flat tail.
How Bat Got its Wings a Native American
folktale about a game between legged and
winged animals.
The Elephants Child a story adapted from
Rudyard Kiplings Just So stories telling
how Elephant got his useful trunk from a
crocodile on the Zambezi Popo river.

Literacy and Art

Extension
During Independent
Work and Small-groups,

students will create their own versions of

the stories we have read.
They may choose to make a mini-book or a
cartoon based on an animal story.
They may also choose to make an Acrostic
Poem
Elephant
Trunk
Features
Bodies
They may also choose to make a
Venn Diagram or Word Bubble graphic
Organizer detailing animal characteristics

These
are act
ua
extens
ion act l
ivities
made f
I
or this
unit,
with di
rection
s and
checkli
sts.

Visual Arts, Science and

Writing
We will read Polar Bear, Polar Bear,

What do you hear? By Eric Carle.

Students will create their own tissue
paper animal.
Students will write about one of the
animals special features.

Song Music, Dance

We will listen to Saint-Saens Carnival

of Animals, starting with the tortoises

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LOFhsksAYw

Students will first listen and we will

discuss the movement and special

features of the animals we hear in the
music.
Students will listen again and we will
move around the room like the animal
to the music.

mage sources: https://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/

http://seperskymusicresources.wikispaces.com/Carnival+of+the+Animals

Drama Acting like an

Animal
We will warm-up by moving around the room

like specific animals: penguin, sloth, elephant.

We will then pick a specific animal to act out.
Consider animals special features feathers?

Long tail?
Students will move as their animal in 4
scenarios:
Finding and eating food.
Getting water
Sensing Danger does it hide? Face danger?
Going to sleep

Image sources: Drama Camp Exercises Video by DJSnookums on Youtube

http://broadwayeducators.com/creative-drama-for-the-classroom-acting-through-animals/

Ground Rules
We will be safe in our movements.
We will not bump into our neighbors.

We will help move furniture so that

we have a wide area to move around

in.
If we are unsafe in our movements,
we will have to sit out of the activity.

Classification of Animals whole group setting

We will read the Groundhog Weather School, and

discuss the characteristics of mammals.

We will create a Mammal Facts mini-book.
We will sort create a graphic organizer of
mammals using pictures of animals who are
mammals.
We will compare and contrast birds and mammal
characteristics.
We will compare and contrast reptile and bird
characteristics.
We will compare and contrast amphibian and
reptile characteristics.

Source: http://hubpages.com/education/Facts-about-Animals-Its-Types-and-Classification

Assessment
Checklists will be used for the

Literacy Extensions.
A checklist will be used for the tissue
paper animals and special feature
writing.
A rubric will be used for evaluation of
the song and drama activities based
expression, listening, safety and
participation.

Checklists

Literacy Extensions Venn

Diagram 1 point each
Has a title and by: your Name.
Each circle is labeled with an animal name.
There are two animals listed.
There are at least 2 features unique to each

animal.
The middle section has features that are

alike for both animals.

Tissue Paper Animal and

Writing 1 point each
Has a title with the name of the animal and by:

your Name.
Different processes were tried to make the

animal.
There is at least 1 feature describing the

animal.
Proper capitalization is used.
An end-mark is used.

Music and Drama

Rubric

Supplies and
Technology

Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals - https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LOFhsksAYw
Speakers to play music
McGraw-Hill connectEd
Smartboard / projector
Ability to move desks or open area for dance and
movement.
Tissue paper
Glue
Writing paper
Pencils
Pre-made acrostic words
Venn Diagrams
Blank mini-books
Cartoon squares.

References
Saint-Saens, C. (1886). Saint-Saens - Carnival of the animals.
Retrieved March 1, 2016, from https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LOFhsksAYw
Dhangar, S. (2014, June 10). Slow motion giraffe running.
Retrieved March 1, 2016, from https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdRtxTH2UNM
Edwards, L. C. (2010). The creative arts: A process approach
for teachers and children (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Merrill.
Martin, B., & Carle, E. (1991). Polar bear, polar bear, what do
you hear? New York: H. Holt.
Matoc, A. (2010, June 1). Horse slow motion (galloping on
track). Retrieved March 1, 2016, from https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQDAUv6d_KY
McGraw-Hill (publisher). (n.d.). ConnectED. Retrieved March 1,
2016, from http://
connected.mcgraw-hill.com/connected/login.do
PA Dept of Education and Public Welfare. (2008) First Grade Pennsylvania Standards for Early Childhood. Retrieved March
1, 2016, from https://
www.pakeys.org/uploadedcontent/docs/pd/standards/1st%20