Purpose:
This project is part of a larger unit on animals and animal families. Students will explore the concepts:
- keeping pets
- Man's intimate contact with certain animals
- How pets benefit human existence
These activities will provide meaningful experiences toward developing, practicing, and applying critical thinking skills across the curriculum.
Objectives:
Whereas each activity will have its own specific objective, the overall objective of the unit will be for the students to enhance several basic process skills. These skills are: observing
classifying
inferring
communicating
graphing
reading
writing
computing
researching
Activities and Procedures:
- Introduction to the Pet Unit
- Discuss the different kinds of pets
- Make a web of student responses on chart paper
- Show or draw different pictures of pets
- Classifying
- Using the chart paper from the previous lesson, divide the pets listed into classifications such as mammals, reptiles, birds, etc.
- Encourage the students to add to the list.
- Pet ABC Book
- Using a variety of resources, lists, books, etc., make a classroom alphabet book using a different pet for each letter.
- Each student will be responsible for one page (letter) of the book and the research needed for it. (Supply guidance where needed)
- Pet Vocabulary Book
- Choosing an animal from each category (mammal, reptile, etc.), create a page for each in a student booklet for the purpose of recording vocabulary words relating to that animal.
- Using one animal per day, brainstorm with the students known words relating to that animal and create a word list.
- Bird words might include: cage, feathers, seed, perch,etc.
- Students can record these words on the proper page which can then be used for individual seatwork and homework activities.
- Pet Survey and Graph
- Create a survey/interview that students can use to collect information about the pets owned by the class members.
- Students will conduct interviews within the classroom, and results will be graphed.
- World Wide Web Connections
- Pet owner surveys and interviews will be conducted in collaboration with other classrooms throughout the U.S. and the world. These results will be graphed and locations pinpointed on the world map. Teachers will use various listserves to obtain e-mail addresses of classrooms around the world and the U.S. to participate.
- Using Canine Matchmaker:Internet Location,students can determine, through filling out a personal survey, their perfect canine match.
- At Save-a-Pet-Online, the class can "adopt" a pet on-line. Letters can be written to the pet, pictures viewed on-line, etc. The class can "own" its own pet.
- The Electronic Pet Book is a portfolio of stories and pictures of pets from around the world. Many unusual and exotic pets are featured. E-mail addresses are included and students can write to their favorite pet.
- Students can create their own electronic pet book to post on the net.
- Hard copies of the above electronic pet book can be created to be used as a progam for guests at the culminating activity, The Pet Fair.
- Field Trips
- A field trip to the RI SPCA in East Providence, Rhode Island will introduce students to the various needs of pets and proper pet care. The children will also get to visit many different kinds of pets housed in the facility.
- A trip to the Rumford Pet Center, in East Providence, Rhode Island, will give the students the opportunity to observe an array of exotic as well as domestic pets. Also, many pet care products can be explored.
- Pets Have Special Needs Poster
- Students will make a poster specifying a single pet need. (For example, "Pets Need Food and Water") Accompanied by an illustration, these posters can be distributed at different pet stores throughout the area.
Pet Fair
- Students will organize a pet fair where individual pets will be showcased for special guests (parents, schoolmates, principal, etc.). Prizes can be given for a large number of participants using creative categories such as "best swimmer" or "longest tail" -- each child should get a prize. Those students who do not have pets can take on a very important "administrative" role in the fair through the distribution of prizes, judging, hosting, serving refreshments, etc. Also, all other projects created through this unit can be displayed at the Pet Fair.
- Additional Web Sites to Explore
Robert Potter League for Animals, Inc. (Middletown, Rhode Island)
National Animal Shelter Directory
The Internet Dog Shelter
Moose's Corner
AUTHORS:
- Barnes, Pamela ride1176@ride.ri.net Ella Risk - Central Falls,Rhode Island math, lang. arts, sci, s.s., health
- Gibbons, Leslie ride1178@ride.ri.net Ella Risk School - Central Falls,Rhode Island grade 1
PETS ARE PEOPLE, TOO!
The following project is currently under progress by Rhode Island teachers. Although in some activities, the teachers have borrowed and adapted ideas from other teachers and current programs and sources on the Internet, the work is their own. The activities are displayed here in their original form , unedited as they have submitted them. In most cases, these are ongoing projects. The names, school districts, and email addresses of the authors are included. Please feel free to contact the authors with any suggestions, comments, or even participation.Teaching and learning are cooperative efforts.