Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Animal research projects.
- Animals and their Habitats
- Home Sweet Habitat
- A-Z Animals
- Kids National Geographic - Animals
- San Diego Zoo: Animals A-Z
FABULOUS resource!!! We are a homeschooling family and this will work with all the different ages I have!!! THANK YOU!!!!
How to Explode Student Engagement with this Habitat Research Project
One HUGE 2nd grade standard is researching and learning about animals and their adaptations. Students LOVE this unit, but teachers can be intimidated by the overwhelming pressure involved in guiding student research at such a young age. I love doing this 2nd grade animal research project with my students every March! This project has been reworked for a digital platform as well .
I love to start by playing a Brain Pop Jr, Flocabulary or YouTube video for my kids on all of the different habitats that exist. Typically, we have previously researched habitats during our social studies unit before starting this writing project, so they already have the background knowledge.
Then, I let students pick the habitat they are most interested in studying. From there, they pick 3-4 animals that live in the habitat that they would like to research more about. We use National Geographic Kids , Epic! Books and library books [all free resources] to learn about our animals.
2. RESEARCH/PLANNING
The next day, I model my own notes for students. Then, I give students lots of time to research their animals and take notes. It is really important that you are walking around the room and guiding students during this time.
If you have a struggling group of writers, I like to work with them at the back table during this time. We all research the same animals and take notes together. This helps them build confidence and feel sure about their writing in future days.
3. DRAFTING
I break drafting days up into 2 days so that students can really focus on the craft of what they are writing. I also always model before releasing students to write on their own.
Depending on what we have covered so far in the year, I encourage students to be sure to add:
- embedded definitions
- transition words
- conjunctions
- adjectives, adverbs and prepositions where appropriate
- 3-4 details per fact
4. PUBLISHING/GRADING
On the last day for each animal (typically Friday), I give students time to publish. While they publish, I model then ask them to add a map and diagram to their writing. I also show them how to grade themselves on the rubric, so they can double check that they are not missing anything.
After they finish, I give them free time to explore other animals in their habitat while I grade their writing. I find grading at the end of each animal rather than at the end of the entire project saves me a TON of time.
We repeat steps 2-4 for either 3 or 4 animals. Some students may work faster, while some may take a bit more time on each step. I try to adjust the project to be appropriate for the majority of the class.
When the project is done, I try to find a special way for us to share our work. This can include sharing to younger buddies, parents or doing an author’s chair.
Since they work so hard on this project, we make a BIG DEAL out of the finished project, and I typically send it home with parents during conferences. It makes a great writing portfolio and talking piece with parents.
Teaching digitally or wanting to add a digital component to your writing block? This project can also be completed in a digital format . Students will go through the same process, completing all of their work on Google Slides rather than writing using paper and pencil.
Grab the resources pictured above here:
Do you teach about a 2nd grade animal research project each year? Drop your ideas in the comments below!
Some other posts you might find helpful are:
- Teaching Animal Habitats During Science Ideas
- Animal Adaptations Writing Project
- Life Science Unit: Animal Adaptation
Emily - The Mountain Teacher
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iRubric: Animal Habitat Diorama and Research - Grade 2 rubric
| Rubric Code: By Ready to use Public Rubric Subject: Type: Grade Levels: K-5 |
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- Diorama on Environment and living and nonliving things
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Research Project Templates
Research projects are easy and fun with these templates. Students can learn about dinosaurs, states, provinces, and more. Each template guides students through the research process by asking simple questions and requiring basic drawings. Each file also has a bibliography form that students can fill out at the end of each project, as well as a rubric to help teachers with grading.
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Elementary Animal Research Project. Thank you for downloading this free elementary animal research project. It’s a perfect culminating activity for an animal unit. Included in the packet is a rubric for the project as well as a student rubric for each student to complete about their own project.
Just send the directions for the project, the animal research report poster, the student grading rubric, and the presentation outline home and have your students work on their projects on their own time.
Students will research an animal, including habitat, diet, features and adaptions. The students will complete a "lapbook" to present their information. Rubric Code: BXC78WA
I also show them how to grade themselves on the rubric, so they can double check that they are not missing anything. After they finish, I give them free time to explore other animals in their habitat while I grade their writing.
iRubric B3A45C: Students will create a diorama of the animal's habitat and write a short explanation about their diorama.. Free rubric builder and assessment tools.
Project Make a cover for your report. Draw and color a picture of the animal you chose (or trace and color). Be sure you show the animal in its correct habitat. Glue the picture on your cover. Write the name of the animal and your name on the cover.
Animal Habitat Diorama and Research - Grade 2. Students will create a diorama of a habitat or ecosystem such as tundra, ocean, pond, rain forest, forest, or desert. It should include the animals, plant life, and climate native to the habitat. Rubric Code: L2WAAB7.
Animal Research Project Rubric. 9 Ratings. Grade Levels. PreK - 2nd. Subjects. English Language Arts, Science. Resource Type. Research, Projects, Posters. Formats Included. PDF. Pages. 1 page. FREE. Log in to Download. Add to Wish List. Share this resource. Report this resource to TpT. Kyley Townley. 5 Followers. Follow. Description. Reviews. 9.
This Animal Research Report culminating task for the Growth and Changes in Animals unit for the Grade 2 Ontario Science curriculum (2022) is so much fun for students! It is available as both a DIGITAL (Use with Easel by TPT) and PRINTABLE version.
Choose an animal. Write about it's habitat and anatomy. Then list interesting facts. Includes a bibliography page, a grading rubric, and step-by-step instructions.