Kindergarten Programs

Essential Question: How can we use our senses to explore a wetland environment? 

Description: This lesson will be a scavenger hunt where the students will use their senses to see, hear, and feel things in nature. They will begin their scavenger hunt by listening to a book called The Listening Walk by Paul Showers. Next they will go on a hike through the woods using their senses to complete their scavenger hunt checklist. To end the activity there will be a chart of all the things students saw, heard, or felt so they can review how they used their senses in nature.

Standards:
K-LS1-1: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
SEP.4: Use observations to describe patterns in the natural world to answer scientific questions.
K-ESS3-3: Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.

Essential Question: Why do fish have different body parts? What is the function of each part? 

Description: Using a taxidermy model of a fish, students will learn about the different parts of a fish and their functions. This will allow the students to get close and make real life observations. Once the students know their fish parts, they will play a game to see how fast they can put together a fish. Each table will get a bag that has a picture of a fish cut up into its different parts and they will race each other to put their fish together. Lastly they will get to create their own fish which will go into the Virtual Aquarium.

Standards:
K-LS1-1: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
K.AM.1: Apply modeling to represent physical or conceptual objects.

TURTLE

Essential Question: What do turtles look like? What do turtles eat and where do they live? 

Description: The student will start by trying to guess what animal is going to be discussed based on some hints. Then for their activity they will go through their petting zoo booklet coloring and answering questions about turtles. Lastly students will be able to get close and touch a painted turtle. 

CRAYFISH

Essential Questions: What are the parts of a crayfish?   

Description: Students will learn what a crayfish is and what it looks like. Students will go through a diagram of a crayfish and work together to place the name of the crayfish body part to the picture. They will then go through each body part and talk about why crayfish have it. Then students will fill out their petting zoo booklet with the knowledge they just learned. Lastly students will see and touch a real crayfish.

Standards:
K-LS1-1: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
K.CC.3: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally.
K.AM.3: Describe that systems have parts that work together to accomplish a goal (e.g., life cycles).

FROG

Essential Question: What is the frog life cycle? 

Description: Students will act like scientists and make predictions of the stages of a frog life cycle. Using a frog life cycle diagram the students will be walked through each stage and what happens to the frog. Then they will run through it on their own and see if they can help each other create a correct cycle. Then the students will fill out the frog section in their petting zoo booklet with what they learned. Lastly the students will be able to touch a real frog and get a close real life interaction.

CATFISH

Essential Question: What does a catfish look like? How is a catfish different from other fish? 

Description: The catfish will be the mystery animal in this petting zoo. They will have to draw what they think the animal is based on some hints given. They will use their petting zoo journal to make their drawings. Then they will see the catfish and will write a descriptive sentence about what the catfish looks like after seeing it. Lastly they will be able to get closer to the catfish and touch it.

Standards:
K-LS1-1: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
K.CC.1: Participate in collaborative conversations about grade-level appropriate topics and texts with peers and adults in groups.
SEPS.4: Analyzing and interpreting data