SEW Menus 2011: Wild About Animals and Critter Country
SEW 2011: Wild About Animals
Wild About Animals (Grades 2-3). Have a wild and crazy adventure discovering animals and
learning more about their homes by creating shoebox habitats. Use technology to create a
Power Point presentation to show how animals adapt to different environments. How would
you adapt to different environments? In what ways would you have to make changes?
Would you survive the Wild?
Enrichment Menu
Carla Scott
Type I Activities:
1. Look and read different books to discover information about animals.
2. Visit the interest learning center and examine the various resources.
3. Go to Brain pop Jr. com and find out how much you know about animal habitats.
4. Examine live animals to learn more about their anatomy.
5. Listen to an expert speaker to learn more information.
6. Show animal pictures and ask what habitat the animal lives in and ask what changes
they would have to make to live in another habitat (give specific habitat).
7. Look at a map and globe to find locations for the various animal habitats.
8. Go to National Geographic Animals for Kids to learn more about animals, habitats, play
games, or watch videos.
9. Read the book The Lorax by Dr. Seuss for students to realize the human impact on the
environment.
10. Read Fur, Feathers, and Flippers by Patricia Lauber to discover How Animals Live here
They Do.
Type II Activities:
1. Make a flip book and write the different classifications of animals and under each
flap write information about each.
2. Students will keep a journal about their pet or a class pet.
3. Write a poem about animal habitats.
4. Critique two articles from the National Geographic Kids magazines (or others) from
the interest center.
5. Tell or Write how you would survive in a different habitat and explain the changes
you would have to make.
6. Play animal charades. Students choose animal and write on sticky note. Give sticky
to teacher.
7. Compare and contrast two different habitats. Can use Venn diagram.
8. Use communication #3 to finish animal similes.
9. Students will pretend to be a certain animal and must go to correct habitat area in
room.
10. Pretend you are an animal living in your habitat. Write a story telling how you feel,
what you are afraid of, what you eat, and what humans need to do to preserve your
habitat.
Type III Activities
1. Paint habitat t-shirts to wear. Students can choose one habitat or several.
2. Students will create a power point on the animal of their choice. Students will present
to class.
3. Students will write a short story about an animal and turn it into a skit to perform for
the class. (May have partners).
4. Make a shoebox habitat.
Enrichment Menu
Karlie Livingston
Type I Activities:
1. Look at a triarama to think about how the cut out pictures of different animals might
camouflage their selves in their own environment. Ask me if you’re interested in
learning how to make one! (all Animals in their habitat)
2. Play this animal card game to discover as many unusual animals as you can. Make sure
you read all the cards you receive so you and your partner both can learn about a
variety of animals. (Animals)
3. Sort the animal description cards into the habitat in which they belong. (Animals and all
habitats)
4. Sort through this list of names of unusual animals. Pick one that you think sounds
interesting then go to the computer center to research it by going to this websitehttp:/
/animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/. Try and find out where it lives and how it adapts
to its habitat. (Animals and their habitats)
5. Listen to the Vet guest speaker as he talks to us to learn about how our household pets
and how they adapt to the environment we provide for them. (Dr. Neal) (Man-made
habitat care)
6. Listen to a forest ranger as he talks to us about why it is so important for us to
protect our forest and about how we harm the habitats for our native animals. (Mr.
Junkin) (Human Interaction)
7. Examine these feathers, how do you think birds can fly? Why would they need to have
the adaptation to fly? (Animals)
8. Predict by looking at these bones, how you think these animals adapted to their
environment. You can even guess what animal you think these bones belong to. (Animals
adaptations)
9. Go to the zoo and learn about as many animals as you can, examine their habitat and try
and find out what they might eat. (Zoo)
Type II activities:
1. Research how you can help preserve animal habitats around where you live. Make a
graphic organizer listing all the areas that need help and at least three ways you can
contribute. (Human Interaction)
2. Learn to care for a pet by setting up a habitat for a class pet (maybe a hamster, snake,
or something of the sort) which best fit its needs. (Pet)
3. Make a brochure of the most interesting animal you can find. Use Decision Making
talent to decide on a habitat. In this brochure be sure and describe where it lives,
what other animals live around it, how it adapts to its environment, what it eats, etc.
(animal: habitat and adaptations)
4. Play the game “Oh Deer!” and learn about the limited carrying capacity of a habitat.
(Habitat)
5. Go on a nature walk to see different habitats we have around our school. See if you
can find any animal tracks so we can research and learn more about our native animals.
(Forest and Animals)
6. Make a poster in small groups on a specific habitat around the world. They will describe
the adaptations needed to live in their habitats conditions. (habitats/adaptations)
7. Make a triarama on an animal in the rainforest; Use your productive thinking to come up
with the many, varied, unusual ways you could camouflage it to fit into its surroundings.
(Tropical Rain Forest)
8. Make a Styrofoam or cardboard printing plate showing an animals/habitat students
have researched. Use Planning talent to decide what your making, what you need, steps
needed to take, problems with plan which need corrections, and ways to improve your
overall plan. (animal/habitat)
9. Write an acrostic poem using Communication talent #1 by listing many, varied single
words to describe of the habitat of your choice. (habitats)
10. Make a popup book to show a predator/prey relationship in the habitat of your choice.
What would the two animals be doing in real life? (Predator/prey relationships)
11. Create edible animals out of rice cakes, peanut butter, and candy. Be creative! (Animals)
12. Construct a bird feeder for local birds. You will use the Planning Talent to design your
project. We will hang them outside and observe if the birds like the new addition to
their habitat. (Animals/habitat)
Type III Activities:
1. Make a video for other students to watch about why it is important to preserve animal
habitats. Tell people how we destroy habitats everyday and how we can make it stop.
You will use Forecasting talent #2 to make many, varied predictions as to how other
students might react to your video. (Human Interaction)
2. Make a shoebox habitat of an animal we learned about this past week. Show how this
animal adapts to environment based on external factors. Fix them as best as possible
so we can display them at the public library and show others how animals adapt to the
world around them. (Animal/Habitat)
3. Make a pamphlet to pass out to the students at your school to inform them about how
we can preserve the habitats around us. (Human Interactions)
4. Volunteer at the local Animal shelter to see how many pets there are to adopt and just
how to create a safe and fun habitat for them. (Pets/shelters)
5. Join the Zoo Crew at the Birmingham zoo so you can go with the animal trainers all
week and learn all about the animals and their adaptations to their habitat. (Zoo/
Animal)
SEW- Critter Country
Critter Country (Grades K-1). Take a walk through Critter Country to discover the many animals
around us. What critters might you see scurrying behind a tree? Big ones, little ones, what
color might they be? They may be watching as you collect leaves for a leafy critter to hang from
our tree. Join the fun and paint portraits of your favorite critters. Read books, sing songs, and
use the computer to research and play animal games.
Enrichment Menu
Carla Scott
Type I Activities:
1. Watch video “A Day At Old MacDonald’s Farm”
2. Read Animal Disguises by Belinda Weber
3. Take a Discovery Walk around your school and look and listen for various animals
(critters). Compare their size and color.
4. Collect leaves to make critters.
5. Go to Brain pop Jr. com and find out how much you know about animal classification.
6. Go to Pete’s Power point and view Camouflaged Animals.
7. Look at various posters of animals that live in your state.
8. Finger paint your favorite animal in its environment.
9. Show students a picture (environment-ocean, forest, and etc.) and have them think of
animals that might live in that habitat.
10. Sing various animal songs.
11. Read various sections of Eyes on Nature Wild Creatures.
12. Listen to an expert speaker to learn more about animals.
13. Examine live animals to learn about their anatomy.
Type II Activities
1. Write an acrostic poem about your favorite animal.
2. Create a animal collage using magazine pictures.
3. Create a flip book and glue pictures for each category.
4. Create a chart showing animals of different colors or sizes.
5. Use your planning talent to acquire a new pet.
6. Make an animal mask to wear.
7. Use many varied single words (communication talent 2) to describe your feelings if you
were an animal that lost its home to a forest fire.
8. Make critters out of leaves to hang on our tree.
9. Play animal charades to discover various animal behaviors.
10. Use your forecasting talent # 2 to think of many varied effects of animals being different
sizes.
11. Use your productive thinking talent to think of many, varied, and unusual strategies to
prevent an endangered animal from becoming extinct.
12. Cut out magazine pictures of animals (about 40) and see how many ways you can group
the animals. Try classifying by color, size, what covers their body (hair, feathers, or
scales) where they live, how they move, what they eat, and which make good pets.
Type III Activities
1. Interview an animal expert (veterinarian, zookeeper, and zoologist) and ask questions to
learn more about what interests you.
2. Make an ABC book of animals. Students illustrate animals and write information below
illustration.
3. Create a new animal using camouflage. Think about it’s habitat and draw it in the
habitat you feel it could be best camouflaged.
Enrichment Menu
Elizabeth Gravlee
Type I Activities
1. Handle different animals while also looking at the info card to learn more about
each animal and its characteristics. (All) Interest Center
2. Go to www.pbs.org/parents/catinthehat/
activity_exploring_animal_camoflage.html and watch the video to learn how
animals such as geckos use camouflage to blend into their environment. (Reptile)
3. Look through the Do Animals Dream? Children’s questions about animals most
often asked of the Natural History Museum book and find the most interesting
question that you were wondering about too. (All)
4. Go to PBSkids.org/games/animals.html and play a game to see how much you
already know about animals. (All)
5. Take a walk around your neighborhood and look in the grass for caterpillars,
grasshoppers, and other insects to discover many ways insects camouflage
themselves. (Insects) Lesson Plan
6. Examine an object (chrysalis) and, noting all its characteristics, figure out what it
is. (Insect) Interest Center
7. Put together a puzzle and list all of the animals that you can find in the picture.
Examine the picture in detail, paying close attention to camouflaged animals
hiding in their environment. (All) Interest Center
8. Listen to a speaker from the animal shelter to learn more about the care of
animals. He/she is an expert on animals so listen carefully and see if you can
become an expert on this topic. Ask him/her questions about his job and career
with animals. (All)
9. Go to kathyscritters.com and play a game to learn about classification of animals.
(All)
10. Investigate all of the Alabama Maps and identify the most abundant animals in
each region. (All) Interest Center
11. Listen to a guest speaker from TTown Paws to learn about animal rights. (All)
12. Manipulate the Hide and Seek National Geographic Action Book to observe how
different animals use camouflage. (All) Interest Center
13. Create your own cartoon sea critter using the step by step book 1-2-3 Draw
Cartoon Sea Critters. (Fish) Interest Center
14. Complete the Animal Kingdom Crossword Puzzle to demonstrate your knowledge
of the animal kingdom. (All)
Type II Activities
1. Peppermint Beetle Activity- Project Wild- Have students hunt for the “peppermint
beetle” and predict where it has come from and why its here. This activity is a
simulation for student to use their sense of smell to investigate a pretend insect.
(Insects) Lesson Plan
2. Creative Dramatics- Imagine a trip to the Zoo- think of two animals and create a
new animal using characteristics from each animal. Draw what the animal would
look like and act out the way the animal would behave. Have students circle
around the room while playing “Walk With the Animals” song. (All)
3. Use your forecasting talent to predict many, varied effects if all animals were
predators. List your ideas on a chart. What would happen if all animals were
predators? How would animals survive? Add to your list of predictions by using
the resources in the classroom. (All)
4. Use many varied single words (communication talent 2) to describe your feelings