I am so excited to share the second installment in my Take Home Projects series!
"Design-An-Arctic-Animal Take Home Project"
In my second grade class, we learn about arctic animals and their adaptations. We spend a long time talking about how the animals' bodies have changed to help them survive in their icy, arctic home. Later in the post I'll explain more about the Arctic Animal Adaptation Sheets that we use!
After building a knowledge base in effective adaptations, I introduce my Design-An-Arctic-Animal Take Home Project! (Click on the pic to be taken to my TPT store to purchase it) The purpose of this packet is to get parents involved in talking with their children about science learning. This packet includes a parent explanation sheet that lays out the project in clear and simple terms.
Want to check out a different Take Home Project? Click here to go to my post on the Dinosaur Fossil Take Home Project!
A BIG component to the success of these Take Home Projects is successful teacher modelling...
I basically do the whole project in front of the class before I send it home. We talk about each step as we go, I make sure students are fully aware of the expectations, and I answer ALL questions.
The LAST thing that I want, is for my students to go home and say in that whiny voice to mom and dad, "But I don't know what to do!"
For this project, I also had the students set up some of the project before taking them home. My school provides posters so I had the students glue on the title and the paragraph organizer. I stapled a sheet of the adaptation labels to the poster. Then the poster, the parent explanation sheet, and the arctic animal design sheet are all safely tucked into backpacks to take home.
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I like to print these Parent Explanation Sheets in color to make them more "special" and eye-catching!
When the students brought back their projects, I was blown away by their creativity and use of interesting materials! My kids used sequins, pompoms, clay, paint, styrofoam, magazine clippings, fake flower petals, and all kinds of other things. They also did an excellent job using their knowledge of animal adaptations to create an interesting arctic animal!
To showcase all of the amazing student talent and learning, I set up an Arctic Animal Gallery and invited parents to come and see what we had been up to!
Looking for some more arctic themed activities? Check out my Arctic Animal Adaptation Sheet by clicking below!
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