Platypus

Our next animal is a little unusual.  It has the bill like a duck, the tail like a beaver, the body like an otter, walks like a reptile, and lays eggs.  What is it you ask?  A Platypus.  Most of my students had heard of a platypus but were thrilled to learn more about these unusual creatures.  We learned what they eat and how they live and how they take care of their young.  Our favorite videos about the platypus we found on YouTube.  We found the platypus song addicting.  The kids kept asking me to play it again, and again, and AGAIN!  I'll be singing it for days! 

Our platypus art this week included making our own platypus with one fact they learned. 

Zebra

Our first and second graders are learning about unusual animals to prepare for their big research projects.  We started off with the zebra.  We compared the zebra stripes to our own fingerprints.  Each zebra has a unique set of stripes just like our fingerprints are unique to us.  We looked at the three types of fingerprints: the arch, the whorl and the loop, and classified our own prints. 

The kids tried to think of other animals that have unique coats like the zebra.  Can you think of any?


After we learned some fascinating facts about the zebra we read a clever book called "A is for Zebra".  The kids all had puzzled looks on their faces.  "Wait!  Z is for Zebra!"  Once we started reading our book they quickly learned why A is for Zebra.  This book uses the last letter of the word instead of the first.  We went through the whole alphabet and found many things in the pictures that ended with each letter. 

Our animal lesson wouldn't be complete without doing a fun art activity.  The kids cut out blank zebras (with no stripes).  We used marbles to paint the stripes on our zebras. What fun it is to roll the marbles around all over.  Some got more paint on the box than they got on the zebra, but that is part of the fun.  Here are our finished products.

Augmented reality

This has to be one of the coolest things I have ever seen.  The students color a picture and it magically comes to life with the app called ColAR Mix.  So you go from a picture like this:

To a picture like this: 

The kids can touch the screen and the zebra will move.  Touch different parts of the zebra and it will do different things.  AMAZING!  

Biography Project

My kids have been working for months on their biography projects.  Each one picked a person that has made an impact on our world.  The chosen people range from athletes, to singers, to presidents and scientists and everything in between.  The kids have researched facts on their person and will even dress like that person for their final presentations.   So what better way to showcase their hard work- BACKGROUNDS.  The kids each painted their own mural of sorts for a backdrop for their final presentations, a Living Museum.  Here are some of my favorites.  We found clipart on the internet, traced them on butcher paper and the kids had a blast painting them all.


                                                                     Rosa Parks

Frida Kahlo

Stan Lee

Michael Jordan

Abraham Lincoln