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1st Grade  Project 6 weeks

Wild Eats and Animal Streets

Amanda E
Updated
LS2.A
ESS3.A
1-LS1-1
1.H.5
1-LS1-2
+ 12 more
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Purpose

Students investigate animals, habitats, and simple food chains to understand how living things depend on plants, animals, and natural resources for food, shelter, and safety. Through close reading, shared writing, counting and comparing habitat data, and creating habitat lapbooks, they answer essential questions about how habitats work and how people can learn from animal survival traits to solve problems. With support from Silly Safari, Garfield Park Conservatory, and InfoZone, students practice research, critique and revision, teamwork, and reflection as they prepare an exhibit and performance to share their learning with families and the school community.

Learning goals

Students will identify how animals, plants, and habitats depend on one another, describe simple food chains, and explain how living things get food, shelter, and safety in a habitat. They will read grade-level texts and media, write and draw informational pieces for habitat lapbooks, and use counting, sorting, measuring, and graphing to compare animals, habitat features, and needs. Students will ask questions, research with classmates, revise their work after feedback, and design a simple solution inspired by animal or plant body parts to solve a real-world problem. They will share their learning clearly with peers, teachers, and families through an exhibit and performance, and reflect on how visits from or to community partners helped them understand habitats more deeply.

Standards
  • [Indiana] LS2.A - Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
  • [Indiana] ESS3.A - Natural Resources
  • [Indiana] 1-LS1-1 - Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
  • [Indiana] 1.H.5 - Develop a simple timeline of important events in the student’s life. (E)
  • [Indiana] 1-LS1-2 - Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive.
  • [Indiana] 1.H.4 - Identify people and events observed in national celebrations and holidays. (E)
  • [Indiana] 1.G.4 - Identify and describe physical features and human features of the local community, including home, school, and neighborhood.
  • [Indiana] 1.H.6 - Use the terms past and present; yesterday, today, and tomorrow; and next week and last week to sequentially order events that have occurred in the school. (E)
  • [Indiana] 1.H.3 - Identify local people from the past who have demonstrated good citizenship.
  • [Indiana] SEP.1 - Asking Questions and Defining Problems
Competencies
  • Goal Management - - Staying positive when things don't go the way I want Trying things even if I might fail - Finishing tasks even if they are hard for me - Reaching goals that I set for myself - Taking action to reach my goals - Setting goals for myself - Thinking through the steps it will take to reach my goal
  • Self-Management - - Controlling my temper Handling stress - Calming myself down when I'm excited or upset - Stopping myself from doing something I know I shouldn't do - Finding a new solution when my solution to a problem is not working
  • Self-Esteem - - On the whole, I am satisfied with myself I feel that I have a number of good qualities - I take a positive attitude toward myself - I feel like I have much to be proud of
  • Content Expertise - Students develop key competencies, skills, and dispositions with ample opportunities to apply knowledge and engage in work that matters to them.
  • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving - Students consider a variety of innovative approaches to address and understand complex questions that are authentic and important to their communities.
  • Effective Communication - Students practice listening to understand, communicating with empathy, and share their learning through exhibiting, presenting and reflecting on their work.
  • Collaboration - Students co-design projects with peers, exercise shared-decision making, strengthen relational agency, resolve conflict, and assume leadership roles.

Products

Students will create animal habitat lapbooks that grow over time with labeled habitat maps, simple food chain diagrams, animal facts from read-alouds and media, measurement and counting pieces, and short opinion or informative writing about how animals survive. They will also make team products such as a class mural or 3-D habitat model, question cards for visits with Silly Safari, Garfield Park Conservatory, or InfoZone, and simple design solutions inspired by animal or plant parts. Through critique and revision, students will revise drawings, labels, and explanations after peer feedback, teambuilding routines, and research. The final products will be a polished lapbook and a family-friendly exhibit with models, oral presentations, and food chain displays for the end-of-program celebration.

Launch

Begin with a “mystery habitat rescue” where students explore tubs filled with clues such as animal pictures, plants, natural materials, tracks, and simple food chain cards, then work in teams to ask questions and guess which habitat each tub represents. Invite a partner from Silly Safari, Garfield Park Conservatory, or InfoZone to bring a live animal, artifacts, or photos so students can notice body parts, behaviors, and habitat needs while practicing respectful listening and discussion. Students start a class anchor chart of what animals need for food and safety, set one team goal for working together, and sketch a first idea for an animal habitat lapbook page. Close with a quick circle share in which students reflect on what surprised them, what they still wonder, and how they might revise their thinking after hearing classmates’ ideas.

Exhibition

Host a “Habitat Museum” where students display their animal habitat lapbooks, simple food chain models, and reading-writing-math work for families, classmates, and teachers. Each child gives a short presentation explaining one habitat, how animals and plants depend on one another for food and safety, and one human-made solution inspired by animal or plant parts. Include a gallery walk with feedback cards so visitors can celebrate student learning and ask questions, plus a short performance where students sing, recite, or act out habitat and food chain vocabulary. Invite partners such as Silly Safari, Garfield Park Conservatory, or InfoZone to attend or send a short message so students can connect their fieldwork reflections to their final exhibit.

PQA Practice Standards Alignment

  • Safe Environment: In every session, the class begins with a short team-building circle and shared norms for handling materials, taking turns, and listening to classmates, demonstrating "Creating Safe Spaces." Staff use calm redirection, warm language, and inclusive partnerings so students feel secure asking questions, revising ideas, and sharing discoveries from visits and research.
  • Supportive Environment: As students build animal habitat lapbooks, sequence simple food chains, and design animal-inspired solutions to human problems, staff model each step, provide sentence frames and math tools, and name the learning target, demonstrating "Active Learning" and "Skill-Building." Students talk through their choices, read grade-level texts and media, and create tangible products that show their thinking.
  • Interactive Environment: During partner research, small-group habitat investigations, and exhibit preparation, students take roles such as reader, illustrator, fact-checker, and presenter, demonstrating "Collaboration & Leadership" and "Adult Partners." Community partners and staff work alongside students as they ask questions, practice speaking kindly, and help one another improve lapbook pages and display pieces.
  • Engaging Environment: Students choose an animal or habitat focus, decide how to organize parts of their lapbook, and use critique and revision routines to improve writing, diagrams, and models, demonstrating "Planning Choice & Reflection." After visits to Silly Safari, Garfield Park Conservatory, or InfoZone, students complete quick circle shares about how animals, plants, or people helped them understand habitats better and what they want to adjust next.
  • Engaging Environment: While investigating how living things depend on one another for food and safety, students compare habitats, predict what happens when a plant or animal is removed, and test ideas for survival solutions, demonstrating "Higher Order Thinking." Staff prompt students to connect new learning to their home, school, and neighborhood environments and guide them to explain their reasoning during the final performance and exhibit.