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Animal Nation

Grade 1, Science

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Description of Unit

Students will study different animals to learn about their basic needs and ecosystems in which they live. Students will choose an animal to observe, describe, and research, determining its basic needs and how they are met. Students will then discuss different outcomes for their animals if their needs are not met. Their learning will culminate in an animal report in which they will predict their animals’ future if their needs are not met and present their predictions to the class.

This guide links the Animal Nation unit to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for first graders. Animal Nation is a science unit that allows students to explore animals and their needs for survival. Though a science unit, Animal Nation also leads students to practice skills in the other subject areas of English language arts, mathematics, and social studies. For example, students use writing as a tool for learning and research, which the English Language Arts and Reading TEKS cover; students display data in an organized form, which the Mathematics TEKS cover; and use critical thinking skills, which the Social Studies TEKS cover. The following document includes the applicable TEKS and the details of the Animal Nation unit. The final section of this document presents the applicable Texas College and Career Readiness Standards adopted by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) on January 24, 2008.

Phase I. Learning Experiences

  1. Read a book to introduce the animal unit. Possible books include What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page, Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judy Barrett, or Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft.
  2. Conduct a class survey to determine the students’ favorite animals. Show the results in a chart or graph.
  3. Have students list several animals, or use the animals that came up in the survey. Make available a number of illustrated books and magazines about animals. Students should identify pictures of the animals listed/discussed in small groups or individually. As a large group, discuss characteristics of the animals:
    • What type of animal is it (e.g., reptile, mammal, amphibian)?
    • Describe the animal’s natural habitat.
    • What does the animal eat?
    • How does the animal get around (e.g., fly, walk)?

    Discuss characteristics as ways to identify and classify animals. Use these characteristics to classify the animals previously listed. (Some classifications can include size, body coverings, habitat, what they eat, and their relationships to humans.)
  4. Discuss the basic needs of any living thing and how they can be met. You can start with people and move to pets before covering less familiar animals. In small groups, students will study an animal. They can choose the animal, or you can assign it. Ask the small groups to describe their animal’s characteristics and list their animal’s basic needs and how they are met.
  5. (Optional) Culture some brine shrimp in the classroom. Make up several batches with different salinities in the water. This experiment could be expanded to include other variables, such as light and temperature variations. Record your observations:
    • How many hatch?
    • What are the differences in the shrimp’s level of activity?
    • How big do they get?
    • How long do they live?

Phase II. Independent Research

A. Research process

  1. Selecting a topic. Each student will choose an animal to research.
  2. Asking guiding questions. Once students have selected an animal, each student should think of three to five guiding questions, such as:
    • What are the animal’s survival needs?
    • What are the animal’s strengths and weaknesses?
    • What could happen to the animal if their needs are not met?
  3. Creating a research proposal. You can use the attached worksheet as a study aid. Each student should carry out a scientific research process:
    • Identify the animal he/she will study
    • List the guiding questions he/she will investigate
    • Describe his/her hypotheses to the guiding questions
    • Discuss the steps in the research process he/she will use to find out the answers to the guiding questions
  4. Conducting the research. Students will use books and the Internet to gather information needed on their animals. Students will need to take notes on their findings in order to create their animal report.
  5. Sharing findings. As part of their research, students can create a Who Am I? game to show what they have learned about the animals they studied. Provide students with 10 note cards apiece and have them write 10 facts about their animals. Students can present their games to the class or to small groups. Encourage other students to guess the animal based on the facts.

    Students may wish to incorporate answers to these questions in their Who Am I? game or in their final product:
    • Where does your animal live?
    • What does your animal eat?
    • What is unique about your animal?
    • How does your animal look?
    • Does your animal depend on other animals? What are threats to your animal?
    • What noises does your animal make?
    • How would the world be different if your animal didn’t exist?

    6. B. The product

    Each student will create an animal report that answers questions, such as what are the animal’s strengths and where will it live in the future. Included in the report will be a drawing of their animal, its strengths, habitat, how its needs are met, and their prediction of what will happen to the animal in the future.

    C. Communication

    Each student will present to the class what he/she has learned, as well as the completed animal report. The audience should be given time for questions and answers. The Q&A session should be impromptu and unscripted in order to reflect student learning accurately.

    D. A completed project consists of

    1. a research proposal;
    2. a research log, note cards, and/or resource process sheets;
    3. the animal report, including references or works cited; and
    4. videotape or audiotape of the class presentation, including the Q&A session.

This unit may address the following TEKS.

112.12, Science, Grade 1

112.12(b)(1)
Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student conducts classroom and outdoor investigations following home and school safety procedures and uses environmentally appropriate and responsible practices.
112.12(b)(2)
Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student develops abilities to ask questions and seek answers in classroom and outdoor investigations.
112.12(b)(3)
Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student knows that information and critical thinking are used in scientific problem solving.
112.12(b)(4)
Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student uses age-appropriate tools and models to investigate the natural world.
112.12(b)(7)
Earth and space. The student knows that the natural world includes rocks, soil, and water that can be observed in cycles, patterns, and systems.
112.12(b)(9)
Organisms and environments. The student knows that the living environment is composed of relationships between organisms and the life cycles that occur.
112.12(b)(10)
Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms resemble their parents and have structures and processes that help them survive within their environments.

111.3, Mathematics, Grade 1

111.3(b)(1)
Mathematical process standards. The student uses mathematical processes to acquire and demonstrate mathematical understanding.
111.3(b)(2)
Number and operations. The student applies mathematical process standards to represent and compare whole numbers, the relative position and magnitude of whole numbers, and relationships within the numeration system related to place value.
111.3(b)(7)
Geometry and measurement. The student applies mathematical process standards to select and use units to describe length and time.
111.3(b)(8)
Data analysis. The student applies mathematical process standards to organize data to make it useful for interpreting information and solving problems.

113.12, Social Studies, Grade 1

113.12(b)(3)
History. The student understands the concepts of time and chronology.
113.12(b)(17)
Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including electronic technology.
113.12(b)(18)
Social studies skills. The student communicates in oral, visual, and written forms.
113.12(b)(19)
Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings.

128.3., Spanish Language Arts and Reading, Grade 1, Adopted 2017

128.3(b)(1)(E)
develop social communication such as introducing himself/herself and others, relating experiences to a classmate, and expressing needs and feelings.
128.3(b)(2)
Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--beginning reading and writing. The student develops word structure knowledge through phonological awareness, print concepts, phonics, and morphology to communicate, decode, and spell.
128.3(b)(2)(A)(ii)
recognizing spoken alliteration or groups of words that begin with the same simple syllable or initial sound;
128.3(b)(2)(A)(vii)
manipulating syllables within words;
128.3(b)(2)(A)(iii)
recognizing the change in spoken word when a specified syllable is added, changed, or removed;
128.3(b)(6)(H)
synthesize information to create new understanding with adult assistance
128.3(b)(7)(E)
interact with sources in meaningful ways such as illustrating or writing
128.3(b)(7)(F)
respond using newly acquired vocabulary as appropriate.
128.3(b)(7)(C)
use text evidence to support an appropriate response;
128.3(b)(8)(D)
describe the setting.
128.3(b)(9)(A)
demonstrate knowledge of distinguishing characteristics of well-known children's literature such as folktales, fables, fairy tales, and nursery rhymes;
128.3(b)(9)(D)(iii)
organizational patterns such as chronological order and description with adult assistance;
128.3(b)(9)(F)
recognize characteristics of multimodal and digital texts.
128.3(b)(10)(E)
listen to and experience first- and third-person texts.
128.3(b)(10)(B)
discuss how the use of text structure contributes to the author's purpose;
128.3(b)(10)(C)
discuss with adult assistance the author's use of print and graphic features to achieve specific purposes;
128.3(b)(6)(C)
make, correct, or confirm predictions using text features, characteristics of genre, and structures with adult assistance;
128.3(b)(4)
Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--fluency. The student reads grade-level text with fluency and comprehension. The student is expected to use appropriate fluency (rate, accuracy, and prosody) when reading grade-level text.
128.3(b)(10)(A)
discuss the author's purpose for writing text;
128.3(b)(11)
Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--writing process. The student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are legible and uses appropriate conventions.
128.3(b)(12)(C)
dictate or compose correspondence such as thank you notes or letters.
128.3(b)(12)(A)
dictate or compose literary texts, including personal narratives and poetry;
128.3(b)(12)(B)
dictate or compose informational texts, including procedural texts
128.3(b)(13)
Inquiry and research: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student engages in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for a variety of purposes.
128.3(b)(1)
Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, discussion, and thinking--oral language. The student develops oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion.
128.3(b)(1)(B)
follow, restate, and give oral instructions that involve a short, related sequence of actions;
128.3(b)(1)(A)
listen actively, ask relevant questions to clarify information, and answer questions using multi-word responses;
128.3(b)(1)(C)
share information and ideas about the topic under discussion, speaking clearly at an appropriate pace and using the conventions of language;

110.3., English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 1, Adopted 2017

110.3(b)(2)
Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--beginning reading and writing. The student develops word structure knowledge through phonological awareness, print concepts, phonics, and morphology to communicate, decode, and spell.
110.3(b)(1)(E)
develop social communication such as introducing himself/herself and others, relating experiences to a classmate, and expressing needs and feelings.
110.3(b)(2)(A)(vi)
manipulating phonemes within base words
110.3(b)(2)(A)(ii)
recognizing spoken alliteration or groups of words that begin with the same spoken onset or initial sound;
110.3(b)(2)(A)(iv)
recognizing the change in spoken word when a specified phoneme is added, changed, or removed;
110.3(b)(6)(H)
synthesize information to create new understanding with adult assistance
110.3(b)(7)(E)
interact with sources in meaningful ways such as illustrating or writing
110.3(b)(7)(F)
respond using newly acquired vocabulary as appropriate.
110.3(b)(7)(C)
use text evidence to support an appropriate response;
110.3(b)(8)(D)
describe the setting.
110.3(b)(9)(F)
recognize characteristics of multimodal and digital texts.
110.3(b)(9)(A)
demonstrate knowledge of distinguishing characteristics of well-known children's literature such as folktales, fables, fairy tales, and nursery rhymes;
110.3(b)(9)(D)(iii)
organizational patterns such as chronological order and description with adult assistance;
110.3(b)(10)(E)
listen to and experience first- and third-person texts.
110.3(b)(10)(B)
discuss how the use of text structure contributes to the author's purpose;
110.3(b)(10)(C)
discuss with adult assistance the author's use of print and graphic features to achieve specific purposes;
110.3(b)(6)
Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.
110.3(b)(4)
Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--fluency. The student reads grade-level text with fluency and comprehension. The student is expected to use appropriate fluency (rate, accuracy, and prosody) when reading grade-level text.
110.3(b)(10)
Author's purpose and craft: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses critical inquiry to analyze the authors' choices and how they influence and communicate meaning within a variety of texts. The student analyzes and applies author's craft purposefully in order to develop his or her own products and performances.
110.3(b)(11)
Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--writing process. The student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are legible and uses appropriate conventions.
110.3(b)(12)
Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--genres. The student uses genre characteristics and craft to compose multiple texts that are meaningful.
110.3(b)(13)
Inquiry and research: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student engages in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for a variety of purposes.

This unit may address the following Texas College and Career Readiness Standards.

Science:

S.I.A.1
Utilize skepticism, logic, and professional ethics in science.
S.I.A.2
Use creativity and insight to recognize and describe patterns in natural phenomena.
S.I.A.3
Formulate appropriate questions to test understanding of natural phenomena.
S.I.A.4
Rely on reproducible observations of empirical evidence when constructing, analyzing, and evaluating explanations of natural events and processes.
S.I.B.1
Design and conduct scientific investigations in which hypotheses are formulated and tested.
S.I.C.1
Collaborate on joint projects.
S.I.E.1
Use several modes of expression to describe or characterize natural patterns and phenomena. These modes of expression include narrative, numerical, graphical, pictorial, symbolic, and kinesthetic.
S.I.E.2
Use essential vocabulary of the discipline being studied.
S.III.B.1
Read technical and scientific articles to gain understanding of interpretations, apparatuses, techniques or procedures, and data.
S.III.B.2
Set up apparatuses, carry out procedures, and collect specified data from a given set of appropriate instructions.
S.III.B.3
Recognize scientific and technical vocabulary in the field of study and use this vocabulary to enhance clarity of communication.
S.III.B.4
List, use , and give examples of specific strategies before, during, and after reading to improve comprehension.
S.III.C.1
Prepare and present scientific/technical information in appropriate formats for various audiences.
S.III.D.1
Use search engines, databases, and other digital electronic tools effectively to locate information.
S.III.D.2
Evaluate quality, accuracy, completeness, reliability, and currency of information from any source.
S.V.C.1
Recognize patterns of change.
S.V.D.1
Understand that scientists categorize things according to similarities and differences.
S.VI.C.1
Know multiple categories of evidence for evolutionary change and how this evidence is used to infer evolutionary relationships among organisms.
S.VI.C.2
Recognize variations in population sizes, including extinction, and describe mechanisms and conditions that produce these variations.

Social Studies:

SS.I.B.2
 Identify and evaluate sources and patterns of change and continuity across time and place.
SS.I.F.1
 Use a variety of research and analytical tools to explore questions or issues thoroughly and fairly.
SS.IV.A.1
 Identify and analyze the main idea(s) and point(s)-of-view in sources.
SS.IV.A.2
 Situate an informational source in its appropriate contexts (contemporary, historical, cultural).
SS.IV.A.3
 Evaluate sources from multiple perspectives.
SS.IV.A.4
 Understand the differences between a primary and secondary source and use each appropriately to conduct research and construct arguments.
SS.IV.A.5
 Read narrative texts critically.
SS.IV.A.6
 Read research data critically.
SS.IV.B.1
 Use established research methodologies.
SS.IV.B.3
 Gather, organize, and display the results of data and research.
SS.IV.B.4
 Identify and collect sources.
SS.IV.C.1
 Understand and interpret presentations (e.g., speeches, lectures, informal presentations) critically.
SS.IV.D.1
 Construct a thesis that is supported by evidence.
SS.V.A.1
 Use appropriate oral communication techniques depending on the context or nature of the interaction.
SS.V.A.2
 Use conventions of standard written English.

Cross-Disciplinary Standards:

CDS.I.A.1
 Engage in scholarly inquiry and dialogue.
CDS.I.B.2
 Construct well-reasoned arguments to explain phenomena, validate conjectures, or support positions.
CDS.I.B.3
 Gather evidence to support arguments, findings, or lines of reasoning.
CDS.I.B.4
 Support or modify claims based on the results of an inquiry.
CDS.I.C.1
 Analyze a situation to identify a problem to be solved.
CDS.I.C.2
 Develop and apply multiple strategies to solve a problem.
CDS.I.C.3
 Collect evidence and data systematically and directly relate to solving a problem.
CDS.I.D.1
 Self-monitor learning needs and seek assistance when needed.
CDS.I.D.2
 Use study habits necessary to manage academic pursuits and requirements.
CDS.I.D.3
 Strive for accuracy and precision.
CDS.I.D.4
 Persevere to complete and master tasks.
CDS.I.E.1
 Work independently.
CDS.I.E.2
 Work collaboratively.
CDS.II.A.1
 Use effective prereading strategies.
CDS.II.A.3
 Identify the intended purpose and audience of the text.
CDS.II.A.4
 Identify the key information and supporting details.
CDS.II.A.5
 Analyze textual information critically.
CDS.II.A.6
 Annotate, summarize, paraphrase, and outline texts when appropriate.
CDS.II.A.7
 Adapt reading strategies according to structure of texts.
CDS.II.A.8
 Connect reading to historical and current events and personal interest.
CDS.II.B.1
 Write clearly and coherently using standard writing conventions.
CDS.II.B.2
 Write in a variety of forms for various audiences and purposes.
CDS.II.B.3
 Compose and revise drafts.
CDS.II.C.1
 Understand which topics or questions are to be investigated.
CDS.II.C.2
 Explore a research topic.
CDS.II.C.3
 Refine research topic based on preliminary research and devise a timeline for completing work.
CDS.II.C.4
 Evaluate the validity and reliability of sources.
CDS.II.C.5
 Synthesize and organize information effectively.
CDS.II.C.6
 Design and present an effective product.
CDS.II.C.7
 Integrate source material.
CDS.II.C.8
 Present final product.
CDS.II.D.1
 Identify patterns or departures from patterns among data.
CDS.II.D.2
 Use statistical and probabilistic skills necessary for planning an investigation and collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data
CDS.II.D.3
 Present analyzed data and communicate findings in a variety of formats.
CDS.II.E.1
 Use technology to gather information.
CDS.II.E.2
 Use technology to organize, manage, and analyze information.
CDS.II.E.3
 Use technology to communicate and display findings in a clear and coherent manner.
CDS.II.E.4
 Use technology appropriately.

English Language Arts:

ELA.I.A.2
Generate ideas, gather information, and manage evidence relevant to the topic and purpose.
ELA.III.A.2
Engage in reasoned dialogue, including with people who have different perspectives.
ELA.IV.A.3
Develop an awareness of rhetorical and stylistic choices used to convey a message.
ELA.V.A.1
Articulate and investigate research questions.
ELA.V.A.2
Explore and refine a research topic.
ELA.V.B.1
Explore and collect a range of potential sources.
ELA.V.B.3
Assess the relevance and credibility of sources.
ELA.V.C.1
Integrate and organize material effectively.

Mathematics:

M.V.B.2
Construct appropriate visual representations of data.
M.V.B.4
Describe patterns and departure from patterns in the study data.
M.VII.A.1
Analyze given information.
M.VII.B.1
Use proportional reasoning to solve problems that require fractions, ratios, percentages, decimals, and proportions in a variety of contexts using multiple representations.
M.VII.C
Logical reasoning
M.VII.D
Real-world problem solving
M.VII.D.1
Interpret results of the mathematical problem in terms of the original real-world situation.
M.VII.D.2
Evaluate the problem-solving process.
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