Read, Learn about, and Draw Amazing Animals!

This is a high-interest class that will combine some animal science with reading and writing skills. There will be times we learn about a live animal that I share with students and other times that I will show photos and video clips. Each time, information will be presented that has to be read as well. (I will keep the reading text age-appropriate.)

Students are most engaged when they are reading and writing about something that interests them. In my experience, kids really love to learn about animals! You may even find that your child does additional research on some animals after class is over, just for fun!
Each week, depending on the pace of the enrolled students, we will try to read and write about 1-2 animals per session. I will be pulling texts from various sources.

Some of the animals we will cover include: Alpacas, Bearded Dragons, Capybara, Dolphins, Elephants, Flamingos, Geckos, Hippos, and Sloths.

We will be working on an A-Z book, so we will learn about a wide variety of animals and write about what we learn. (Depending on the pace and readiness of the kids, we may or may not finish all 26 pages. Kids may have to fill in the remaining pages on their own or finish some of their sketches of the animals after class.) 

I will be asking questions along the way, as we read to check for comprehension. I will also be emphasizing basic writing conventions, such as capitalization and punctuation. I will help with the spelling of words as time allows, though students will be encouraged to spell the best they can and not worry as much about perfect spelling.

Students will be encouraged to sketch the animals on each page each time they finish writing. They can label special features of the animal, illustrate the animals' habitat, or even what the animal eats. Emphasis will be on reading and writing about the animal, however.