Ray talked a lot about units in this chapter. I think they are a great way to tie in student's interests to school and incorporate multiple subjects. In my week field experience I did a unit on animals since the kids in my first grade class love them. Thankfully it was also a standard. For the unit I incorporated plenty of books, language arts, art and math. The students had olenty of oppertunities to be imaginative while still learning. They created a home for a pet, made bird feeders to hang up at the school, learned about the basic needs of animals, and got the chance to see why certain animals have the adaptations they do. They also did a two day writing workshop of an animal of their choice and practiced their informational writing and commas in a series, which they have been talking about.
The unit went great!
This sounds like a great lesson - I'm glad you taught it first because the kids love them! I think learning about what we enjoy or are curious about can be incredibly powerful.
ReplyDelete