Arctic Animals Unit with PowerPoint

Description

This arctic animals unit is packed full of learning and fun! Complete with an informational “Animals of the Arctic” PowerPoint, student research materials, arctic animal headband templates, and more thematic activities, this unit will teach your students all about 13 different arctic animals. With eye-catching display materials including headers for anchor charts along with colorful vocabulary word posters and word wall cards, children will have what they need to read, talk, and write about the Arctic and its inhabitants.

What’s included in this arctic animals unit?

This “Animals of the Arctic” thematic unit includes materials to help you integrate science and literacy while helping your students become adept at informational writing.

The animals covered in this set are:

•arctic fox

•arctic hare

•arctic tern

•arctic wolf

•beluga whale

•harp seal

•narwhal

•orca whale

•polar bear

•ptarmigan

•reindeer

•snowy owl

•walrus

Here’s what’s included:

✔ Informational PowerPoint Slideshow “Animals of the Arctic”

This slideshow is packed full of information about the Arctic and its animals. Filled with clear photographs, this presentation includes nonfiction text about the arctic region as a habitat and facts about thirteen arctic animals. It also covers animal adaptations such as camouflage, blubber, and fur, info about predators and prey, and more.

✔ Supplemental “These Are Arctic Animals” Emergent Reader PowerPoint Slideshow

This simple presentation includes two sentences about each of the included arctic animals, each with a clear photograph. This slideshow is great for shared reading!

✔ Arctic Vocabulary Word Posters and Word Wall Cards

The included arctic vocabulary word posters, each with a photo and a simple definition are: iceberg, adaptations, camouflage, blubber, northern lights, predator, prey, tusks, and migrate. The word wall cards, each with an illustration, are: arctic fox, arctic hare, arctic tern, arctic wolf, beluga whale, harp seal, narwhal, orca, polar bear, ptarmigan, reindeer, snowy owl, and walrus.

✔ Anchor Chart Materials and Posters

Printable materials are included to help you create meaningful anchor charts with your students. You’ll find what you need to make a KWL chart, “Can, Have, Are, Eat” charts for each animal, and an “In the Arctic” listening and comprehension chart. In addition, this set includes a poster containing lyrics to an original “Arctic Song.”

✔ Printable Arctic Activities

▶ Beginning Research Materials: A passage is included for each of the arctic animals featured in the PowerPoint. The printouts contain simple informational text that students can use as research for their informational writing.

▶ Themed Informational Writing Materials: A blank can/have/are/eat chart will help students organize their research. They can then transfer their facts onto an organizer and then develop sentences to write on themed writing paper. Pages are included for each specific animal as well as pages that will work for any animal.

▶ Arctic Science Activities: A cut-and-glue sorting page allows students to classify animals into three groups (birds, land mammals, and sea mammals). Instructions and reflection sheets for a “Blubber Mitt” science activity help students learn about animal adaptations.

▶ Cut and Fold Arctic Animals Book: This informational easy reader is designed to be printed double-sided, using only one sheet of paper. Students can color the pictures and practice reading and print concepts. This book has one simple sentence per page.

▶ Arctic Animal Research Poster: As a final product of their research, each student can create a simple “Which arctic animal am I?” lift-the-flap poster. These make a great hallway display!

▶ Arctic Animal Hats: Students use a sentence strip to make one of these 13 arctic animal headbands. These hats are a fun culminating activity for the unit. Students can wear them as they present their research or as a way to invite visitors to ask questions about their animals.

How do I use this arctic animals unit?

Begin by accessing students’ background knowledge about arctic animals by having a class discussion. As you discuss, fill in the “K” (What I Know) and “W” (What I Want to Know) columns of the KWL chart. Follow up with the PowerPoint slideshow, which can be read aloud in one sitting or can be used across several days. Young children will need time to discuss the information as it is presented, so be sure to build in time for conversations and questions! Upon completion of the PowerPoint (or as you go along), have students help fill in the final column of the KWL chart.

To guide students toward informational writing about arctic animals, begin with one of the “Can, Have, Are, Eat” charts, having the students help determine what you should write in each section (a sample chart is included). (Chart headings are included for each animal, but you may wish to just choose one or two animals to model this chart with.) Students can then begin to work on their own organizers which will scaffold them toward writing four informational sentences about their arctic animal.

The “In the Arctic” chart and the accompanying writing template help students build listening skills and comprehension. The purpose of this activity is to help students get the most out of the PowerPoint. By exposing students to some of the included vocabulary and concepts prior to reading, you will set them up for comprehension and language development. This activity works well with a pocket chart, but if you don’t have one available, you can tape the cards to chart paper. (If you laminate the chart paper and the cards ahead of time, you can reuse both in future years.)

To begin, pass the cards out to your students, reading the words as you do so, clarifying meaning if necessary, and having the students repeat the words to you. As you read, have students add their words to the chart.

In addition to supporting student learning of arctic concepts and vocabulary, this activity can help students develop their ability to construct sentences orally and in writing. As you move through your arctic unit, periodically choose a card from the chart and ask students to tell you a sentence about the Arctic using that word or phrase. For example, if you choose the “squid” card, a student might say, “Narwhals and orca whales eat squid in the Arctic.”

The original arctic song (to be sung to the tunes of “On Top of Old Smoky” helps students remember facts about the Arctic while also working on memorization. Consider having students come up with hand motions to go along with the song. Students can sing this song while wearing their hats! A cut-and-glue comprehension sheet accompanies the song.

Have students make arctic animal hats to culminate their studies and encourage them to share animal facts with anyone who asks about their hat!

What Teachers Are Saying about “Animals of the Arctic”:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “We learn about arctic animals in January, and this is a wonderful addition to the thematic unit I already have. The kids are excited to learn about the animals, enjoy the photos and create their own reports about an arctic animal of their choice.” –Rebecca W.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Totally LOVE your style and work! It looks so professional and is incredibly captivating, engaging, and motivating for students … and teachers! Thank you so much for sharing your time, talents, and creations with us!” –Nancy H.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I purchased this and found that it was full of resources that supported my highest students to my students on IEPs. The students were so engaged and learned a lot of new science vocabulary. I was so thrilled that I purchased the entire bundle shortly after making this purchase. The bundles have so many resources that include visuals, reading comprehension, craft extensions, and lots of scaffolded practice with writing about what they have learned. I would definitely encourage any teacher to purchase the entire bundle. It will save you so much time, and you will be very delighted!” –Tricia C.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “My kids loved it! Especially the cute narwhal!” -Katelyn W.

If you have any questions, email susan@myhappyplaceteaching.com or use the contact form on this site.

Thank you for shopping!

Susan Jennings (My Happy Place)

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