Forest Animals

This lesson is designed for kindergarteners, and combines science and reading by learning about the forest environment and the animals that live there while using learned sight words and practicing sentence structure.

During group instruction, students will learn about specific animals that live in the forest (bear, bird, squirrel, rabbit, fox, deer) and their shelters (den, nest, burrow, brush). The students will practice these vocabulary words using a “my turn, your turn” strategy. While introducing the animals, the teacher will ask questions to the class to encourage discussion and dialog; questions may include:

• What are animals that live in the forest?
• How are the bear and the fox similar?
• What do you think the shelters for these animals are?
• What is different about the bird and the fox shelters?
• etc.

As the teacher introduces animals and shelters, they will show the class visual representations of each one.

After introducing all of the animals and shelters, we will practice using the question and response sentence frames by choosing an animal to insert, and identifying its shelter. The teacher will choose an animal and its shelter to practice with, then the class will choral read both the question and response.

Question: Where is the (animal) in the forest?
Response: I see the (animal) in the (shelter).

Student Activity

In partners, one student will choose an animal and use the first sentence frame to ask their partner the question. Their partner will use the second sentence frame to respond, using the same animal and recognizing its correct shelter. Students will take turns switching roles until the activity is over.

Sources
Image by Daniel Mačura from Pixabay
Image by Robert Balog from Pixabay
Image by 현 정 from Pixabay
Image by fiamja from Pixabay 
Image by Alastair Newton from Pixabay
Image by Andy M. from Pixabay
Image by Ralph from Pixabay
Image by hashan from Pixabay
Image by Manfred Richter from Pixabay  
Image by NakNakNak from Pixabay 
Image by Joanjo Puertos Muñoz from Pixabay