Year 1

Year 1 Petting Zoo

Ending the Sharing the Planet unit of inquiry with a petting zoo was a fantastic way to wrap up the learning journey for Year 1 students. Here's a breakdown of how the various components of the unit contributed to this culminating event:

• Starting with Stuffed Animals:

  • Beginning the unit with students bringing in stuffed animals provided a tangible starting point for their learning journey. This helped to immediately engage students and set the stage for exploring real animals and their habitats.

• Creating Realistic Habitats:

  • Designing realistic habitats for their stuffed animals allowed students to apply their understanding of animal habitats and environments. This hands-on activity likely sparked creativity and imagination among the students.

• Exploring Animal Classifications:

  • Learning about the different classifications of animals, including vertebrates and invertebrates, laid the foundation for understanding the diversity of the animal kingdom. This knowledge likely fueled curiosity and excitement about exploring different types of animals.

• Understanding Characteristics and Behaviors:

  • Exploring the characteristics and behaviours of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians provided students with a deeper understanding of how animals adapt to their environments and lifestyles.

• Researching Independently:

  • Encouraging students to conduct independent research using resources like Pebblego.com empowered them to take ownership of their learning. This promoted critical thinking skills and information literacy.

• Culmination with a Petting Zoo:

  • Hosting a petting zoo allowed students to apply their knowledge and take on the role of zookeepers. This hands-on experience likely provided memorable interactions with real animals and reinforced learning outcomes from the unit.

  • Inviting parents to the petting zoo enabled students to share their discoveries and learning experiences with their families, fostering a sense of pride and accomplishment. Here is the link to the Year 1 Culmination with a petting zoo:

• Encouraging Risk-Taking:

  • Encouraging students to be risk-takers in the role of zookeepers likely promoted confidence and resilience as they navigated new experiences and interactions with animals.

Overall, the combination of hands-on activities, independent research, and culminating event with the petting zoo created a rich and immersive learning experience for Year 1 students. It not only deepened their understanding of animals and their habitats but also fostered important skills such as communication, collaboration, and empathy towards living creatures.