Overview of Unit:

The third graders again explore the world of nonfiction with this research based unit on the study of animals. The exciting thing is that while the children are researching and learning about animals, they are also learning to learn! The children will form clubs and study an animal with their research club. Club members will read subtopics independently and pull what they are learning together, organizing and synthesizing all their new knowledge. Clubs will then research a second animal and learn to compare and contrast across animals, mining ever deeper into the attributes of these varied species for ways they are linked together. Ultimately, the children will use all that they now know and understand about these animals to solve real-world problems; for example creating a better life for an animal in a zoo. This unit will prepare the third graders for a similar research unit taught in fourth grade on extreme weather.