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You are here: Home / big kid units / Amazing Animal Reports: Research is FUN!
big kid units, Featured, giveaway, literacy, reading, science, writing

Amazing Animal Reports: Research is FUN!

January 28, 2015

Oh, friends! Please tell me you can relate to this. My head had just hit the pillow on Sunday night. I was counting my blessings, winding down, and trying to get my constant brain rattling to stop. And then it hits me, You must redo your animal project. Writing workshop is seriously my favorite thing to teach, and I’ve been getting such great feedback on my Autobiography pack that I need to get the rest of my units ready too. It just takes so much time to get them publish-ready and if there’s one thing I never have enough of, it’s time.


But there I was in bed and from out of nowhere, I realized I needed to revamp my animal unit to make it just as great as my autobiography one. Ugh! I wanted to pop right out of bed and do it then, but it was already after 3am and I *do* sleep sometimes. However, Monday was all mine and I’m proud to say I did it!

Turn your students into research experts with this Amazing Animal project that integrates reading, writing, science, and art.



It feels so good to have a fresh new look! 😉 I love this unit so much because my third graders come in thinking they are pretty much animal experts {and some of them are!} but I push them to pick a new animal. For example, my shark lover is encouraged to pick something furry and expand his knowledge. 


Then we really zoom in on what we need to know to become an expert on our animals. We focus on eight key research points like appearance, habitat, and life cycle. Side note, here’s a great way to differentiate for your students because you can assign them a different number of research points based on their abilities. 

To help keep students organized, we use a big piece of construction paper folded into eighths. Each box on our paper is carefully labeled by research point. As students are researching their animals in books, online, and through magazines they are also taking notes in each of the eight boxes. This is a great visual and helps students clearly see where more information is needed. 



Turn your students into research experts with this Amazing Animal project that integrates reading, writing, science, and art.After researching, we take our construction paper notes and turn them into separate pages of our report. I differentiate here too. Some students will write single paragraphs on each topic, while others develop multiple paragraphs for each point. I also provide a CLOZE format guide to get reluctant writers started. 


When students finish their rough draft, they meet with a writing buddy and work through a checklist. I love this part! It takes a lot of modeling and guidance to teach students how to provide meaningful feedback, but they can totally do it! Afterwards, students revise their drafts based on their buddy’s feedback. This often means they need to do more research, which is totally authentic to the actual writing process for many nonfiction texts. 


Turn your students into research experts with this Amazing Animal project that integrates reading, writing, science, and art.We round out the research pages with poetry, a word search, venn diagrams, presentation notes. Students compare and contrast their animals in partners, and meet with small groups to do oral presentations about their animals. During these presentations, students take notes on each others’ work on a grid. This is great for both listening and speaking standards!


Turn your students into research experts with this Amazing Animal project that integrates reading, writing, science, and art.

Finally, at the end of the project students are given a printable book template so they end up with a “professional” final copy. They are so proud of their work! Our unit typically coincides with our Grandparents’ Day, so I work in having students share their projects then too. It’s so incredible to see my third graders tackle such a big project because it’s structured so well to pull them through it step by step.


I also like to mix art in as much as possible, so we work on animal mosaics too. I set up a side table with the supplies and students work on their mosaics as they finish steps in our research and are waiting for others to catch up with them. I ask the local pizza place for their cardboard circles and have parents donate various beans and pasta. Then I print black/white pictures from the internet and students use those as templates. Sometimes students choose not to use a template, and that’s fine too. For less mess, you could swap this for a torn paper collage.

Turn your students into research experts with this Amazing Animal project that integrates reading, writing, science, and art.



How cute are those?! Seriously, the whole project is so much fun. So if you already own it, be sure to redownload it so you get the newest version. If you don’t have it yet, here’s your chance to win one! 




a Rafflecopter giveaway


art nonfiction
by Christi Fultz 

About Christi Fultz

wife • mom • teacher • writer • tech obsessed • sometime crafter • beach lover | Empowering entrepreneurs through branding & website design

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As an experienced third grade teacher with a Masters in Elementary Education and K-12 reading license, I know educational resources need to be both inviting and engaging to capture students' interests. I am passionate about creating user-friendly resources to help all students learn while saving valuable prep for teachers. Read More…

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Small Business Owners // As a reminder, I have a h Small Business Owners // As a reminder, I have a highlight bubble and website especially for creative entrepreneurs, TPT sellers, and tutors with tips to monetize and grow online! Visit the blog for TONS of free guides for beginners AND experienced small businesses. My personal favorite topic is SEO. 😎 design.christifultz.com
DIY Dollhouse // Last year we made Charlotte this DIY Dollhouse // Last year we made Charlotte this under stairs playroom and it turned out so sweet! https://completelychristi.com/2022/03/under-stair-playhouse-makeover.html

#louisvilleky #momsoflouisville #louisvillemoms #louisvillemomcollective #kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #diyhomeprojects #diyhome #homedesigninspiration #homeinspo #homemakeover #diyinspo #makehomeyours #kidroomideas #childsroom #childsroomdecor #childroomdesign #kidsroom #kidsroommakeover #kidsroominspiration #kidsroomdesign
Blue // That moment when the map turns blue and yo Blue // That moment when the map turns blue and you switch into vacation mode. Thanks for another great week, Lake Erie. We’ll be back.
Memories // It’s not lost on me how quickly the Memories // It’s not lost on me how quickly the days with my kids this little will become memories. Even in the exhausting moments, I am thankful to be their mama.
Marblehead Lighthouse // This is always a favorite Marblehead Lighthouse // This is always a favorite stop when we’re at Lake Erie.
Time Passes // I shared a memory yesterday from th Time Passes // I shared a memory yesterday from the beginning of Ryan’s residency and said time passes no matter how you spend it. There were a lot of challenges in this journey, but there were a lot of sweet moments too.
Let Them // My sink is full of dirty dishes and th Let Them // My sink is full of dirty dishes and there are chocolate fingerprints all over the counter, but they are happy and proud of their brownie Death Stars from Carter’s Star Wars cookbook. I’ll take it.
Here We Go // Carter needed his moment to shine to Here We Go // Carter needed his moment to shine too ✨

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