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Zoo
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Announcing Pre-K Pages Conference for Early
Childhood Educators, July 15th in
Plano, TX
Click here to
register now!
Here are some ideas to make your Zoo unit special.
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VHS/DVD |
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Music
Music is an important part of
any Early Childhood program.
For links to the
musical artists click here to go to the music
page.
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L-I-O-N
(tune:
B-I-N-G-O)
I know an animal
that lives at the zoo
And lion is his
name-o,
L-I-O-N,
Roar!
L-I-O-N,
Roar!
L-I-O-N,
Roar!
And lion is his
name-o!
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P-A-N-D-A
(tune: B-I-N-G-O)
I know an animal that lives at the
zoo
And panda is his name-o,
P-A-N-D-A
P-A-N-D-A
P-A-N-D-A
And panda is his name-o!
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Literacy Activities |
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Activity |
Instructions |
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Zoo Sight Word Mats
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Setting: Small Group, Literacy Centers
Objective: Sight Words
Materials: Zoo Accents
(see resources section below), Sharpie marker, lamination film,
magnetic letters
Directions:
Write a different focus sight word on each zoo accent with a
Sharpie marker. Laminate the accents for durability.
Place a basket or tub of magnetic letters in the center of the
table. Students will spell the sight words out on the mats
with magnetic letters.
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Roar! Sight Word Game
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Setting: Small Group, Literacy Centers
Objective: Sight Words
Materials: Blank
cards- one per sight word and one extra, Sharpie marker, Lion
stickers (see resources section below)
Directions:
Place a lion sticker on each blank card. Write one sight
word on the back of each card with the Sharpie. On the
back of one card, write the words "Roar!". Seat a small
group of students around a table. Place the cards in
the middle of the table in a basket or container. The
students will take turns passing the container around the table
and drawing one card with eyes closed. The student draws a
card, identifies the word on the card, and passes the container
to the next person, leaving his card on the table in front of
him. When a student selects the card with the words
"Roar!" on it all the students at the table can make roaring
noises. The student who drew the "Roar!" card must return
all his cards to the container.
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Zoo Sentences
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Setting: Small Group, Literacy Centers
Objective: Sight Word Recognition
Materials:
Sentence strips, Sharpie marker, zoo clip-art or
stickers
Directions:
Write several simple zoo sentences on sentence strips
using a Sharpie marker. Include clip-art or stickers next
to the unknown word. Cut the sentences apart and place in
envelopes. Give each student in your small group an
envelope. Students will construct the sentences using
their knowledge of sight words. Remind them to create
sentences that "make sense".
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Zoo Syllables
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Setting: Small Group, Literacy Centers
Objective: Syllables
Materials: Zoo
syllable cards (see printables section below), clothespins,
laminating film, scissors, basket or container for clothespins
Directions: Print
the zoo syllable cards on cardstock and laminate for durability.
Seat the students in your small group around a table.
Place the clothespins in a basket or container in the middle of
the table so they are easily accessible to all students.
Give each child a zoo syllable card. Students will
identify the number of syllables in the picture and clip their
clothespin to the correct number at the bottom of the card.
When they are finished with their card they can switch with
other students at the table.
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Zoo Beginning Sounds
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Setting: Small Group, Literacy Centers
Objective: Identifying beginning sounds
Materials: zoo
beginning sound cards (see printables section below), clothespins,
laminating film, scissors, basket or container for clothespins
Directions:
Print the zoo beginning sounds cards on cardstock and laminate
for durability. Seat the students in your small group
around a table. Place the clothespins in a basket or
container in the middle of the table so they are easily
accessible to all students. Give each child a zoo
beginning sound card. Students will identify the picture
that begins with the same beginning sound as the animal at the
top and clip their clothespin to the correct picture at the
bottom of the card. When they are finished with their card
they can switch with other students at the table.
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Math Activities |
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Activity |
Instructions |
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Zoo Counting 1-5
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Setting: Small Group, Math Centers
Materials: 1-5 counting grid- one per child (available in printables
section below), zoo stickers or stamps
Directions:
Give each child in the small group a counting grid sheet.
Place the zoo stickers or stamps in the center of the
table in a container so all students can easily reach them.
The students will place the correct number of stickers or stamps next to
each number on the counting grid.
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Zoo Patterns
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Setting: Small Group, Math Centers
Objective: Patterning
Materials: Patterning
grid- one per child (available in printables section below),
zoo stickers or stamps
Directions:
Give each child in the small group one patterning grid.
Place the zoo stickers or stamps in the center of the table in
a container so all students can easily reach them. The
students will use the stickers or stamps to create a pattern on
the grid.
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Monkey 1:1
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Setting: Small
Group, Math Centers
Objectives: 1:1 correspondence
Materials: monkey
1:1 mats- one per student in small group, banana playing pieces
(see printables section below for both)
Instructions:
Print the 1:1 monkey mats on cardstock and laminate.
Give each student in the small group a mat. Place the
banana playing pieces in the center of the table in
a container so they are easily accessible to all students.
Each student takes a turn rolling the die and putting the
corresponding number of bananas on their mat. When there
is one banana on each monkey on the mat the students have successfully completed the game. |
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Zoo Number Book
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Setting: Small Group, Math Centers
Objective: Integrate math and literacy. Number
identification, number sense
Materials: zoo stickers or stamps,
one pre-assembled Zoo booklet per child
Instructions:
Place the stickers or stamps in the center of the table in a
basket or container so all students can easily reach them.
The students identify the number in each sentence and using
their knowledge of number identification, letter sounds, and
sight words they are to determine which zoo animals to stamp on
each page.
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Zoo Roll N' Stamp
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Setting: Small
Group, Math Centers
Objectives: Number recognition, number sense, one-to-one
Materials: foam
die, 1-6 animal recording sheet (see printables section below),
Orange and Yellow Do-A-Dot markers (see resources section below)
Instructions:
Students take turns rolling the die, identifying the
corresponding number on their paper and stamping the animal with
that number
with an orange or yellow Do-A-Dot marker. |
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Activities
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Activity |
Instructions |
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Torn paper tiger
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Materials:
orange construction paper, black construction paper, glue,
crayons Give the
students orange paper and have them tear a rectangular body and
square head, four legs, a tail, and two ears. Next, use
black paper and have the students tear it to make the tiger's
stripes. Students glue the "stripes" on the tiger and add
facial features with crayons. This is a fantastic fine
motor activity. |
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Animal Cracker Book
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Materials:
empty animal cracker box, crayons, copy paper, yarn or ribbon
(or your preferred method of binding)
*idea from
Dr. Jean workshop*
Using an empty animal
cracker box, cut the front and back of the box off to create the
cover for your book. You can make a mini-book using a
small animal cracker box, or a larger book using a larger box.
Cut your copy paper to the same size as the box. Give each
student one sheet of paper and have them draw a picture of what
they would like to see at the zoo. Place all the drawings
in between the two pieces of the animal cracker box and bind
using your preferred method along one side.
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Graph Your Favorite Zoo Animal
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Materials:
chart paper, crayons, copy paper, glue sticks.
At the top of your chart
paper draw several zoo animals. Cut each sheet of copy
paper into 4 squares; enough for one per student. Have
each student draw a picture of his or her favorite zoo animal
and glue to the graph in the appropriate row. Use the
graph results to discuss math concepts in a large group. |
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Graph Your Favorite Zoo Book
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Materials:
chart paper, crayons or markers, Xerox copies of favorite book
covers.
Xerox the covers of
several favorite zoo books that you have read during your zoo
unit. Shrink them to size, cut, and glue to the top of a
piece of chart paper. Have the students write their name
with markers under their favorite story. Use the results
to discuss "more or less" and other math related concepts.
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Paper Plate Lions
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Materials: paper plates, yellow yarn, glue, crayons.
Have students color their
paper plates yellow with crayons and add facial features. Next,
glue yellow yarn around the edges of the plate. |
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Bingo Marker Giraffe
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Materials: giraffe shape, yellow construction
paper, permanent marker, bingo dot markers, scissors, crayons.
Trace a giraffe shape onto
yellow construction paper with a permanent marker. Next,
allow the students to add the giraffe's spots using the bingo
markers. When finished they can cut out the giraffe shapes
and add facial features with crayons.
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Masking Tape Zebra
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Materials:
Horse shape, permanent marker, black
paint, thin paint brushes, white paper, black yarn, wiggly eyes, glue.
Trace a horse shape with
a permanent marker on white paper. Students can paint
black stripes on the zebra with the thin paint brushes.
Glue on black yarn for a tail and add the wiggly eye. |
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