*All Screenshots taken on my computer from the National Geographic Kids website*
www.kids.nationalgeographic.com
What Is It?
Another great resource I’ve used with students is the National Geographic Kids website. The website offers tons of information about the Earth, animals, weather, and so much more. It is full of photographs, videos, games and more for students to engage with. It is packed full of information on many different topics, making it the perfect research tool to use with your students in the classroom.
How Would I Use It In The Classroom?
During my student teaching placement, I thought a large unit on animals to the students. We learned all about their habitats, life cycles, groups they belong to, etc. We tied what we learned in science into the language arts curriculum by creating animal writing reports. Everyone chose an animal that interested them, and along with our science textbooks, mentor texts and trade books, we found a lot of information. In addition, we also used this wonderful website.
When clicking on the “Animal &Pets” link on the navigation bar at the top of the screen, you will be taken a page containing animals and habitats. The number of animals represented is incredible, enabling each student to choose a different animal if your project were to begin here. What’s great about the way the animals are organized, is that the website categorizes them by group (Amphibians, birds, mammals, etc), and also includes a whole section on different habitats (Antarctic, Freshwater, Grassland, etc).
We spent a lot of time discussing the different habitats that exist on our planet, and this website is a perfect resource for learning more about these habitats beyond the textbook. The set-up of the website makes it very easy for both students and teachers to use and navigate easily. This could either be the beginning of an animal research project by allowing students to choose from the vast number of animals available for research, or it could be an extension to a writing report or science unit about animals.
Standards & Assessment
If you choose to have your students research an animal of their choice, then your assessment would be the students’ work samples containing the information they have gathered about their animals. You could also review and discuss which groups certain animals belong to, which serves as an informal assessment. The assessment you choose will be determined by the way you wish to use the information available from this resource. The website obviously goes beyond only animals, but this is a great way to use the information in your classroom for one example. The standards addressed when discussing habitats would include:
- Kindergarten: Life Science- Living things have physical traits and behaviors, which influence their survival.
- Grade 1: Life Science– Living things have basic needs, which are met by obtaining materials from the physical environment.
- Grade 1: Life Science- Living things survive only in environments that meet their needs.
Standards that would address a writing project through researching a specific animal would include:
- Grade 2: English Language Arts- Participate in shared research and writing projects
- Grade 2: English Language Arts- Recall Information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question
- Grade 3: English Language Arts- Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic
- Grade 3: English Language Arts- Recall Information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.
Reference:
Kids’ Games, Animals, Photos, Stories, and More — National Geographic Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://kids.nationalgeographic.com