Moving Moments
Vocabulary, Motor Skills, Dramatic Play
Ask students to demonstrate all the types of movement that were described in the book: Soar, Charge, Swing, Strut, Sneak, Stroll
Earth: The Documentary
Science, Nature
Walt Disney studios celebrated Earth Day, 2009, with a special documentary entitled, Earth. Show portions or all of this movie. The film follows one year in the lives of several creatures that share our planet. Use the
Visual-Thinking Strategy (see Appendix) and focus on several of the frames in the video for discussion.
Classifications
Science, Critical Thinking
Have students brainstorm a list of the animals mentioned. In groups, have students create their own types of classifications for these animals (e.g., land animals, water animals, animals that fly, animals with no legs, etc.) and share these with the class. (You may wish to introduce the animal classification system and reclassify these, introducing terms such as mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish, insects, and arachnids.)
A History of Jewish Dreams
Jewish History, Israel, Creative Thinking
In 1897 Theodor Herzl envisioned a Jewish state in the land of Israel. He spent his life working to make it a reality. Herzl once wrote, “If you will it, it is no dream.” At the end of the book is the line, “Dreaming Child, Dreaming Child, what do you see?”
Ask each child to write his/her own dream for our planet
Using the quote by Theodor Herzl as the caption, create a bulletin board with students’ dreams and pictures to illustrate it.
Creature Collection
Science, Language Arts
Take a nature walk with your students to a nearby park, nature preserve, or around the school, identifying creatures as you go. (Bring magnifying glasses if you have them.) Have students photograph and/or sketch several of these creatures. Back in the classroom, have each student select one of the creatures observed and find some interesting facts about it. Then have students complete the statement below to create a classroom collage using student photographs and completed statements.
Life without the ________ would be _______________________________________.
Learning about Endangered Species
Research, Technology,Critical Thinking
http://www.kidsplanet.org/ click “Get The Facts” and then structure your student’s exploration of the site:
Divide the class into groups, each representing an endangered species on the list.
- Have them find three important facts about this animal that make it special.
- Have them list these on a poster along with a picture.
- Have each group share their poster with the rest of the class.
- As a class (or school-wide) project, vote to help protect one of these animals.
- Plan class (or school-wide) activities to help raise awareness and funds for this project.
Animal Tales
Critical Thinking,Analysis
Watch a movie about animals and their needs.
Charlotte’s Web, 101 Dalmations, Dr. Doolittle, or
Babe might be excellent examples, but the teacher can talk to the students about their favorite film and help them choose. While watching the film, ask students to note their observations of when animals are protected and when they are not. Which characters in the story exemplify the mitzvah of
Ba’aley Tza’ar Chayim.
Virtual Visit
Technology, Science, Observation
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/pandacam/index.html The San Diego Zoo streams real-time footage of what is happening in their panda habitat- the class can visit site and look for pandas, observe their behavior. Sometimes no panda bear is visible- ask children “where do you think they might be” “or what do you think they might be doing”