Integrated Curriculum: Theme--Zoo Animals

1. Math

1.1. Ordering: children order different zoo animals from smallest to largest.

1.2. Number Match Math: children practice matching the written numbers 1-20 to animal picture cards with the number of symbols that represents he numeral. For example, a child sees the numeral 2 and finds the card with 2 zebras to make a match.

2. Creative Arts

2.1. Dramatic Play: the teacher introduces different zoo keeper materials into the dramatic play center and shows the children how they can pretend to be zoo keepers and the different animals.

2.2. What do you think we will see at the zoo? Childen use paint and paper to make art work that talks about what they will see when they visit the zoo.

3. Physical Health & Development

3.1. Walk Like A____: children play a game during outside time where they pretend to be different animals at the zoo and mimic the way that each animal walks. (monkey, lion, giraffe, penguin, etc)

4. Social Emotional Development

4.1. Field Trip: the teacher arranges a class visit to the zoo. This will allow the students to make final connections between what they have been learning in the classroom and the real world.

4.2. What's Your Favorite Animal at the Zoo? the children draw pictures of their favorite zoo animals and tell the teacher what they like about the animal they drew

5. Science

5.1. What Sounds do you hear at the Zoo? the children listend to different animals sounds and predict which animals they think would make those sounds.

5.2. What do the Animals Eat? teacher leads a webbing and encourages childen to brainstorm and ask questions about what they think the animals eat at the zoo

5.3. What do you feel? The teacher uses materials to represent the different types of animal skin (a feather for a bird, fur for a lion, etc) The children touch each type of "skin" and talk about how they feel and compare the textures to one another.

6. Literacy & Language

6.1. Books: Goodnight Gorilla (Peggy Rathmann), From Head to Toe (Eric Carle),

6.2. Animal Letters: the teacher teaches letters using letter flashcards to teacher letter names and sounds to students. Each letter of the alphabet has been pair with an animal that starts with that letter and each letter has a related motion to help the children remember the letter sound.

6.3. Reading Reflection: after reading Goodnight Gorilla in large group, the children draw pictures about what they rememeber from the book and narrate their drawings to the teacher.

7. Social Studies

7.1. Group Discussion: Where did the Zoo Animals Come From? the teacher leads a group webbing and asks the students to brainstorm ideas about where the zoo animals used to live