Pet Care
An Integrated Preschool Curriculum Web Project
by
Lisa A. Ward
ECE 504 Early Childhood Curriculum
Instructor: Dr. Jeffrey Trawick-Smith
December 13, 2007
Selecting a Child-Centered Theme
After discovering that there was not a designated Sharing time allotted for the afternoon preschoolers at Southeast Elementary School in Mansfield, I received permission to schedule a Show-and-Tell week (see Appendix A). I dedicated 20-30 minutes at the start of each afternoon session for one week for children to share anything of interest to them. Most of the 4-year-old children brought in something every day, while other children brought in something one, two or three days that week. By the end of the week-long activity, every child had participated.
After each child presented his/her item of interest, whole class discussions were held about the item. This gave everyone a chance to comment on the item or ask questions to the presenter. I documented the discussions in order to find out what the children thought they knew about each item. Of the main topics – animals, sports, books, and transportation – presented during Show-and-Tell week, the most popular topic among the preschoolers was animals.
I then conducted a webbing activity (see General Web) on animals, in particular, "Preschoolers' Pets" with the preschoolers. During this activity the children talked about the animals they have at home. Some children were sad and some were angry because their parents wouldn't allow them to have a pet at home. One of the preschoolers asked, "Can we have a pet in school?" Without hesitation, all the children shouted with excitement over the thought of having a classroom pet. The children started naming all the different types of pets they wanted to have as the classroom pet including a dog, a cat, a fish, a hermit crab, a bird, a rabbit, a hamster, a gerbil, and a guinea pig. "Before a decision can be made about whether or not we have a classroom pet, we need to know how we would take care of a pet," the preschool teacher declared. And so, the child-centered theme chosen for this project – Pet Care (see Zoom Web) – was created. Learning how to care for and handle a pet is an important part of a child's relationship with animals.
Pet Care Experiences/Activities for Preschool
Learning Processes: Learning Formats:
Q = Quantifying Coop = Cooperative Learning Activity
AM = Autonomous mathematical thinking L Ctr = Learning Center
H = Historical thinking
G = Geographical thinking
MC = Multicultural thinking
S = Sciencing
A = Artistic expression
P = Pretend play
LR = Literacy/Reading
LW = Literacy/Writing
1. Cooperative groups will discuss the importance of keeping pets clean. Next, the teacher will read Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion. Pairs of students will sign up for cleaning duty – cleaning the cage of their second grade buddies’ class pet who will be visiting the preschool classroom for the next 4 weeks – and work together to clean the cage. Students will sign up for cleaning duty by writing their name (2 students one day, 2 students the next day, etc.) on a designated calendar in the Discovery Zone. (LW, LR, S) (Coop) (LCtr)
2. Children will take turns caring for the class pet rabbit on the weekends, school vacations, etc. Make a schedule of who will take home the pet when. The child taking care of the pet will “sign out” and “sign in” using a designated schedule in the Discovery Zone. A journal will go home to document what responsibilities the child did with the pet and write (or dictate to the parent) any questions to be answered in class when the rabbit returns to school. The child will report back to the class on the first day back to school from the weekend or vacation and prompt class discussions. (LW, LR, S) (Coop)
3. The teacher will read Whose House Is This? by Wayne Lynch. After holding a discussion about domestic animal's shelter, children will draw and/or look through a variety of magazines (such as Ranger Rick and National Geographic) and cut out pictures of domestic animals and their homes. The children will create a Mural: on mural paper with "There's No Place Like Home" written across the top, the children will glue or draw pictures to create a class mural. (A, LW) (Coop)
4. In a small group, 2-3 children will build a maze for a pet the Block Area. Using stuffed animals or themselves acting as a pet, as one child starts at the beginning of the maze, the other children must give directions to help him/her through the maze and out the other end. (G, P) (Coop)
5. In the Art Center, children will cut out large fishbowl shapes from white paper. With crayons the children will draw the water, sea grass, pebbles or sandy bottom of their pretend aquarium. Using sponges, children will cut a simple goldfish shape stamp on "fish" in bright orange and yellow paint on to your fishbowl. (A) (LCtr)
6. The teacher will read Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni (and/or Fish Out of Water by P.D. Eastman). Next, as a whole group, the children will set up a fish aquarium in the classroom. After adding fish to the aquarium, the children will spend time watching the fish swim, eat, and breathe. In a journal, children will record (or dictate) observations and keep a feeding schedule of who will feed the fish, how much food the fish eats and how often. (Q, AM, H, S, LW)
7. In the Art Center, children will make a Take-Home Aquarium for non-living fish using paper plates and plastic wrap. After cutting out fish patterns, children will add the "fish" to their take-home aquarium.(A) (LCtr)
8. The teacher will read The Best Vet in the World by Charnan Simon. The class will engage in a discussion about what they know about veterinarians. In cooperative groups, the children will prepare questions for a veterinarian's visit. What would they like to learn or know more about? The children will write or dictate their names and questions on chart paper leaving a space beneath for the veterinarian's response.
(LR, LW) (Coop)
9. Using photographs from the veterinarian's visit (previous activity) and photographs of pediatricians, cooperative groups will discuss the similarities and differences between veterinarians and their own doctors. The teacher will place hula hoops on the floor to create (and explain) a Venn diagram. Children will place the photographs in the correct area of the hula hoop (Venn diagram). (Q) (Coop)
10. In cooperative groups, the children will write (or dictate) and draw about the veterinarian's visit. Using photographs from the visit, the question-and-answer chart, and children's drawings and writing, the children will create a display about the visit and send it to the veterinarian along with a thank you note from the children.
(A, LW, LR) (Coop)
11. The children will create a veterinarian's office in the Dramatic Play Area. The children will bring in stuffed animals from home, decorate cardboard boxes for cages, and create signs. Additional props from other themes, from home, or donated from the veterinarian's office will also be used, such as: pretend telephone, writing pads, pretend medical instruments, boxes, and blankets, etc. Children will take turns in the role of pets, veterinarian, office staff, pet owners, etc. (P, LW, LR) (LCtr)
12. In cooperative groups, children will create a Pet Care Book on how to care for pets using information they learned from the veterinarian's visit. Children can get additional information from a local pet store owner or from the humane society. Children will assist each other in organizing and writing or dictating the information for their book. Copies of the children's book will be made to take home, share with other classrooms, and for the classroom library collection. (A, LR, LW) (Coop)
13. The teacher will read Clifford Grows Up by Norman Bridwell. In groups of 2-4 children, children will order pictures of the same animal (for example, a feline) on a time line from youngest/smallest (kitten) to oldest/biggest (cat). (AM, H) (Coop)
14. The teacher will read Piñata by Rebecca Emberley. Next, cooperative groups will create a piñata. Also, the children will collect pet care products and predict how many products it will take to fill the piñata. Children will graph the amount of pet care products that come out of the piñata after each child has a turn striking it. Once the game is over, children will sort the products in the Mathematics Center.
(A, S, Q, AM, MC) (Coop) (LCtr) (See detailed lesson plan on page 9.)
15. The teacher will read Curious George and the Puppies by Margret & H.A. Rey. Prior to taking a field trip to the local Animal Shelter, the children will research the history of the Animal Shelter on the internet with their second grade buddies. Collectively, the children will come up with a list of questions to ask the director of the Animal Shelter. The children will donate the collected pet care products (from previous activity) to the Animal Shelter. (LW, LR, H) (Coop)
16. In the Dramatic Play Area, 2-4 children at a time will attend “Dog Obedience School.” Children will decide the roles they will take on (instructor or dog). The instructor will call out commands (fetch, sit, lie down, roll over, bark, beg, come, etc.) and the dogs (the other children) act out the commands. (P) (LCtr)
17. Children will learn the words and animation (whole body or finger play) to the song Five Little Parakeets (to the tune of Five Little Monkeys). Five children at a time will animate as they sing: Five little parakeets peeking in the door. One bumped his beak and then there were four. Four little parakeets perched in a tree. One lost his balance when he winked at me. Three little parakeets paddling a canoe. One went fishing and then there were two. Two little parakeets ate a sugar bun. One got a tummy ache and then there was one. One little parakeet, crying, boo hoo. I'm all alone. What shall I do? Come here, little parakeet. Until you are older, you can sit upon my shoulder.
(A, P) (Coop)
18. Pairs of children will find "Spot's" bone by following a simple map of the classroom with directions to where Spot's bone is buried. The children will take turns pretending to be Spot and work together to find the buried bone. (G, P)
19. In the Art Center, children will complete the Pets Need Food (see Worksheet #1). The children will color the food and pets pictured and then match the correct food with the pet by cutting and pasting. (A) (LCtr)
20. After a group discussion about seasons, weather, temperature and the effects on pets (in particular, outdoor pets), children will keep a weather observation journal and temperature log book in the Discovery Zone. The children will record (or dictate) weather observations and the outdoor temperature and regularly check a various types of pet water dishes fill with water outside. Children will compare ceramic, hard plastic and metal water bowls. Since pets need fresh cool water every day, children will make decisions about the best type of water dish to provide their pet and at what temperature water in a pet water bowl will freeze or be too hot to drink? The children will also discover and discuss evaporation. (AM, LW, LR, S) (LCtr)
21. Again, after a group discussion about seasons, weather, temperature and the effects on pets (in particular, outdoor pets), children will keep a temperature log book as they observe the temperature inside several plastic boxes left outside during various weather conditions. These boxes will represent cars parked outside with a pet inside the car. One box will be closed tight, one box will have a window partially open, and another box will have the windows completely opened. Children will compare temperatures under various weather conditions. (LR, LW, S) (L Ctr)
22. In the Literacy Center, children will create a class book: "If You Give a Pet Some People Food." First read the "If you give a ..." book series, by Laura Numeroff. Children choose a pet to illustrate on their page, then cut and glue or draw pictures of food. The text will say: "If you give a __ a ___, he'll want ___ to go with it." The blanks will be filled in with the child's words. For example, "If you give a dog a hamburger, he'll want fries to go with it." (A, LR, LW) (LCtr)
23. The teacher will put a favorite snack, cupcake, etc. on a paper plate on the floor. The children will get down on their hands and knees and try to eat without using their hands. The children will then try to drink out of a bowl filled with water without using a straw and their hands. The children will chart results and discuss how it felt to eat and drink like a pet and discuss why people don't eat/drink this way. (AM, S, P)
24. Pet Food Analysis. Teacher will place a small amount of different kinds of pet food (dog, cat, bird, fish, and rabbit food) into separate Ziploc bags and have children examine the bags for exploring and language development. Children will look at and feel each baggie and talk about what kind of pet would eat this food. The children will vote on the identity the animal whose food is in the bag. The teacher will wither write the name of the animal on the bag or place an animal picture (or sticker) on the bag (i.e. picture of dog if there is dog food in the bag). The Ziploc bags will then be placed in the Discovery Zone for further exploring. (Q, LW, S) (LCtr)