Learning about Arctic Animals
Winter is the perfect time to explore the wonders of the Arctic and its fascinating wildlife with these Arctic animals printables! First graders love diving into the world of the Arctic, and they often have some impressive background knowledge. The harsh environment, along with the creatures that live there, are sure to ignite a sense of curiosity in your students.
Start with Questions
I like to start by engaging students in conversation and questions. What do they already know about the Arctic and the animals that live there? Use a strategy like Think-Pair-Share to get them talking. As they share, listen for places they may have some misunderstandings. That gives you a great opportunity to help them clarify their knowledge and grow as learners.
Next, have them brainstorm some questions they still have about the Arctic. This way, you can tailor your instruction to help them learn new information. Curiosity is key for engagement! If students ask some really challenging questions, have some of your highest learners do some research to help find those tricky answers!
Use Printable Projects to Teach about the Arctic
One of my favorite sayings is, “Busy hands are happy hands.” It’s true! Primary students love projects! This lapbook project is an interactive way to keep your students involved and learning during your Arctic study. It also helps them practice summarizing and notetaking- skills that will definitely come in handy as they get older!
Through this project students will be learning about key facts and Arctic features, how animals survive in the winter, the Arctic in the spring, where the Arctic is located, Arctic animals, and an Arctic food chain.
I love using a variety of sources to teach students. Picture books, district provided curriculum, websites, and videos. This video “A Walk in the Arctic” from Scholastic is a great introduction to your Arctic study. The National Geographic Kids website is a great resource for both you and your students. It is full of wonderful videos and information about Arctic animals!
I love pairing both fiction and nonfiction texts together, The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett and Polar Bears by Laura Marsh are a perfect compliment to these activities!
Arctic Animals Presentation and Printable Book
If you don’t want to have to gather a bunch of resources, I have created a PowerPoint and Google Slides presentation along with an Arctic animals printable student book. The two texts match perfectly.
They are great way to accomplish some of your reading standards while you learn about Arctic animals. They also provide a great opportunity to teach the text features of a table of contents and a glossary.
One of my favorite features is the interactive glossary! You can click the yellow highlighted words and a definition pops open.
Arctic Animals Printables: Directed Drawings
If the lapbook project is too much for your students, directed drawings are a quicker option to include during your Arctic Animals unit! Students love learning how to draw the animals. This set of 10 directed drawings includes space for students to list facts they have learned about the animals. It’s the perfect way to incorporate both art and writing! You can grab a free caribou page in the product preview!
