Sunday, April 28, 2013

Animal Diorama-rama and a FREEBIE!

It's that time of year again!  Open House season is here and we are busily working on projects to share with our parents on our big night.  One of the big projects my students will be working on is their Animal Diorama and Research Report.  This was something I did for the first time last year, and it was a HIT!

I got this idea after my son had to make a diorama for his first grade class last year.  We had so much fun creating his animal diorama as a family project, that I decided it was something I had to do with my class too! I brought the idea up to my second grade team, and they were all very excited about it... so we went for it!  We decided to give the assignment the week before STAR testing.  Since we wouldn't be giving homework during the two weeks of testing, that would give students more time to research, gather materials, and work on their projects. Students had about three weeks to complete their projects.  We decided to have the students bring in their completed dioramas the day before Open House.  We were thrilled with the results!  

Here are a few student samples from last year:

































Along with this diorama project, our students will also be completing an Animal Research Report poster with information and illustrations, as well as a writing assignment and an oral presentation.  Our students will be getting both a Science and Language Arts grade for this project.

I'm offering my Animal Research Report poster as a FREEBIE on TpT!  Here's a sneak peek:

You can grab it here.  Animal Research Report Poster

If you're looking for everything needed to do this Animal Diorama project with your class, take a peek at my Animal Diorama and Research Report Project Pack!  It's got everything you'll need in one convenient spot!  Last year, I struggled to find examples of dioramas online to show my students, so I've included detailed photo samples of my own students' projects, as well as a step-by-step presentation for your students.


Here's a preview of all of the goodies included in this project pack!


In addition to the Animal Research Report Poster and step by step presentation for your students (which can be projected onto your Smartboard or other type of computer projector), I've also included a student-friendly rubric with grading expectations for all aspects of this project, as well as a grading rubric for teachers to use when giving final grades for this project, student instruction sheet, writing template for research report, and a presentation outline to help guide students on what to focus on for their oral presentation.  It's everything I struggled to put together last year for this project in one convenient place! 

14 comments:

  1. Hi Samantha!
    I just got your comment on my blog! I want to email you the scientist for a day unit but not sure about your email address. I am so glad you left me a comment! I am your newest follower and absolutely love the animal report. Thanks for sharing that with your blogger friends! I am now your newest follower! Don't forget to send m your email address!

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    1. Hi Amy! Oops - can't believe I forgot that one. Just went back and left it in another comment! Thanks so much!

      :) Samantha

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  2. Love the diorama idea, I'm packing that away for next year. I'm your newest follower!

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    1. Thanks so much! I'm loving all these great ideas I'm seeing on everyone's blogs! So many creative teachers out there!

      :) Samantha

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  3. Hi Samantha! I am your newest follower, I found your blog through the Teaching Special Thinkers giveaway! I love your animal research pack. I teach third grade and we always used to do the dioramas for animal habitats. The past two years my big project has been soda bottle biography models instead. Your post made me miss the dioramas, but I love my famous people soda bottles too! :o) Great blog!

    Tara
    TeachingwithTWitte

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    1. Thanks so much for your comment! I will have to check out your soda bottle model! Sounds really cool! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  4. Hi Samantha - I found your blog on the TPT thread. Such great ideas! I love the animal diorama idea. My second graders have done animal research posters for the last couple of years. I have wanted to change things up and I think this will be the perfect idea! I'm your newest follower. ~ Lisa

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    1. Thanks so much, Lisa! I hope you grabbed the Animal Research Report Poster freebie! My students are working on their projects at home, but I can't wait to see what they bring in! They are so excited about their animals!

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  5. I am so happy I found your blog through the Teaching Special Thinker giveaway we both joined! I get so excited when I find other California bloggers, especially ones in second grade. Your blog is adorable. Thanks for the wonderful freebie. I am happy to be your newest follower.
    -Jaime
    Bright Concepts 4 Teachers

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    1. Thanks so much! I hope you can use the freebie in your own class! My students are loving it!

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  6. Hey!! I found you throught the tpt forum and I am soooo glad! Your blog has so many great ideas-my head is spinning (in a good way)! We just finished animal groups and began non-fiction. I am going to use your animal research sheet!
    Thanks for sharing your freebies! I am your newest follower!

    Thanks,
    Melissa
    http://grellamonsterrs.blogspot.com/

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    1. Haha! I'm happy I could make your head spin! LOL! I hope your kiddos will have fun learning about their animals while filling out their research report page! My students are having a blast with this project. Thanks so much for stopping by! :)

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    2. Thanks for sharing. A great project!

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  7. Thank you for sharing this awesome project idea!

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