Thanks so much for everyone's help. Bats are a big thing at the elementary
level during October. I received enough different types of ideas to help
create several collaborative units. Thanks again!!
There's a really neat and informative online story: Echo the Bat
http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/intro/story.html or simply type Echo the Bat
into Google.
I don't remember the details, but I believe a Worksheet or Mailbox magazine
had simple at research a few years back. I did something like that where we
made a bat book out of onstruction paper and had them find 3 facts. Each
fact was written on a separate sheet of aper inside the bat books. We may
have used enchanted learning. I will look at school and if I can find more,
I will forward.
A first grade teacher I worked with initiated a unit on bats by giving them
a page divided into sections with several words (accompanied by
illustrations to help non-readers -- variations on smily faces) asking them
to select the word that matched how they felt when they heard the word bat.
Choices included: harmful, interesting, disgusting, curious, dirty, and
helpful. They tallied their reactions. The teacher and I shared resources
related to bats with the students -- non-fiction books, web sites, etc. and
discussed what they learned. They took a second tally reflecting their new
knowledge. Next they went to the other first grade and two second grade
classes and took a tally of
their reactions. When asked how we could make sense of all the data they
suggested making graphs. We used Graph Club in the computer lab to generate
their graphs. The conclusion they drew from analyzing the graphs (of their
initial tally, their follow-up tally, and the tallies from the first and
second grade classes with out benefit of interacting
with the resources) was that one's background knowledge influences one's
opinions. The graphs from the other classes tallies and their initial tally
were consistent while their second tally graph was significantly different
(major increase in helpful, interesting and
curious responses and fewer harmful, disgusting and dirty). We did it in
connection with Halloween.
The last Library Sparks had a library lesson on owls, bats, and spiders. It
was for 2nd grade but could probably be adapted to 1st grade. You can go on
their website and print off shape books for the students to make.
**The issue is Vol. 4 No. 2, pg 24…The article is by Debra LaPlante
Try Bat Conservation International's (BCI) website. They have great
resources. www.batcon.org I believe is the URL otherwise just search on a
search engine and you'll get them. I love bats! Have a great time with
this unit - the kids should love it. Cindi Ortiz, Librarian, Hackensack
High School, Hackensack, NJ
I use bats to intro fiction and nonfiction. I read them "Hattie the
backstage Bat" by Don Freeman and Bat Loves the Night by Davies. You could
certainly find several easy readers about bats including: Bats (a smart
start reader- scholastic) by Celia Bland, A new true book: Bats by Susan
Heinrichs Gray, Zipping Zapping, Zooming Bats by Ann Earle (a stage 2
reader) or Bats by Kathryn Lundberg (Bat MAgic for Kids)
With a little research and the website readwritethink.org you can have the
kids type in a few interesting facts that they have learned to make a single
sheet book that is on the website.
Gail Gibbons has a nice book on bats for non-fiction. You could share that
reading and maybe some other easier to read info book on bats and even go
online and get a site to share--then you could list some facts and together
make a short report. They could also use Kidpix or some other software to
illustrate and list a fact about bats--then print and put them together in a
class booklet. Do not let them forget to just list their sources of info.
Bats at this time of year are so---ooo interesting. Plus you could also show
the difference between fiction and NF.
There are a magic school bus book, 'Going Batty" and a Bat Magic for
Kids:Bats, by Kathryn T. Lundberg, that could be read to the kids; they
could then volunteer facts they had learned, which could be bulleted on a
hanging paper for them to use for whatever product you chose.
Geneva Johnson, NBCT 2004
Library Media Specialist
Ator Heights Elementary
Owasso Public Schools
johnsong@owasso.k12.ok.us
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