ELA / 1st Grade / Unit 2: Amazing Animals
In this unit, students begin their exploration of animals and animal adaptations by reading a collection of nonfiction texts.
ELA
Unit 2
1st Grade
Jump To
In this science-based unit, students begin their exploration of animals and animal adaptations. Over the course of the unit, students explore three main topics: how different animals use their body parts and senses in different ways to survive, the ways how the behavior of different animal parents and offspring help the offspring survive, and the similarities and differences among individual animals of the same kind. This unit is part of a larger progression in understanding animals and the animal kingdom. In kindergarten, students learn about how animals meet their basic survival needs and how that varies depending on the season. In 2nd grade, students learn about different habitats and how animals in the habitat rely on the environment for survival. Then in 3rd grade, students study animal adaptations and the different ways animals adapt in order to survive, especially when threatened by environmental changes. It is our hope that this unit, in combination with others in the sequence, will help students develop a deeper understanding of the animal kingdom and life science.
As readers, In this unit students begin to think about how details in an informational text are connected. While the standard does not explicitly name cause and effect, students are noticing how one event makes something else happen. Additionally, in this unit students build a deeper understanding of the connection between the illustrations and the text, and how illustrations help the reader learn more about a particular idea or topic. When discussing the text, students build on the work they did in Unit 1 and continue to focus on the structures needed for successful academic discourse. Students continue to follow agreed-upon rules for discussions, using specific vocabulary, asking and answering questions, and producing complete sentences. The work in this unit sets students up for success with discourse in later units when students begin engaging with the thinking of others.
As writers, students continue to work on building their writing fluency by writing daily in response to the Target Task question. Throughout the unit, students learn a variety of strategies for writing complete sentences and varying the types of sentences they are writing depending on the type of information they are sharing. Students also have opportunities to work on both their narrative and informational writing over the course of the unit. Students use their content knowledge about how animals use their color to survive to write a narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Students also engage in two different research reports, learning how to research and share important facts about their chosen topics.
Fishtank Plus for ELA
Unlock features to optimize your prep time, plan engaging lessons, and monitor student progress.
Some of the links below are Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click and make a purchase, we receive a small portion of the proceeds, which supports our non-profit mission.
Book: What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition, 2008) — 510L
Book: Living Color by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2012) — NC950L
Book: What Color Is Camouflage? by Carolyn B. Otto (HarperCollins, 1996) — 610L
Book: What Do You Do When Something Wants to Eat You? by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition, 2001) — AD760L
Book: Who Eats What?: Food Chains and Food Webs by Patricia Lauber (HarperCollins; Revised edition, 2016) — 620L
Book: Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley (Scholastic Paperbacks; 1 edition, 2006) — AD490L
Book: Sisters and Brothers: Sibling Relationships in the Animal World by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page (HMH Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition, 2012) — 980L
Book: Lizards by Laura Marsh (National Geographic Children's Books, 2012) — 460L
Book: Frogs by Elizabeth Carney (National Geographic Children's Books, 2009) — 470L
Assessment Text: “My First Day” by Robin Page; Steve Jenkins and illustrated by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers) — 590LL
K-2 Narrative Brainstorm
Rubric: Grade 1 Writing Rubrics (Narrative, Opinion & Informational)
These assessments accompany this unit and should be given on the suggested assessment day or after completing the unit.
Download Content Assessment
Download Content Assessment Answer Key
Download Cold Read Assessment
Download Cold Read Assessment Answer Key
Suggestions for how to prepare to teach this unit
Unit Launch
Prepare to teach this unit by immersing yourself in the texts, themes, and core standards. Unit Launches include a series of short videos, targeted readings, and opportunities for action planning.
The central thematic questions addressed in the unit or across units
To understand details in an informational text, readers think about how details are connected.
Illustrations help the reader learn more about a particular idea or topic.
Write complete sentences.
Write different types of sentences (statements, questions, exclamations, commands).
Use different question words when writing questions (who, what, where, when, why, and how).
Write a narrative with a beginning, middle and end.
Include details about what happened with each event.
Provide a sense of closure.
Name a topic.
Supply facts about the topic.
Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions.
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Use specific vocabulary. Use vocabulary that is specific to the subject and task to clarify and share their thoughts.
Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.
Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text
cooperate detect disguise excess imitate maneuver poisonous predator prey
To see all the vocabulary for Unit 2, view our 1st Grade Vocabulary Glossary.
In order to ensure that all students are able to access the texts and tasks in this unit, it is incredibly important to intellectually prepare to teach the unit prior to launching the unit. Use the intellectual preparation protocol and the Unit Launch to determine which support students will need. To learn more, visit the Supporting all Students teacher tool.
Fishtank ELA units related to the content in this unit.
Explain how animals use different body parts to survive.
RI.1.3 RI.1.6 RI.1.7 SL.1.1
Writing
Identify and use simple sentences with correct ending punctuation.
L.1.1.j L.1.2.b SL.1.6
Explain what it means to camouflage and give two examples of how animals use camouflage to survive.
L.1.1.j L.1.2.b L.1.4 L.1.6 RI.1.4 RI.1.6 RI.1.7 SL.1.1 SL.1.2
Explain how animals use colors to survive.
L.1.1.j L.1.2.b RI.1.3 RI.1.6 RI.1.7 SL.1.1
Describe how animals use color to survive.
L.1.1.j L.1.2.b RI.1.3 RI.1.6 RI.1.7
L.1.1.j L.1.2.b L.1.4 L.1.6 RI.1.3 RI.1.6 RI.1.7 RI.1.9
Narrative – 3 days
Write a narrative about an animal using its color to camouflage and survive.
L.1.2 SL.1.1 SL.1.2 W.1.3 W.1.5
Write questions using the words who, what, where, when, why, and how.
L.1.1.j L.1.2.b SL.1.1
Write four sentences that describe how a red-eyed tree frog gets its food.
Explain what different animals do if something wants to eat them.
L.1.1.g L.1.1.j RI.1.3 RI.1.6 RI.1.7
Discussion & Writing
Debate if camouflage is the most effective way for animals to protect themselves.
RI.1.3 RI.1.6 RI.1.7 SL.1.1 SL.1.2 SL.1.3 SL.1.5 SL.1.6
Explain how different animals rely on their brothers and sisters for survival.
L.1.1.j RI.1.3 RI.1.6 RI.1.7 SL.1.1
Describe how different brothers and sisters rely on each other for survival.
Describe how different animals rely on their brothers and sisters for survival.
Discuss the behaviors parents, siblings, and babies engage in to help each other survive.
RI.1.3 RI.1.6 RI.1.7 SL.1.1 SL.1.2 SL.1.3 SL.1.4 SL.1.5 SL.1.6
Writing – 4 days
Write an informational report about a specific animal.
L.1.1 L.1.1.f L.1.1.g L.1.1.j L.1.2 L.1.2.b L.1.2.d L.1.2.e W.1.2 W.1.5 W.1.7 W.1.8
Explain how lizards are the same and how they are different.
L.1.4 RI.1.3 RI.1.6 RI.1.7
RI.1.2 RI.1.3 RI.1.6 RI.1.7
Explain how frogs are the same and how they are different.
RI.1.3 RI.1.6 RI.1.7
RI.1.3 RI.1.6 RI.1.7 RI.1.9
Discuss the ways individual animals of the same kind are similar and different.
L.1.1.b L.1.1.j RI.1.3 RI.1.6 RI.1.7 SL.1.1 SL.1.2 SL.1.3 SL.1.4 SL.1.5 SL.1.6
Assessment
Informative Writing – 4 days
Write a research report on an endangered species.
L.1.1 L.1.1.a L.1.1.j L.1.2 L.1.2.d L.1.2.e L.1.6 SL.1.1 SL.1.6 W.1.2 W.1.5 W.1.8
Create a free account to access thousands of lesson plans.
Already have an account? Sign In
The content standards covered in this unit
1-LS1-1 — Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs. Clarification Statement: Examples of human problems that can be solved by mimicking plant or animal solutions could include designing clothing or equipment to protect bicyclists by mimicking turtle shells, acorn shells, and animal scales; stabilizing structures by mimicking animal tails and roots on plants; keeping out intruders by mimicking thorns on branches and animal quills; and, detecting intruders by mimicking eyes and ears.
1-LS1-2 — Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive. Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns of behaviors could include the signals that offspring make (such as crying, cheeping, and other vocalizations) and the responses of the parents (such as feeding, comforting, and protecting the offspring).
L.1.1 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.1.1.a — Print all upper- and lowercase letters.
L.1.1.b — Use common, proper, and possessive nouns.
L.1.1.f — Use frequently occurring adjectives.
L.1.1.g — Use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, so, because).
L.1.1.j — Produce and expand complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences in response to prompts.
L.1.2 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.1.2.b — Use end punctuation for sentences.
L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.1.2.e — Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.
L.1.4 — Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 1 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.
L.1.6 — Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using frequently occurring conjunctions to signal simple relationships (e.g., because).
RI.1.2 — Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
RI.1.3 — Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
RI.1.4 — Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.
RI.1.6 — Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text.
RI.1.7 — Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
RI.1.9 — Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
SL.1.1 — Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups
SL.1.2 — Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
SL.1.3 — Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood.
SL.1.4 — Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.
SL.1.5 — Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
SL.1.6 — Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.
W.1.2 — Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.
W.1.3 — Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.
W.1.5 — With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
W.1.7 — Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of "how-to" books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions).
W.1.8 — With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.K.1.d — Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).
RI.1.1 — Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RI.1.5 — Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.
RI.1.10 — With prompting and support, read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1.
Unit 1
The Seven Continents
Unit 3
Inspiring Artists and Musicians
Join our Summer Institutes in July and August 2023.