Animal Needs

Content Objectives

Children will:

• Learn about the concept of what animals need.
• Access prior knowledge and build background about what familiar animals need.
• Explore and apply the concept by comparing what different animals need.

Language Objectives

Children will:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of needs.
• Orally use words that describe things that animals need.
• Extend oral vocabulary by speaking about how people and other animals need some things that are different and some things that are the same.
• Use key concept words [birds, nests, walks, horses, animal needs].

Other

Explain

• Use the slideshow to review the key concept words.
• Explain that children are going to learn about:
• What things all animals need.
• What homes animals need.
• What exercise animals need.
• What food animals need.

Model

• After the host introduces the slideshow, point to the photo on screen. Ask children: What do you see in this photo? (birds, water, birdbath). Why do the birds need water? (take baths, drink).
• Proceed to the next slide. Ask children: Do you need what the animal in the picture needs? (Yes, we all need a home.)
• Say: We need many of the things that other animals need. We need homes, food, water, and exercise. What things do you need that are different from what other animals need? (school, beds, computers, telephones, roof).

Guided Practice

• Guide children through the next two slides, showing the different animals and what they need. Always have the children give an example of what each animal needs.

Apply

• Have children play the games that follow. Have them discuss with their partner the different topics that appear during the Talk About It feature.
• After the first game, ask children to talk about where other animals live and help the children learn more about the animal homes they are interested in. After the second game, have them discuss why a horse, a bird, and a dog eat different foods and live in different places.

Close

• Ask children: What do you think is the most interesting animal home? Explain.
• Summarize for children that there are things that all animals need like water, food, and shelter. Different animals need different kinds of food and different kinds of places to live. Encourage children to think about how animal homes are the same as and different from our homes.