Arts infusion projectEnglish Language Arts

Professor Dianna Maclean Jennie d’Entremont

The Magic School Bus hops Home: A Book About Animal Habitats

Theme: Where are you From? Animal and Human Habitats

Grade: 4

Timeline: 4-6 weeks

Materials:

- Magic School bus book: “The Magic School Bus Hops Home” by Joanna Cole- Other Magic School Bus books from the collection that relate to the environment- Books: “A child’s Introduction to the Environment” by Michael Driscoll, “The Magic School Bus

and the Climate Challenge” by Joanna Cole and “This is my Planet: Kids Guide to Global Warming” by Jan Thornhill

- Different colors of cardstock- Pastel colors- Approximately 10 thin 1foot by 1 foot pieces of wood - Outdoor materials (to be collected by students) including: moss, bark, rocks (etc.)- Glue gun- Stapler- 3 fairly large fish aquariums- School art materials such as glue, construction paper, tissue paper, glitter, tape, string, felt foam

paper, white paper etc.- Washable paints - Paint brushes- Paper towel- Notebooks- Pencils- Magazines

- Newspapers- Play doh- Modeling clay- Overhead projector

Short write up/explanation

For my arts infusion project I have decided to focus on habitats. I love the “Magic School Bus”

books and was inspired to use one or more of their books. I came across the book “The Magic School Bus

Hops Home: A Book About Animal Habitats” by Joanna Cole and decided right away I wanted to use this

book as the basis of my arts infusion unit. Not only is this book very educational, the entire Magic School

Bus collection is extremely educational and I think it is an excellent and entertaining read for elementary

school students and teachers.

I chose to expand the unit on habitats to include both human and animal habitats and the theme is

“Where do you live?”. This unit will be specifically for a grade four classroom because it covers many

outcomes throughout the grade four curriculum. It is hard to say how long the unit would take but I will

put a timeline of 4-6 weeks because it includes many considerable projects and activities that could take

some time. A large chunk of a term should be put aside for this unit because I believe it is important to

have this unit all together opposed to dispersing it over the year. Taking a ½ hour to an hour each day to

concentrate on this unit for a month to month and a half will keep the students engaged and excited to

continue their habitat work.

There are others books I came across that can be used as supplementary material in this unit to expand

the students’ knowledge. Those include “A child’s Introduction to the Environment” by Michael Driscoll,

“The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge” by Joanna Cole and “This is my Planet: Kids Guide to

Global Warming” by Jan Thornhill and many more I am sure. The book I am choosing to base my unit

introduces animal habitats and talks about an adventurous visit the Magic School Bus class takes to an

outdoor habitat in their bus which changes to the form of a frog! The students in the book learn about

frogs, birds, insects, animals, mammals and more through shrinking and visiting their actual habitats. The

students and Ms. Frizzle discover land and water habitats and what they are comprised of and learn a

little about their own habitats as well.

Before diving into this unit, it is expected that students have somewhat of an idea what a

habitat/home is and is aware that there are many different animals and humans that live in a variety of

habitats all over the world. To introduce this unit, the book “The Magic School Bus Hops Home” is to be

read to the class to capture their attention and engage them in what we will be learning. Following this,

question and answer periods should be done to assess their background knowledge on the topic so as a

class you are able to work from where they are.

Before going into the larger art infused activities, have a whole class discussion habitat differences

throughout the world. Expose them to video clips or pictures of a variety of; rivers, lakes, oceans,

mountains, deserts, islands, flat plains, forests etc. Take the next two periods to focus on hands on work

by taking the students on a field trip to an outdoor area to focus on actual habitats. The intention of this

activity is to expose the students to an outdoor/ somewhat or fully wooded area (even better would be

having it close to a water source) so the students can share their observations, collect information and

have the teacher jot down their observations.

Another activity would be to also focus on human habitats. What better way than showcasing

your own human habitat? Using cardstock, have each individual student use pastels to draw their

home/habitat and to then share it to the class explaining what compromises their habitat. This activity

can take up a period or two and can be revisited later on in the unit by hanging their art for all to see in

the classroom to see how human habitats differ as well.

Habitats that cannot be ignored are the ones that include water. It is important to introduce

water habitats because they are not as easy to see clearly and observe as something you would find on

land. Dividing the class into three groups for this project would be a great idea because each group can

focus on different water habitats such as the major ones (oceans, rivers and lakes). The class will be in

three large groups because this activity will incorporate a lot of materials to be used. The main piece of

material to be used is an aquarium, an aquarium that one can have in their house for a couple small fish.

Each group is to construct an underwater habitat for an animal (s) who live (s) under water. Materials will

be comprised of materials found around the school such as tissue, construction paper, glitter, string,

tinfoil, glue, scissors, felt etc. so the students can experience the way different materials act when making

an art piece. When the habitat is constructed, the animal (s) living I this habitat will be constructed out of

clay/ play doh by the students to place in their 3D model. This gives them a chance to show and describe

the different characteristics of animals such as their fins, their legs etc. This activity can be worked on

throughout a week or two and will be presented by each group to the classroom.

Focusing on land animals and their habitats is the next section to be focused on. To get to know

the students’ likes/ knowledge when it comes to land animals, have the students each chose their favorite

animal to paint. One or two classes can be spent having the students pain with washable paints their

favorite animal. Once completed and dried, take another couple classes to have the students put some

points on their page about their characteristics and where they live. Once this is completed, have each

student present their work to the class so that all of the information can be shared and knowledge can be

gained. Once this part of the activity has been completed, the teacher will gather the artwork and have it

put together as an animal habitat book with the student’s help so they can have it as a reference/ reading

piece to keep in their classroom.

Another major artwork project to do in the classroom does include making another 3D model.

This time, the students will in groups of three. Using a thin 1foot by 1foot piece of wood, create a 3D

model of an outdoor landscape while including as many animal habitats that you can such as habitats for

birds, squirrels, deer just to give an example. The materials to be used for this project will be found

outdoors. On an outdoor excursion, moss, bark, rocks etc. will be gathered to construct their art piece.

Using actual material from actual animal habitats will allow the students to get a real grasp on where and

how animals live. I believe that it is also very fun and important to learn about animal characteristics while

going through this unit. One characteristic that can be tied into music is learning about the different

sounds that animals make and why. Students will learn this through direct and indirect observation and

will be able to play around with the new sounds while learning.

A major possibility of this unit is a field trip. Museums are a great way to get students engaged in

what they are learning. By visiting a museum or something of the sort where there is a focus on nature

and habitats is very important because it is a hands-on way of taking in information. There are often

museums in one’s community that displays human/ animal habitats and how they differ from each other

and cross culturally as even throughout our own country as well. If this isn’t an option, it is possible to

have a speaker come in to give a presentation on this as well although, it is less hands on.

Throughout this unit, a good idea to keep the student’s learning continuous would be to construct

a habitat wall. This wall can include new words, samples of new materials, colors and pictures of animals

as well which can all be obtained from magazine cut outs to samples taken from just outside. By the time

the end of this unit comes along, I believe it would be a good idea to hold a show and tell to the student’s

parents. Have a night where parents can come in and observe all of their children’s’ work throughout the

unit that is displayed throughout the classroom. This will give the students a chance to express what they

have learned through words and art. By concluding a unit like this it confirms what the students have

learned by taking about it and presenting it out loud to people they care about. A sense of pride and

accomplishment can come from this and having the students active and engaged throughout an art

infused unit, it can be something that they can remember for the rest of their lives. Some of these

activities I pulled from my own experience in grade four which shows that it is something I truly cherish

and have remembered throughout many, many years.

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

Language Arts Math / Science Social StudiesHealth & Careers / Physical

Education

Fine arts (visual art, music, dance,

drama)

-Explore and discuss their thoughts, ideas and experiences and consider those of their peers.- Explain personal opinions and respond to the questions and opinions of others- Listen critically to others’ ideas or opinions- Contribute to conversations, small-group and whole-group discussion- Give and follow instructions and respond to questions and directions.- Engage in and respond to oral presentations- Use pictures and illustrations, word structures and text features to locate topics and obtain or verify understandings of information- Answer, with assistance, their own and others’ questions by seeking information from a variety of texts- Use a range of reference texts and a database or an electronic search to facilitate the selection process- Reflect on the process of generating and responding to their own and others’ questions- Describe, share and discuss their personal reactions to texts- Give reasons for their opinions about texts and type of texts and the work of authors and illustrators

Math-Recognize and demonstrate that objects and various shapes can have the same area- Recognize and demonstrate that objects of the same area can have different perimeters- Construct models for various cylinders, cones, prisms and pyramids- Explore relationships among 3-D shapes

Science-Identify questions to investigate the types of plants and/or animals at a local habitat using the terms; habitat, population and community- Examine and investigate, using various methods and questions, local habitats and their associated populations of plants and animals- Identify their own and their families’ impact on habitats and describe how personal actions help conserve habitats- Collect scientific information using models of natural habitats- Construct and/or maintain a model of a natural habitat and, through observations, suggest improvements to make it more habitable for organisms- Compare the external features, behavioral

-Examine major physical features of the world-Describe the main attributes of rivers, islands, mountains and oceans-Examine the relationship between humans (and animals) in the physical environment

Physical Education

-Experience using a community resource to participate in physical activity- Experience an outdoor activity and examine the characteristics of the season- Select appropriate clothing for different types of weather- Explain the importance of exercise and health

Health-Demonstrate an awareness that values are an integral part in making healthy decisions and fostering healthy behavior

Visual art

-Acknowledge and express through art making their personal relationship to the world- Experiment with a range of materials and processes- Work individually and with others to solve problems and express ideas- Recognize and describe a variety of art forms- Recognize that people use a variety of approaches when making art- Show respect for and value their own work and that of others- Share thoughts and ideas about artworks- Demonstrate a sensitivity towards the natural and built environment through their artwork- Express ideas and points of view through their art

Music

-Describe their music-making experiences in their community-Explore the role music plays in the indigenous cultures of Canada-Explore the melodic sounds that animals make

Drama/Dance

-Demonstrate respect for the contributions of others-Tell stories that have a beginning middle and end-Express ideas and emotions using verbal and nonverbal

- Use their background knowledge to question information presented in print and visual texts- Use strategies in writing and other ways of representing to: formulate questions and organize ideas, generate topics of personal interest and importance, discover and express personal attitudes, feelings and opinions, compare their own thoughts and beliefs to those of others and describe feelings, reactions, values and attitudes- Correctly spell many familiar and commonly used words, demonstrate an increasing understanding of punctuation, capitalization and paragraphing, demonstrate a growing awareness of appropriate syntax- Use technology with increasing proficiency in writing and other forms of representing

patterns, structural and/or behavioral adaptations for an animal to survive\Predict how the removal of a plant or animal population affects the rest of the community and relate habitat loss to the endangerment or extinction of plants and animals

communication to the class-Able to present their ideas in front of the teacher/class

Hypothetical timeline and links to curriculum

Week 1(5 ½ hour to hour sessions

daily)

Week 2(5 ½ hour to hour sessions

daily)

Week 3(5 ½ hour to hour sessions

daily)

Week 4(5 ½ hour to hour sessions

daily)

Week 5(5 ½ hour to hour sessions

daily)

Week 6(5 ½ hour to hour sessions

daily)-Discussion on habitats for humans/animals and reading the intro book. Talk about world differences of habitats such as rivers, lakes, oceans, mountains, deserts, caves, islands etc.- One- two classes spent outside (trying for a wooded area) observing and collecting data

-Creating pastel artwork of their own home/ habitat- Creating 3D aquarium projects of underwater habitats

-Creating 3D animal, insect, reptile etc. sculptures out of modeling clay-Have each student take that animal they sculpted and practice their painting skills by painting a picture on cardboard

-Take all animal paintings and put together an animal habitat resource book for the class- Using a piece of wood for the base, create a large outdoor habitat out of outdoor materials-Throughout this unit, students will also learn animal sounds-Throughout, students will also get the chance to practice their oral/drama skills by presenting a lot of their work

-Museum visit if possible to look at representations of human/animal habitats and how they have differed through time-If there is time, have a show and tell to parents on what has been done throughout the unit

(SS!!!!!)

-Throughout the unit or at the end of the unit, create a word and picture wall of what has been learned

Science, health, ELA and Physical Education

Visual art, ELA, math

Math, ELA, Visual Art and Science

ELA, Science, Music, Visual Art

Social Studies, Physical Education, ELA, Drama,

ELA, Visual Art,