Minibeasts

||  || To reinforce our learning the children completed a mimio activity.
 * This unit of work was undertaken with a group of 5 year old children - Week 4 Term 1 2011 to Week 3 Term 2 2011 ||
 * We started by looking at sorting living and non-living things using a T Chart.

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 * The children used KidPix to make a T chart

||  || The children wrote about things that are living and non living.

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 * We watched a powerpoint about minibeasts



||  || We made a define map - drawing images to support our learning. ||
 * We used a mimio activity to sort minibeasts according to their number of legs.

||  || We drew a minibeast on KidPix || them.
 * Using our new found knowledge of minibeasts we wrote about

||  || The children brought in 'snails' to look at a minibeast in depth. || be imported into KidPix for the children to label.
 * Each child took a photo of a snail using the class camera. This photo will

||  || We watched a video of a snail eating a piece of lettuce. We read books on slugs and snails

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 * We observed the snails and drew them.
 * We used a mimio activity to reinforce our knowledge of the parts of a snail.

||  || We made a class Y chart to display our knowledge of snails.

|| tentacles, breathing hole, foot and shell. ||  || We used the snails we sketched to make larger images of snails
 * We drew a snail on KidPix - taking care to ensure the snail had 2 sets of

media type="file" key="snail art.mov" width="270" height="270" align="center" || remember using a oral language activity called 'the web'
 * Prior to writing an information report on snails the children shared all the facts they could

||  || Using the computer programme KidPix the children put labels on the photos they had taken.

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 * The children made 'sock snails' making sure they had 4 tentacles and a foot.

||  || After reading the text The very hungry caterpillar we watched the video of Eric Carle explaining how he created the very hungry caterpillar.

|| ||  || One of the children - Anthony drew some images of the hungry caterpillar at home. ||
 * The children drew the outline of the caterpillar they will collage.
 * Anthony retold the story of the very hungry caterpillar and we made a movie.

media type="file" key="web the hungry caterpillar by anthony.mov" width="236" height="252" align="center" ||  || We watched a video of a caterpillar emerging from its egg shell. ||
 * The children completed a mimio activity to label the parts of the caterpillar.

||  || We learnt about the caterpillar and collated the information using a describe map. Completed with the children by J David (student teacher) ||
 * The children wrote an information report about caterpillars.

||  || The children made caterpillars from old egg cartons.

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 * We watched caterpillars in our classroom

||  || We watched a utube video which showed the life cycle of the monarch butterfly. || ||  || Our Grandparents came to school and together the children made a life cycle mobile. ||
 * A mimio activity was used to reinforce our learning.
 * On Grandparent's day the children showed their grandparents how to use the mimio board.

||  || The children made a series of images on KidPix to create the life cycle of the monarch butterfly.

|| ||  || The child brought in a praying mantis in a plastic container - an opportunity to make an environment fit for a minibeast.
 * We continue to work on our art project based on Eric Carle's caterpillar.

|| ||  || Mrs David (student teacher) made a describe map with the children and from this they wrote a report about a praying mantis. || ||  || A mimio activity was used to label a praying mantis. || about them. We made a T chart on the white board ||  || Mimio activities were used to reinforce their learning
 * We gathered facts about the praying mantis. [|We watched a utube video]
 * We collected insects for the paying mantis to eat and video it as it ate a cricket.
 * We looked at the similarities and differences of moths and butterflies by reading books

|| between a moth and a butterfly.
 * The children used KidPix to show their understanding of the similarities and differences



||  || One of our butterflies emerged from its chrysalis and we set it free. ||