One of my favorite nonfiction authors is Steve Jenkins. Students love reading his books and learning about all the different animal facts. The two I love best are Actual Size and What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? I have done several different activities after reading these books to my students including matching the animal to the part mentioned in the book to writing and art activities. Since I bought a set of Chromebooks a few years ago (thank you book fair profit), I have been doing an animal research project with my second and third graders. Students will select one of ten animals and use QR codes that I created to look up facts about the animal. They record their notes and create a simple research report. I chose ten different animals from the book What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? Since I

Finding reliable and student-friendly resources can sometimes feel like a daunting task. To make it easier, I’ve compiled a list of 5 trusted websites that are perfect for young learners. These platforms not only provide accurate and engaging information but also include videos, games, and other interactive activities to enhance the learning experience. Let’s dive in! Kiddle National Geographic for Kids San Diego Zoo Kids These websites below do have some advertisements on them. Ducksters Animal Fact Guide Ready to do an animal research activity with your student? Try one of these engaging research activities.

We all know just how important it is to teach our students research skills. These include how to find information from print and digital sources, how to evaluate that information and how to use that information correctly. Over the next few weeks, I am going to write a series of blog posts providing ideas, advice, and resources that you can use to get your students ready to research, including your youngest. With kindergarten and first graders, I like to use the term research-readiness. I want to teach my students skills they will need that will help them to prepare to become researchers. This includes learning about the difference between fiction and nonfiction, understanding that nonfiction text teaches us information, understanding that text features help us to find information quickly, and how to begin to search for information on their own. These are things that can be taught throughout the