Second graders become herpetologists as they discover the truth about snakes by practicing diverse scientific methods and skills, including observing, questioning, conducting and analyzing surveys, researching, inferring, taking notes, and drawing scientific sketches. Hands-on fieldwork makes learning come alive as students care for a live corn snake in the classroom, observe snake habitats at a local wildlife sanctuary, and work alongside expert herpetologists at Harvard University’s renowned Museum of Comparative Zoology. After studying the corn snake as a class, students immerse themselves in researching a snake species and learning how to create a bibliography and to cite sources. Each student creates an intricately detailed and scientifically accurate drawing of his or her snake. Students’ writings, drawings, and recordings are featured in final products that range from an interactive snake clue book, to a music video with a conservationist message about snakes, to an audio e-book of nonfiction narratives about snakes and their habitats.
Grade Level: 2
Subjects: Life Science, ELA, Visual Art, Music
How can I discover the truth about snakes?
What makes a snake a snake?
How can snakes live all over the world?
Students feed a snake
At the Broadmoor Wildlife Center
At the Harvard Museum of Natural History
Slithering Snake Stories: An Audio E-book
Video: Snakes Are Born This Way
Slither into Your Heart: A Question and Answer Pamphlet About Pet Corn Snakes
What Snake am I? A Clue Book About Snakes From Around the World
Poster: Snakes Are Born This Way
Building Background Knowledge Note-catchers
Expedition Bibliography
Don’t Be S-s- cared: The Truth About Snakes: Expeditionary Learning: Learning Expedition Documentation Project