­
  • Home
  • Books
    • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
    • Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea
    • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
    • Planet Ocean
    • Eavesdropping on Elephants
    • Neema’s Reason To Smile
    • Zoo Scientists to the Rescue
    • Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    • Ebola: Fears and Facts
    • Jingle the Brass
    • Nugget on the Flight Deck
    • Surviving Animal Attacks
    • Elite Operations series
    • Energy Lab series
    • QuickReads Fluency Library
    • Books for English language-learners
    • Writers write all kinds of things
  • Author Visit Programs
    • FAQs
    • Calendar
  • Blog
  • Educator Resources
    • STEM + Literacy Activities
    • Teacher Guides
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    • LitLinks
    • KidLit creators who make kids want to read
  • Writer Resources
    • Writing Classes
    • Manuscript or Proposal Critiques
    • How I got my start
  • Who is Patricia Newman?
  • Contact
    • Stay In Touch
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
Patricia NewmanPatricia Newman
Sibert Honor Children's Book Author & Environmentalist
  • Home
  • Books
    • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
    • Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea
    • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
    • Planet Ocean
    • Eavesdropping on Elephants
    • Neema’s Reason To Smile
    • Zoo Scientists to the Rescue
    • Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    • Ebola: Fears and Facts
    • Jingle the Brass
    • Nugget on the Flight Deck
    • Surviving Animal Attacks
    • Elite Operations series
    • Energy Lab series
    • QuickReads Fluency Library
    • Books for English language-learners
    • Writers write all kinds of things
  • Author Visit Programs
    • FAQs
    • Calendar
  • Blog
  • Educator Resources
    • STEM + Literacy Activities
    • Teacher Guides
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    • LitLinks
    • KidLit creators who make kids want to read
  • Writer Resources
    • Writing Classes
    • Manuscript or Proposal Critiques
    • How I got my start
  • Who is Patricia Newman?
  • Contact
    • Stay In Touch
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    koala-wildlife

    LitLinks: Engage kids by tapping into their love of wildlife

    July 24, 2024 LitLinks, LitLinks-Grade 3-5, LitLinks-Grade 6-8, LitLinks-Grade K-2 No Comments
    LitLinks Logo-2022

    BY PATRICIA NEWMAN


    Kids and wildlife go together like milk and cookies. Whether the animals are cute and fuzzy, slippery and scaly, or weird and mysterious, kids are drawn to the enormous diversity of wild creatures on our planet. Children care about wildlife, not because of what they can do for us, but for their intrinsic value. As educators, we can use that passion to engage the kids in our lives and help them make connections to the wider world.

    The first animals

    Begin with the first animals in Elizabeth’s Shreeve’s post below. Her activities help young readers imagine how ocean creatures adapted to life on land. The lesson culminates in students making their own mini-book.

    Wildlife communication

    Animals have very specific ways of communicating that differ between species. But did you know animals can also help children become better communicators? Laurel Neme’s post asks students to observe the verbal and non-verbal communication cues used by elephants and how they differ from human communication.

    Animals across the curriculum

    I’ve written books about sea otters, rhinos, black-footed ferrets, orangutans, elephants, and giant manta rays. I’m always amazed what they teach us about their native habitats and how we can be better stewards of our planet. The three lessons in this section address poetry, science, speaking, listening, observation, and social studies. Give them a try!

    The first animals

    LitLinks: Ocean secrets revealed — where did the first animals come from?

    Wildlife communication

    LitLinks: How animal communication can help kids communicate better

    Animals across the curriculum

    LitLinks: 3 easy animal lessons to excite kids about nature

    Animals as engagers

    Let me know if you try any of these lessons and what kind of adjustments you made for the specific needs of your children/students. Studying wildlife is a terrific way to connect kids to the wider world and help them realize their role in nature.

    Featured image: “Koala” by mdalmuld is licensed under CC BY 2.0.


    Click for more LITLINKS STEM + Literacy activities

    Tags: STEM+LiteracySTEM+Literacy Natural Science
    No Comments
    Share
    2

    You also might be interested in

    Mystic_Ice_Cream_flavor_selection_sign

    LitLinks: Time is Money: Understanding Opportunity Cost for Kids

    Dec 11, 2024

    GUEST BLOGGER BITSY KEMPER Imagine you have a piggy bank[...]

    rain-gauge-2

    LitLinks: Why does it rain? 5 ways to explore rain

    Mar 10, 2021

    GUEST BLOGGER ROSIE POVA What makes rain? Talk to students[...]

    tar-nosed-mole-5153365977_b8e8b14a5c

    LitLinks: Give students an up-close look at astonishing animal adaptations

    Sep 15, 2021

    GUEST BLOGGER LAURA PERDEW Animals have all sorts of amazing[...]

    Leave a Reply

    Your email is safe with me.
    Cancel Reply

    Click the logo to have LitLinks delivered to your inbox

    LitLinks Logo-2022

    Author Visits

    Video Player
    https://youtu.be/zj6n-RFOcPA?si=8WCTnyXbTiwYumYo
    00:00
    00:00
    00:47
    Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.
    Video Player
    https://youtu.be/ziN0UrqaDYI
    00:00
    00:00
    01:39
    Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.

    Earth Day Every Day Newsletter Archive

    Earth-Day-Every-Day-newsletter-banner

    Post Categories:

    Blog Archive

    Top Posts

    LitLinks: How to share our ocean connections with kids and teens

    LitLinks: Let’s learn to decode photos in STEM nonfiction

    LitLinks: How Elephants Can Make Your Sound Unit ROAR!

    LitLinks: Easy ways to build students’ science communication skills

    Proof that science connects kids to the larger world

    Recent Comments

    • Lisa L. Owens on LitLinks: 4 ways Pluto can supercharge imagination Thanks for hosting me, Patricia!
    • Danna Smith on LitLinks: Did you know goats can teach children about homonyms? I love this series of books!
    • Raven Howell on LitLinks: Did you know goats can teach children about homonyms? Absolutely love this piece you wrote! Thanks for sharing your…
    Empowering young readers to act

    Latest Blog Posts

    • LitLinks: 4 ways Pluto can supercharge imagination
      LitLinks: 4 ways Pluto can supercharge imagination
    • LitLinks: How to use fireflies to help teach persuasive writing
      LitLinks: How to use fireflies to help teach persuasive writing
    • LitLinks: How to use picture book biography as a bridge to historical and scientific events
      LitLinks: How to use picture book biography as a bridge to historical and scientific events

    Connect with me on social media

    Action Shots

    Check out the STEM Tuesday Blog

    © 2025 — Patricia Newman

    • Home
    • Books
      • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
      • Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea
      • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
      • Planet Ocean
      • Eavesdropping on Elephants
      • Neema’s Reason To Smile
      • Zoo Scientists to the Rescue
      • Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
      • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
      • Ebola: Fears and Facts
      • Jingle the Brass
      • Nugget on the Flight Deck
      • Surviving Animal Attacks
      • Elite Operations series
      • Energy Lab series
      • QuickReads Fluency Library
      • Books for English language-learners
      • Writers write all kinds of things
    • Author Visit Programs
      • FAQs
      • Calendar
    • Blog
    • Educator Resources
      • STEM + Literacy Activities
      • Teacher Guides
      • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
      • LitLinks
      • KidLit creators who make kids want to read
    • Writer Resources
      • Writing Classes
      • Manuscript or Proposal Critiques
      • How I got my start
    • Who is Patricia Newman?
    • Contact
      • Stay In Touch
      • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    Prev Next

    Notifications