Independency in the African Savana

 1st graders in our small group have been learning about animals and interdependence in the African savanna.

 First, we started with a fiction story called “Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain”. It's a story about… Well, if you really want to know what it's about, take a look at a student's work below. After listening and discussing the story, students retold it by drawing and writing. Students understand the importance of rain (water)  for the survival of plants and animals.

Next, we read a non fiction book called “The African Savanna”. Students learned about plants and animals in the savanna and how they rely on one another for their existence, They learned new animal  names (ie., impalas, baboons). They are creating their own picture dictionaries where they define and illustrate key vocabulary words throughout the unit.

We're wrapping up the unit learning about the food chain in the savanna. Students are learning that some animals are herbivores and some are carnivores.