animal research paper template

How to write an animal report

Your teacher wants a written report on the beluga whale . Not to worry. Use these organizational tools from the Nat Geo Kids Almanac so you can stay afloat while writing a report.

STEPS TO SUCCESS:

Your report will follow the format of a descriptive or expository essay and should consist of a main idea, followed by supporting details and a conclusion. Use this basic structure for each paragraph as well as the whole report, and you’ll be on the right track.

Introduction

State your main idea .

The beluga whale is a common and important species of whale.

Provide supporting points for your main idea.

1. The beluga whale is one of the smallest whale species.

2. It is also known as the “white whale” because of its distinctive coloring.

3. These whales are common in the Arctic Ocean’s coastal waters.

Then expand on those points with further description, explanation, or discussion.

1a. Belugas range in size from 13 to 20 feet (4 to 6.1 m) in length.

2a. Belugas are born gray or brown. They fade to white at around five years old.

3a. Some Arctic belugas migrate south in large herds when sea ice freezes over.

Wrap it up with a summary of your whole paper.

Because of its unique coloring and unusual features, belugas are among the most familiar and easily distinguishable of all the whales.

Key Information

Here are some things you should consider including in your report:

What does your animal look like? To what other species is it related? How does it move? Where does it live? What does it eat? What are its predators? How long does it live? Is it endangered? Why do you find it interesting?

SEPARATE FACT FROM FICTION: Your animal may have been featured in a movie or in myths and legends. Compare and contrast how the animal has been portrayed with how it behaves in reality. For example, penguins can’t dance the way they do in Happy Feet.

PROOFREAD AND REVISE: As with any essay, when you’re finished, check for misspellings, grammatical mistakes, and punctuation errors. It often helps to have someone else proofread your work, too, as he or she may catch things you have missed. Also, look for ways to make your sentences and paragraphs even better. Add more descriptive language, choosing just the right verbs, adverbs, and adjectives to make your writing come alive.

BE CREATIVE: Use visual aids to make your report come to life. Include an animal photo file with interesting images found in magazines or printed from websites. Or draw your own! You can also build a miniature animal habitat diorama. Use creativity to help communicate your passion for the subject.

THE FINAL RESULT: Put it all together in one final, polished draft. Make it neat and clean, and remember to cite your references.

Download the pdf .

More resources

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Check out our FREE  sight word worksheets   – we have over 150 in our database!

Sight Words, Reading, Writing, Spelling & Worksheets

Everything you need to know about sight words. We also provide articles and worksheets for parents and teachers to provide assistance with spelling, writing and reading.

Animal Research Project: Writing an Animal Research Paper

Resources to Research Animals

Use library books, encyclopedias and magazines to research your animal. In addition, there are numerous online resources. Our school provided a list of three online resources (noted by *). Since these resources require a membership, we provided a few more online sites to assist in researching an animal.

Online Resources for Animal Research Paper

Each student selects an animal of her choice and should take good notes when collecting facts and important details about her animal. Good note taking will greatly assist a student when writing his animal research paper. You may want to remind each student to use his own words.

Writing Prompts for Animal Research Paper

After a student selects her animal, she must answer the questions below. It is important to instruct your child or student to take her time and answer each question thoroughly. These answers will be used to create the animal research paper.

After a student completes the above questions, it’s time to begin writing the first draft of the research paper. Take the information obtained above and put it on paper.

Each answer to the questions above should be a paragraph with the exception of the interesting facts question. The two facts should get put into the paragraph that is most applicable, e.g., habitat, physical description or life span.

If you are a teacher, consider visiting our writing rubric page for different templates used to grade writing papers.

Reader Interactions

April 24, 2018 at 5:19 pm

Thanks very much, perfect for 3rd grade!

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Free Printable Animal Report Template for Kids

By: Author Elizabeth Lampman

Posted on January 21, 2022

Writing a report on animals can be fun and educational with this free printable animal report template! Perfect for grade school students!

As a parent, you know how important it is for kids to learn about animals. And one of the best ways to do that is by writing reports about them! But coming up with a report format can be tough, especially if you don’t have much experience with it. That’s why we’ve created this handy free printable animal report template for kids.

This handy animal research template provides kids all the prompts they need to research and write reports on their favourite creatures. With sections for habitat, diet, and more, it’s perfect for any budding zoologist.

Kids learn best when they are engaged and having fun, which is why animal reports can be a great way to teach them about different species. This free printable animal report template makes the process easy and enjoyable for both parents and kids. With plenty of space to record facts about each animal, it’s perfect for elementary-aged students.

With all the sections and prompts kids need, it’ll make creating reports a breeze – and they’ll even be fun to write! So go ahead and download our template today. Your little ones will love getting creative and learning all about their favourite animals in the process!

Plus, it’s a great way to practice writing skills. So download the template today and get started!

★WHAT YOU GET …………………………………………………………. 3 page PDF file including the following:

• Coloured Animal Report
• Black and White Animal Report

★ ★ You can download all 3 pages for FREE at the end of the article. ★ ★

The printable animal research template offers plenty of space for kids to draw the animal of topic as well as their habitat. Kids can record what type of animal they are, what they typically measure, their colour, diet, habitat, and more.

Use the cover page in a binder or paper folder so kids can store all their reports in the form of an animal research journal as they study more and more different animals.

I have included a colour version of the animal report printable, as well as black and white. You can print the cover in grey-scale by choosing that option when you print.

Looking for More Free Educational Printables for Kids?

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Celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. with these free MLK worksheets for kids! Includes word searches, writing prompts, and more.

Download these free printable marshmallow and toothpick 3D shape worksheets as a fun educational activity that teaches kids geometry.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE ANIMAL REPORT TEMPLATE

★HOW TO USE THIS FILE: ………………………………………………………….

• Download the Free Printable Animal Report Templates to your computer to a secure, easily accessible folder.
• Print at home, office (if allowed) or at a professional printing service

★TERMS OF USE: …………………………………………………………. You may use this file for your own PERSONAL USE ONLY. File sharing, distribution, and commercial use of this file or of the printed work from this file are prohibited. You are welcome to print as many copies as you like for yourself. The designs can not be used for any commercial purpose or resold. You may NOT use these files for publishing on any platform under any circumstances.

Elizabeth Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys travelling, developing easy recipes, crafting, taking on diy projects, travelling and saving money!

Friday 5th of April 2024

Thank you for sharing this amazing template!

Monday 29th of August 2022

Thank you for this! I was short on time to make one myself so this certainly came in handy. The colors were also a fun yet simple touch to it. My son even commented that it looked fun for his research!

Writing Unit of Study: Animal Research Project

This free animal research project will provide you with a writing unit of study that will help you build excitement about writing informational text in your classroom.

You can download this free animal research project to help your writers develop their research and writing skills.

This project will be a great fit for your first, second or third grade writing workshop.

This is another free resource for teachers and homeschool families from The Curriculum Corner.

Why should I introduce my students to research through animal study?

Animal research can be a great topic for writing informational text because students tend to be curious about animals.

Nothing seems to spark interest in most kids like learning about animals in our world. Turn their enthusiasm into an engaging animal research writing project.

They can take the time to learn about different habitats and diets.

You can also encourage students to expand their vocabulary by having them create a glossary to accompany their writing.

About this animal research project

Within this post you will find over 30 pages of anchor charts, mini-lesson ideas, writing planners and graphic organizers.

The unit will help guide your students through the complete process. In the end, you will be helping to teach your students how to write their own pieces of informational text.

The intended end product for students is an animal booklet that they can staple together to share with others.

Students who are ready for more advanced work, can create a larger project with less direction.

A description of the mini-lessons

Lesson 1: introduction.

• Begin the unit by having the students brainstorm a list of animals that they might see everyday.
• Then, have them brainstorm a list of animals they see when they visit the zoo or walk in the forest. You can do this on the blank anchor chart provided or on cart paper.
• Another option is to place students in groups. They could work to create a list together.  
• You might assign each group a continent and have them find animals that live there.
• Pull the class together and have each group share what animals they found that live on their continent.

Lesson 2: Noticings

• Next you might want to get your students familiar with common characteristics about informational texts that teach about animals.
• Have them work in pairs or small groups to go through some books and record their “noticings” about the writing.
• Then come together in a community circle to discuss those noticings and create a class anchor chart.

Lesson 3: Opinion vs. Facts

• Before getting truly into this unit, you might need to conduct a lesson on opinions vs. facts.
• After a brief discussion you can use the giraffe paragraph provided in our resources to give your students some practice differentiating between the two. This paragraph contains both opinions and facts.
• With your class read through the paragraph and record facts and opinions on the T-chart.
• Discuss both sides and how they are different from each other.
• A black & white copy of this giraffe paragraph has also been provided.  You can have them work in pairs or groups to distinguish between the facts and opinions.
• If you need more resources for your students surrounding fact & opinion check out our   Fact & Opinion Sort .

Lesson 4: Choosing a Topic for the Animal Research Project

• We want to help students to narrow their topic choices by giving them some guidance.
• Gather students and begin a discussion about choosing an animal research topic.
• For this lesson we have provided two pages where students can individually brainstorm the animals they are interested in.
• You might have students work in groups or independently to make their choice. Conference with students as needed to help.
• Don’t shy away from letting more than one student research about the same animal.  This can be a great way to promote group work. It might also help out with some of your literacy center choices throughout this unit.

Lesson 5: Good Places to Find Information about an Animal

• At this age we want students to begin to understand that all they read online about animals isn’t always true. Sometimes writing might sound true without being filled with facts.
• Show students two possible places to find information online about their animal. One should be a trusted site with reliable and accurate information. Another should be a site that perhaps a child has created.  (There are many that you can find if you search.)
• Pose these questions: Is everything on the internet true? Why?  How can you tell? Why is it important for your research writing to contain accurate information?

Lesson 6: Taking Notes

• Sometimes giving students resources and a blank sheet of notebook paper can be too overwhelming for them. Some students will copy word for word. Others might feel overwhelmed.  We need to guide them to read and pull out facts & relevant information to use later in their writing.
• For this lesson we have provided four templates for note-taking that you might choose to use for your students.
• You might need to provide different organizers to students depending on their needs.
• You will want to model the organizers your students are use. Show them how to take notes as they read.
• After initial teaching, you may find that you need to pull small groups for extra practice. Others might benefit from a conference as you take a look at the notes they are taking.

Lesson 7: Word Choice in Research Writing

• To help students think about making their writing more interesting, have them brainstorm words about their animal.
• Together brainstorm words that would be appropriate for animals. They might add words about what they look like, their movement, their habitats, their life cycles, their diets, etc. You can create a class anchor chart on the page provided.  You might even think about using the real life picture of the wolf in the download. This can get the students to begin thinking of more interesting words for animals (fierce, mighty, strong, etc).
• Then, pass out the individual brainstorm pages. Students can use the anchor chart as a guide to begin their own word choice pages about their animal. This might be a good partner activity as well.

Lesson 8: Writing Sketch for the Animal Research Project

• Next, you can model the writing sketch planner for your class.
• One idea to help your students narrow down all of the information they have learned about their animals is to give them a specific number of animals facts that they can focus on.
• Each of these facts can serve as the actual text that they will put on each page of their animal research book. Or the facts could serve as a focus for each paragraph in their writing.
• You might find that this would be a good mini-lesson to do with smaller groups of children.

Lesson 9: Creating a Table of Contents

• Another idea that can be a writing planner AND a page in their animal research book is the table of contents. Pull out one of the Table of Contents pages from the resources provided and model how to fill in the blanks on each page.
• This page will then serve as their Table of Contents (with a focus discussion on what that is and the purpose it serves) and also their writing planner so they know what they will put in the pages of their booklet.

Lesson 10: Creating a Glossary

• There are two pages provided in the resources that might help your students to learn to pull out topic specific words to put into a glossary for the end of their animal research book.
• Be sure to model how you would like for your students to use these organizers (keeping in mind that you may need to copy more than one page if there are more words than the page provides for).
• If your students need a refresher on ABC order check out these links for some added practice/review: ABC Order Task Cards & Fry Word ABC Order Task Cards

Lesson 11: Writing Your Animal Research

• You will decide on the best method for your students to showcase their published animal research.
• You may want your students to use their own creativity in the texts that they write and share. If you’d like a first experience to provide a bit more guidance, we have provided two different sets of pages for booklets.
• One is more guided and the other has less structure and smaller lines for more writing.  15 pages are provided so that you or students can pick what fits their needs.
• This “lesson” may actually become a series of lessons if you choose to model how each page can be used.  (We have also included a page with simple writing lines in case students need less guidance than the booklet pages provided.)

Lesson 12: Labeling Pictures

• One final lesson idea that pairs well with writing informational text is to teach your students how to label pictures.
• Since most nonfiction writing has real photographs, students can find some pictures online to print out and label for their booklet.  Hand-drawn pictures are also great if you would rather encourage some or all of your students in that direction.
• Whatever you choose, show your class how to effectively label a picture so that it teaches the reader more.  You can use the picture of the polar bear provided to model how to add words or even short facts as labels.  (For example if the simple label “fur” wouldn’t add additional information to the book, you might teach them to label it with a short fact such as “dense fur protects the animal’s skin from the weather”.
• To make this idea more user friendly, you might want them to use the page of blank white boxes provided to write their labels for their pictures.  Then all they need to do is cut them out and glue them to a printed picture.

Lesson 13: Writing Celebration

As always, find a way to celebrate your students’ writing.  

Invite guests (younger students or special adults) to read the books with your young authors. You might simply want to pair or group them, or some students might choose to present their book to everyone.  

Provide some light snacks if possible to give it a party atmosphere and pass out the author certificates to each child for his/her hard work.

You can download this free writing unit of study here:

Writing Download

As with all of our resources, The Curriculum Corner creates these for free classroom use. Our products may not be sold. You may print and copy for your personal classroom use. These are also great for home school families!

You may not modify and resell in any form. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Christine E.

Saturday 8th of May 2021

Thank you so much for this resource and the many pages that I can use in my homeschooling. It is exactly what I've been looking for to help me get my kids to write about our animal units! You are doing a great job, keep up the amazing work you do. I appreciate the hard work you put into putting these together.

Planning a Dynamic Writing Workshop - The Curriculum Corner 123

Saturday 14th of July 2018

[…] Animal Research […]

Editable Writing Management Binder - The Curriculum Corner 123

Friday 3rd of March 2017

[…] Writing Unit of Study: Animal Research […]

Classroom Freebies

April 2, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Graphic Organizer Templates For Animal Research

3-5 · All Freebies · PK-2

Children are capable of doing research. They just need to have resources and graphic organizer templates to use. It is important to organize the information into manageable amounts when doing research. Even younger children can do simple research projects if we provide them with support and the appropriate resources, templates or other graphic organizers. They can create amazing projects with the right materials.

Children can use graphic organizer templates effectively

I love doing simple research projects with my students. One of my favorites is an animal research powerpoint. Sometimes people don’t think that younger children can create quality powerpoints, but I have several dvd collections of powerpoints that my grade 2/3 classes have created.

Animal Research Planning Templates

I created these planning templates so that the children could organize their material into manageable parts that would also fit onto powerpoint slides. There are 3 different templates available.

Here is one of the templates included. If you would like to have a copy of these templates, click one of the images.

I hope you will find this helpful with your students as they create their animal research projects .

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About Charlene Sequeira

About Diamond Mom

Hello everyone. I am Charlene from British Columbia, Canada. I am a retired primary teacher, former French Immersion music teacher, mother of 4, grandmother of 9. I love working with kids and continue to volunteer with reading groups and small math groups at school. I also teach ukulele to both children and adults. I tutor some students at home in math and French. I am also known as Diamond Mom and I have a blog called Diamond Mom’s Treasury. I enjoy creating materials for students and I have a TeachersPayTeachers store where these materials are available for others. You can also visit me on Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

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How To Write An Animal Report

Are you writing animal reports with your students? Want an easy step-by-step process to support your students? Check out this simple process.

Steps To Write An Animal Report

There are  seven steps (with an optional 8th step) to follow when teaching your students to write an animal report. The steps are:

• Choose Your Animal
• Research Your Animal
• Make Jot Notes
• Write a Draft
• Revise and Edit
• Write a Good Copy
• Illustrate Report
• Assess Report (Optional)

Report Writing Activity Objectives

In this writing activity students will:

• conduct research to find out about their animals,
• write sentences that contain important information, and
• create reports that provide information to their readers.

Materials For Animal Research Activity

Here are the files you’ll need for the animal research report writing activity:

• Animal Topic Cards (FREE)
• Animal Report Writing Posters – Black and White (FREE)
• Animal Report Writing Posters – Color (Members Only)
• Jot Note Templates (FREE)
• Animal Report – Draft Templates (FREE)
• Animal Report – Final Copy Templates Primary Lines (FREE)
• Animal Report – Final Copy Templates Regular Lines (FREE)
• Animal Report – Cover (FREE)
• Editing Checklist 1 – Black and White (FREE)
• Editing Checklist 1 – Color (Members Only)
• Editing Checklist 2 – Black and White (FREE)
• Editing Checklist 2 – Color (Members Only)
• Editing Checklist 3 – Black and White (FREE)
• Editing Checklist 3 – Color (Members Only)
• Editing Checklist 4 – Black and White (FREE)
• Editing Checklist 4 – Color (Members Only)
• Report Writing Rubric – Black and White  (FREE)
• Report Writing Rubric – Color (Members Only)
• Writing Mechanics Rubric – Black and White (FREE)
• Writing Mechanics Rubric – Color (Members Only)

Directions For Report Writing Activity

Step one: choose topic for animal report.

To begin, students choose an animal for their report. There are different ways that students can choose the topic for their animal reports. Students can:

• choose their own topic.
• pick an animal out of a hat.
• be assigned an animal.

Step Two: Research Animal For Report

Next, students can use different sources to find information about their animals depending on the resources you have available. Students can use:

• websites such as  National Geographic For Kids  and  San Diego Zoo ,
• magazines, and
• trading cards.

*** These jot notes are a part of the animal report found in the Teaching With a Touch of Honey Writing Club.

Step Three: Make Jot Notes On Animal Research Report Template

Students look through the sources and make notes about the information they find. Making jot notes is a difficult skill for students to master. Provide your students with jot note templates to support them with this process. Students can write one category that they are researching on each template. Categories may include:

• Description
• Family or Life Cycle
• Other Interesting Facts

Step Four: Write A Draft Copy of Animal Report

Once students have finished writing their jot notes, they can write their draft reports. Students take the information they have gathered on their jot note templates and make them into paragraphs for their reports.

Give students a draft template for each category they researched. If they found information on all six categories, provide students with 6 draft templates. Students write the category at that top of the draft template and then use their jot notes to write their paragraphs.

Step Five: Revise and Edit Animal Report

Next, students revise and edit their reports. Teachers can support their students as they revise and edit with differentiated writing checklists. Choose a checklist that matches the individual learning needs of your students. Students work through the checklist to make their writing better. 

Step Six: Write Animal Report Good Copy

After students edit and revise their draft reports, they’re ready to write the good copy of their report. Students can use the final copy templates to write their good copy of their report.

Step Seven: Illustrate Animal Research Report

The last step of the report writing process is adding illustrations to the final copy templates to enhance what students have written in their reports.

Step Eight: Assess Report (Optional)

An optional step of the report writing process is to assess the work done by the students. This can be accomplished through self, peer, and teacher assessments. Rubrics could also be used.

Differentiated Instruction Ideas

There are different ways you can differentiate this activity in your classroom.

• Draft Templates: There are 3 different draft templates provided for each of the writing activities. You can provide each student with a copy of the draft template that matches their learning needs. The templates look similar but require students to provide a different number of details in their story.
• Number of Categories and Facts:
• Partner Writing: Studnets
• Provide Choice: Let students choose the animal they research.
• Editing Bookmarks: There are 4 different editing bookmarks. Provide each student with a copy of the bookmark that matches their learning needs. The bookmarks are similar but include a different number of editing skills.

What Teachers are Saying About the Animal Report Writing Activity:

❤️ “This is a well planned out project. I invited my students to select an animal from the list that they wanted to learn about. Then over three weeks in the computer lab, they were charged with learning about their animal and took notes on the pages provided. Their final project was written and they received a writing grade for their hard work. My principal said she really like this project. Thank you!”  – Peggy R.

❤️ “I am using this for our research/informational writing unit. I love how there are differentiated pages for learners of all types, visual steps of the process, and the rubrics at the end!” – Kristin Y. 

❤️ “My students were able to use this resource with little help. It is well organized and gives them step by step guidance. I look forward to using it again this year.”  – JoAnne V. 

❤️ “ I loved this resource. It was a perfect packet to use as I introduced writing a research paper. The note taking options for different level students was perfect. The note taking step helped the students pick important information instead of writing everything! I only had to get books from the library in order to make this project a success! Loved this resource!”  – Nancy B.

Here are even more Report Writing FREEBIES :

Ant report writing activities.

• Ant Report Cut-and-Paste Jot Notes (FREE)
• Ant Report Cut-and Paste Jot Notes – Answer Key (Members Only)
• Ant Report Draft Templates (FREE)
• Ant Report Final Copy Templates (FREE)
• Ant Report Cover (FREE)
• Ant Report Table of Contents (FREE)

Bumblebee Report Writing Activities

• Bumblebee Cut-and-Paste Jot Notes (Members Only)
• Bumblebee Report Cut-and Paste Jot Notes – Answer Key (Members Only)
• Bumblebee Report – Draft Copy Template (Members Only)
• Bumblebee Report – Final Copy Template (Members Only)
• Bumblebee Report – Cover (Members Only)
• Bumblebee Report – Table of Contents (Members Only)

Butterfly Report Writing Activities

• Butterfly Cut-and Paste Jot Notes (Members Only)
• Butterfly Report Cut-and Paste Jot Notes – Answer Key (Members Only)
• Butterfly Report – Draft Copy Template (Members Only)
• Butterfly Report – Final Copy Template (Members Only)
• Butterfly Report – Cover (Members Only)
• Butterfly Report – Table of Contents (Members Only)

Dragonfly Report Writing Activities

• Dragonfly Cut-and Paste Jot Notes (Members Only)
• Dragonfly Report Cut-and Paste Jot Notes – Answer Key (Members Only)
• Dragonfly Report – Draft Copy Template (Members Only)
• Dragonfly Report – Final Copy Template (Members Only)
• Dragonfly Report – Cover (Members Only)
• Dragonfly Report – Table of Contents (Members Only)

Grasshopper Report Writing Activities

• Grasshopper Cut-and Paste  Jot Notes (Members Only)
• Grasshopper Report Cut-and Paste Jot Notes – Answer Key (Members Only)
• Grasshopper Report – Draft Copy Template (Members Only)
• Grasshopper Report – Final Copy Template (Members Only)
• GrasshopperReport – Cover (Members Only)
• Grasshopper Report – Table of Contents (Members Only)

House Fly Report Writing Activities

• House Fly Cut-and Paste JotNotes (Members Only)
• House Fly Report Cut-and Paste Jot Notes – Answer Key (Members Only)
• House Fly Report – Draft Copy Template (Members Only)
• House Fly Report – Final Copy Template (Members Only)
• House Fly Report – Cover (Members Only)
• House Fly Report – Table of Contents (Members Only)

Ladybug Report Writing Activities

• Ladybug Cut-and Paste Jot Notes (Members Only)
• Ladybug Report Cut-and Paste Jot Notes – Answer Key (Members Only)
• Ladybug Report – Draft Copy Template (Members Only)
• Ladybug Report – Final Copy Template (Members Only)
• Ladybug Report – Cover (Members Only)
• Ladybug Report – Table of Contents (Members Only)

Mosquito Report Writing Activities

• Mosquito Cut-and Paste Jot Notes (Members Only)
• Mosquito Report Cut-and Paste Jot Notes – Answer Key (Members Only)
• Mosquito Report – Draft Copy Template (Members Only)
• Mosquito Report – Final Copy Template (Members Only)
• Mosquito Report – Cover (Members Only)
• Mosquito Report – Table of Contents (Members Only)

Editing Bookmarks

• Editing Bookmark 1 – Black and White (FREE)
• Editing Bookmark 1 – Color (Members Only)
• Editing Bookmark 2 – Black and White (FREE)
• Editing Bookmark 2 – Color (Members Only)
• Editing Bookmark 3 – Black and White (FREE)
• Editing Bookmark 3 – Color (Members Only)
• Editing Bookmark 4 – Black and White (FREE)
• Editing Bookmark 4 – Color (Members Only)

Assessments and Rubrics (Insects)

• Self-Assessment – Happy Faces Black and White (Members Only)
• Self-Assessment – Happy Faces Color (Members Only)
• Self-Assessment – 4 Point Scale Black and White (Members Only)
• Self-Assessment – 4 Point Scale Color (Members Only)
• Peer-Assessment – Happy Faces Black and White (Members Only)
• Peer-Assessment – Happy Faces Color (Members Only)
• Peer-Assessment – 4 Point Scale Black and White (Members Only)
• Peer-Assessment – 4 Point Scale Color (Members Only)
• Teacher Assessment – Happy Faces Black and White (Members Only)
• Teacher Assessment – Happy Faces Color (Members Only)
• Teacher Assessment – 4 Point Scale Black and White (Members Only)
• Teacher Assessment – 4 Point Scale Color (Members Only)
• Narrative Writing Rubric – Color (Members Only)
• Writing Mechanics – Color (Members Only)

Benefits of Writing an Animal Report

Writing animal reports is a great way to develop various skills and help students become better writers. These benefits include:

• expand their vocabulary,
• improve sentence structure, and
• enhance their overall language skills.
• Research Skills – Students develop their research skills when they search for information for their reports. They learn how to locate information from books, websites, and other sources.
• the topic they will write about,
• how to organize the information they discover, 
• how to present the information to their readers.
• Organizational Skills – When students organize their report, they learn the structure of a report that is a skill they will use throughout their school career and beyond.
• Communication Skills – Students develop their written communication skills as they write their animal reports. They learn how to clearly communicate their ideas in their report.
• Self- Confidence – Students are proud of the reports they create which helps to increase their self-confidence in writing and the products they produce.

Report Writing Activities

The animal report activities, along with the report writing projects, are included in the Writing Club . If you want to purchase the report writing materials individually, click on the topic to check it out in my TpT store.

• animals , arctic animals ,
• biographies,
• community helpers , coral reef animals ,
• desert animals , dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles ,
• pets , plants,

Want ALL these report writing activities and SO MUCH MORE ?

Simply click the image below to get all of our resources.

Don’t forget to Pin this lesson on report writing!

Other teaching ideas.

Hopefully, you enjoyed How To Write An Animal Report . Want more teaching ideas and resources? Check out:

• How To Teach Inquiry-Based Learning
• Dinosaur Narrative Writing Activities
• How To Teach Vocabulary to Kids

Animal Research template (freebie)

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Animal Report Printable for a Fun & Engaging Study

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Learning about animals, research and writing this week with our FREE Animal Report printable.

We are in the midst of studying endangered animals. Last week, I shared how we were learning about tigers .   This week, we are continuing our study by discussing what animals, in general, eat and how they survive in the wild.

We especially are interested in our backyard animals during winter. Here is the information we are learning about animals in winter .

Every winter we participate in the Backyard Bird Count . In addition, we watch the behavior of the deer, foxes, and squirrels in our immediate area. We pay attention to feeding habits, markings, even signs of disease. In the past, we’ve noticed eye issues in birds and big, bare spots on squirrels.  Winter is a good time to really watch animals and their behavior since we aren’t outside as much gardening, riding bikes, taking long hikes, or doing yard work.

Once you and your student read the information below, select an animal or two to research. Organize information into a report form using the animal report printable we have created.

The animal report printabl e below is a great tool for younger learners. They can use it to know what kind of questions they should be answering in an animal report. It will help them dig deeper in their research. Depending on the age, you can have the child answer in complete sentences or just a few lines. Older students can use this form as a start to a larger report or use many of these to record basic information about a larger number of animals.

Let us know where to send the printable by entering your email below. We will add you to our email list, but promise not to spam you! Then check out our list of animal resources below.

Use Our Animal Report Printable with Some of These Resources

• Study birds – over 60 pages of worksheets.
• Tiger information in our Are Tigers Endangered post .
• 70+ Resources for Studying Horses
• Why Is the Rusty Bumble Bee Important – Never heard of this bee? Check it out!
• B Benefits of Insects – With a free printable

I hold a master’s degree in child development and early education and am working on a post-baccalaureate in biology. I spent 15 years working for a biotechnology company developing IT systems in DNA testing laboratories across the US. I taught K4 in a private school, homeschooled my children, and have taught on the mission field in southern Asia. For 4 years, I served on our state’s FIRST Lego League tournament Board and served as the Judging Director.  I own thehomeschoolscientist and also write a regular science column for Homeschooling Today Magazine. You’ll also find my writings on the CTCMath blog. Through this site, I have authored over 50 math and science resources.

• ELEMENTARY TEACHING , INTEGRATED CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES

Animal Research Project for Kids at the Elementary Level in 2024

Whether you are doing a simple animal study or a fully integrated science, reading, and writing unit, this animal research project for kids includes everything you need. From the graphic organizer worksheets and guided note templates to the writing stationary, printable activities, projects, and rubrics.

Thousands of teachers have used this 5-star resource to have students complete self-guided animal research projects to learn about any animal they choose. The best part is, the resource can be used over and over again all year long by just picking a new animal! Learn all about this animal research project for kids at the elementary level below!

What is the Animal Research Project?

The animal research project is a resource that is packed with printable and digital activities and projects to choose from. It is perfect for elementary teachers doing a simple animal study or a month-long, fully integrated unit. It’s open-ended nature allows it to be used over and over again throughout the school year. In addition, it includes tons of differentiated materials so you can continue to use it even if you change grade levels. Learn about what’s included in it below!

What is Included in the Animal Research Project

The following resources are included in the animal research project :

Teacher’s Guide

The teacher’s guide includes tips and instructions to support you with your lesson planning and delivery.

Parent Letter

The parent communication letter promotes family involvement.

Graphic Organizers

There are graphic organizers for brainstorming a topic, activating schema, taking notes, and drafting writing.

Research Report

There are research report publishing printables including a cover, writing templates, and resource pages.

There is a grading rubric so expectations are clear for students and grading is quick and easy for you.

Research Activities

The research activities include a KWL chart, can have are chart, compare and contrast venn diagram, habitat map, vocabulary pages, illustration page, and life cycle charts.

Animal Flip Book Project

There are animal flip book project printables to give an additional choice of how students can demonstrate their understanding.

Animal Flap Book Project

There is an animal flap book project printables that offers students yet another way to demonstrate their learning.

Animal Research Poster

The animal research poster serves as an additional way to demonstrate student understanding.

Poetry Activities

The resource includes poetry activities to offer students an alternative way to demonstrate their learning.

Digital Versions

There is a digital version of the resource so your students can access this resource in school or at home.

Why Teachers love the Animal Research Project

Teachers love this animal research project because of the following reasons:

• This resource guides students through the research and writing process, so they can confidently work their way through this project.
• It is a great value because it can be used over and over again throughout the school year because the pages can be used to learn about any animal.
• It offers several ways students can demonstrate their learning.
• It includes a ton of resources, so you can pick and choose which ones work best for you and your students.
• It is printable and digital so it can be used for in-class and at-home learning.

This animal research packet is great because it can be used over and over again using absolutely any animal at all. The printables in this packet are ideal to use with your entire class in school, as an at-home learning extension project or as a purposeful, open-ended, independent choice for your students who often finish early and need an enrichment activity that is so much more than “busy work.”

The Research Report Process

This animal research project packet was designed in a manner that allows you to use all of the components when studying any animal. Because the printables can be used over and over, I will often work through the entire researching and writing process with the whole class focusing on one animal together, This allows me to model the procedure and provide them with support as they “get their feet wet” as researchers. Afterwards I then have them work through the process with an animal of choice. You may find it helpful to have them select from a specific category (i.e. ocean animals, rainforest animals, etc) as this will help to streamline the resources you’ll need to obtain.

Step 1: Brainstorm a list of animals to research. Select one animal.

During this stage you may want to provide the students with a collection of books and magazines to explore and help them narrow down their choice.

Step 2: Set a purpose and activate schema.

Students share why they selected the animal and tell what they already know about it. Next, they generate a list of things they are wondering about the animal. This will help to guide their research.

Step 3: Send home the family letter.

To save you time, involve families, and communicate what is happening in the classroom, you may want to send home a copy of the family letter. It’s so helpful when they send in additional research materials for the students.

Step 4: Research and take notes.

The two-column notes template is a research-based tool that helps the kids organize their notes. I added bulleted prompts to guide the students in finding specific information within each category. This method has proven to be highly effective with all students, but is especially useful with writers who need extra support.

I have included two versions of the organizers (with and without lines). I print a copy of the organizer for each student. I also copy the lined paper back to back so it is available to students who need more space.

Step 5: Write a draft.

Using the information gathered through the research process, the students next compose drafts. The draft papers were designed to guide the students through their writing by providing prompts in the form of questions. Answering these questions in complete sentences will result in strong paragraphs. It may be helpful to give them only one page at a time instead of a packet as it make the task more manageable.

Step 6: Edit the draft.

Editing can be done in many ways, but it is most effective when a qualified editor sits 1:1 with a student to provides effective feedback to them while editing.

Step 7: Publish.

Print several copies of the publishing pages. I like to have all my students start with the page that has a large space for an illustration, but then let them pick the pages they want to use in the order they prefer after that. I have them complete all the writing first and then add the illustrations.

Finally, have the children design a cover for the report. Add that to the front and add the resources citation page to the back. Use the criteria for success scoring rubric to assign a grade. The rubric was designed using a 20 point total so you can simply multiply their score by 5 to obtain a percentage grade. The end result is a beautiful product that showcases their new learning as well as documents their reading and writing skills.

In closing, we hope you found this animal research project for kids helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in these posts:

• How to Teach Research Skills to Elementary Students
• 15 Animals in Winter Picture Books for Elementary Teachers
• How to Teach Informative Writing at the Elementary Level

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FREE Printable Animal Research Template

Published: June 21, 2016

Contributor: Carrie

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

This is just too cute! Do you have a beloved pet at your house? Turn it into a project of sorts with this free, printable Animal Research Template! It’s great for research and has cute sections for your child to record interesting information. It would make a fun summer project (it doesn’t require that you own a pet!) – encouraging your child to continue learning about something they love.

• free printable

Carrie Fernandez is the founder of Homeschool Giveaways and owner of  Daily Skill Building . She has been homeschooling for over 18 years, has two girls and works side by side at home with her awesome husband. She has been saved by grace, fails daily, but continues to strive toward the prize of the high calling of being a daughter of the Most High God.

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Animal Research Paper

Written by: [YOUR NAME]

I. Introduction

Understanding the biology, behavior, and ecology of animals is essential for various fields including wildlife conservation, veterinary medicine, and evolutionary biology. This research paper aims to contribute to the collective understanding of these aspects through a comprehensive review of existing literature and empirical evidence.

II. Animal Biology

[INSTITUTION NAME] has conducted extensive research on various aspects of animal biology, including anatomy, physiology, and genetics. One key area of focus has been the comparative anatomy of vertebrates, which provides insights into the evolutionary relationships and adaptations of different animal species.

[INSTITUTION NAME] has also investigated the molecular basis of animal development, exploring the role of genes and signaling pathways in embryogenesis and organogenesis. Understanding these processes not only sheds light on fundamental biological principles but also has practical implications for fields such as regenerative medicine and developmental biology.

[INSTITUTION NAME] 's research on animal physiology has encompassed studies on metabolic processes, sensory systems, and physiological adaptations to environmental challenges. By elucidating the mechanisms underlying physiological functions, this research contributes to our understanding of how animals survive and thrive in diverse habitats.

III. Animal Behavior

The study of animal behavior is a multifaceted field that encompasses various disciplines, including ethology, behavioral ecology, and comparative psychology. [INSTITUTION NAME] has conducted research on a wide range of topics within this field, from social behavior and communication to foraging strategies and mating systems.

One area of focus has been the evolutionary basis of animal behavior, investigating how natural selection shapes behavioral traits and strategies. By combining field observations, experiments, and theoretical modeling, [INSTITUTION NAME] has contributed to our understanding of the adaptive significance of behaviors across different taxa.

[INSTITUTION NAME] 's research on animal cognition has explored the cognitive abilities of various species, from insects and birds to mammals and primates. By studying aspects such as learning, memory, and problem-solving, this research sheds light on the evolution of intelligence and the mechanisms underlying cognitive processes in animals.

IV. Animal Ecology

Understanding the ecology of animals is crucial for predicting their responses to environmental change and designing effective conservation strategies. [INSTITUTION NAME] has conducted research on diverse ecological topics, including habitat use, population dynamics, and community interactions.

One area of focus has been the effects of habitat fragmentation and degradation on animal populations, particularly in fragmented landscapes such as urban areas and agricultural landscapes. By studying how animals respond to habitat loss and fragmentation, [INSTITUTION NAME] aims to inform conservation efforts and mitigate the negative impacts of human activities on biodiversity.

[INSTITUTION NAME] 's research on animal ecology also includes studies on species interactions, such as predation, competition, and mutualism. By investigating the dynamics of ecological relationships, this research contributes to our understanding of ecosystem functioning and resilience.

V. Conservation Implications

Conservation of animal species and ecosystems is a pressing global issue, and [INSTITUTION NAME] 's research has important implications for conservation efforts. By identifying key threats to animal populations, such as habitat loss, climate change, and overexploitation, this research informs strategies for mitigating these threats and promoting biodiversity conservation.

One area of focus has been the development of conservation prioritization schemes, which identify areas of high conservation value based on ecological significance, species richness, and threat levels. By integrating ecological data with spatial analysis techniques, [INSTITUTION NAME] aims to identify priority areas for conservation action and resource allocation.

[INSTITUTION NAME] 's research also contributes to the development of sustainable management practices for natural resources and ecosystems. By studying the ecological dynamics of exploited species and ecosystems, this research informs policies and practices aimed at promoting sustainable resource use and preventing ecological degradation.

VI. Conclusion

In conclusion, [INSTITUTION NAME] 's research on animal biology, behavior, ecology, and conservation has provided valuable insights into the complex relationships between animals and their environments. By combining empirical observations with theoretical frameworks, this research contributes to the broader scientific community's understanding of the diversity, complexity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth.

VII. References:

Smith, J. et al. (2050). "Advances in Comparative Anatomy." Journal of Comparative Biology , 10(2), 100-115.

Johnson, A. et al. (2054). "Molecular Mechanisms of Animal Development." Developmental Biology Reviews , 25(3), 200-220.

Brown, L. et al. (2052). "Physiological Adaptations to Extreme Environments." Annual Review of Physiology , 30, 150-175.

Wilson, R. et al. (2055). "Evolutionary Perspectives on Animal Behavior." Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology , 40(4), 300-325.

Garcia, M. et al. (2053). "Ecological Consequences of Habitat Fragmentation." Ecology Letters , 15(1), 50-65.

Research Templates @ Template.net