animal research project 6th grade

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.

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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
• Read more about: ELEMENTARY TEACHING , INTEGRATED CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES

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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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Research Polar Animals: Exploring Animal Adaptations Project-Based Learning Unit

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A Comprehensive Lesson on Animal Adaptations

Research and explore the unique adaptations of polar animals, experiment with different types of adaptations, and design, create, and demonstrate an "adaptation" in this science PBL unit.

Your students will learn all about how animals adapt for survival in this complete project-based learning unit on animal adaptations for 4nd to 6th grade science. They'll research adaptations for polar animals in detail, compare and contrast different types of adaptations through in-class experiments, and design and create an "adaptation" that they can demonstrate to the class.

What's Inside

Packed with hands-on inquiry-based activities, extensions and enhancements, cross-curricular independent and group work, and engaging and interactive challenges, this 68-page project-based unit comes complete with:

• For the Teacher: A complete animal adaptations Lesson Plan with step-by-step instructions for all activities, teaching tips, assessment guidance, and inquiry questions.
• For Students: A full-color Student Pack complete with all of the printables and instructions students need for the research, experiments and activities - just print (or share) and teach!

A complete, ready-to-teach Teacher Pack that includes:

• Teacher versions of all the student printables with step-by-step annotations and notes for teaching animal adaptations;
• Formative and summative assessments, answer keys, and a full project rubric;
• Instructions and guidance for the extension activities and project enhancements;
• Materials and resources lists, PowerPoint presentations, plus additional resources for lecture and presentation.

What's Included

Lesson Plan - Step-by-Step Project Guide

• Milestone 1: Building Background Knowledge About Polar Animals
• Milestone 2: Understanding How Animal Adaptations Aid in Survival
• Milestone 3: Demonstrating How Animal Adaptations Work In Nature
• Milestone 4: Plan, Design, and Create an Adaptation Demonstration
• Milestone 5: Demonstrate an Adaptation

Teacher and Student Resources

• List of Books About Polar Animals
• How and Why Animals Adapt Answer Key
• Exploring the Arctic Answer Key
• Arctic and Antarctic Animals
• Map of the Arctic and Antarctica
• Polar Animal Adaptations Answer Key
• Sample Flying Squirrel Slide
• Flying Squirrel Demonstration
• Bird Beak Adaptations Demonstration
• Polar Animals Quick Quiz
• Polar Animals Quick Quiz Answer Key
• Oral Presentation Mini-Lesson
• Polar Animals Summative Assessment
• Polar Animals Summative Assessment Answer Key
• Polar Animals Presentations Rubric
• How and Why Animals Adapt
• Exploring the Arctic
• Polar Animal Adaptations
• Learn About the Arctic and Antarctic
• Polar Powers Project Guidelines
• Polar Powers
• How to Do Good Research
• Milestone #1 Inquiry Question
• Demonstration Ideas
• Milestone #2 Inquiry Question
• Using a Bird Beak
• Materials and Procedure
• Milestone #3 Inquiry Question
• What Do You Do With a Problem?
• Demonstration Observations
• Milestone #4 Inquiry Question
• You Be the Judge
• Milestone #5 Inquiry Question

• Project Overview

This project-based learning lesson is designed to support and reinforce the concepts taught as part of a lesson on Animal Adaptations. It is built around 5 inquiry-based milestones that incorporate cross-curricular hands-on projects, formative and summative assessments, independent and group activities, and extensions.

STUDENT/GROUP OUTPUT:

In the course of this project-based learning unit, students will:

• Research and document the unique adaptations of polar animals as background knowledge for the rest of the project;
• Build and experiment with a "flying squirrel" to understand how adaptations aid in survival;
• Make and practice with an artificial "bird beak" to demonstrate how an adaptation works in an animal's specific ecosystem;
• Synthesize acquired research and empirical knowledge into the creation and design of an animal "adaptation" that demonstrates functionally how an adaptation aids in survival in a specific ecosystem;
• "Show what they know" by demonstrating their "adaptation" to the class, and offer feedback on presentations given by other students.

SUGGESTED SUBJECT PREREQUISITES:

Students will acquire necessary background knowledge of animal adaptation as part of this project, and instructional materials for providing that background are included in the Teacher Pack.

SEQUENCE AND PACING

This project-based unit is divided into 5 milestones. The minimum suggested duration for completing this project-based unit is 5 class periods. However, the unit is completely flexible can be lengthened or shortened as necessary or desired, based on available class time and interest level.

TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES (suggested):

• Internet access
• Microsoft Office PowerPoint, Google Slides, or other presentation software.

STANDARDS ALIGNMENT

These activities support the following NGSS curriculum standards:

• 4-LS1-1: Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction
• Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways.

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Glacier National Park

Essential Question

How do scientist study animals?

Students will be able to: • Discuss difference between cultures with relation to animals. • Use guiding questions to conduct effective research about animal species living in Glacier National Park. • Illustrate their animal research. • Communicate the results of their research with others.

This lesson is one part of Work House: A Glacier National Park Science and Indian Education Program. It can be completed as a stand alone lesson or as part of the greater Work House course.  The full  Work House Program  is available on Glacier National Park's website.  Background information as well as the full lesson plan can be found as a  PDF here . Assign student reading. Get books for student research. Mark specific reference pages in suggested books. Arrange internet access and download the “ Animal Field Guide, Flathead Reservation Riparian Species ” App if applicable. Review the websites referenced in the introduction for this unit. You may want to compile a list for students to use in their research or make it into more of a “webquest” with the websites provided. Have questions for research ready to handout/display and a completed example (or grading rubric if applicable) to show students of the expected report results from their research.

Preparation

• Prepare for two 50 minute class periods - one for reading/discussion, choosing animal and starting research. One to finish research and write report with animal illustration. More time needed for extension activities.
• Theme and art paper
• Pencils, colored pencils
• Internet access, encyclopedias, wildlife books, and particularly books about the animals of Glacier National Park, as well as People Before the Park by Sally Thompson, Kootenai Culture Committee & Pikunni Traditional Association
• Students should do the Student Reading for Unit 5 , pages 34-40, before starting this lesson. Use the “Checking for Understanding” questions to focus on the lesson objectives of exploring how people relate to animals, especially wild animals and the idea of sharing the Earth with other creatures. Included in the objectives is for students to realize that different people and cultures all relate differently to animals. In doing their animal research, they should be thinking of their relationship or beliefs/feelings toward wild animals and why they feel that way. How do the different ways people feel about animals influence national parks?
• Let students know that they are going to learn more about the wild animals in Glacier National Park by creating research reports of a favorite animal that they are certain lives in Glacier National Park (and if going on a field trip, one that they would like to see on their visit). Be sure that they have a second choice so that there are not duplicates. The instructor may wish to specify animals that would frequent beaver habitat, or that would live in a burned forest, or that appear in a traditional Blackfeet, Kootenai, Salish or Pend d’Oreille story (or that conform to some other precondition). There are numerous references to uses and importance of specific animals found in Glacier National Park by the Kootenai and Blackfeet in the book, People Before the Park. There are also a variety of books in the Blackfeet Reading Series and from the Salish and Kootenai Culture Committees of animal stories. The Fire on the Land Project from CSKT has a section on wildlife, and  Bull Trout’s Gift and Explore the River from CSKT has information on animals. If students have access to Apps, the CSKT Riparian Animals Field Guide is a result of CSKT putting all their animal research together in one place for people to use- could your students make an App for Glacier?
• Go over the “Questions for Animal Research” to make sure students understand what they should be trying to find out about their animal. (Perhaps having a sample to show or one from a previous year’s student will help). Show the students how to find resources in the library, and walk through the Montana Field Guide on-line to help them begin their research.
• Ask students to illustrate their writing on a separate piece of art paper. Some students may find research more to their liking if they are allowed to draw the picture first. (There are animal coloring book pages on the park website.)
• For advanced students, have them make a movie documentary of their animal research. Here is an example the park received from a student who did research on wolverines .

Questions for Animal Research

• Give the common name and scientific name of the animal you have chosen to research (and if you wish, the Blackfeet, Kootenai, Salish-Pend d’Oreille name). Give a physical description of the animal.
• How does this animal reproduce? Are the young born alive? Are they hatched from eggs?
• How does this animal care for its young? Do parents supply food directly? Do they nurse them? Are the young taught to find food or are they left on their own?
• What does this animal eat? Does it eat plants and animals (omnivorous)? Does it eat only plants (herbivorous)? Does it eat only animals (carnivorous)? The Glacier National Park Teacher’s guide has a chart of “Who eats Whom” other activities to learn about Glacier’s wildlife.
• How does this animal move about? Does it fly, walk, crawl, etc.?
• In what kind of environment does this animal live? Does it live on the ground, in the air, in water, or in a combination environment? Does this animal prefer special terrain such as alpine tundra, marsh, open meadow, forest, stream, etc. ?
• What other interesting observations can you make about this animal?
• Draw the animal in an appropriate environment on a separate sheet of art paper.

Writing Extension

When writings have been edited and drawings are completed, have the students present their reports and pictures to each other in order to share knowledge of all the animals. Choose a title and help students assemble their reports and art in a book - maybe even a field guide for a trip to Glacier!

Field Trip Extension 

• Play traditional American Indian games. Contact the International Traditional Games Society to obtain lesson plans and game kits. How did these games help children learn the skills needed to improve their observation skills of animals? 
• Family Forestry Expo  and  River Honoring  - organized annually, target specific grades and include information about wildlife.
• Invite someone from the local community or tribal government to discuss wildlife management in your area. Compare local management objectives with the National Park Service objectives.
• Invite an elder to your class to talk about wildlife experiences he/she may have had in the past.
• Contact the wildlife division for one of the Reservations and ask it it’s possible to arrange a speaker or a field trip.
• Ranger-Led Field Trips  and  Service Learning Projects  in Glacier National Park. The park’s native plant restoration program has service learning field trips for middle and high school students; the  Forest Processes  and  Fire Ecology  field trips can be modified for 3rd - 8th grade.
• Self-Guided Field Trips  as well as Guided Tours - various concession operated - in Glacier National Park.
• Glacier Institute  - geology and other education programs.
• Guided Tours in Glacier National Park - various concession operated.
• Flathead Community of Resource Educators (CORE) -  outdoor education guide for field trips  in the Flathead Region.

Carnivorous, environment, herbivorous, omnivorous, reproduction.

Assessment Materials

Play the Animal Story Guessing Game. After students have presented their stories, have them take turns telling animal stories that give vital information, except name and physical description, about some animal that lives in the park. The other students ask for clues and guess which animal is being described. Play an animal pantomime game. Have students take turns doing a silent imitation of animal behavior until the other students successfully guess which animal they are imitating. Both of these activities are fun for students and provide a good review.

Additional Resources

• Research the ten thousand acre Grizzly Bear Conservation Area in the Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness by contacting CSKT’s Division of Fish, Wildlife, Recreation, & Conservation.
• Fire on the Land DVD - contains information about wildlife and fire.
• Glacier Education Trunks available to borrow that have wildlife connections: Songbird Trunk, Fire Works Trunk, Mammals Kit, Bear Trunk, Wolf Trunk.
• Glacier NP Student Resource Guide - has copyright free images of Glacier wildlife, fact sheets about the plants and animals, podcasts about bear research and Citizen Science, resource bulletins about various animals, coloring books, alphabet books, and much more.
• Browning Public Schools has a Blackfeet English Language Animal Coloring Book.
• Look at a copy of Glacier National Park’s Bear Management Plan and Bear Management Guidelines and discuss them.
• Montana State Park’s Indian Education for All Lesson plans associated with state parks in Montana.
• Flathead Community of Resource Educators (CORE) - list of education trunks available from various organizations across the state. Also links to various education resource providers in the Flathead Region.

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Last updated: September 15, 2023

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Free Resources

The best topic for animal research for kids.

Conducting animal research with elementary students is one of the school year’s highlights. Typically, it occurs toward the end of the year making it the perfect wrap-up project. I’ve completed much animal research for kids over the years, but one of my favorites is an animal research project on Alligators versus Crocodiles!

Telling the difference between the two is always a fun conversation to have with kids because it can just be so tricky! You can use this animal research topic for an engaging animal study or a full science, reading, and writing unit.

For these research activities, I like to let the students lead the way all while incorporating other reading comprehension skills, including identifying facts versus opinions and true versus false. 

Now, I’d like to share a look into how this is structured in the classroom. I’ll be using our Rooted in Reading research unit to demonstrate and you’ll have access to a FREEBIE below.

Build Background Knowledge with Reptile Research

Using an anchor chart is literally to help anchor the lesson for the rest of the week. Before jumping into the research for alligators and crocodiles, start with a classroom discussion about reptiles and what students already know about alligators and crocodiles.

Find kid-friendly research links for students to browse and learn. You should begin by modeling for students how to use the research links to gather information about the animals they want to focus on.

At this point, you are showing students how to conduct research and begin to generate questions about what additional information they want to learn about the animals. You can jot down those questions on the anchor chart along with the details they already know.

You will continue to update the alligator versus crocodile research anchor chart throughout the lesson, circling back to add what students learned after they complete their animal research projects.

Now, it’s time to move on to gathering information.

Use Kid-Friendly Websites to Gather Facts

The next phase of the student’s animal research is to collect information and facts. Before you begin the lessons, take some time to gather kid-friendly research links for students to use to gather the details they need for their projects.

Here are a few websites I recommend for researching alligators and crocodiles .

• Nat Geo Kids
• San Diego Zoo Webpage for Alligators
• San Diego Zoo Webpage for Crocs

Students can choose whether to research alligators or crocodiles. They can use the corresponding recording sheets to collect their facts, such as:

• Interesting Facts

Have students jot down notes and details as they read. Later, they will be compiling all of their research into a research booklet ! More on that later.

Incorporate Complementary Comprehension Skills

As students are conducting their animal research they will begin to come across various facts, thoughts, and opinions. This is an important point within the research study to help students understand the differences between fact and opinion and true and false. 

True vs. False

When students are jotting down their notes, it’s important students understand that they should only be writing down true statements. In order to do this, a mini-lesson on true vs. false statements will help them be able to identify the differences.

One way we help students differentiate is by using a true vs. false statement matching activity. You can complete this as a stand-alone activity or during a whole group lesson.

What you will do is grab a collection of sentence cards with details about alligators or crocodiles and have students go through them. They will use a recording sheet to determine whether the sentence is true or false. 

Facts vs. Opinions

Similarly to the lesson on true vs. false, students will likely encounter some opinions as they are gathering information. So, differentiating facts from opinions is an important skill to review as students are researching. 

Separating facts and opinions can be tricky, so this comprehension skill may require a bit more practice.

First, you should begin by defining each. You can use digital posters to anchor the lesson and have them on display so students can have a reminder of the differences. As a class, help to model and discuss each.

Then, you will want to complete some complementary activities that focus on identifying facts and opinions.

One way to do this is by having students highlight facts and opinions in a passage on the animal research topic. Using a short passage on American alligators, students can highlight facts and opinions throughout using two highlighters in different colors for each category. They can do something similar for crocodiles.

An additional fact versus opinion activity is a Fact and Opinion sort. For this activity, students will be given sentences and a recording sheet with columns for facts and opinions. They will then sort each sentence into the correct columns. 

For additional practice, you can grab a FREE Fact vs. Opinion activity inside my post on May read-aloud suggestions !

Animal Research Booklet

Taking all of the information they gathered during their research, making sure they are true and facts, students will craft a fun research booklet to showcase all of the details they’ve learned. 

Students can create alligator or crocodile-shaped research booklets and inside the pages, they will write out the things they learned about those animals. Each page will have a fact about these ferocious reptiles!

If you’re conducting animal research with your students soon, consider this alligator versus crocodile research topic!

{ All of the activities mentioned in this post are part of the research unit included in our 1st Grade Rooted in Reading May resource, a full month of reading comprehension lesson plans and activities. }

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Animal Research Projects

The students then put their information into a paragraph, each paragraph covering one topic.  We practiced this quite a bit together as a class.  We also discussed proper paragraph format, using an opening and closing sentence.

As students were researching, I noticed that they find quite a bit of information that didn’t quite fit into their 3 topics.  The students wanted to include these interesting facts, but weren’t sure where to put them.  So we created a “Fun Facts” page!

The students also created diagrams of their animal, labeling its parts.

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50 Interesting 6th Grade Science Fair Projects and Classroom Activities

Award-winning ideas and science demos on every topic.

Sixth grade science covers a wide variety of topics and varies depending on the curriculum. We’ve rounded up the best 6th grade science fair projects to inspire kids, as well as classroom science demos and activities that will grab their attention.

To make it easier to find what you’re looking for, we’ve rated all the projects and activities by difficulty and the materials needed:

Difficulty:

• Easy: Low or no-prep experiments you can do pretty much anytime
• Medium: These take a little more setup or a longer time to complete
• Advanced: Experiments like these take a fairly big commitment of time or effort
• Basic: Simple items you probably already have around the house
• Medium: Items that you might not already have but are easy to get your hands on
• Advanced: These require specialized or more expensive supplies to complete

Biology and Earth Science 6th Grade Science Fair Projects

Chemistry 6th grade science fair projects, physics and engineering 6th grade science fair projects, 6th grade science classroom demos and hands-on activities.

For students interested in anatomy, animals, geology, ecology, and more, these are the science fair projects they need!

Find the fastest way to ripen fruit

Difficulty: Medium / Materials: Medium

Need to ripen those bananas or peaches in a hurry? Do some research and then experiment to find the fastest way to safely ripen fruit without sacrificing flavor.

Clean up an oil spill

Learn why an oil spill is so devastating for wildlife and the ecosystem with this hands-on activity. Kids experiment to find the best way to clean up oil floating on water and rescue the animals affected by the spill.

Learn more: Oil Spill Cleanup at Kitchen Counter Chronicle

Explore new ways to filter water

Basic water-filtration systems are pretty simple, but they make terrific science fair projects. Experiment with different setups, and find a way to make safe drinking water for people who need it.

Shake it up with earthquake science

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Basic

Build simple model structures, then experiment to see how the actions of earthquakes affect them. Do research into what engineers and architects build in earthquake zones, then perform an experiment to see if you can improve on their findings.

Learn more: Earthquake Science at Love To Know

Grow a better garden using hydroponics

Hydroponics is the hot new gardening trend, but is it really a better way to garden? Find out with a DIY hydroponics gardening setup, comparing the results with traditional container gardening.

Find out if chewing gum really helps improve test scores

One of the more popular 6th grade science fair projects answers the question: Does chewing gum affect test scores? You’ll be surprised by the results!

Create top-notch compost in a cup

This is an easy science activity, and you can turn it into a science fair project by experimenting with different mixtures, layering, and conditions for your compost cups.

Learn more: Compost Cups at The Happy Housewife

Learn the best way to repel ants

Do you really need to use poisons to keep ants out of your home? Explore other possible solutions in this science project idea.

Simulate a tsunami and find ways to protect people

Build a model to simulate a tsunami, then come up with potential ways to minimize the damage future waves may cause.

Design a squirrel-proof bird feeder

Squirrels can be real pests at backyard bird feeders, and people are always trying to come up with new solutions to the issue. Can you be the one who finally solves this pesky problem?

Students who love to mix up chemicals and explore the results will enjoy these 6th grade chemistry science fair ideas.

Compare baking powder and baking soda

Baking powder and baking soda have similar names, but do they behave the same when used in a baking recipe? Bake up a few cakes and find out!

Devise a formula for creating the biggest soap bubbles

Soap bubble formulas vary, and some allow you to make bigger bubbles than others. What does it take to make the biggest bubble of them all?

Learn if tea and cola damage teeth

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Medium

Use eggshells to explore how various beverages can stain teeth in this classic 6th grade science fair project. (It also teaches important lessons about dental hygiene!)

Learn more: Teeth and Eggs at Education.com

Look for iron in your breakfast cereal

The human body needs iron to be healthy, and many breakfast cereal boxes boast that they contain it. Conduct a 6th grade science fair project to find out if cereals really contain all the iron they say they do.

Find the best way to clean up old coins

Use common household items to make old oxidized coins clean and shiny again in this simple chemistry experiment. Form a hypothesis about which method will work best, then do some research to explain the results.

Learn more: Cleaning Coins Experiment at Gally Kids

Explore the effects of various sugars on yeast

Yeast needs sugar to grow, but does the type of sugar matter? And can you use sugar substitutes instead? This is a sweet way to find out!

Grow the biggest carbon sugar snake

Tinker with the formula to create the biggest carbon sugar snake possible! This is an engaging project that will wow other students too.

Learn more: Carbon Sugar Snake at KiwiCo

Determine whether soda has more sugar than juice

Which do you think has more sugar, a glass of Pepsi or one of orange juice? Boil away the water to find out in this 6th grade chemistry experiment.

Explore the properties of plastic made from milk

Making milk from plastic is actually pretty simple. Turn it into a science fair project by learning more about its strength, durability, and flexibility, and proposing a practical use for it.

Determine which type of juice has the most vitamin C

Vitamin C might not immediately cure your cold, but it definitely has health benefits. Does orange juice really have the most vitamin C? Conduct an experiment using an iodine titration method to learn the answer.

Calling all tinkerers! Build, create, and engineer a science fair project using physics principals.

Build a powerful paper-plane launcher

Here’s a cool 6th grade science fair project. Design and build a paper-airplane launcher that can fly a plane farther than anyone else’s.

Learn more: Paper Plane Launcher at Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

Figure out the fastest way to cool a soda

Adding ice to a glass of soda cools it off, but it also waters it down. See if you can find a fast way to cool down soda while it’s still in the can or bottle instead.

Launch a bottle rocket higher or more accurately

A basic water-powered rocket isn’t that hard to assemble, but you can turn it into a bona fide 6th grade science fair project by playing around with the design. Figure out how to launch it higher, or change the trajectory to hit a certain target.

Identify the best insulating material

Insulating an item can prevent it from losing heat, like an insulated beverage bottle. What materials are the most effective insulators? How can you find out?

Drop parachutes to test air resistance

Use the scientific method to test different types of material and see which makes the most effective parachute. This is an easy project that’s perfect for kids interested in design and engineering.

Learn more: Parachutes at Education.com

Discover which produce best powers a clock

Here’s one of those classic science fair projects that you can really customize to make your own. Try testing out a variety of fruits and veggies, or playing around with connecting several types of produce to see what happens. This inexpensive kit has all the supplies you need.

Engineer the strongest craft stick bridge

Difficulty: Medium / Materials: Basic

This is a classic science activity for the classroom, but it works well for 6th grade science fair projects too. Form a hypothesis about the strongest type of bridge design, then build your own models to test it out.

Assemble the best simple motor

Looking for an idea that’s impressive but not too complicated? Build your own simple motor! You only need a few special supplies, including insulated copper wire and neodymium magnets . Turn it into a true 6th grade science fair project by altering the variables to see if you can increase the speed, reduce the noise, or make other improvements.

Learn more: DIY Motor at Home Science Tools

Learn if room temperature affects candle burn rate

This is a simple experiment to conduct, and it’s inexpensive too. Burn birthday candles in a variety of temperatures to see if they burn faster in higher temps.

Determine how much money energy vampires are wasting in your home

So-called “energy vampires” use up energy even when they’re not in active use. And energy costs money. Determine how much energy is being wasted by energy vampires in your home, and figure out how much money you can save on an annual electric bill by getting rid of them.

Engage students with a live demonstration showing the concepts they’re studying. Even better, give them a chance to get hands-on and do the science themselves!

Assemble motorized tiny dancers

Build a homopolar motor to make little spinning wire dancers. It takes a little practice to get it right, but it’s a really fun way to learn about motors and energy.

Learn more: Tiny Dancers at Babble Dabble Do

Amplify your smartphone with basic supplies

No Bluetooth speaker? No problem! Build your own from paper cups and a toilet paper tube. This is a 6th grade STEM challenge that’s sure to amaze kids.

Learn more: Cell Phone Speaker at The Mad House

Wear a gene bracelet

This is a neat way to talk about our genes. Have each student add pony beads to their bracelet to represent different traits. Then they can compare their differences and similarities. It’s likely that no two students will have the same bracelets!

Learn more: DNA Gene Bracelet at Pragmatic Mom

Make naked eggs

Students dissolve the calcium carbonate eggshell in vinegar and discover the membranes beneath that hold the egg together. It’s a unique and intriguing way to learn about acid-base reactions.

Learn more: Naked Egg at Making Memories With Your Kids

Experiment with naked eggs

Now, submerge those naked eggs in corn syrup and water to learn about osmosis. The eggs shrink or grow depending on the liquid they’re placed in. So cool!

Learn more: Naked Egg Experiments at Exploratorium

Send water traveling down a string

Explore the properties of cohesion and adhesion with this simple experiment using only water and cotton string. Expand the learning by trying the same experiment with different materials and liquids.

Learn more: Traveling Water at Rookie Parenting

Launch a two-stage rocket

The rockets used for space flight generally have more than one stage to give them the extra boost they need. This experiment uses balloons to model a two-stage rocket launch, teaching kids about the laws of motion.

Change the color of a liquid in an instant

Want to see your kids gasp in amazement? Perform the iodine clock reaction. You only need a few drugstore chemicals to change the solution from clear to dark blue faster than students can blink.

Levitate a Ping-Pong ball

Kids will get a kick out of this experiment, which is really all about Bernoulli’s principle. You only need plastic bottles, bendy straws, and Ping-Pong balls to make the science magic happen.

Learn more: Bernoulli Ping-Pong Ball at Buggy and Buddy

Use a fidget spinner to understand inertia

Learning about the laws of motion? This experiment uses a fidget spinner with three lights to show how mass and torque affect inertia.

Learn more: Fidget Spinner Inertia at Homeschool Momgineer

Build a heart pump model

Students gain a deeper understanding of the cardiovascular system when they construct a working model of a heart ventricle.

Learn more: Heart Pump Model at Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Construct a pair of model lungs

Build model lungs using a plastic water bottle and some balloons to learn more about the respiratory system. You can modify the experiment to demonstrate the effects of smoking too.

Learn more: Lungs Model at Surviving a Teacher’s Salary

Dissect an owl pellet

Dig into an owl’s regurgitated meals (it’s not as gross as it sounds!) to discover what their diet consists of. Owl pellets are readily available online, and kids will be intrigued by what they find.

Learn more: Owl Pellets at Gift of Curiosity

Study sound waves with a spoon

With just yarn and a metal spoon, learn how vibrations create sound, and explore the role of conductors.

Learn more: Spoon Sound Waves at KC Edventures With Kids

Make sparks with steel wool

All you need is steel wool and a 9-volt battery to perform this science demo that’s bound to make their eyes light up! Kids learn about chain reactions, chemical changes, and more.

Learn more: Steel Wool Reaction at The Homeschool Scientist

Create a colorful cell model

There are lots of cell model projects out there, but this might be one of the cutest ones we’ve seen! And it’s easier to assemble than you might think.

Learn more: Cell Model at Angelic Scalliwags

Extract DNA from a strawberry

It’s surprisingly easy to pull a strand of DNA from this sweet fruit. Teach your kids about genetics and DNA with this 6th grade science project that uses only basic household supplies.

Design a biodome

There’s so much to learn in this 6th grade science project. Kids build a scale-model biodome to learn more about different environments and ecosystems, decomposition, the food web, and more.

Learn more: Biodome Project at Teach Engineering

Pull an egg into a bottle

This is another classic science demo that never fails to delight. Use the power of air pressure to suck a hard-boiled egg into a jar—no hands required.

Learn more: Egg in a Bottle at Left Brain Craft Brain

Make a pH indicator from a vegetable

Who knew such a simple material could be used to determine a substance’s acidity or alkalinity? Your students can explore acids and bases with this simple experiment.

Learn more: Red Cabbage Indicator at Compound Interest

Need supplies for your 6th grade science fair projects and activities? Check out these 24 Science Kits for Middle and High School That Make Hands-On Lessons Easy .

Plus, get all the latest teaching tips and tricks straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletters .

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Free Animal Report Printables and Notebooking Pages

Published: June 8, 2018

Contributor: Sarah Shelton

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.

Do you  have a child that loves learning about animals but may struggle with writing? If so, then having them write a report on their favorite animal may be a great way to get them out of their writing funk and help them to get excited about writing. These free animal report templates and printables can help them organize their thoughts for a fun writing assignment.

Get Kids Excited to Learn About Animals

I have two daughters that are struggling learners. They are also amazing animal lovers and will soak up all of the information and facts on animals that they can. 

My favorite part of homeschooling is how we can tailor our learning experiences to our children’s interests and to things that are important to them. If you have an animal lover that struggles with reading and writing, try having them do some research and write a report about their favorite animal.

Writing an Animal Report

You may find that children get excited about what they are learning and want to share it in their report. When working on their report, they won’t even realize that they are doing “school” and that real learning is getting done! This is a great alternative to a textbook and works wonderfully for struggling learners that don’t like feeling “pushed”. 

What to Include in an Animal Report

Of course your student will cover the basics about each individual animal in his report, but here’s an idea of some of the topics your child can write about:

• Geography – where is the animal found in the world?
• Habitat – what is the habitat like for your animal?
• Lifespan – what is the animal’s lifespan?
• Lifecycle – what does the lifecycle look like for the animal?
• Animal Kingdom – where in the animal kingdom is your topic animal?
• Diet – what does your animal eat?
• Appearance – what does your animal look like?
• Food chain – where does the animal fit on the food chain?
• Animal tracks – what does the animals tracks look like? You can grab our free unit study on identifying animal tracks to learn more and incorporate into your report. 

Those are just some basic ideas – you can really take it however far you’d like when writing a report about animals. 

Observing Live Animals

Obviously you are not likely able to travel the world viewing animals live in their habitats, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out! Watching animals via live animal cams is a fun way to get a glimpse into every day life for animals. 

Free Animal Report Templates and Notebooking Pages

I have compiled a list of some great free animal reports and notebooking pages that you can use without a curriculum, and for extra learning fun:

Animal Report Forms

Animal Report Form – This is a great form if your student wants to outline facts on zoo animals.

Rainforest Animal Research Report Form  – If you are researching animals specific to the rainforest, then this free printable animal report is perfect for your early elementary or beginning writer as it uses primary lines. 

Ocean Animal Mini Reports – Studying the animals of the ocean? These ocean animals report pages would be a perfect companion to your study of the ocean .

Animal Report Pages

Animal Report Writing Printable and Rubric – I like that this printable animal report also contains a rubric so that you can determine if your child put enough effort into their animal research project.

Animal Research Booklet – This 9-page animal report printable pack has blank templates that you can make your own.

Printable Animal Report Page – This animal report sheet has some decorative boxes and lines and a world map.

Animal Report Outlines

Animal Report Outline for Grades 3 – 5 – This freebie contains cute card prompts that will assist your elementary students in outlining their animal facts into categories.

Animal Report Printable – These free animal report pages are my favorite. I think even a middle school student could have fun researching a particular animal and then writing a paper using these sheets.

Animal Research for Kids with Zoey and Sassafrass Printable – Do your kids enjoy reading the Zoey and Sassafras series? If so, these animal research pages printable will be sure to delight them to no end. 

Animal Report Worksheets

Zoo Field trip Worksheets – Going on a field trip to the zoo? Take along these free zoo field trip worksheets so your kids can report on the animals they saw and learned about.

Animal Report Worksheet with Geography Map – This free animal report worksheet is simple. but contains all the spaces for the animal facts that your kids gather. 

ABC Animal Report 26 Printables – Young children can practice the alphabet and learn about animals at the same time with this freebie. 

Animal Research Websites

Kids National Geographic: Animals – is a great animal research site. You can quickly search for animals by type and there are facts and amazing photographs and videos.  San Diego Zoo Kids has amazing photos and easy to read simple facts on the different animals. Science Kids Animal Facts has simple animal facts for each animal as well as fun facts.

Animal Fact Guide has photos of each animal that you click on. It will give you very detailed facts of the animal and it’s scientific name, as well as geographical location, and conservation status.

More Free Animal Printables and Downloads

Animal Behavior Copywork Pack – Discover some terminology related to how animals act and behave in the wild. 

Animal Families Notebook Journal – Learn more about animal families using this printable research journal. This set of animal family worksheets would make a great addition to your report.

Animal Parts Vocabulary Copywork – Help your kids learn the meanings of 25 animal-related words with this Free Animal Parts Vocabulary Copywork.

Animals Science Notebook Journals   – Check out our free series of research notebooks on various animals and habitats.

Curriculum & Unit Studies About Animals

Discovering Plants and Animals Volume One: Africa and Asia –  Your elementary and middle school students can have fun learning about some of the many animals and plants that live in more than 100 countries with  Discovering Plants and Animals of the World, Volume One . It’s  perfect for students in 3th-6th grade , but it can easily be adapted for younger or older students.

Migration – Explore the Amazing Journeys of Animals –  This unit study   is a fun way to introduce your kids to migration and help them discover how 18 different animals migrate. It’s perfect for students in 4 th -8 th  grade, but it can easily be adapted for younger or older students.

From birds to mammals, insects to reptiles, your students will learn about pilchards, penguins, wildebeests, butterflies, and much more.

Sarah Shelton

Sarah is a wife, daughter of the King and Mama to 4 children (two homeschool graduates) She is a an eclectic, Charlotte Mason style homeschooler that has been homeschooling for over 20 years.. She is still trying to find the balance between work and keeping a home and gardens. She can only do it by the Grace of God, coffee and green juice

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