Suggested Books

Heller, Ruth. Chickens Aren't the Only Ones. Paper Star. ISBN 0698117786

Legg, Gerald, Carolyn Scrace, David Salariya. From Egg to Chicken. Franklin Watts, Inc. ISBN 0531144909

Owen, Oliver S. Egg to Snake. Abdo Pub. Co. ISBN 1562392948

Seuss, Dr. Horton Hatches the Egg. Random House. ISBN 039480077X

Rationale Within Standards

Reading/writing:

Students read and understand a variety of materials.

Students write and speak using conventional grammar, usage, sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.

Math:

Students use data collection in problem-solving situations

Science:

Students know and understand how humans (mammals) develop and compare
to those of other organisms. (example: frog and chicken)

Lesson Vocabulary

egg

oviparous

amphibian

reptile

fish

bird

mammal

cluster

hatch

Lesson Plan

Objective: Students will understand that many kinds of animals come from eggs and be able to identify them.

Background: Animals that are born alive and nurse their young are mammals. Animals that are born in eggs are oviparous and include most reptiles, amphibians, birds and fish. Not all eggs are "egg-shaped." Some are thousands of jelly-like clusters or rubbery cylinders. Some are quite large and few are very tiny. Many animals eat the eggs of other animals. Humans enjoy eating several kinds of eggs, including chicken and fish eggs.

Procedure:
1. Activate prior knowledge with whole group. Do you know what animals come from an egg? Do you know where animals lay their eggs? Do you know how long it takes for an egg to hatch? Brainstorm a list of oviparous animals on chart paper.
2. Read Chickens Aren't the Only Ones by Ruth Heller. Read slowly and "work" the pages, looking at the colorful pictures, noting unusual animals not previously listed. Allow children to contribute or ask questions. Note the rhyming text. Modify charted listing of oviparous animals.
3. Read the book again without stopping, leaving last word off here and there to encourage students to supply missing word.
4. Make a chart with headings: birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish. Write names of animals included in book under correct columns. Post for reference.
5. Choose a language experience and math activity.

Closure: Display or share projects. Look for similarities and applaud efforts.

Evaluation: What does oviparous mean? Can you name five animals that come from an egg? How are these animals different from humans

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