The second graders finished their research unit this week. The lesson began with a letter from Skoob the Shelf Elf telling about his vacation. He saw bison. Our challenge was to figure out where he went. Most children did not know what a bison or where it lives so we looked it up! We used the animal database at PebbleGo.com to see, hear, and learn about bison. Then we read an article about them in the Heinemann First Encyclopedia. 
The children were able to locate information such as the bison’s ecosystem, food, enemies, and physical characteristics. We recorded these on a graphic organizer. The lesson ended with each child contributing an interesting fact about bison.
By the way, the American bison live in the grasslands of North America (both Canada and the United States). They are five to seven feet tall and can weigh over 2,000 lbs.! Many people call them buffalo, but the correct name is bison.
Leave a Reply