Best Books for Teaching About Animals in the Upper Elementary Classroom
Teaching science was not really my jam, if we are being honest.
But, there were a few science units that I really enjoyed teaching to my students. Teaching animals was definitely one of those. It's also one of those units that students typically get excited about.
Win-Win!
When I was putting together my science unit on animals I came across some really great books on animals that you might want to keep in your classroom during your animal unit. I'm going to share them with your today and even walk you through them in a quick video.
These books are not necessarily read-aloud anchor texts, although some are, but rather books to have on hand for your students to read on their own. It's important to keep extra books in addition to your read loud texts in your classroom library to encourage student exploration.
Make these books stand out by placing them in their own basket and drawing attention to them several times throughout your unit. You may even want to introduce each book briefly at the beginning of your unit and make specific suggestions to students who you think may enjoy a particular book.
Here are my favorites:
Below is a list of each book in case you want to check out more. You can even click on each title if you'd like to purchase from Amazon.com (affiliate links)
BOOKS FOR ANIMAL CLASSIFICATION:
Animal Classification by Angela Royston
Classifying Invertebrates by Francine D. Galko
BOOKS ON HABITATS AND ECOSYSTEMS:
Nature's Patchwork Quilt: Understanding Habitats by Mary Miche
EcoMazes: 12 Earth Adventures by Roxie Munro
Changes in Animal Habitats by Steve Parker
ENDANGERED ANIMALS:
Oil Spill! by Melvin Berger
Animals in Danger in North America by Richard Spilsbury
Almost Gone by Steve Jenkins
FOOD CHAINS AND WEBS:
Forest Food Chains by Bobbie Kalman
ADAPTATIONS:
Adaptation by Melani Waldron
The Journey: Stories of Migration by Cynthia Rylant
Creature Features Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Great Migration by Elizabeth Carney
Animal Hibernation by Jeanie Mebane
Where in the Wild? Camouflages Creatures Concealed...and Revealed by David M. Schwartz and Yael Schy
EXTRAS
Actual Size by Steve Jenkins