Animals with new adaptations

collaborative world map

As an avid traveler, I use every experience and every challenge as a learning opportunity. Traveling allows me to provide first-hand information to my students and an education that extends beyond the textbook. 

 As an educator, I am dedicated to bringing the world into my classroom using personal narratives, photography, and artifacts. Through these, I create immersive “mini-experiences” that make lessons more meaningful and engaging. I am continuously seeking ways to learn and grow as a professional. My vision is to bring the world to students who may never get the opportunity to travel, and to provide hands-on learning that helps them become environmentally aware.

This year, my students completed an immerisive unit on global wildlife and their habitats. Each student selected an animal to research, focusing on the animals physical and behavioral adaptations. They were able to draw and label their chosen animal, and then painted the animals habitat inside of the outline map of the animal's native country. We then pieced together all of the countries to construct a collaborative world map. To challege the students, they were put in small groups and given an animal. I presented them with the scenario that the animals habitat had been destroyed and the animal must find a new home. The groups used problem-solving skills to determine how the animal would adapt to survive. I then challenged each group created a version of their animal based on its new physical adaptations. 

I hope to continue to deepen my understanding of environmental education and continue to develop meaningful, engaging lessons like this one for the students.