Page 2 - Kind News, Jan/Feb 2022, Teacher Guide

COMMON CORE, NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS (NGSS), AND CASEL-ALIGNED ACTIVITIES

Third grade: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
To go with Humane Hero, “Landon Stops to Help”: After reading the article, re-read Landon's quote, “You can see in an animal’s eyes
if they need help.” Ask students if they agree with that statement. What do they think Landon meant? How can animals “speak” to
you without talking? Do people ever speak without talking? What is body language and how do people and animals communicate
with it? Choose a companion animal such as a cat, dog, or rabbit, and compare how it displays common emotions with how people
generally show those same emotions. What is similar/ different? See example below. If time permits, students could draw a picture
of a person and an animal showing the same emotion and label the signs that indicate that emotion (for example, “eyes open wide”).
When dogs are scared, they might: When people are scared, we might:
Tuck their tail between their legs or look away Open our eyes and mouth widely
When dogs are happy, they might: When people are happy, we might:
Wag their tails in a circular motion Give a big grin or jump up and down
Fourth grade: NGSS 4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external
structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through
investigation of different aspects of a topic. CASEL Core Competency: Social Awareness
To go with “What’s the Point of Teeth?” and “Do Fish Have Teeth?”: After reading the article, ask students
what they have noticed about how the teeth of people differ from the teeth of other animals. Why might
some animals have pointier teeth than humans? Why do some fish have cone-shaped teeth?
Why do some animals' teeth never stop growing?
Ask students to choose an animal and research how its teeth help it survive. Some questions to include:
• Where does the animal live? Is it wild or domesticated?
• How do its teeth help it in its habitat?
• Is tooth decay an issue? Why or why not?

For fun, students could draw models or display photos of close-ups of their chosen animal’s teeth.
Fifth grade: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in
presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
To go with Curiosity Corner, “Do Fish Have Teeth?”: After reading the article, ask students if they were surprised to learn that fish have
teeth. Why or why not? Then ask students to brainstorm questions about animals they have wondered about that may not be commonly
known. Ask them to choose one question, conduct research to find the answer, and share the answer with the class. Ask them to include
something engaging when sharing to hold the class’s attention, such as a visual aid, video, or sound bite. For fun, students could pose
their questions to the class and have them guess the answers before sharing the facts. Alternatively, post students’ “wacky animal
questions” somewhere prominent in the physical or virtual classroom and choose one question a day to learn about. Examples of fun
questions:
• How do snakes sleep?
• Where does the hippopotamus get its name?
• Can jellyfish see?
• Do animals laugh?
Sixth grade: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
CASEL Core Competencies: Social Awareness, Self-Awareness, Responsible Decision-Making
To go with Humane Hero, “Landon Stops to Help”: After reading the article, discuss how Landon used TikTok to help Athena. Brainstorm
ways that technology can be helpful to people and animals. Then think of ways students feel that technology can be harmful to people
and animals. Ask students to pick one side in the following question: Is technology…
• More helpful than harmful to living beings? OR
• More harmful than helpful to living beings?
Ask students to write a persuasive piece supporting one side and include two real-life examples to
support their view. To extend the activity, divide students into two groups to debate the issue. If
appropriate, students may want to introduce the roles of social media and digital citizenship —
how to be responsible and respectful when using technology — when making their arguments.
For more information on digital citizenship, visit Where’s Raja?
commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship.
RAJA IS HIDING ON PAGE 8!