Page 2 - Kind News, Jr. Teacher Guide November/December 2023

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

Kindergarten: Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.10: Actively engage in group reading activities
with purpose and understanding. To go with “Humane Hero – Safety Scout!” and “Animal Safety Challenge”: For
this activity, visit KindNews.org/animalsafety and click on Prince William SPCA’s Animal Safety Program Packet. Print
out pages 15 and 16, and cut out the items on page 15. After reading about Natalie, ask students what they thought of
her idea to teach younger children about animal safety. Ask them to complete “Animal Safety Challenge” from their
magazines if they have not done so yet. Go over the answers (see “Answer Key” on opposite page). Then have them
close their magazines and play a game to test their memories: Hold up items from the challenge and have students put
their thumbs up for a safe item, thumbs down for an unsafe item. Build in time after each item to allow for discussion of
choices and allow students to explain items they're uncertain on. When students get an item right, they should give
themselves a point by making a tally mark on their magazine or a blank paper. At the end, they can count up how many
tally marks they have.

First grade: Language Arts and Research: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.7: Participate in shared research and
writing projects. Science: NGSS Cross-cutting Concept – Patterns in the natural world can be observed,
used to describe phenomena, and used as evidence. (1-LS1-2) To go with “Amazing World: Honk If You Have
A New Neighbor!”: After reading the article, ask students if they have seen geese in their neighborhood or at a
park. What did they think of them? Have they seen geese flying when the weather turns colder or warmer? Discuss
what animals need to survive. Why do geese migrate, and how does this help them survive? If possible, show
photos or videos of other animals who migrate (see a few examples below). Ask students to guess why they think
they are migrating. Then ask students to choose an animal (Canada goose or another animal they learned more
about) and create a migration facts card about it:

On the front: On the back:
I am a/n ______________[animal]. My home is in: _____________________________
I move to: ________________________________
[Drawing of the animal] because: ________________________________

To extend the activity, combine all the cards into a game where students draw a card, read the facts about it on the
back, and guess which animal the facts describe.
Migration card example:
I am a Monarch butterfly.
My home is in: Canada and the United States where milkweed is found for food and laying my eggs in
I move to: Mexico
because: It’s a warmer place for my winter hibernation.

Second grade: National Consensus for School Health Education
Standards 1.2.4: Identify safe and unsafe situations, people, and
events. To go with “Humane Hero – Safety Scout!”: After reading the
article, ask children how many of them have pets. Of those who don’t,
how many help take care of pets in their neighborhood or see them every
day? Ask them to name things they know cats and dogs cannot eat (such
as flowers or chocolate). Come up with as many pet safety tips as a class THIS PAGE: MELISSA KORZUCH. OPPOSITE PAGE: MARCU GANAHL/UNSPLASH.COM.
as you can. For more information, visit KindNews.org/petsafety to access
Prince William SPCA’s Animal Safety Program Packet. Are there related
tips students can apply to themselves, such as safe and unsafe items and
situations? Then ask students to create Public Safety Announcements in
the form of posters, skits or videos that share their favorite pet and child
safety tips. To extend the activity, ask students to conduct the Animal
Scavenger Hunt from pages 7-9 of the Program Packet at home and report
back with what they found. What did they do with unsafe items when they
found them?