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

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

Third grade: Science: NGSS 3-LS4-3: Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms
can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. Geography: D2.Geo.2.3-5: Use maps, satellite
images, photographs, and other representations to explain relationships between the locations of places and regions
and their environmental characteristics. To go with “To the Rescue – Meet Scar”: After reading the article, ask students:
Where do boas live in the wild? What kind of climate is this? Why do they think Scar’s needs were not met in his cage?
What did Steve’s Snaketuary provide for him? Allow students time to research boas’ natural habitats (see suggested
websites below) and find out what boas need to survive. Ask them to choose a Central or South American country that is
part of the boa’s habitat and use a weather site, such as weather-and-climate.com, to find out the country’s yearly average
temperature range. Then ask students to research the yearly temperature range and climate in their region and compare it
to that of the tropical country. Afterwards, reflect: Why do boas' natural habitats better meet their needs to survive? What
other animals would not survive as well in a tropical habitat?
Why do they think the Snaketuary and other organizations like it exist? What could they do to raise awareness about
snakes and what they need?
For more information on boa constrictors:
• Visit kids.nationalgeographic.com and enter “boas” in the search field.
• Visit kids.britannica.com, scroll down to the “Kids” tab, and enter “boa constrictor” in the search field.
• For information about coexisting with snakes, visit savethesnakes.org/coexist.
Fourth grade: Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or
events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. To go with “To the Rescue – Meet Scar”:
Before reading the article: take a “blind” (with eyes closed) vote where students answer the question, “Do you like snakes?”
Record the number of yeses and nos. After reading the article, ask students if anything surprised them about it. Had they
ever heard of a snake who falls asleep on your lap? Ask them to write a story from the perspective of a snake like Scar, or a
snake in the wild. What do they see or sense? What do they eat? What humans or other animals do they encounter? Have
them share their stories with a writing partner or read them to reading buddies in lower grades, and ask their partner to
choose what part they thought best captured the perspective of a snake. After this, take the blind vote with your class
again and share the results of the original and new votes. Did more students vote yes? If so, why do they think this is?
To extend the discussion, ask students what they think about Steve’s efforts to help Scar. What other animals in need can
they think of, and what could they do to help them?
Fifth grade: Language Arts and Research: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.7: Conduct short research projects that use several
sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. To go with, “For All You Get…Give!”:
After reading the article, ask students to answer Kind Question #1 in a journal. They’ll then share thoughts with a writing
partner about who their favorite humane hero was and anything they might be doing themselves to help others. Why were
they inspired by that person or people? Have them write a journal answer to this question: “If you had all the time and
resources in the world, what would you do to give back?” Have students share their entries with a partner and/or the class.
Are any of the activities possible with the time and resources they currently have? If so, which ones? To extend the activity,
ask students to research local animal organizations that they could potentially volunteer with. Here is a sample list of
questions for them to use for their research:
• What is the minimum age for volunteers? What days and times are volunteers needed?
• What are the organization’s most pressing needs?
• Does the organization have a service-learning program?

Sixth grade: Language Arts and Research: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.7. Conduct short research projects to answer a
question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate. To go with “Humane Hero – Safety
Scout!”: After reading the article, ask students if they know of a pet who has gotten into something harmful. Explain that
this is a common occurrence that leads to many veterinary visits in the United States. Then ask them to research statistics
on pet toxicity using sources such as ASPCA’s Poison Control Center. Use these questions to guide their work:
1. How many vet visits result each year in the US from pets accessing something unsafe? OPPOSITE PAGE: MARCU GANAHL/UNSPLASH.COM.
2. What are the top toxic foods or other items causing these visits?
3. Can these visits be prevented? Why or why not?
4. What more can be done to educate the public to keep their pets safe? Come up with at least three ideas.
Afterwards, allow students to choose one creative way to educate others about pet safety, such as a video, skit or digital
slideshow, and share it with the whole class or in a small group.