Have you ever introduced a science topic, only to have your students forget everything by the next week? That’s why I love using an inquiry-to-writing approach for teaching an Arctic animals unit—it keeps students engaged from start to finish!
Instead of just reading a book or watching a video, students ask questions, research, and write about what they learn—and it actually sticks! Plus, it integrates science, reading, and writing in a way that makes lesson planning super easy for you.
And guess what? I’ve got a print-and-go Arctic Animals Unit that walks you through the entire process. Let’s dive in!
Step 1: Build Background Knowledge with a Read-Aloud
First things first: before kids can write about Arctic animals, they need to know what they are! I love kicking off this unit with a Read-Aloud & Class Discussion using the included Arctic Animals Read-Aloud pages.
The Lesson:
- Start a K-W-L chart (Know-Want to Learn-Learned). Ask:
- What do you already know about Arctic animals?
- How do Arctic animals survive in freezing temperatures?
- As you read, pause and let students predict, ask questions, and make connections.
- Wrap up with the Comprehension Questions worksheet—it’s an easy way to check for understanding!
Bonus tip:
If you have Arctic animal plushies or figurines, bring them out! Hands-on elements make learning so much more engaging.
Step 2 – Researching Arctic Animals (First Grade Friendly Style!)
- Introduce Arctic Animal Fact Books and teaching slides.
- Go through the slides so students can explore key facts about polar bears, walruses, snowy owls, caribou, arctic foxes, harp seals, orcas, and puffins.
- Guide students in noting facts about each animal with this Bubble Map graphic organizer.
Step 3 – Writing Time! (With Plenty of Built-In Support)
Here’s where the magic happens! After gathering their facts, students apply what they’ve learned by writing their own Arctic adventure stories!
The “My Arctic Adventure” Writing with Word Bank printable makes this SO much easier. Instead of getting stuck on spelling, kids can pull from a word bank full of Arctic-related words.
Ways to Differentiate:
- Struggling writers? Use sentence starters like: “The Arctic fox loves to ____.”
- Confident writers? Challenge them to write from the point of view of an Arctic animal!
- Wiggly writers? Let them partner up and brainstorm together before writing.
Teacher win:
The included self-checklist helps students edit their own work before turning it in—hello, independent learning!
Step 4 – Review & Reflect with the Comprehension Wheel
By now, your students have researched, organized, and written—but how do you make sure they really got it?
Enter the Comprehension Wheel! Students reflect on their learning by answering:
- What’s one interesting fact you learned?
- What’s something you already knew?
- How did this unit help you learn more?
It’s the perfect way to wrap up the lesson and reinforce learning!
Need more evidence of learning? End the unit with an exit ticket writing prompt:
Which Arctic animal would you want to be and why? (The responses are always adorable!)
Make Arctic Animals a Unit to Remember!
By following this inquiry-to-writing approach, your students won’t just memorize Arctic animal facts—they’ll connect with the content and apply their knowledge in meaningful ways.
And the best part? This Arctic Animals Unit is print-and-go! It saves you time while giving your students an engaging, hands-on learning experience.
Get instant access to download the unit here!
