Looking for a fun way to encourage students to learn about animals? Well look no further than the New York Zoos & Aquarium's "Build Yourself Wild" site - http://www.buildyourwildself.com/ This site allows students to turn themselves into fictional wild animals by selecting from a variety of animal body parts to create a wild version of themselves. This resource could be used in a variety of ways. I've listed a few examples below.
1. Recognize similarities and differences in groups of organisms (SKL2)
2. Compare and describe various animals - appearance, motion, etc. (S1L1d)
3. Write a story about the fictional life cycle of your "wild-self" - (S2L1a)
4. Create a wild version of yourself and explain why "you" could or could not live in a specific Georgia habitat. - (S3L1c)
5. Allow each student to create a wild version of themself. Then randomly place students into groups of 4-6 students. Encourage groups to come up with a food web/ food chain that would include their "wild-selves." (S4L1b)
6. Encourage students to create wild versions of themselves, but challenge them to ensure that the body parts they select all belong to the same groups (fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, mammal, or invertebrate). (S5L1a)
Thanks to Carley Brom, 4th grade @ Brown ES, for sharing. She used the site as part of her unit on informational writing.
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