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Thanks so much for everyone's help. Bats are a big thing at the elementary level during October. I received enough different types of ideas to help create several collaborative units. Thanks again!! There's a really neat and informative online story: Echo the Bat http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/intro/story.html or simply type Echo the Bat into Google. I don't remember the details, but I believe a Worksheet or Mailbox magazine had simple at research a few years back. I did something like that where we made a bat book out of onstruction paper and had them find 3 facts. Each fact was written on a separate sheet of aper inside the bat books. We may have used enchanted learning. I will look at school and if I can find more, I will forward. A first grade teacher I worked with initiated a unit on bats by giving them a page divided into sections with several words (accompanied by illustrations to help non-readers -- variations on smily faces) asking them to select the word that matched how they felt when they heard the word bat. Choices included: harmful, interesting, disgusting, curious, dirty, and helpful. They tallied their reactions. The teacher and I shared resources related to bats with the students -- non-fiction books, web sites, etc. and discussed what they learned. They took a second tally reflecting their new knowledge. Next they went to the other first grade and two second grade classes and took a tally of their reactions. When asked how we could make sense of all the data they suggested making graphs. We used Graph Club in the computer lab to generate their graphs. The conclusion they drew from analyzing the graphs (of their initial tally, their follow-up tally, and the tallies from the first and second grade classes with out benefit of interacting with the resources) was that one's background knowledge influences one's opinions. The graphs from the other classes tallies and their initial tally were consistent while their second tally graph was significantly different (major increase in helpful, interesting and curious responses and fewer harmful, disgusting and dirty). We did it in connection with Halloween. The last Library Sparks had a library lesson on owls, bats, and spiders. It was for 2nd grade but could probably be adapted to 1st grade. You can go on their website and print off shape books for the students to make. **The issue is Vol. 4 No. 2, pg 24…The article is by Debra LaPlante Try Bat Conservation International's (BCI) website. They have great resources. www.batcon.org I believe is the URL otherwise just search on a search engine and you'll get them. I love bats! Have a great time with this unit - the kids should love it. Cindi Ortiz, Librarian, Hackensack High School, Hackensack, NJ I use bats to intro fiction and nonfiction. I read them "Hattie the backstage Bat" by Don Freeman and Bat Loves the Night by Davies. You could certainly find several easy readers about bats including: Bats (a smart start reader- scholastic) by Celia Bland, A new true book: Bats by Susan Heinrichs Gray, Zipping Zapping, Zooming Bats by Ann Earle (a stage 2 reader) or Bats by Kathryn Lundberg (Bat MAgic for Kids) With a little research and the website readwritethink.org you can have the kids type in a few interesting facts that they have learned to make a single sheet book that is on the website. Gail Gibbons has a nice book on bats for non-fiction. You could share that reading and maybe some other easier to read info book on bats and even go online and get a site to share--then you could list some facts and together make a short report. They could also use Kidpix or some other software to illustrate and list a fact about bats--then print and put them together in a class booklet. Do not let them forget to just list their sources of info. Bats at this time of year are so---ooo interesting. Plus you could also show the difference between fiction and NF. There are a magic school bus book, 'Going Batty" and a Bat Magic for Kids:Bats, by Kathryn T. Lundberg, that could be read to the kids; they could then volunteer facts they had learned, which could be bulleted on a hanging paper for them to use for whatever product you chose. Geneva Johnson, NBCT 2004 Library Media Specialist Ator Heights Elementary Owasso Public Schools johnsong@owasso.k12.ok.us -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book. To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL 3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation. * LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ * LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/ * EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://elann.biglist.com/sub/ * LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html --------------------------------------------------------------------