A CARIBOU JOURNEY: ACTIVITIES FOR TEACHERS

1. Language Arts

A. Alphabet books

1. After reading A Caribou Journey as a class, have the students make a caribou alphabet book. Each student can choose a letter and think of a word that relates to the caribou. Young students can write the word and illustrate it. Example: A is for antler). Older students can write a sentence or paragraph about the word and illustrate it. This can be compiled into a class book.

2. Make an Alaska animal alphabet book: Each student chooses a letter and thinks of an Alaska animal that begins with that letter. Other books that show many of the Alaska animals include River of Life, and Big Alaska: Journey Across America's Amazing State, and Arctic Lights, Arctic Nights.

B. Caribou glossary

Students can develop their own glossary of caribou words based on A Caribou Journey. Younger students could list words as a group activity with teacher writing them on board; older students could make a list and look up the meanings in a dictionary. A class glossary book with illustrations can also make a nice resource.

C. Caribou Fact Book

Each student picks out one fact about caribou that he/she learned from reading A Caribou Journey. Students can write the fact in their own words and make an illustration. Then, all the student works can be bound into a class caribou fact book. One third grader told me that he discovered 32 facts in A Caribou Journey!

D. Caribou journey stories

1. Students can pretend that they are caribou and write stories about their own journeys across the tundra.

2. Other Alaska animal stories: Each student picks an Alaska animal, reads a library book about the animal, then writes a story about the animal's life cycle using A Caribou Journey as a model story.

3. Wildlife Poetry: Write a Haiku poem about the caribou that explains how the caribou lives.

2. Wildlife Geography and Math

A. Migration Maps

1. Find out about the climate, habitat and geography of the region their animal migrates to for winter.

2. Label the different countries/states that the animal travels across, or near, during migration.

3. Study the specific habitat needs of the animal, and the animal's adaptations for living in that preferred habitat.

B. Caribou Habitat Maps: Divide students into groups of 3-4 students.

Step 1: Two students make a set of cards to reflect the caribou's habitat and their needs to live. Cards should have the same background color, or number, for group identification:

Examples:
1. Food: lichens, push-ups, green plants
2. Predators: wolves, eagles, bears
3. Calving grounds: coastal plain
4. Shelter: forest
5. Water: rivers

Step 2: Two students work together to make a map of classroom with compass and legend.

Step 3: Then students as group decide where in the classroom the habitat cards should be placed.

Step 4: Students then write directions using compass headings to direct other students to the habitat zones (cards).

Step 5: When all the groups have completed cards/maps/directions, the habitat cards are placed around room in proper location. Student groups then interchange maps with directions and each group has to find another group's habitat cards. (You could also use the playground or school building for this activity, which would give more space for groups and greater variety of map possibilities.)

C. How far does a caribou travel? The caribou in A Caribou Journey travel about 3,000 miles per year. Have students look at a U.S. map and determine how far 3,000 miles is from their own home or community.

3. Life-sized caribou

Enlarge a picture of a caribou to it's true life size through an overhead projector. The caribou should measure between 3 1/2 to 4 feet tall from ground to top of back. Sketch caribou outline on big piece of butcher paper. Post life-size caribou in classroom or hallway. Students can color the caribou, then measure each other's heights in relation to the true size of the animal. Note their heights/names next to the picture. This is a fun way for them to discover how big a caribou is in relation to their own bodies.

START WRITING!   KEEP WRITING!   HAVE FUN CREATING!

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Debbie S. Miller debbiesmiller@hotmail.com