Key Stage 1 Carnival of the Animals
Domestic Birds

Be amazed by domestic birds and take part in different egg-citing activities! Find out what they need to stay happy and healthy. Listen to Farmer Duck´s story and use it as inspiration for drama activities. Learn about the journey from egg to adult and use dance to retell the life cycle. Acquire knowledge about food chains and learn about the significance of feathers.

Session 1 All about eggs!

Objectives

Science

  • Identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
  • Use observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.

Lesson Planning

Read the book 'An egg is quiet' and learn fascinating facts about eggs. Children will take part in a quiz, try making meringue and learn more about eggs through observational work.

Teaching Outcomes
To learn that an egg gives the chick inside it everything it needs to grow and survive.
To learn about eggs through observations, To name and identify common birds.

Children will:

  • Learn that an egg gives the chick inside it everything it needs to grow and survive.
  • Learn about eggs through observations.
  • Be able to name and identify common birds.

Provided Resources

  • Egg quiz cards
  • Egg observation sheet
  • Meringue instructions

You Will Need

  • An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Aston
  • Measuring tape
  • Chicken eggs, both brown and white
  • Quail eggs, if possible

Session 2 What do animals need?

Objectives

Science

  • Find out about and describe the basic needs of animals, including humans, for survival.

English

  • Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates.

Lesson Planning

Children will investigate cows, hens and ducks to find out what they need. They will present their investigation work to the class and use their findings to answer questions.

Teaching Outcomes
To learn that all animals, including birds have basic needs, learn that animals have different needs.
To recognise and discuss what is fair and unfair, and what is right and wrong, present their work to the class.

Children will:

  • Learn that all animals, including birds have basic needs.
  • Learn that animals have different needs.
  • Recognise and discuss what is fair and unfair, and what is right and wrong.
  • Present their work to the class.

You Will Need

You do not need any particular resources for this session.

Session 3 Farmer Duck's day off

Objectives

English

  • Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates.
  • Maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments.

Lesson Planning

Children will listen to the story of farmer duck and then use drama techniques to explore characters from the story. Children will then change aspects of the story and retell their versions to the class.

Teaching Outcomes
Use hot seating techniques to explore characters from the story Farmer Duck, Sustain different roles individually and in groups. Improvise and work in role when acting.

Children will:

  • Use hot seating techniques to explore characters from the story Farmer Duck.
  • Sustain different roles individually and in groups.
  • Improvise and work in role when acting.

You Will Need

  • Book Farmer Duck by Martin Wadell
  • String for the masks
  • Hats, scarves, feather boa, animal ears

Session 4 The life cycle of birds

Objectives

Science

  • Use observational skills and ideas to suggest answers to questions.

Dance

  • Perform dances using simple movement patterns.

Art and Design

  • Use a range of materials creatively to design and make products.

Lesson Planning

Children will meet chick and learn about her journey through life. They will experience life as chick through dance and make their own life cycle wheel using collage materials.

Teaching Outcomes
Learn that living things grow and change, understand the stages of the life cycle.
Use movement to perform the stages of the lifecycle.
To create a simple life cycle wheel.

Children will:

  • Learn that living things grow and change.
  • Understand the stages of the life cycle.
  • Make a simple life cycle wheel.

Provided Resources

  • Instructions for making bird lifecycle wheel

You Will Need

  • See how they grow - chick by DK Publishing or
  • Popcorn: Life Cycles: Chicken by Ruth Thompson
  • A chick soft toy

Session 5 There was an old lady who swallowed a fly

Objectives

Science

  • Use observational skills and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  • Identify and classify, gathering data to help in answering questions.

Lesson Planning

Children will be introduced to the concept of food chains. They will learn about predators and prey through a fun game.

Teaching Outcomes
To make a simple food chain, learn some vocabulary associated with food chains, e.g. prey and predator. Know that food chains always begin with a plant.

Children will:

  • Make a simple food chain.
  • Learn some vocabulary associated with food chains, e.g. prey and predator.
  • Know that food chains always begin with a plant.
  • Use information gathered from the lesson to help answer questions about food chains.

You Will Need

  • There was an old lady poem

Session 6 All about feathers

Objectives

Science

  • Use observational skills and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  • Describe the structure of a variety of common animals (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, including pets).

Lesson Planning

Children will learn about the significance of feathers through observation work, they will find out about special bird features and draw diagrams of feathers.

Teaching Outcomes
To use observations to learn about feathers, draw and label a diagram showing the parts of a feather, and name some bird characteristics.

Children will:

  • Use observations to learn about feathers.
  • Draw and label a diagram showing the parts of a feather.
  • Name some bird characteristics.

You Will Need

  • A selection of feathers