DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET STANDARDS Next Generation Science Standards, Kindergarten – K-LS1-1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes (Life Sciences) Use observations to describe patterns in the natural world in order to answer scientific questions. Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework – Scientific Reasoning (Reason- ing and Problem Solving) Goal P-SCI 4. Child asks a question, gathers infor- mation, and makes predictions. Massachusetts Science Standards for Preschool – PreK-LS2-1 Use evidence from animals and plants to define several characteristics of living things that distin- guish them from nonliving things. MATERIALS digital camera or smartphone camera children’s informational books about animals that live in the city, such as Baby Animals in Cities by Bobbie Kalman and Zoobooks City Animals by Marjorie Betts Shaw graph, as illustrated SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION A surprising array of animals live among humans in towns and cities. Children are likely to be most familiar with cats, dogs, birds, and squirrels. Although they may have noticed insects, they may not count them as members of the animal family or look at them in detail. Through book explorations, children will learn that raccoons, chipmunks, opossums, foxes, rabbits, coyotes, mice, rats, snakes, and even deer may live in their city. 16   CHAPTER 1 IMPLEMENTATION 1. Prior to the class observational walk, teachers can ask children what kinds of animals they expect to see on the walk. This will help focus their attention during the walk. 2. Observational walks are most effective if children can be divided into small groups, each with a parent to guide children’s explo- rations. The adults can periodically pause during the walk so that children can look into trees for squirrels and birds and examine the ground for insects. 3. During the walk, adults can take photo- graphs of the animals the children discover. These can be printed and posted on a chart that is divided into columns for mammals, birds, and insects. If some animals move too quickly to be photographed, photos can be downloaded from the Internet after the walk. COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL