Julia Foy

The specific objective I was teaching in this lesson was ‘to notice that animals have offspring that grow into adults’. The lesson plan fully covered that science objective but it didn’t stop there.\nIt was also fantastic to be able to incorporate our knowledge of non-fiction, which we’d been learning about in English, and apply that to our science lesson.

Going Beyond National Curriculum Objectives

A wonderful additional outcome from this lesson was the children’s oral presentations to the class, to share their findings about the different animals. This is something that I believe as primary school teachers we don’t do enough of but this lesson really leant itself to those speaking and listening literacy skills.

During the oral presentations, children were able to ask a range of insightful questions, such as seeking clarification or asking for another example. This really highlighted the depth of the learning taking place and how interested they were in the lesson.

The children in my class loved \nThe Egg Book\n! I haven’t really seen a book like that before. I’ve seen lots of animal books, lots of books about different habitats, but I hadn’t seen it done in that life cycle way. \nIt was the perfect book to meet the specific objective I was covering. There wasn’t any unnecessary information; everything on the page was completely relevant to what the children needed to know.

Using a Quality Text to Support the Learning

It’s quite unique to be able to have an entire text that supports the lesson. It doesn’t matter which page you turn to within that book, the information the children will get from that would support the learning.

Linking the children’s learning about non-fiction texts, we were able to discuss the layout, the use of headings, sub-headings, key fact boxes, key vocabulary, and flow diagrams. \nThe children also got a lot from the Index and Contents pages in \nThe Egg Book\n. Our children hadn’t had previous experience of this element of non-fiction, because we tend to just give them the information they need, rather than a whole book.\nThe children loved the book so much that many of them have asked if they can borrow it and take it home, so we’re sharing it around the class. It’s so lovely to see.

When I’m looking for a teaching resource, I’m looking for something that’s laid out really clearly, isn’t overly wordy, states the learning objectives and has an easy-to-follow sequence of activities.

The Perfect Lesson Sequence

Cross-curricular links, especially to English, are also really important so that the skills taught in guided reading are used by the children in other lessons and seen as transferrable. This lesson does just that.

Adapting the ‘Amazing Animals’ lesson plan was so easy, meaning I could add things to suit my class’s needs. It took us right through from start to finish and I really liked the fact that the whole lesson tied into the book.\nWe began by reviewing our knowledge of animal classification. We then looked down the Contents page at the different animals featured in the book and the children were able to apply their prior learning about vertebrates and say which of the five common groups the animals in the book belonged to.\nThen, as per the plan, the children were able to choose which animal they would research. This led to a lot of motivation, with some choosing a ladybird and others choosing a rainbow trout – not animals I’d have thought to teach the class about had it not been for this lesson pack and the book.\nBy the end of the lesson, through researching and highlighting key points within the text, the children were able to orally present their findings within small groups. They were able to share key facts about the way that animal was born and its life cycle, using key terms.\nThey were then able to use that in their writing. They recorded the key facts and drew diagrams to show that animal’s life cycle.

I found that the text provided in the lesson pack for use in the group activity was great for all learners. They could all access it, even though I’ve got some real high-flying readers and others who really struggle with reading. \nThe small portions of text, diagrams and illustrations in the book itself were perfect for all children to access. This led to the children being able to conduct their own research and work independently, rather than me delivering the information to them.\nIt was fantastic to see even my less confident children feeding back the information to me about their chosen animal, which they were clearly motivated to do.\nThe children clearly enjoyed orally presenting their facts about the animals. Rehearsing their sentences and then presenting the information to the class in this way, really fed into their written work.

Accessible Resources for Inclusive Learning

Linking the learning\n to prior knowledge the children had on this topic meant they were instantly engaged and could make comparisons with other animals they’d learnt about. This gave the lesson context and meaning.\nUsing a great quality text\n brought the lesson alive, introducing the children to animals I wouldn’t necessarily have thought to teach them about. Even if I had thought of a range of animals to let the class research, I’d have had to have put a lot of time and effort into researching all those animals myself or finding a range of books and websites to let the children use for research purposes.\nGiving children autonomy\n meant they were excited and motivated to learn. They loved being able to choose which animal to research and having conducted their research independently, they felt inspired to share their knowledge with the class.\nBuilding discussion, questioning skills and oral presentation into the lesson \ncreated a lively, engaging environment. It gave the children the confidence to then use what they’d learnt in their written work. Both the oral presentations and the written work acted as evidence that the children had met the learning objective.

A Recipe for Successful Learning

I’d really recommend these lesson packs with accompanying books. I think they give teachers a really good starting place, with guidance on how to structure the lesson, how to make it engaging for your students and give them that autonomy in their learning.

Check out this video with Julia!

Julia teaches Year 2 at a small primary school in Kent. During her twelve years in teaching, she has taught years 1 - 6  and has been a subject leader for science and English. Outside of school, her interests include chasing around after her two young daughters and her dog, Rosie, and squeezing in running whenever possible.

Learn about the remarkable beginnings of life with this adorable book of baby animals hatching from their eggs. Find out all about how eggs hatch step by step in this fascinating baby animal book for children. Many animals start life inside eggs and this book explores these magical capsules in detail, with stunning photographs of the moment the creatures emerge. Featuring more than 20 animals - including a penguin, a tortoise, and even a slug - this book documents the moment of hatching in detail. Children aged 5-7 can learn how birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates hatch from their eggs, as well as what happens inside an egg's shell. This captivating animal book for children features: - A step-by-step account of different types of animals hatching, as well as what an egg is, which animals have eggs, and what is inside an egg. - Introductory pages that explain which animals have eggs and how they work. - Large, detailed photographs show eggs hatching almost in real time. - A wide range of animals, from birds to amphibians and insects. With expert information, jaw-dropping photography, and a beautifully shiny foil finish, The Egg Book is the ideal gift for any child with a love of nature and baby animals. Children will love to see the biggest egg in the world hatching, find out which animals have jellylike eggs, and which animals' egg cases are known as "mermaids' purses".

Year 1 (KS1)

Year 2 (KS1)

Year 3 (KS2)

Year 4 (KS2)

Animals and Nature

Science

The Egg Book

Amazing Animals KS1 Lesson Plan

\n\nLike many Year 2 teachers up and down the country, I’ve recently been teaching my class about life cycles, as part of our Science topic, Animals Including Humans.\nWe’d previously learnt about the life cycle of a human and a duck. Then I came across DK’s \nAmazing Animals\n lesson pack to use with the brilliant DK title, \nThe Egg Book\n.\nMy class were fascinated to learn more about animals that hatched from eggs and they really enjoyed the whole lesson.

Compelling Case Studies

Getting My Year 2’s Egg-cited with the Amazing Animals Lesson Pack

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