Snake Science: Reading Nonfiction and Researching Feeding Habits
Grade 1: Identify that some snakes eat eggs and recognize an example of snake food. Grade 3: Research snake feeding habits and distinguish several examples.
Literature connection: A Snake Mistake by Mavis Smith Time: 2–3 sessions Subjects: Science, Reading, Writing, Cross-Age Tutoring
Learning Objectives
- Use a nonfiction source to find information about what snakes eat.
- Recognize that different snake species can have different diets.
- Distinguish a factual statement from an invented story.
- Communicate one researched fact through a caption or short presentation.
Procedure
- Literature: Read the selected story and identify statements that need to be checked against nonfiction sources.
- Research: Grade 3 students use teacher-selected books or reliable wildlife resources to investigate feeding habits of several snake species. Record the snake, food, and source.
- Cross-age reading: Third graders read a short, accessible passage or summarize their research for first graders. First graders identify one food from the information presented.
- Illustration and captions: First graders create an animal illustration. Third graders write factual captions based on the research.
- Creative writing: Students may invent a snake story, but label it as fiction and avoid presenting invented behavior as a scientific fact.
Assessment
Grade 1: identify one appropriate snake food from a picture or short text. Grade 3: identify feeding information for several snakes and cite the source used.
Teacher Note
Avoid teaching “what snakes eat” as though every snake has the same diet. Use species-specific examples when making factual claims.