You've noticed we have some topics that go on for two weeks . . . as in four days. I've had some people say they couldn't make it go that long. I actually usually have extra ideas I have to toss out, in kindergarten topics would go for a month, and the BYU preschool does topics for 6 weeks. How, Emily? I'll tell you . . .
First of all, kids learn from hands-on activities, and there isn't much you can tell them in the form of just telling that sticks. Of course, yes, sometimes it does, especially when you don't want it to, but not usually. So, if you want to teach them that wolves get thick fur in the winter, live in packs (do they? or just for hunting?), eat rabbits, and carry their babies by the neck-skin, that would be four different activities. (Know what? Turns out I don't know much about wolves.)
When you first get a topic, brainstorm everything about it that you know, then group your thoughts into categories. Each of the categories will be natural things to teach together. You can also make lists of things you are curious about, then either find out the answers and teach the kids, or find out together with the kids. The best early childhood programs teach kids to come up with the questions themselves, although with only teaching two days in a row, it's hard to follow-up on questions and experiments. However, the kids should be taught to question, if even in a small way.
For example, I could say, "I was thinking about wolves, and I know there's such a thing as a wolf pack, where all the wolves are together. But, I've also seen shows on TV where just one wolf is chasing after a rabbit. It made me wonder - when do wolves get together to make packs? What do they do with their packs?" I'd ask the kids to help me think of ideas of how to find out. Ideas might be books, the internet, videos, ask your mom . . . we could try them out together. How much would the kids love to watch me call and ask my mom? I can hear the giggles now. She wouldn't know, but maybe she could point me to a better resource. When you find out the answer, the kids can pretend to be a wolf pack, and do whatever it is wolves do in packs. You might have some props all ready to go. Okay, that will take 20 minutes, so that's one day. (To clarify, this is an example of modeling questioning and going through the learning process together. I just made this up as I typed, based on my own lack of knowledge.)
A more often used method in limited-time situations like ours, is after brainstorming the things you would like to teach the kids (and usually a little bit of research), think of activities to teach the kids the concepts you have brainstormed. So, I want to teach them about how wolves grow thicker fur in the winter. I could have all of the kids feel the fur and examine it, all the while asking questions about what they observe. I could then put the fur aside and tell the kids they will take turns being a wolf in the winter. One child can go outside (or the whole pack together) without a coat, and then talk about how that felt. Then, the "wolf" (or wolves) can go outside with a coat, and talk about how that was. Ask them what they think would happen if they were outside a long time without a coat. Then get the furs out again and decide if it's a summer wolf fur or a winter wolf fur. They could even take turns wearing the fur outside, if it's the right size.
Some things common to most animals that you can teach about are:
*What they eat (and what eats them)
*Where they live
*The life cycle (kids love learning about the babies)
*How big they are
*How they move
*Unique features (beak? trunk? scaly skin?)
*Seasonal adaptations
*Unique "stuff" (Can they leap across the highway? Do they hibernate? Do they carry their babies in pouches? Do they identify their babies by scent?)
*Their relationship/use for humans
Wow, suddenly we have more stuff than we can possibly cover in 4 class periods . . . of course searching the web for lesson plans is helpful, and I'm always more than willing to help people think. All of the wolf stuff I typed is just stream-of-consciousness, so not refined, but I was trying to give ideas about how to brainstorm. Hope this helps!
P.S. The same concepts of brainstorming and questioning apply to things that are not animals.
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