Classroom Environment

          Create a Farmyard Fun center in a corner of the classroom for students to use throughout the unit.  Display books about farm animals and include farm-animal puppets and puzzles.  Keep dress-up clothes on hand, such as plaid shirts, overalls, and straw hats.  Stock the center with toy farm sets, plastic farm animals, and tape recording of favorite barnyard songs.

Bulletin-Board Display

          Have the class help create a bulletin-board display titled Hooray for a Hayride.  Cover the bulletin board with butcher paper.  Make a construction-paper tractor that includes connecting carts attached to the end.  Glue hay or straw to the carts and let it dry before stapling the tractor to the bulletin board.  Ask each student to draw his or her face on the back of a small paper plate.  Staple the paper-plate faces on top of the hay-filled carts to show students taking a hayride.  Display a construction-paper farmer with your face drawn on it driving the tractor.  Cut out paper animal patterns and have each student write on a cutout the word naming the animal.

Charts

          Make a chart titled Barnyard Words to post in the classroom.  As you discuss farm animal names and words related to farm animals, record them on the chart.

Parent Connection

          Send a note home to parents to let them know of the Farm Animal Unit.  Encourage them to use the English name for animals around the colony, look for pictures in magazines of animals, and talk about the farm animals and related farm words.