Interview an Animal

Science/Language Arts

Children will choose an animal and research facts about it, list interview questions to ask the animal, and conduct the interview while tape-recording it.

What You Need

• Reference materials on animals, including dinosaurs, pigs, cows, ducks, and yaks
• A notebook or blank paper and pencils
• A tape recorder

What To Do

1. Ask children to work in pairs. Have the pairs choose one of the animals from the theme's stories (a dinosaur to stand in for Dragon, a pig, a cow, a duck, or a yak), and then use reference materials to find some interesting facts about their selected animal.
2. Once pairs have noted their animal facts, have them brainstorm a list of questions they would like to ask their chosen animal. Questions may deal with real facts about the animals or with the animal characters' story actions.
3. Have children take turns asking and answering their interview questions, role-playing the interviewer and the animal being interviewed. Tell children to use the tape recorder to record their interviews.
4. Ask the pairs to share their recorded interviews with the class.