Frog & Toad - Theme Unit - Brief Article

Instructor, March, 2001 by Jacqueline Clarke

Leap into learning about frogs and toads! These cold-blooded creatures have much to teach us. Their lifecycle is fascinating and they play an important role in our natural world. Enjoy Instructor's cross-curricular activities, including an on-line crossword!

Ponds of Place Value

Frogs and toads lay eggs in different formations. Frog eggs form clusters, while toads lay their eggs in chains. Give your students the opportunity to see these two arrangements while practicing place value mathematics. Supply each child with a bowl of frog or toad eggs (Cheerios) and a pond (a blank sheet of blue paper). Choose a two-digit number and ask children to represent that number in their pond using either clusters (frog eggs) or chains of tens and ones (toad eggs). Try it a few times using different numbers and combinations!

Raising Tadpoles

Tadpoles are surprisingly easy to raise in the classroom. All you need is an aquarium or fishbowl, shade, fresh clean water, and lettuce to feed them. You can find an easy step-by-step guide to finding (or buying) and raising tadpoles at http://allaboutfrogs.org/info/tadpole Your students will love them!

Frog or Toad?--A Research Race

The appearances of frogs and toads are often confused, as the two creatures look very similar. Hold a research race using the Reproducible on page 70 to help your students learn and understand how they differ. Have students work in small groups or pairs. Give each student a copy of the frog and toad reproducible to color, cut, and paste. Set a time limit and challenge each group to use books and the Internet (see Resources, page 68) to identify the frog and toad characteristics. Ask students to cut out the descriptive phrases and paste them either next to the frog or the toad. When time is up, share the answers with the class. Were some of the groups able to match all the characteristics? Did any of the groups find other ways in which frogs and toads differ?

Introducing Frog and Toad: Pairing Fiction and Nonfiction

Pair the reading of one of Arnold Lobel's classic Frog and Toad books with a nonfiction source such as Frogs, by Gail Gibbons. Talk with your students about the two books. How are they different? As your students are establishing the difference between a fictional character and a real frog, they will be gathering their first research about frogs and practicing important reading skills. (See Sharon Taberski's Fact & Fiction Read-Aloud on page 24 to learn more.) Create a large chart labeled "Fiction" and "Nonfiction." As your students read books about frogs and toads, ask them to add the titles and details from the narrative to one of the two columns!

Frog and Toad Sing-a-Long

The early sounds of spring include the mating calls of male frogs and toads. Introduce children to these unique sounds through this musical composition activity. Visit one of the Web sites listed below to play for your class some of the many sounds frogs and toads can make. Then, write the following frog and toad calls on the chalkboard or on a hand-out. Separate your class according to the number of sounds and conduct a frog and toad orchestra by pointing to groups, and later by asking students to write their own sequence of sounds to be "croaked" and "ribbet-ed" by the class!

BULLFROG: "jug-o-rum, o-rum"

GREEN FROG: "tung"

CRICKET FROG: "gick, gick"

BARKING TREE FROG: "arf, arf, arf"

EASTERN SPADEFOOT FROG: "ker-r-aw"

GREEN TREE FROG: "quonk, quonk"

NARROW-MOUTHED TOAD: "neeee! neeee!"

PIG FROG: "woink, woink, woink"

SPRING PEEPER: "peep! peep! peep!"

RESOURCES

Books

* Growing Frogs, by Vivian French (Candlewick Press, 2000)

* Jumpy, Green, and Croaky: What am I? by Moira Butterfield (Raintree/Steck-Vaughn, 1998)

* That Toad is Mine, by Barbara Shook Hazen (Scholastic, 1998)

* Tale of a Tadpole, by Barbara Ann Porte (Orchard Books, 1997)

* Frog and Toad Are Friends, by Arnold Lobel (HarperCollins, 1979)

* Frogs, by Gall Gibbons (Holiday House, 1993)

* From Tadpole to Frog, by Wendy Pfeffer (HarperCollins, 1994)

Web sites

* Frog Exhibition

www.exploratorium.edu/frogs

* The Frog and Toad Web Site http://frogwebsite.com

* Pond Dipping -- Wildlife ponds http://web.ukonline.co.uk/conker/pond-dip/index.htm

* Ward School "Frogs" Project http://hammer.ne.mediaone.net/ science/frogs/index.htm

* Nature Sounds: Frogs www.naturesound.com/frogs/frogs.htm

LIFECYCLES:

     TOAD                 FROG

dry, bumpy skin    moist; smooth skin
short back legs      long back legs
non-webbed feet       webbed feet
walks and hops      jumps and leaps
 lives on land   lives in or near water

RELATED ARTICLE: WHAT WERE LEARNING ABOUT PONDS

A Bulletin Board

Most frogs and toads make their homes near ponds. The plants and animals found there are crucial to their survival. As you read and learn, make a visual catalog of pond life including water, lily pads, ducks, fish, and insects. Let children draw and cut out pond life and then use paint, cloth, yarn, and other art materials to decorate.

Inventions That Changed Our World

Throughout history, people have imagined and created new things to make their lives better, easier, and more enjoyable. From the wheel to penicillin to the computer, inventions continue to change the way we live. This theme unit introduces students in grades 4-8 to the amazing world of inventions--they'll learn about famous inventors, explore the inventions we use everyday in our homes and schools, and choose the "Top 10" inventions of the 20th century. Students will even imagine, design, and describe a new invention for the future. Each lesson provides a step-by-step guide to the activity with links to the best on-line resources for kids.