Make Way for Ducklings Unit Study
i found Make Way for /Ducklings tofo be an exciting way to explore all areas of the curriculum.
Rubber ducks can line-up in ABC order. Observe the habitat arournd the duck pond carefully and then create a cooperative bulletin board collage to show what you have learned. Add and subtract the ducklings as they hop in and out of the duck pond.
Make way for the ducklings and waddle on over for lots more hands-on, educational learning activities...
Ducklings Table of Contents
- Ducklings on Boston Common
- Language Arts
- Mr. and Mrs. Mallard from Make Way for Ducklings
- Math
- Science
- Social Studies
- Art
- Duck and Duckling Templates
- Music
- Physical Education
- Follow the Leader
- Culmination
- Lapbooks for Make Way for Ducklings
- Quacking about Ducks
- About the Author of this Duck Lens
- Evelyn's Hands-On Learning Blog
Ducklings on Boston Common
Photo Credit: Ducklings from Make Way for Ducklings on Boston Common
on Flickr, Creative Commons.
When we homeschooled Make Way for Ducklings was one of our favorite stories. I often read the book as we rode the subway into town to visit Boston Common, The Corner Bookstore or when we went to feed the ducks on the pond.
At the edge of Boston Common, just as you cross the street from the Corner Bookstore there is a row of duck statues made from brass that children love to pat, sit on and admire. This is an artist's tribute to Robert McCloskey's ducks from Make Way for Ducklings.
If you are ever in Boston be sure to visit these duck statues.
Duckling
Make Way for Ducklin...
Duckling Parade
Make way for ducklin...
Make way for Ducklin...
Language Arts
Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey
Make Way for Ducklings
Follow the family of Ducks as they move around the Boston Area in the classic tale of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their long line of ducklings.
Amazon Price: (as of 12/19/2009) 
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard from Make Way for Ducklings
Stuffed Ducks for Reading With
Note: If you have more children than the number of ducks in the story, you could have the children help you name more ducks according to the alphabet, take turns with the ducks or ask the children for suggestions.
Wildlife / Domestic Animals : Male Mallard Duck 12" Plush Stuffed Animal Toy
Mr. Mallard Duck
Amazon Price: $7.88 (as of 12/19/2009)
Wildlife / Domestic Animals : Female Mallard Duck 12" Plush Stuffed Animal Toy
Mrs. Mallard Duck
Amazon Price: $10.48 (as of 12/19/2009)
Hansa Baby Mallard Duck Chick Stuffed Plush Animal
Be sure to get plenty of ducklings.
Amazon Price: $18.00 (as of 12/19/2009)
Ducklings Play Follow the Leader
Ducklings in Alphabetical Order
Ducklings Play Follow the Leader
Buy at AllPosters.com
Write the names of each of the ducklings on the rubber ducks and then ask the children to put them in ABC order.
This makes a wonderful activity for the first few children who come into the classroom as they wait for others to arrive.
As the end of the day when the children are lining up to go home I show random ducklings to the children in line. They read the name of the duckling and then we put it in a basket to sleep for the night.
NOTE: This activity could also be done with the children's names instead and be set up to help take attendance.
One Dozen (12) Classic Style Rubber Duck Party Favors
This set of 12 classic ducks are perfect for birthday parties and baby showers.
Use as a party favor and let each guest take one home for the children to play with in the tub.
Each measures approximately 2" x 2". Perfect size to decorate a cake, fill a goody bag, or use as cupcake toppers.
These do float upright.
Amazon Price: $13.50 (as of 12/19/2009)
Classic Yellow Rubber Ducks (Set Of 3) -Affordable Gift for your Little One! Item #LMID-1148
Mother Duck
Classic bathtub companion, the yellow rubber duckie that bobs around in water, floats upright no matter what you do to it, and squeaks when you squeeze it.
Amazon Price: (as of 12/19/2009)
Low Odor Dry Erase Markers, Fine Point, 6/Pack, Assorted (BON659511) Category: Dry-Erase Markers
Dry Erase Marker Set, Fine Point, 6 Per Set, Assorted
Amazon Price: $3.29 (as of 12/19/2009)
Unit Studies and Lesson Plans for Make Way for Ducklings
- Make Way For Ducklings | Five in a Row | TheHomeSchoolMom.com
- Five in a Row homeschooling resources for Make Way For Ducklings | Five in a Row | TheHomeSchoolMom.com including lesson plans, worksheets, author websites, illustrator websites, go-alongs, and more.
- Make Way for Ducklings Literature Guide - TeacherVision.com
- Make Way for Ducklings is the ideal book to entertain and teach with. This lesson plan includes activities and resources to go with the book.
Math
Count Your Ducklings
Duck Math
Mother's Helper
Plumb, Henry G.
Buy at AllPosters.com
At the sensory table, set up a bowl of water for the pond and a nest colored towel that has been arranged in a nest shape nearby. Set up the sensory table near a magnetic whiteboard for recording math problems. Use a dry erase marker for writing :
____ ducks in the pond.
____ ducks in the nest.
____ ducks all together.
Children move the ducks in and out of the pond and then use magnetic numbers to record their findings.
This activity could be done on paper but many children have difficulty not getting the paper wet and we have found that the magnet numbers and whtiteboard are lots of fun.
How Do You Count a Dozen Ducklings?
How Do You Count a Dozen Ducklings? (Albert Whitman Prairie Books)
In the style of Stuart Murphy's MathStart series, this lively picture book, originally published in Korea, is both an entertaining story and a playful way to teach simple arithmetic.
Mama Duck tries various ways to keep track of her dozen ducklings. First she sorts them by twos, so she only needs to count to six.
Then she makes it easier by grouping the ducklings into threes. When that proves to be too much counting, she lines them up in groups of four, and then six.
Amazon Price: $7.95 (as of 12/19/2009)
Science
Ducklings Learn about Water
Duck Pond Science
- Using Make Way for Ducklings to teach about Bird Migration
- This lesson teaches bird migration by using the award winning Caldecott Medal honor book: Make Way for Ducklings. It accesses a website to give a history of the book and the plot. It promotes student interaction through discussion, internet information and activities to include computer games, videos, and color sheets.
The Duck Pond
Learning about the Duck's Habitat
Duck and Ducklings
English School
Buy at AllPosters.com
Make a bulletin board from the art your children produce and then set up an aquarium just below that with a sensory table nearby. As you learn more about the duck pond, the animals that live in the pond and the plants that grow there, add them to the bulletin board with words that label them large enough for the children to see them when writing.
Aquarium Stand - For 55 Gallon Tank (Cherry/Black) (24 3/8"H x 50"L x 15 3/8"W)
Amazon Price: $205.00 (as of 12/19/2009)
Pond Life: Revised and Updated (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)
Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 12/19/2009)
Hatching Ducklings
Observation of Ducks
Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks: Breeds, Care, Health
Everything You Need to Know to Raise Ducks Successfully
Amazon Price: $12.89 (as of 12/19/2009)
Genesis Picture Window Pre-set Incubator with Automatic Egg Turner - Quail To Duck
* TUV Approved For Classroom Use
* Full view picture window top
* Preset temperature
* Automatic egg turner included - quail eggs to duck weggs and all in between
Amazon Price: $189.99 (as of 12/19/2009)
Feeding the Ducks
Should you feed bread to ducks?
What do you feed the ducks?
What others are saying...
Social Studies
Where did the Ducklings Live?
Geography of Make Way for Ducklings
Boston, Massachusetts - View of the Boston Common Frog Pond
Buy at AllPosters.com
We read the story, Make Way for Ducklings, many times during this unit and each time focus on a different aspect. To understand the geography of the Boston Area and learn about where the ducks traveled in the story, we rearrange the classroom using chairs or pillows, the rug or pathways to represent the Corner Bookstore, the Boston Common, the Duck Pond, or the street where Officer Clancy helped them cross.
The following links show the area using a slide show format and a Google Earth presentation. If you live in the Boston Area, be sure to go on a field trip to make the story come even more alive to the children.
- NJ Tech Teacher Musings: Make Way For Ducklings - A Year Later
- This teacher uses Google Earth and other media sources to create a lesson in geography for k-3 students related to Make Way for Ducklings.
- Make Way For Ducklings Interactive Map | Schwartzster.com
- Make Way For Ducklings Interactive Map
The map above follows the journey of the Mallard Family in the classic Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, complete with photos a
Art
Colors of the Mallard Duck
Mallard Duck
Audubon, John...
Buy at AllPosters.com
Art is a vital part of any unit study and this unit study about Make Way for Ducklings is no exception. Set out yellow and green paint at the easel and allow children to discover how these colors combine to make green. Use these paintings to cut out vegetation for the bulletin board.
Study the artwork of famous painters of ducks such as Audubon, noticing the shapes and colors he used to make his ducks look so realistic. Allow the children to use crayons, watercolors or other materials to draw and color ducks as they learn more about Mallards and other species of ducks.
Over the course of the Make Way for Ducklings Unit Study, use the artwork that the children produce to make a bulletin board habitat collage, use them to illustrate books that they write and use them to illustrate cards to be used to play Go Fish or Concentration. Make sure to have the children label the illustrations to promote reading and writing skills.
- Make Way for Ducklings Art Lesson | Scholastic.com
- Like Robert McCloskey, children will discover that observing something up close can help them get the details just right in their own drawings. Though you may not be able to invite ducks into your classroom, bring in stuffed animals!
- Duckling Parade Lesson Plan
- Duckling Parade Make Way for Ducklings! Create dioramas depicting scenes from this children's classic about a family of mallards who live in the Boston Public Garden.
1. Read Make Way for Ducklings by Robert - AEContent - Make Way For Ducklings: A Link to a Study About Cities
- Many young children who live in suburbs quite close to the city have very little experience going into the city, nor do they have an appreciation for the architectural riches that cities provide. In this interdisciplinary unit students will come to an understanding of the differences between cities (using the city of Boston) and towns (i.e. Arlington)
In this unit the students will:
* come to an understanding of the differences between cities (i.e. Boston) and towns (i.e. Arlington).
* share what they know about cities and towns.
* listen to relevant, age appropriate literature most notably Robert McCloskey's "Make Way for Ducklings."
* become familiar with Boston landmarks or sites from illustrated picture books and post cards.
* go on a "Make Way for Ducklings" walking tour/field trip to Boston to see several Boston architectural icons.
* build city and/or suburban buildings using GeoBlocks by Cuisenaire (any small building blocks are acceptable), subsequently draw 3-D architectural "plans."
* make a 3-D map of "Make Way for Ducklings" and Arlington.
* compare and contrast characteristics of cities and towns using graphic organizers.
* write an expository essay delineating several similarities and differences of the two settings.
Duck and Duckling Templates
- Duckling Templates
- Two-sided duckling with separate wings and feet.
- Mallard Duck Template
- Color the Mallard Duck
Music
Singing about Ducks
Duck and Flying Ducklings
English School
Buy at AllPosters.com
Six Little Ducks is a completely different song. We use that song to learn about subtraction, counting backwards and always coming back when you are called. This song also has quite a few words in it that contain the diphthong, th. After throughly learning the song, when the children can follow along pointing to the words, we use the chart of this song to look for words containing the diphthong, th. As these words are discovered children write each word on a feather (Notice that feather has a th).
Later the children can use the feathers during center time to look for the matching words on the chart. Singing the song quietly to themselves helps them to remember the words that they are reading.
Five Little Ducks (Raffi Songs to Read)
Five little ducks went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mother duck said "Quack, quack, quack, quack, But only four little ducks came back. etc.
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 12/19/2009)
Physical Education
Follow the Leader
Ducklings love to Follow their Mother
Three Plus Three
Zolan, Richard...
Buy at AllPosters.com
Practice walking in a line. Add quacks or songs to make it more fun.
First a leader or "head of the line" is chosen, then the children all line up behind the leader. The leader then moves around and all the children have to mimic the leader's actions. Any players who mess up or do not do what the leader does are out of the game. The last person standing other than the leader is now the new leader.
Culmination
Lapbooks for Make Way for Ducklings
Please add your Make Way for Duckling Lapbook links...
Photo Credit: Officer Clancy from Make Way for Ducklings
on Flickr, Creative Commons.
You never know where you are going to find content related to a unit study. This picture is from Make Way for Ducklings showing Officer Clancy as he helps the duck family cross the street. It seems to have been displayed on the back of a truck.
The following are examples of lapbooks that are used to illustrate learning activities children did while doing a Make Way for Ducklings Unit Study. As you do your unit study, be sure to take pictures, make a lapbook, tell all about it on a Squidoo lens and then link it here.
Living and Learning: Make Way for Ducklings Lapbook
More examples of possible activities to include in more...2 points
Make Way for Ducklings - lapbook
Includes pictures and descriptions of the elements more...1 point
Make Way for Ducklings Lapbook p
Includes pictures and descriptions of the elements more...1 point
The Reed Family Blog: Make Way for Ducklings Lapbook
Many different resources can be used to collect in more...1 point
Ducklings for your Learning Centers
Sometimes you find puzzles and sometimes you find rubber duck but whatever you find there will be something you can do to turn it into a learning center.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Look Who's Twittering about Make Way for Ducklings
-
- tamihackbarth
- Make Way for Ducklings -- http://bit.ly/4Pyxuw
-
- tangaloo
- @BoingBoing For someone who grew up reading "Make Way For Ducklings" this is just horrifying.... http://tinyurl.com/y8wxy8x
-
- solovelylinsy
- Just read Make Way For Ducklings to Cash, gave him a bottle, and put him to bed. :D Grandma would be so proud <3
-
- littlefluffycat
- RT @bookavore: For Christmas next year, will someone PLEASE make a MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS board book? PLEASE?!?!?!?!
-
- bookavore
- For Christmas next year, will someone PLEASE make a MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS board book? PLEASE?!?!?!?!
Learn more about Birds
Entenfamilie
Blum, Gerhard
Buy at AllPosters.com
-
Who Layed THAT Egg?
-
Everyone knows that chickens lay eggs. Most people know that all other birds do as well but have you ever thought about all the other animals that lay eggs? Children may be surprised that some eggs do not contain birds. Other egg layers include frogs...
-
Robin in the Rain!
-
It's springtime and one of the most popular signs of spring is the robin. Robins, with their cheery tweets and bright red breasts stand out against the disappearing snow. Cheerio, calls the robin as the rain starts to fall. This lens is a unit...
-
Bluebirds of the Meadow
-
Summer nears and the bluebirds start nesting along the fenceline. The children are fascinated with the way they fly back and forth to build their nests. They become the focus of our next Unit Study, Bluebirds of the Meadow. As your little bluebirds...
-
It's Turkey Time!
-
Wild Turkeys nearly became extinct in the 1930's but times have changed and turkeys have benefited. Now turkeys are often found in fields and on the edge of the woods. In this unit you will learn about Wild Turkeys, read turkey facts and stories, pl...
-
Purple Gallinules of the Everglades
-
Gallinules are spectacular creatures. The can be found walking on water lilies in the canals throughout the Everglades. One day we took a trip to the Everglades and saw a Purple Gallinule for the first time. It's vibrant colors are unbelievable. We...
Quacking about Ducks
Have you used Make Way for Ducklings to teach your children?
D is a Duck
Buy at AllPosters.com
Please tell us how you have used these ideas with your children or tell us about other ways that you have used the story Make Way for Ducklings to teach your children.
-
Reply
- amy1980 amy1980 Oct 20, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
- We were just in Boston in July, and the little ducks were dressed up in Independence garb. I guess they dress them up for the holidays! Such a cute book, and we'll definitely be taking the kids to see all the wonderful places in Boston from the book.
-
Reply
- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Aug 24, 2009 @ 2:06 pm | in reply to KimGiancaterino
- Thank you, Kim.
-
Reply
- KimGiancaterino KimGiancaterino Aug 24, 2009 @ 1:58 pm
- Delightful... I'm featuring this lens on my Squid Angel Diary this week.
About the Author of this Duck Lens
-
Evelyn Saenz: Lensography of a Teacher
-
My passion is teaching and finding ways to teach children in fun, hands-on, creative ways. The unit studies I make on Squidoo reflect my view that learning should be integrated and no skills should be taught in isolation. I believe that each topic s...
Evelyn's Hands-On Learning Blog
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byby Evelyn_Saenz
Explore related pages
Frog Unit Study: Hopping to Learn- Take trips to the frog pond. Become a frog and play games and sing songs, gobble...
Evelyn Saenz: Lensography of a Teacher- My passion is teaching and finding ways to teach children in fun, hands-on, crea...
Robin in the Rain!- It's springtime and one of the most popular signs of spring is the robin. Ro...
Who Layed THAT Egg?- Everyone knows that chickens lay eggs. Most people know that all other birds do...
Bluebirds of the Meadow- Summer nears and the bluebirds start nesting along the fenceline. The children a...
Purple Gallinules of the Everglades- Gallinules are spectacular creatures. The can be found walking on water lilies i...
