Make Way for Ducklings Unit Study & Lapbook

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Thanks to Wende, Kendall, and Tamara for collaborating to create this Make Way for Ducklings unit study.

Make Way for Ducklings Unit Study Lessons

This unit study includes lessons and printables based on the book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey.

Here are some sample lessons from the Make Way for Ducklings Unit Study.

Geography: Boston, Massachusetts
The Mallard family lived in Massachusetts. If desired, do a brief study of the state. Massachusetts is part of what are called the “New England States”, located in the northeastern part of our country. Have student locate Massachusetts on the United States map. Your child may be familiar with the state, having learned in the past about the Mayflower landing at Plymouth in 1620, the Boston Tea Party, the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, or maybe the Salem Witch Trials. Well Massachusetts was also among the first states to experience rapid city growth, and today is one of America’s most urbanized and industrialized regions. Massachusetts has been the home to many famous people including John Adams, our second president, and his son, John Quincy Adams, our sixth president. The state flower is the Mayflower, and the state bird is the chickadee. Boston was founded by the Puritans in 1630.

Looking at a map of Massachusetts, have your child locate the capital, Boston, where the Mallards lived. Boston is not only the capital city, it is also the largest city in Massachusetts.

Language Arts: Alphabetical Order
It is important for a child to learn how to alphabetize. This skill will be used for looking up a phone number, seeking a book title in a card catalog, or looking something up in an index. Use the ducklings’ names as an opportunity to teach this skill to your children. It may be helpful to have the alphabet in front of him when practicing alphabetizing. Have him first examine the initial letter in each word and have him put them in order. What happens if there is more than one word with the same initial letter? You then look at the second letter. And if necessary, look at the third. The correct order would then be: Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, Quack.

You can grab a copy of the entire Make Way for Ducklings Unit Study and Lapbook in an easy-to-print file at the end of this post.

Make Way for Ducklings Lapbook Printables

In addition to the unit study lessons, this file includes these mini-books and printables for your student to create a Make Way for Ducklings lapbook or notebook:

Boston Flap Book
Alphabetical Order Flap Book
Food Chain Accordion and Pocket
Animal Parents Matchbooks (includes elephant, whale, polar bear, opossum, penguin, baboon, swan, tilapia fish, alligator)
Five Fast Facts About Mallard Ducks
Duckling Math
Months of the Year Writing Strip
Days of the Week Cards and Pocket

How to Get Started with Your Make Way for Ducklings Unit Study & Lapbook

Follow these simple instructions to get started with the Make Way for Ducklings Unit Study:

Buy a copy of the book, Make Way for Ducklings, or borrow one from your local library.
Print the Make Way for Ducklings unit study.
Choose the lessons you want to use with your student (a highlighter works great for this).
Choose and prepare the lapbook printables you want to use with your student.
Enjoy a week with the Mallard Family!