WOULD YOU LIKE ACCESS TO ALL THE FREEBIES FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS? ➔

Bats Writing, Research and Craft Project Ideas for Elementary Teachers – 2024

You know that phrase, “taking one for the team?” Well, that about summarizes my week in the classroom. Because good gosh do I find bats to be hideous creatures. It physically pains me to look at them. You can only imagine how I feel about reading about their creepy finger/thumb-like things and their sharp little teeth. It makes me want to rock in the fetal position. But, my class is way into researching them and I find that guided research at this time of year really paves the path for independent animal research projects throughout the year (which is a fabulous ongoing project-based option for your early finishers). And that level of interest translates into engaged kiddos who are super interested and motivated to participate in bats writing, research, and science activities. So I’ve been “taking one for the team” and am in full-on Batgirl mode.

Last year, I introduced research and main idea/details and tons of writing skills through a spiders unit. I loved doing that one because it tied in so well with our reading of Charlotte’s Web and our study of Doreen Cronin and her fun Diary of a ____ series. I wanted to do something different this year and have been capitalizing on my students’ Halloween giddiness so bats made sense. Read below to get some bats writing, research, and craft project ideas below!

What is the Bats Writing Unit?

The bats writing unit is a writing project for 1st-5th grade students that has students research and write about bats. It includes printables for a schema map, templates to organize research, graphic organizers to plan writing, drafting pages, and final copy publishing pages.

Why Teachers Love the Bats Writing Unit

Some of the reasons teachers love the bats writing unit include:

  • The bat unit includes tons of printables to choose from, so you can pick which ones work best for you and your students!
  • The wide variety of resources also allows you to differentiate with ease.
  • It’s a fun seasonal project that you can do in October in lieu of celebrating Halloween if you are not allowed to.
  • If you change grade levels, you can continue to use the resources because it’s differentiated for grades K-5.
  • Students are learning and practicing important skills without even realizing it when working on this project!

How to Implement the Bats Writing Unit

Below are the steps for implementing the bats writing unit in your classroom.

1. Download the Bats Writing Unit

Download the bats writing unit from the Clutter-Free Classroom teacher store.

2. Print and Prep the Materials

Select which of the printables from the bats packet you would like to use with your students and then print them.

3. Introduce the Topic

I introduced the topic in a fun way. I gave each of my friends a piece of black construction paper and told them to fold it in half. I guided them on how to tear off pieces of paper without telling them what it was all about. As I learned with my Mystery Mail Making inferences activity, this class LOVES suspense and it really gets them into a topic. I enjoyed listening to their ideas about what we were doing. Finally, I had them open the paper and revealed that we would be learning about bats. I used their paper bats to decorate our anchor chart and began to collect schema on Post-It Notes. 

4. Invite Students to Conduct Research

I gave students photos of bats, non-fiction picture books about bats, and copies of a Reading A to Z non-fiction text about bats. You can download it for free by getting a free trial from Reading A to Z.

While I met with small focus groups to work on two-column note-taking skills, my other friends worked with partners to complete graphic organizers {Bats can… Bats are… Bats have…}. These are popular as class charts with younger learners, but they are also wonderful ways to get older learners to collect facts and organize their writing.  

5. Go Through the Full Writing Process

Your students will continue “going batty” as they draft, revise and publish their writing. You can pick and choose which of the different pages from the writing packet meet the varied needs of your students.

6. Do a Bat Craft

After students complete the writing portion of a project, we always “publish” our work with a craft. Below are some neat project ideas that I rounded up from around the web. They complement a bats writing project perfectly! Pick one of the ideas below to have your students create.

7. Create a Bulletin Board Display

Post students’ published writing and craft projects on a bulletin board. You can keep up all month long!

We hope you liked this bats writing project! If you did, then you may also be interested in these other resources:

Share it:

Email
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter

Get Your Classroom Decor FREEBIE!

classroom decor guide
This classroom decor guide includes helpful tips and ideas for decorating your classroom.