shelterS
A science-based inquiry unit
for kukunaokalā (K/1)
Learn how Hanahau‘oli School’s Kukunaokalā (kindergarten and first grade) class embarked on an exploration of Shelters in the 2021-2022 school year. The unit is framed around the question, How do our shelters help us to meet our basic needs? It is part of a larger two-year exploration of the concepts of Basic Needs, Interdependence, and Change and Constancy. In this unit students explore needs like protection, privacy, rest, gathering, and health. They also use the Inouye and Ross (2009) Scientific Inquiry Framework to learn how the mathematical attributes of shapes support the building of sturdy structures, which is one of the culminating tasks of the unit. Additionally, the Shelters study supports school-wide learning outcomes of respecting the value of diversity, beginning to understand how the world works and developing a beginning understanding of the interdependence of humans and their environment and the role they play in it.
Click on the images below to view the comprehensive unit plan and view examples of student work.
Click on the image above to view the complete unit plan.
K/1 Scientists in Action
Student Work Samples
Click on the image above to view one student’s "Shelters Unit Book," illustrating the continuum of student work throughout the unit.
