In addition to finding posters, it is important to design a pig area in the room for any type of pig artifacts. This is were I put a giant cardboard cut-out of Babe, pig lights, pig figurines, and tubs of literature books about pigs. Believe it or not, the atmosphere of the room set the tone for the entire unit. Other than general lesson planning, it is important to plan for extra help in the room and send out letters to parents if you think you will need them. Unfortunately, I had planned for one to come in and talk to the class, but it didn't work out.
Local farmers are also a wonderful resource.
These pigs were later classified and grouped into categories as a whole class. This web was discussed briefly at the beginning of the unit and will be discussed and expanded upon again at the end of the unit so that the children will be able to see the growth and expansion of their knowledge about pigs in this short time. As a whole class, the students watched the video from the Farm Bureau. After the video, the students were divided into three groups and each group went to a center. Descriptions of each of these centers is included in the lesson plans.