Introducing nouns for the first time can be challenging for students.

In this lesson, you will use physical items to introduce students to the skill of categorizing, while also introducing them to what a noun is.

Students will observe and compare pelts, skulls and pictures of common Arizona wildlife species. Based on these observations, they will organize and classify the items into three different categories: Person, Place or Thing.

This lesson was designed to accompany the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Bone Box Resource Trunk. The trunks contain tactile resources including the skulls and pelts of common Arizona mammals. The boxes are free for Arizona educators to check out and use. You should plan to reserve the boxes early, however, because they are popular and may book up.

The lesson is available as a downloadable PDF that includes ideas to extend and modify the lesson for different audiences.