A Mastodon is Not a Dinosaur! arts integration project has been used in my Young Fives classroom for the past 9 years.  The project has evolved over the years as elements have been added, deleted, etc.  Deciding how to have 5 year olds gather information about Ice Age Mammals and Dinosaurs has been the biggest challenge for me.  Usually we go about it in a whole group looking up resources online, tagging information in books, etc.  Thinking of a way to make this aspect more engaging and something they can do more independently is where using a Symbaloo webmix came to be.  Gathering the resources we have used and bookmarking them into one place makes information more accessible and safe for my students.  Using videos or images gives my pre-readers the ability to explore, form questions, and find answers.  We talk a lot about studying a picture and what it can tell us.  Even if we cannot read the words, the picture may give us clues about the animals we are learning about (e.g. sharp teeth indicate the animal ate meat).  Our 5th grade buddy class has really added a great element of collaboration to our project.  With them, my students are able to gather information and learn more from the resources in a partner setting.  Using a Google Doc as the gathering place for the information puts it all in one place and allows us to discuss, edit, and share.  

After the research is gathered we use it to draw/write about the mammals for our informative texts.  The information also helps us complete hands-on lab activities and fine arts projects (e.g. sculpting an American Mastodon, creating an Ice Age habitat).  Our 5th grade buddies are along for the ride throughout the project and participate in an Ice Age play that celebrates all we have learned about our Ice Age Mammals.

In addition to the Ice Age, we venture even further back to the time of the Dinosaurs.  We gather information and compile this into our informative texts.  

Using this resource will look different in each classroom and from year to year.  Working with your students and making it fit your classroom may take some experimentation, as it has for me!