Few things capture a child’s attention faster than the question: Who would win in an animal battle? If your students love action, animals, and surprising fun facts, the Who Would Win? series is the perfect combination.
STEM, Writing & Project-Based Learning Ideas
The Who Would Win? books by Jerry Pallotta and Rob Bolster is a series of nonfiction texts based on the concept of an animal battling another animal in an exciting duel. Children are captivated by these books as they dive into real facts about each animal, their habitats, diet, behaviors, defense skills, and more, as it leads to the ultimate battle between two animal enemies. It’s an exciting and unique way for students to become immersed in nonfiction, all while learning fascinating science.
This book series is exciting, gripping, and will have kids on the edge of their seats as they try to figure out who will win the ultimate animal faceoff. Each book has some interesting pairings, such as Blue Whale vs Mosquito or Crocodile vs Shark that will spark students’ interest. The books also come in a variety of topics. Teachers can utilize the Who Would Win? series to teach dinosaurs, insects, mammals, reptiles, birds, and more. It is a cross-curricular delight, merging reading with science. We highly recommend adding the series to your classroom shelves.
Discover 7 engaging ways to utilize this series in your classroom, from STEM project ideas and fun science challenges to building board games, creating dioramas, and writing interesting stories. Read more to find out!
#1 Animal Adaptations STEM Project for Kids (Hands-On Science Activity with Models)
Through each book, students learn about how the animal’s unique characteristics, behaviors, and physical features, also known as adaptations, help protect the animal, keep it alive, and ultimately thrive in the wild. Students can do a deep dive into animal adaptations through this book series. They can learn all about camouflage, specialized claws, scent, fur, and how an animal’s features help it survive.
After reading a Who Would Win? book, students can become animal engineers. In this fun project, students can build a 3D model of an animal adaptation from their book using craft materials, LEGO blocks, clay, cardboard, and more. Next, students can explain through writing how the adaptation helps the animal survive. The 3D model will show a special body part or trait (adaptation), and the writing explains how it helps the animal live, hunt, or stay safe. Students can read a nonfiction article about animal adaptations before planning and building their model. They can also label their specific model with key details explaining how the adaptation works.
If you are interested in implementing this project in your classroom, grab our Who Would Win? Project-Based Learning Unit. In it, we have this project, complete with graphic organizers, labels, a rubric, and more to execute this entire activity.
#2 Create a Hybrid Animal Project (Creative Thinking + Science Writing Activity)
If you want your students to utilize their imaginations and creativity more in the classroom, then this particular challenge will do the trick. They will read, research, create, and draw in this exciting project.
Students become animal inventors by combining TWO animals from any of the books in the series to create a brand-new hybrid animal that could be the ultimate champion. Then, they can combine the two animals that are facing off in one book, or they can choose one of the animals from their book to then combine with another real animal not featured in the book. Students will design the new animal by combining traits from two real animals in an artistic rendering and explain, in writing, why their creature would win any battle. It’s a fascinating project that students will love completing.
We have everything you need for students to complete this hybrid challenge in our PBL unit. Grab it here!
#3 Comic Strip Writing Activity for Kids (Turn Animal Battles into Fun Stories)
The Who Would Win? books are a perfect inspiration for comic book writing. After reading a Who Would Win? book, students can create their own comic strip that shows the animal battle in a fun and creative way. They can retell (or reimagine!) the animal showdown by creating a comic with a beginning, middle, and end. They can utilize onomatopoeia like “CRASH! SNAP! ROAR!” and write speech and thought bubbles that include interjections, dialogue between the animals, and possible inner thoughts. By turning a Who Would Win? book into an epic comic strip, students are summarizing, reimagining, writing, and creating all in one activity.
#4 Nonfiction Animal Book Project Using Canva (Engaging Writing Assignment for Students)
Speaking of writing, students will love this twist on a traditional science/book report. Students will choose a particular animal to focus on after reading a Who Would Win? book, and instead of writing an essay, they can turn their interesting animal information into their own nonfiction book for others to read. The Who Would Win? series becomes a mentor text and inspiration for students to write their own nonfiction picture book all about a particular animal.
Students can use paper and colored pencils to craft their nonfiction books, or utilize technology through the use of Canva. Within Canva, students can add real photographs, exciting fonts, colorful graphics, and more to create an awesome nonfiction book that teaches their peers all about their particular animal.
Your students will LOVE you for this!
Everything you Will Ever Need for Your Students to Create eBooks on Canva!
#5 Animal Fact Trading Cards Activity (Fun Research & Summarizing Project for Kids)
Inspired by my son who loves baseball and Pokémon trading cards, this Animal Facts Trading Cards Activity is a fascinating and engaging spin on summarizing and research. Students read two different Who Would Win? books and create 4 total animal trading cards. Each card requires students to draw a picture and record information about the animal’s size, speed, diet, habitat, and “special powers.”
After making their four cards, students can complete any of the accompanying activities with the animal trading cards, such as partner debate battles, habitat swap challenge, or a what-if? writing challenge. Each activity combines animal facts, writing, and thinking outside the box.
The Animal Fact Trading Cards and accompanying activities are found in our PBL Unit.
#6 Build a Shoebox Diorama Animal Habitat (Creative Hands-On Science Project)
After reading a Who Would Win? book, students can create a 3D diorama that shows the exciting animal battle. Students can show what they learned about both animals by building a scene of their battle, including their habitats, features, and the moment the animals face off. Students can use a shoebox, a small box, craft materials, LEGO blocks, and anything they have on hand to create battling animals and their differing habitats. They will also label the specific advantages or adaptations each animal possesses, such as claws or sharp teeth. This ends up being such a fun, hands-on, creative project for students, and it’s my personal favorite.
I love seeing all the different dioramas come into the classroom and the creations students crafted, from an underwater shoebox to a jungle with clay hyenas and snakes. Students love to share what they’ve made, and their peers love seeing all of the different dioramas.
We have everything you will need for this project, including research and prewriting sheets, sketch sheets, a matching animal report, and a rubric in our PBL unit.
#7 Design a Board Game for Kids (STEM + Literacy Project-Based Learning Activity)
I’ve never met a child who doesn’t love the idea of creating a board game. The Who Would Win? series is a wonderful inspiration for a battle board game project.
After reading a Who Would Win? book, students can design their own animal battle board game with a variety of game board options and animal cut-outs included in our unit. Some ideas about the board game include players traveling through a habitat or habitats, answering questions, and facing off in exciting animal battles. Students work hard to create a working board game that teaches others about the animals in their book and their adaptations while being fun to play.
This particular project is an exciting culmination for students who have read several of the books. They can combine what they’ve learned in each of the books, all while designing a game that’s meant to teach others about the animals and habitats they read about.
Once the game is designed, students play each other’s board games and test their knowledge. It would make for an exciting and fun afternoon filled with engaging science.
Grab this full project complete with research and planning sheets, gameboard and animal game piece templates, and a full rubric.
Who Would Win? Project-Based Learning Unit
STEM, Writing & Science Activities
Bring the excitement of the Who Would Win? book series into your classroom with this engaging resource packed with creative, hands-on activities students will love! Perfect for blending reading, writing, science, and creativity while keeping students highly engaged! Our unit contains 10 fascinating projects:
- Build-A-Battle Diorama Project
- Animal Fact Trading Cards with 3 Activity Options
- Write Your Own Nonfiction Picture Book
- Who Would Win? Infographic Project
- Comic Strip Battle
- Nonfiction Features Scavenger Hunt
- Animal Adaptation STEM Model
- Create a Battle Board Game
- Build a New Animal-Hybrid Challenge
- Animal Report Card
Conclusion: Why “Who Would Win?” Books Are Perfect for Engaging Reluctant Readers and Writers
The Who Would Win? series is so much more than a fun animal showdown. It is a powerful way to spark curiosity, build nonfiction reading skills, and connect literacy with science in meaningful ways. Through these exciting books, students become readers, researchers, writers, engineers, and creators as they explore the amazing world of animals. Whether they are building dioramas, designing board games, crafting trading cards, or inventing new hybrids, students stay highly engaged while learning. If you’re looking for a way to bring energy, creativity, and cross-curricular learning into your classroom, our Who Would Win? Project-Based Learning Unit is the perfect companion to this beloved series.
