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ANIMALS
Animals Around You
Materials
q data sheet (at least
2 per student)
q clipboards (or something hard to write on)
q pencils and/or crayons
Optional Materials
q hand lenses
Purpose
To explore how different traits help animals survive in
different environments
Process Skill(s)
Observe, Classify, Collect data, Communicate, Draw conclusions
Background
Animals live almost everywhere in the world Each animal has
ways of surviving in the place where it lives Animals that live
in cold places may have extra layers of skin, or more fat Some
animals have a hard shell so they cannot be eaten as easily Some
animals fly, and some swim Many live near water and many live
in water A major reason there are so many different kinds of
animals is that they are each adapted to their environment
Time – Approximately 1 hour, plus travel time
Grouping – Individuals and class
Procedure
1 Introduce the exploration Model circling
one item on each row of the data sheet
Each row offers common traits, but tell
students they may write or draw in
blank box at the end of the row if
their animal has a trait other than
the choices provided
Safety: Review your outdoor excursion rules
2 Bring students outdoors, preferably to a
local park or nature area where animals
are likely to be spotted, and where
students can be easily supervised
3 Distribute the data sheets on clipboards
and distribute pencils and/or crayons
If available, pass out hand lenses to help
students observe small creatures
4 Ask students to sit in a line or circle facing outward They will need to be able to watch everything around them for a few minutes without distractions Tell them they will have to be quiet and pay close attention
5 Have them observe the creatures in this environment, remembering that insects and birds are animals too You may choose whether or not to extend the task to include pets Share some tips for
watching animals: Look all around to see
whether any animals come out Remember
to remain quiet and sit still if you see one,
so you don’t disturb it You want to observe
it behaving naturally and not scare it away.
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6 As students spot animals, help them
complete their data sheet If they want
to observe more than one animal, you
can offer more copies of the sheet When
students are unsure about the answer
for a row, they can leave it blank or write
a question mark in the blank box Use
these as opportunities for later investigation
back in class As time permits, students
may draw their animals on the back
of their sheet
7 Back in the classroom, discuss students’
observations Encourage students to share
the kinds of animals they saw and describe
them to the group Compare animals using
categories from the data sheet Discuss any
selections that were difficult
Extensions and Variations
• Home Connection: Have students take blank
data sheets home to add more animals
from their neighborhood
• Research: Contact teachers in different
regions than your own Ask them to complete a similar activity with their students Then share and compare results
to teach about how different animals live
in different environments
• Project: Help students create and play a
board game (like B-I-N-G-O) in which each box on a grid is labeled with an animal trait Examples include: has four legs, eats grass, lives under ground, etc Then students clip pictures from magazines
of animals with that trait, trying to cover
a row or other section of the board
• Field Trip: Visit a zoo or wildlife center,
and have students complete data sheets for some of their favorite animals Take photos of the animals and attach these
to the data sheets as a display If taking a trip is impractical, have students complete the data sheet based on pictures cut out from magazines
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