Exploring Zoo Animals
Internet Lesson Plan
Grade level: 1-3
Teacher Activities
GOAL:
To use Internet resources to explore interesting topics related to zoos and zoo
animals.
OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the unit, the participant will be able to:
• List animals commonly found at zoos and animals that are not.
• Compare and contrast different zoos.
• Create an advertisement for a specific zoo.
• Sort and classify animals by attributes.
• Compare and contrast items of like size such as the height and weight of a
gorilla with him/herself.
• Make a book containing facts about bears.
• Create two stories, one make believe and one factual, about the actions of
a little bear inside a house.
• Compare real and make believe events.
• Create a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting humans and tigers.
• Solve a word puzzle about tigers.
• Draw a snake with attention to its color and markings and camouflage it in
its environment.
• Write a story about a pet snake that came to school and escaped.
• Create a newspaper from a zookeeper's vantage written for his/her
animals.
• Describe daily activities of a zookeeper.
IBM Corporation Page 1
DURATION:
Two to three weeks, 1/2 hour to 1 hour on-line each day.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY:
Students work in pairs or small cooperative groups and use Internet stations to
research topics, find information, and print pages necessary to complete off-line
activities. These activities offer a great opportunity for using students in higher
grades who are familiar with the Internet. The older students can serve as
mentors for the student pairs or groups. Most students will probably need
assistance with the text presented on the Internet sites. Products that are a
result of student research can be stored in student folders for compilation at the
end of the activities. Students should be encouraged to do additional reading
and research both off-line and on-line. These activities are designed to be
interdisciplinary so students see connections between subject areas.
PREREQUISITE:
A short introduction to the Internet on accessing information using addresses or
completing searches using a browser is necessary. Students should also be
familiar with the concept of "hypertext" so they can do research at several levels.
If students do not have an extended period of time to complete their research,
bookmarks can and should be used.
OTHER RELATED ACTIVITIES:
Activity 1:
• Draw a picture of your favorite zoo animal. Put it in a habitat in which it
would really live.
• If you were going to the zoo for a day, make a list of everything you would
need to take along with you.
• Write a story from an animal's point of view. Pretend that you are in the
cage and the animal is watching you. What do you think the animal would
say?
• Make up a rebus story about a visit to the zoo. Use as many pictures for
symbols as you can. Exchange with a friend and have him/her try to read
it!
• Make an alphabet book about animals. Draw a picture of an animal that
starts with a different letter of the alphabet. Combine the drawings from
others to make an alphabet book!
• Make a diorama using shoeboxes of different exhibits at the zoo. Place
them on a large map of the zoo to have your own classroom zoo!
IBM Corporation Page 2
• Software connection: Stories and More II: Lizard in the Sun
A boy imagines he is a green anole and discovers what it is like to be a tiny
lizard just for a day. His experiences include changing colors, doing push
ups, and resting in the sunlight.
Activity 2:
Software connections:
• Math and More 2: Animals, Animals, Animals!
Students explore the topics of statistics and probability by investigating a
variety of animals, both imaginary and real.
• Nature of Science, Through the Woods and At the Seashore
Students observe living things that can be found in their natural habitats in
the woods and at the seashore.
• Stories and More Library: The Trouble with Elephants
A little girl describes the various problems with elephants. She decides the
real problem is that you can't help but love them.
Activity 3:
• Have you ever heard the old saying, "Monkey see, monkey do?" Try it by
playing the "Mirror Image" game! Get a partner and face each other. Try
to do the same movements as your partner. Is it easy?
• Find out about Jane Goodall by visiting the Web page "The Jane Goodall
Center" at http://www.wcsu.ctstateu.edu/cyberchimp/homepage.html. Who
was she and what did she do?
• Software connection: Stories and More II: World Weather Watch
This book explains how six animals from around the world, including the
polar bear, depend on the oceans and how pollution threatens their
survival.
Activity 4:
• Read Teddy Bear Picnic - Bring your teddy bears to school and have a
picnic in the classroom or on the playground.
• Read the story of Corduroy or other favorite bear books.
• Some interesting facts about real bears:
ü Polar bears have fur between their pads. Why? Of all the different
species of bears, polar bears are the best swimmers. Why? When they
hunt seals in the water they cover up their nose to camouflage the black
spot. The skin under their white fur is black. How does that help them?
ü Grizzly bears have the biggest and longest claws. Why? They are one
of the fiercest. They have silver tips on their fur so they look grizzled.
What do you think this has to do with their name?
ü Alaskan Brown bears are often called the great fishermen. They eat
salmon. Are brown bears always brown?
IBM Corporation Page 3
ü Black bears are the best climbers. They also have the smallest paws
and not very long claws. How do paw sizes and claws impact their
survival skills? Draw examples of each type of paw described and then
match them with the type of bear.
• Software connection: Stories and More Library: Why the Bear is
Stumpy-Tailed
Fox plays a trick on Bear by telling him how to catch fish through the ice
with his tail. Bear loses his long, fluffy tail in the process.
• Software connection: Stories and More Library: Goldilocks and the Three
Bears
This classic tale tells the story of three bears who take a walk in the
woods. While they are gone, Goldilocks visits their cottage and surprises
the bears when they return.
Activity 5:
• Find out some problems that tigers are facing at the Web site "The Tiger
Information Center" at http://www.5tigers.org/problems.htm and discuss
who or what caused these problems. Think of ways to help the tigers.
• Software connection: Writing and More for Grades 2/3: Describing an
Event
Students watch a circus parade and describe its participants and their
actions. They learn to expand simple noun-verb phrases by adding
adjectives, adverbs, and phrases. They use their expanded sentences to
write papers describing the parade.
Activity 6:
• Write a cinquain or acrostic poem about snakes.
An example cinquain poem:
Guess what 2 syllables
Big, strong, short legs 4 syllables
It lives in Africa 6 syllables
It weighs four tons and stands five feet 8 syllables
Hipppo! 2 syllables
• An example acrostic poem:
Huge
In water
Powerful
Plant eating
On land
• Software connection: Stories and More II: The Trek
A girl turns her walk to school into an unusual journey as she imagines
animals camouflaged in familiar backgrounds and objects.
IBM Corporation Page 4
• Software connection: Stories and More Library: Skin, Scales, Feathers,
and Fur
A wildlife biologist presents the similarities and differences among a variety
of animal hides.
Activity 7:
• Describe jobs that people have at a newspaper office.
• Cut out any related articles from a real newspaper and start a scrapbook
about zoos and zoo animals.
• Write a letter to your local zoo requesting information to include in an
article in your newspaper.
• Invite a curator to speak to your class and then interview him for your
newspaper.
• Software connection: Writing and More for Grades 2/3: Reporting an Event
Students take the role of reporters and learn to answer what, where, when,
and how questions. They pay attention to details, use interviews, and
sequence information to write news stories.
Other zoo curriculum ideas:
• Make a mobile of zoo animals.
• Find out what these zoo related words mean:
ü Aviary
ü Aquarium
ü Curator
ü Habitats
ü Vertebrates
ü Invertebrates
ü Mammals
ü Birds
ü Reptiles
ü Amphibians
ü Endangered
• Make up riddles about zoo animals and read them to your class.
• Invent a souvenir to sell at the zoo gift shop.
• Predict how zoos might look 100 years from now.
• Research the history behind zoos.
• List the differences between a zoo and a wildlife park.
• Write poetry or jokes about zoo animals and create a book.
MATERIALS NEEDED BY THE TEACHER
• Markers
• Pencils
• Crayons
• Construction paper or manila paper
IBM Corporation Page 5
• Newspapers
• Tape measure or other measuring tool
• Scale
• Word processor and/or desktop publishing software (optional)
TEACHER NOTES:
This unit was created to teach students about zoo animals. It covers animals
that live in the zoo, as well as zoo-related activities. Students have many
opportunities to research and create products based on their research,
developing critical thinking and problem solving skills. Although each activity
stands on its own, when compiling the information as the activities are
completed, student work can be evaluated in a portfolio format. Due to the
breadth of this topic, these activities may be the starting point for you to create
your own additional lesson as well as to plug in lessons that have worked well for
you in the past.
IBM Corporation Page 6
Exploring Zoo Animals
Student Activities
ACTIVITY #1: A TRIP TO THE ZOO
In this activity you will visit several Web sites, which are "virtual zoos" on the
Internet. Visiting a virtual zoo means going to the zoo without ever having to
leave your classroom. Look for things that are the same about all zoos and
things that are different.
• Go to the Web page "The Santa Ana Zoo" at http://santaanazoo.org/
where you will find several groups of animals. Take a virtual tour of the
zoo and explore its different areas.
Select another zoo, maybe one near you, to visit by going to the "ZooNet"
Web page at http://www.mindspring.com/~zoonet/states.htm.
Make a list of animals found at both zoos. What animals are most
common? Which ones are only at one of the zoos?
• What do all zoos have in common? Make a list of things that are the same
at most zoos. Now make a list of things that are different. For example:
Same: All zoos have animals.
Different: Some zoos keep animals in cages, others in natural habitats.
• Make a poster advertising a specific zoo - maybe one in your city or state!
If you want to look at some Web pages from different zoos, go back to the
"ZooNet" Web page. Here are some ideas of what you can include on
your poster:
ü Name
ü Location
ü Visiting hours
ü Cost
ü What to see
ü Pictures of animals
ü A map
ACTIVITY #2: ANIMALS EVERYWHERE
In your trip to the zoos, did you notice the different kinds of animals zoos have?
Visit two different zoos (they can be the same that you already visited or find two
IBM Corporation Page 7
new ones from the "ZooNet" Web page at
http://www.mindspring.com/~zoonet/states.htm) and "The Cyber Zoomobile" at
http://www.primenet.com/~brendel/ for additional information about animals. Be
sure and scroll down the screen to find more animals.
If you want to look at a few more animals and find out some amazing facts, go to
"Yahoo - Science and Oddities: Animals" at
http://www.yahooligans.com/Science_and_Oddities/Animals/.
Once you have explored several zoo sites and learned about different animals,
do the following steps:
• Make a list of 15 animals that live at the zoo.
• Create as many categories of animals as you can. Here are some
examples of categories:
ü Animals with fur
ü Animals with stripes
ü Animals with claws
ü Animals that eat meat
ü Animals that can fly
ü Animals that can swim
ü See if you can come up with other animal categories.
• Place the animals on your list into the categories. Some of the animals
may belong in more than one category.
• BONUS ACTIVITY: Separate the animals on your list into different
sections of the zoo. Be able to defend where you put the animals. Would
you place polar bears next to giraffes? Make a map of a pretend zoo and
make sure you have a place for all of the animals that are on your list.
ACTIVITY #3: GOING BANANAS
In this lesson you will learn about all kinds of gorillas. First you will explore
gorillas to learn more about them and then view pictures of different types of
gorillas.
Start your exploration at "Gorilla at the Knoxville Zoo" at
http://loki.ur.utk.edu/ut2kids/zoo/gorilla.html to find the following information
about gorillas:
• How tall are gorillas? Measure this out on the floor or wall. How much
taller is a gorilla then you are? Who do you know that is about that tall?
(Hint - Name 2 people that you know.)
• How much do gorillas weigh? Weigh yourself on the scale. How much
more does a gorilla weigh? How many of you would it take to weigh as
much as a gorilla? What other objects can you think of that weigh about
that much? Make a list! For example, a gorilla weighs as much as a
refrigerator.
IBM Corporation Page 8
• What do they eat?
• Where do they live when they don't live at the zoo?
• How long do they live?
• Continue your investigation of gorillas by visiting "WRPRC Primate Image
Collection" at http://night.primate.wisc.edu/pin/images/gorillas.html and
"Gorilla Pictures" at http://larch.ukc.ac.uk:2001/gorillas/pictures/index.html.
When you are finished with your exploration, list at least 5 different types
of gorillas.
ACTIVITY #4: THE BEAR FACTS
In this activity you will learn everything you always wanted to know about bears
but were afraid to ask. When you finish researching bears, create a big book of
"Bear Facts." Donate your big book to your school library for all to see and from
which to learn.
• To start your exploration, go to the Web site "The Cub Den" at
http://www.nature-net.com/bears/cubden.html which has amazing and little
known facts about bears. Scroll down to view "Ten Facts About Bears."
Are you surprised by any of the facts? Also visit the "Amazing Facts about
Bears" section.
• Now, make a big book of facts about bears. Use large manila paper and
construction paper to create the pages for the your big book. Be as
creative as you can! Be sure to include at least 4 bear facts that you have
learned! Remember, sometimes a picture is worth a 1,000 words!
• BONUS ACTIVITY: Read the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" at
gopher://ftp.std.com:70/00/obi/book/Fairy.Tales/Grimm/goldilocks.and.thre
e.bears.txt with an older student or adult. After you finish reading, decide
what events in the story are real and which are make believe.
• Create a chart.
REAL MAKE BELIEVE
Bears eat to stay alive. Bears don't eat porridge out of bowls.
• Now change the story around. Write a real story about a little bear that
goes into a house when the people aren't home. What might a real bear
go in a house? Write another story - this time it's a make believe story
about a little bear that goes into a house. How are the stories different?
ACTIVITY #5: CLAWS AND PAWS
Ever wish or dream about being a tiger tamer? Well, now's your chance! In this
activity you will learn all about tigers and play a game where you are a
zookeeper responsible for raising a tiger.
• To view tiger pictures, go to "Tiger Photographs" at
http://www.cptigers.org/photos1.html.
IBM Corporation Page 9
• To continue your investigation on tigers, go to the Web page "Cubs 'n
Kids" at http://www.5tigers.org/cubs.htm. Select "Kids' Quiz" to find
answers to the following questions about tigers:
ü How long is a tiger's tail?
ü What do they eat?
ü Where do they live?
ü What sounds do tigers make?
ü When are most active?
ü Why do tigers have stripes?
• On the "Cubs 'n Kids" Web page, go to the "Ask Annie" section at
http://www.5tigers.org/goaskann.htm and read some of the questions kids
have asked about tigers. Do you have any questions you'd like to ask
her? Write down a question that you would like answered. Make sure
that no one has already asked it.
• Create a Venn Diagram that compares and contrasts humans and tigers.
We have many of the same body parts, yet our appearance is so different.
Why? You can find this information at "Cubs 'n Kids" at
http://www.5tigers.org/cubs.htm. Look under the "Tiger Guts" and "Tiger
Handbook" sections.
• When you are finished, try to unscramble the tiger names on the Tiger
Activity Sheet. You can find the answers on the "Cubs 'n Kids" Web page!
IBM Corporation Page 10
TIGER ACTIVITY SHEET
Directions: Unscramble these words to find tiger names.
NBELAG GITRE
THIWE REGTI
SBREIINA TGREI
THUOS NAICH REGIT
ESEODNICHIN GIRET
RANTAMSU IRETG
IBM Corporation Page 11
ACTIVITY #6: SNAKES ALIVE!
How familiar are you with a snake's skin and the markings on its back? Have
you ever seen a snake up-close and personal? Most us us haven't been this
lucky, but the Internet provides us with the perfect opportunity. In this activity
you will find out about snakes and learn how markings are an important part of
how snakes protect themselves.
As you explore the sites, listed below, look at several types of snakes and their
specific coloring and types of markings. Draw a picture of a snake that you like
best. Try to hide your snake in its surroundings. Why do you think snakes
camouflage themselves in their habitats?
• To see pictures of different snakes, visit the Web site "Pythons" at
http://www.slither.com/ and "Electronic Zoo / NetVet - Reptile Page" at
http://netvet.wustl.edu/reptiles.htm#snake
• CREATIVE WRITING ACTIVITY: Write a story about a pet snake that
came to school and escaped! Be creative and descriptive as you write
your story. Share it with the class during a storytelling session.
ACTIVITY #7: ZOO NEWS
In an effort to keep your animals informed of the latest news, you've decided to
create a newspaper for the zoo. Make it a newspaper for animals, produced by
you, the zookeeper.
• What exactly would a zookeeper say to his/her animals? Find out what
zookeepers do by visiting the "Zookeeping as a Career" Web page at
http://aazk.ind.net/AAZK/Zookeeping.html. View the "A Day with the
Elephants" section to learn more.
• To get an idea of what your newspaper could contain, go to the Web page
"Zoo News" at http://catt.poly.edu/~duane1/zoo/tidbit/newspaper.html.
• Brainstorm sections and items you might find in a newspaper and create
your own. You might even want to go through a daily newspaper to see
what sections they include. Pattern your "Zoo News" after a real
newspaper.
• Write articles to be put in a zoo newspaper. In addition, make comic
strips, jokes, and pictures to place in your newspaper.
• Don't forget to name your paper. Create a catchy title for your newspaper
and then publish it. Use computer/desktop publishing software if available.
Distribute it to your classmates and even take them home for your family
and neighbors to read!
IBM Corporation Page 12