Grade Level: Elementary
Time
Requirements : 3 hrs preparation time
Topics
Covered by this lesson: Conservation, Habitats, and Mammology with
a focus on primates and sea lions.
Pre-Visit:
Purpose:
Introduction to topics in preparation for trip.
Objective: The students will become familiar with the basic concepts of Mammology and observational field techniques. The students will also begin to learn the similarities and differences between primates (baboons and tamarins) and sea lions.
Materials Required: Books, magazines, computer with Internet, field journals
Student
Learning Prerequisites : Able to name the important distinguishing features of mammals,
know what behaviors (eating, sleeping...) to observe and how to identify them.
Students will enter their predictions in their field journals. Students will
also have written definitions to important words in their field journals.
Visit: At the zoo the class will be divided into three
groups. One group will complete an observational study of the sea lions while
the other group does a similar study of the baboons. The third group will
study the tamarins. Students will record all the behaviors they see and keep
time of duration. In addition, students will use the signage to answer several
questions regarding the animals they are studying.
Post
Visit: The
students will tally their results that will be placed on the class graph.
Record their conclusions. Hold a discussion: Are what you observed different
from your predictions? What did you learn about observational field techniques
- hard, easy...? Discuss their answers to the questions given on the trip.
Each student will then write a report or create a poster with a short paper
using the materials provided plus using their field journal.
Possible
Questions :
What
is a primate?
What
is a mammal?
Where
do baboons live? What is their habitat like? What do they eat?
What
is the difference between a baboon and a tamarin?
MSTEP
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