Give a frog a home Year level: P–2
L1136 Animal search: is it an amphibian? Copyright Education Services Australia Ltd.
About the unit
Unit description
This unit of work focuses on frogs. Students investigate the metamorphosis of tadpoles as they develop into frogs. They consider the contributions of frogs to the environment and develop an action plan to create a frog-friendly environment.
Knowledge, understandings, skills, values
· Frogs and tadpoles live in freshwater environments.
· Frogs are amphibians.
· Frogs are sensitive living creatures.
· Human impact on habitats affects the survival of frogs.
· Frogs play an important role in the environment.
Focus questions
· What is a tadpole?
· What is a frog?
· What is an amphibian?
· What do frogs need for survival?
· What does ‘metamorphosis’ mean?
· How are frogs important in our environment?
· Why are frogs disappearing?
· What can we do to save our frog species?
Resources
Digital curriculum resources
L1136 Animal Search: is it an amphibian?L8740 Wonderful words, creative stories: pets
L17 Where do frogs lay their eggs?
L1144 Food chains: the wetlands
R6755 'Lift Off' – Upwardly mobile frogs
Internet sites
· Frog lifecycle wheel worksheet: http://www.kidcyber.com.au/ (type ‘life cycles frogs’ in search engine)
· The Amphibian Research Centre (tadpole kits for the classroom): http://frogs.org.au
· Kerpoof! website: http://www.kerpoof.com
· Fish and frogs of the Murray-Darling Basin poster: http://www.mdba.gov.au/
· Images of amphibians in the Murray-Darling Basin: http://images.mdba.gov.au/
Software
· Interactive Venn diagram: http://www.readwritethink.org:80/materials/venn/index.html
· MS PowerPoint
Fiction books
· The wide mouthed frog – a pop-up book, Keith Faulkner and Jonathan Lambert, Penguin, 1996
· The icky sticky frog, Dawn Bentley and Salma Yoon, Dalmation Publishing Group, 2003
· Tiddalick the frog, Susan Nunes and Ju-Hong, Simon and Schuster, 1991
· The frog prince (retold), Jan Ormerod and David Lloyd, Walker, 2002
· A frog in the bog, Karma Wilson and Joan Rankin, Simon and Schuster, 2007
· Lester and Clyde, James H Reece, Ashton Scholastic, 1976
· A frog thing, Eric Drachman and James Muscarello, Kidwick Books, 2006
· Jump, frog, jump, Robert Kalan and Byron Barton, Harper Collins Publishers, 1989
· The teeny weeny tadpole, Sheridan Cain and Jack Tickle, ME Media, 2005
· The very hungry caterpillar, Eric Carle, World Publishing Company, 1969
Non-fiction books
· From tadpole to frog, David Stewart and Carolyn Scrace, Children's Press, 1998
· Frog – see how they grow, Kim Taylor and Jane Burton, Dorling Kindersley, 1998
· Spotted grass frog, Greg Pyers, Echidna Books, 2004
· Frogs and tadpoles of Australia, Marion Anstis, Young Reed, 2007
· Amazing frogs and toads, Barry Clarke and Jerry Young, Random House, 1990
· From tadpole to frog, Wendy Pfeffer and Holly Keller, Harper Collins, 1994
· Tale of a tadpole, Karen Wallace, DK Publishing, 1998
· Frogs sing songs, Yvonne Winer and Tony Oliver, Margaret Hamilton Books, 2002
· First field guide to Australian frog and reptiles, Steve Parish, Steve Parish Publishing, 1997
· Amazing facts about Australian frogs and reptiles, P Slater and Steve Parish, Steve Parish Publishing, 1997
· Australian frogs, C MacLulich, Scholastic Australia, 1996
Other resources
· Tadpole kits from the Amphibian Research Centre
Attached printable resources
The following teacher-created learning resources referred to in the unit of work are available for you to modify, print and use in your own teaching and learning context:
· What I know about frogs and tadpoles
· Changes to a frog’s habitat
· Frog songs
Teaching the unit
Setting the scene
Resources
· What I know about frogs and tadpoles (page 9)
· Frog songs (page 11)
· Fiction and non-fiction books on frogs
· Fish and frogs of the Murray-Darling Basin poster: http://www.mdba.gov.au/
· L1136 Animal search: is it an amphibian?
Teaching and learning activities
Have students complete the pre-test, What I know about frogs and tadpoles (page 9).
Sing frog songs (page 11).
Students pose their own questions about what they’d like to know about frogs.
~
Present non-fiction books and poster to students for exploring and investigating. List the common characteristics of frogs.
Introduce the term ‘amphibian’. Explore L1136 Animal search: is it an amphibian? List characteristics of amphibians. What are the differences between reptiles and amphibians?
~
In the past, frogs have been given a bad reputation in stories. They have been described as slimy creatures living in dark, creepy places and good ingredients for witches’ spells. Read a selection of fiction stories that depict frog characters and create a list of good and bad characters. Compare frog characters in modern and historical fiction.
~
Where do frogs live? Establish where frogs can be found. Introduce a scenario: A frog has been found hiding in the teacher’s desk. You have been assigned to relocate the frog somewhere on the school grounds so that it can survive and breed. What do frogs need for survival? List what you think is needed and sketch a design.
Begin a vocabulary chart, listing words such as ‘habitat’, ‘tadpole’, ‘amphibians’, ‘metamorphosis’, ‘spawn’, ‘froglet’, etc.
Extension activities
Investigate the differences between frogs and toads. Using the interactive Venn diagram available from ReadWriteThink at http://www.readwritethink.org:80/materials/venn/index.html, students label the circles as ‘frogs’ and ‘toads’ and so record differing characteristics. In the middle section, record how frogs and toads are alike. Students print their diagram when completed.
Assessment
Assess students’ responses to the pre-test and their habitat designs.
Investigating
Resources
· Tadpole kits from the Amphibian Research Centre: http://frogs.org.au/
· L17 Where do frogs lay their eggs?
· L8740 Wonderful words, creative stories: pets
· R6755 ‘Lift Off’ – Upwardly mobile frogs
· L1144 Food chains: the wetlands
· Frog lifecycle wheel worksheet: http://www.kidcyber.com.au/ (type ‘life cycles frog’ in search engine)
· Frogs sing songs, Yvonne Winer and Tony Oliver, Margaret Hamilton Books, 2002
· First field guide to Australian frog and reptiles, Steve Parish, Steve Parish Publishing, 1997
· Amazing facts about Australian frogs and reptiles, P Slater and S Parish, Steve Parish Publishing, 1997
· The very hungry caterpillar, Eric Carle, World Publishing Company, 1969
· Spotted grass frog, Greg Pyers, Echidna Books, 2004
· Lester and Clyde, James H Reece, Ashton Scholastic, 1976
Teaching and learning activities
Venture out on a field trip to collect tadpoles from a local pond (check rules regarding the collection of tadpoles in your state) or purchase a tadpole kit from the Amphibian Research Centre. Students observe tadpoles developing into frogs. Construct a chart showing the developmental stages observed. Record the number of days for each stage. Document each stage of the frogs’ development in diary format, based on observations.
~
Investigate the frog’s life cycle by viewing L17 Where do frogs lay their eggs? Discuss the term ‘metamorphosis’.
Watch the interactive videos on the life cycle of a frog. Make a frog life cycle wheel (printable worksheet available from http://www.kidcyber.com.au).
~
Investigate the needs of native frogs. What habitat features do they need for survival? List this information to help you design a frog habitat. Compare your design with your initial design for the frog in the teacher’s desk.
~
Experiment with creative story writing using L8740 Wonderful words, creative stories: pets. Write an interesting frog story.
Using the book Frogs sing songs or a field guide on frogs, have students draw their favourite frog. Scan each picture and have students write an interesting sentence or fact to match their frog drawing. Use each scanned page to create a PowerPoint or photo story on frogs.
Read Spotted grass frog by Greg Pyers or a similar information text. Model making notes or a fact file (a collection of gathered data) based on information found in the text, then have students create a fact file about frogs.
Read Lester and Clyde to investigate how a frog’s habitat can change. Discuss the habitat and compare the frogs’ pond to the ones Lester visited. Discuss and list the changes made to the different habitats in the story – litter, pollution, etc. View short animated film R6755 ‘Lift Off’ – Upwardly mobile frogs. List all the things that pose a threat to the frogs. Have students discuss whether Australian frogs face the same threats.
Can changes in the environment be harmful or helpful to frogs?
~
Investigate how frogs are important to our environment. Introduce a simple food chain by viewing L1144 Food chains: the wetlands. Have students create their own food chains. Discuss what happens if frogs disappear from the food chain.
Extension activities
Read The very hungry caterpillar by Eric Carle. Using the IWB, compare the life cycle of a frog to that of a butterfly.
Does temperature affect a frog’s development?
Keep some tadpoles in the sun and some in the shade. Observe and record changes, in diary format, for each. Write a concluding statement based on your observations.
Assessment
Show the changes that take place during the frog’s life cycle by drawing the stages and labelling them using correct terminology. Visual sequence cards and arrows may be used to assist students. Use questions to help students identify the beginning and end stage of the process
What happens first? What is next?
Encourage students to use lines and drawings in their explanation.
Write three interesting things you have learnt about frogs. Share your findings with the class.
Create a frog story.
Create a food chain.
Bringing it all together
Resources
· Kerpoof! website: http://www.kerpoof.com
· Changes to a frog's habitat (page 10)
· Lester and Clyde, James H Reece, Ashton Scholastic, 1976
Teaching and learning activities
Recall the survival needs of frogs. Using the Kerpoof! website or other software such as Kid Pix, create a habitat for the frog found in the teacher’s desk. When designing your habitat, consider where frogs live, what frogs eat and their natural predators. Talk about what you have included in your design and share your work with the class.
~
Using the students’ frog drawings, cut out and create a frog mural. Include all the essentials that frogs need – plants, rocks, water, insects, etc.
Alternatively, have students at four ‘stations’ draw or finger-paint something relating to a frog habitat. After several minutes, move each artwork to the next station. Continue until each artwork has moved through all four stations. Hang the artworks for display. Discuss differences in habitats and how each would still be ideal frog environments.
Using the information gathered for the fact file, students write an information report on a species of frog or toad. Published reports will be collated into a class book.
Create a Y chart with the title ‘Changes to a frog’s habitat’ from a frog’s point of view (page 10).
Extension activities
Using the frog fact file, design a True or False quiz with at least ten statements.
Assessment
Assess students’ frog habitat designs and their frog information report.
Have students write a story (similar to Lester and Clyde) about the life of a frog.
Drawing conclusions
Resources
· What I know about frogs and tadpoles (page 9)
Teaching and learning activities
Investigate the school grounds for a possible habitat to attract frogs.
Approach local businesses for assistance in building a frog pond.
Once the tadpoles have developed, release the frogs into their new habitat.
Assessment
Justify the features needed for the creation of the frog habitat.
Draw or write about why frogs are important in our environment.
Communicating
Teaching and learning activities
Students present their frog pond design to an audience and explain and justify the features of their design.
Create a class book from the students’ frog information reports and present it to other grades.
Display the completed mural in the school.
Invite other grades and/or members of the community to view the completed mural and the frog pond and explain the thinking behind their design.
Assessment
Invite students to write about how their frog pond will help frogs in the local area.
Discuss what maintenance their frog pond will need for their newly released frogs to survive.
Have students complete What I know about frogs and tadpoles as a post-test (page 9). Compare their responses to those submitted in the pre-test.
Writer: Antonina Fieni
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Give a frog a home 2
What I know about frogs and tadpoles
Name / Class / DateChanges to a frog’s habitat
Name / Class / Date© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
Give a frog a home 2
Frog songs
Name / Class / DateFive little speckled frogs
Five little speckled frogs,
Sitting on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious bugs,
Yum, yum.
One jumped into the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Then there were four little speckled frogs.
(Repeat, working your way down to one.)
One little speckled frog sitting,
Sitting on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious bugs,
Yum, yum.
He jumped into the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Then there were no little speckled frogs.
Da gloomp
Da gloomp went the little green frog one day,
Da gloomp went the little green frog,
Da gloomp went the little green frog one day,
And they all went gloomp, gloomp, gloomp.