Animal Adaptation in Africa
Laura Morin
K-1 Menu
Conceptual Lens: Connections
Understandings: Students will understand that a variety of animals live in Africa,
animal adaptations are developed based on the needs of the animal’s survival in its habitat,
and the interdependence of animals and plants within their habitat.
Essential Questions:
· Why are animals different?
· What is the relationship between animals and their environment?
· How do animals adapt to survive?
Africa: Animal Adaptations K-1
General Africa
/ Information / Type I / Type IIAfrica’s World Records / 1. World Records Held by Africa
· Most countries in a continent (53)
· Most languages spoken on a continent (808)
· Hottest recorded temperature on Earth (136.4 degrees F in Libya in 1922)
· Largest desert on Earth (Sahara)
· Longest river on Earth (Nile)
· World’s largest swamp (in Botswana)
· World’s richest supply of gold and diamonds
African Animal World Records
· World’s largest bird and largest egg (Ostrich)· Fastest land animal (Cheetah)
· Largest land animal (African Elephant)
· World’s tallest mammal (Giraffe)
· World’s smallest fox (Fennec Fox)
· Longest migration of a land animal (Wildebeests)
· World’s most colorful mammal and largest monkey (Mandrill)
· Most talkative bird (African Gray Parrot) / 1. Introduce poster and have students take guesses about the world records of Africa. / 1. See below for a variety of Type II lessons that explore more about these facts.
Folktales / 1. There are two kinds of folktales: one that answers a question and another that gives the reader a message or lesson to learn.
Review the writing process and outline steps in writing a folktale: Step 1- Read lots of folktales and discuss them. Step 2- Brainstorm ideas for plot, character, and setting. Step 3: Write your folktale. Step 4: Revise, edit, and rewrite it. Step 4: Let others read it and give their advice. Step 5: Publish it. / 1. Read folktales, such as How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin, How the Camel Got His Hump, The Mother Who Turned to Dust, The Guardian of the Pool, The Cat Who Came Indoors, and The Message.
1. With these folktales and others, come up with a definition for “folktale” and apply it to each folktale we read.
1. Rate each folktale and stated which ones were better than others and what made them that way.
1. Use stick puppets and acted out a folktale.
2. Read Dr. DeSoto Goes to Africa. / 1. Use your Communication talent, Skill 1, and write many, different single words to describe the main character animal in the folktale read.
1. After listening to the folktale, draw a picture from the folktale. Copy the message and title from the folktale.
2. Think of many, varied predictions about the causes for Dr. DeSoto to go to Africa.
Map Skills / Africa is the second largest continent. It contains 53 countries. The habitats and inhabitants are diverse throughout Africa. / 1. Use your productive thinking talent to generate many, varied, and unusual ideas for transforming the outline of Africa into something else. Add to you ideas.
2. Look at pictures of African landscapes to compare and contrast country life and city life. / 1. Learn where to identify Africa on the map.
Use a map key to color the different African habitats.
2. Use your forecasting talent to think of many, varied effects of people living so close to animals.
· Make a tissue paper textured map of Africa to show the habitats. Make a map key.
Occupations / Field Scientist
Veterinarian
Zookeeper / 2. Read information about Jane Goodall. Complete think, pair, share to share the information with others.
3. Observe animals in nature as Jane Goodall did.
4. Listen to interview with zookeeper at www.careers.iptv.org/people_detail.
cfm?pplID=150&occid+94. / 1. Dress up like the scientist and explore tools used by field scientists.
· Use your productive thinking skills to think of many, varied, and unusual designs for your safari hat.
2. Use your productive thinking talent to think of many, varied, and unusual examples of items your might find in Jane Goodall’s tent.
3. Learn basic observation techniques. Go outside to observe nature and draw a picture or write about the experience. Think of many, varied single words to describe the feeling of observing wildlife in nature.
· Make binoculars.
General
General Plants
/ 1. Compare and contrast leaves from the rain forest, savanna, and desert. Drip water on the leaves to see if adaptations leaves have for collecting water. / 1. Use your forecasting talent to think of many, varied effects of leaves different sizes and shapes.Animal
/ Information / Type I / Type IIGeneral animals
/ 1. Read Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett.2. Compare animal sizes with objects around the room.
· Read and illustrate poems about rain forest animals.
3. Watch and listen to a biologist, zoologist, or pet store bring live African animals to class and explain about animal adaptation.
· Make many, varied, and unusual guesses about which animal is pictured in the extreme close-up photograph. Then read the answer and about the animal.
· Take an African animal fact or fiction quiz.
· Complete puzzles of African animals.
4. Watch and discuss Discover Channel, National Geographic, and Unitedstreaming videos to observe African animals in the wild.
On the animal notepads, write down an interesting fact about the animal adaptation to share with the class. Post it on the Awesome Adaptations bulletin board. / 1. After reading Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing, use your Forecasting skill #1 to think of many, varied or different causes of animals being different. Make a list of your ideas in your small group.
2. Use your forecasting talent #2 to think of many, varied effects of animals being different sizes.
· Complete Synectics about the African habitats and its animals.
· Create a classroom mural showing the different African habitats and the animals that live there.
· Listen to how animals use movement to adapt to their surrounding. Learn how to make a flip book to show movement.
· Learn how to create a list of interview questions. Make a list of questions to ask each guest speaker. Choose 3 question to listen carefully for and ask them if not answered.
· Read about one animal habitat and what it needs to survive and then write a real estate ad to advertise a perfect home for that animal. Illustrate your ad if you have space.
· Use your productive thinking talent to think of many, varied, and unusual uses for a small magazine cut as a body part of a rain forest animal. Draw this animal around the magazine clipping.
· Use your productive thinking talent to think of many, varied, and unusual strategies to prevent an endangered animal for becoming extinct.
4. Think of many, varied single words to describe your feelings after watching this video.
Relationship in animals
/ Make a Web of Life. /Play predator/prey game and graph results. Analyze each round in terms of population.
Camouflage / 1. Look at camouflage poster to find out about the different kinds of camouflage. Complete “Seeing through Camouflage” computer game.2. Go into the wild to observe camouflage in nature. / 1. Use the information you know about camouflage to design animal skin to blend with patterned paper. Think of the many, varied, single words to describe the camouflage you made.
· Find an African animal picture. Use finger paint to camouflage it in its surroundings.
· Play camouflage hide and seek game outside.
· Hide camouflage paper animals around the room and have students find them.
Teeth / 1. Sharp teeth called canines are for tearing meat. Animals that eat meat are called carnivores. Flat teeth called molars are for grinding foods like grass. Animals that eat plants are called herbivores. / 1. Look at pictures for herbivores and carnivores. Compare and contrast their teeth. Look at jaw bones with teeth attached. / 1. Complete teeth investigation to see which teeth are best used for eating certain foods.
1. Think of many, varied comparisons in the form of a simile. Canines are as sharp as ___.
Molars are as bumpy as _____.
1. Make models of the teeth. Complete teeth investigation sheet. Discuss findings.
Bird Beaks / Beaks are utensils or tools for birds. Different beaks are used to do different things. / 1. Compare and contrast pictures of birds’ beaks. / 1. Use beak models to pick up different food sources. Complete experiment data sheet. Discuss finds and match the beak to the shape and use.
Desert
Desert / · About 2.5 million people call the Sahara home.· It is so large that the entire continental United States could fit inside of it.
· Only 15 % of the Sahara is covered by sand dunes. (I had to interpret this fact for them because we had not studied percents.)
· Regs make up 70 % of the Sahara’s total area. They are made up of sand mixed with red, white, and black gravel.
· The Sahara only receives up to 10 inches of rain every year. When it does rain, it often is a heavy downpour.
· The Sahara is estimated to grow at least 3 to 6 miles per year.
· Many animals that live in the Sahara are nocturnal.
· Several animals bury themselves to stay cool during the day. / Read Natural Wonders: The Sahara Desert. / Desert Rainfall Experiment Give many, varied single words to describe the experiment.
From Rocks to Sand Experiment - Think of many, varied comparisons in the form of a simile. Sand is as __ as _____.
Rocks are as __ as ____.
Create a mural to show the Sahara and animals that live there.
Oasis / · 75% of the Sahara’s people live in or near oases.
· People and animals receive water from fruits grown in an oasis. / Read Natural Wonders: The Sahara Desert. / Oasis Experiment: Run in the sun then become refreshed with fruit. Temperature Experiments: Set out several thermometers outside- in shade, in direct light, underground, in white pouch, and in black pouch. Record the temperatures found and compare. Which is coolest and which is hottest? How can animals and people use this information to stay cooler in the Sahara? After experiencing the hot Alabama sun, tell about your experience. How do you think your experience is like that of someone who lives in the Sahara? (com 4)
Animal
/ Information / Type I / Type IICamel / · Since fat is an insulator, camels have most of their fat in their humps so that heat can escape more easily from the less fatty areas. The fat is a built-in food supply.
· Camels have long eyelashes to protect their eyes from sunlight and blowing sand. They also have extra thin eyelid that they can see through. They have broad ridges of bone over their eyes that block the sun.
· Some camels will drink up to 35 gallons of water at one time. They like clean water.
· Camels have large feet, so weight on them is spread out. This allows camels to carry heavy loads and still walk easily on soft sand. / Make a paper visor for each eye. Fold index card halves and tape to string. / In a bowl of flattened sand, try pushing different sized cardboard circles across the sand with the eraser end of a pencil.
Fill in diagram sheet of camel adaptations.
Fennec Fox / There are few places to hide on the desert. Predators and prey have large ears that can turn, which aids in hearing and locating sounds. / Show a picture of the Fennec Fox’s large ears.
Blindfolded try to locate the source of a sound by moving only your ears. / Cut the bottom out of various sized paper cups. Experiment with how far you can hear a watch tick. Measure and record the distance. Compare results.
Grasslands
Grasslands / African safari puzzlesAfrican Animals Tanagrams A to Z
Plastic Safari animals / Use How to Draw book to draw safari animals.
Create a mural to show the savanna and animals that live there.
Animal
/ Information / Type I / Type IIGrass
/ · Grass blades do not grow from the tips, as do other plants. Instead, they grow above each node along the stem. This type of growth allows grass to survive being nibbled or cut by lawn mowers.· Animals are adapted to eat different kinds of grass and vegetation. / 1. Plant grass seeds in a cup or pool about ¼ inch deep. Use a spray bottle to spray the surface. Moisten the soil, but do not make it dripping wet.
2. Look at pictures of savanna animals grazing. / 1. Dig up a small clump of grass. Plant the grass in a cup with ¾ full of soil. Keep soil moist but not dripping wet during the experiment. Use ruler to measure and cut 1 inch above the soil. Use pen to color the ends of the grass blades. Measure grass stems from their ends to the soil for 7 days. Make note of growth.
2. Complete competition for food game and discuss how important it is for animals to specialize what they eat.
Cheetah / Black lines under eyes reflect the light of the sun. / Put a black line under one eye and leave the other eye plain. How does it help? Which people use this today?
Giraffe / Think of many, varied effects of having a long neck like a giraffe. Practice moving with the long neck model.
Zebra / · Each zebra has a unique stripe pattern. But there are similarities in stripe patterns of each zebra species on the hindquarters. / 1. Use fingerprint to make zebra’s hindquarters. Draw a tail.
2. Look at zebra fur. Ask how they can be camouflaged. / 2. Complete disruptive camouflage experiment with newspaper to see how it works in the wild. Discuss disruptive camouflage.
African Elephant / Large ears on desert animals help them cool off. When air blows across an animal’s ears, heat is transferred from the blood in the ears to the air above the ears, and the animal’s blood is cooled. Cooled blood circulates throughout the body. / · Lay arm on a table with the palm side up. Fold 2 washcloths in half twice. Place them over arm leaving a small crack. Use the index card to fan the area. Notice how cool the skin feels. Separate the washcloths more and repeat.
· Use your productive thinking talent to think of many, varied, and unusual functions of an elephant’s trunk.
Lion / Use your Forecasting skill #2 to think of many, varied or different effects of lions being extinct.
Wildebeest / · The wildebeest migrate the greatest distance of any land animal. / Watch film clip on Wildebeest migration. / Use your Communication talent skill #2, and orally share with the class many, varied single words to describe (tell) the feelings of the wildebeests during their migration.
Rain Forest