Do Animals Belong in the Zoo?

Animals

Overview:

This inquiry resource package on animals for ELKP is designed to assist teachers in planning an inquiry-based learning opportunity. The outline is infused with learning objects that your own class has presented in their discovery learning around the topic of animals, our connection to animals, animal life cycles, and the ethics of animals living in a zoo. The time required and the direction of the inquiry-based learning activity will depend on the time that you can allocate to the learning activity, students’ prior knowledge, skill, and level of interest.

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Strand and Topic: Science and Technology

Inquiry Focus:

The time required depends on students’ background knowledge, skills set, level of interest, and any additional time required for completion of student work.

Big Ideas:

  • Children are curious and connect prior knowledge to new context in order to understandthe world around them.

Specific Expectations:

Science and Technology

  • 1.1 ask questions about and describe some nature occurrences, using their observations and representations
  • 1.2 explore patterns in the natural and built environment
  • 2.1 state problems and pose questions before and during investigations
  • 2.2 make predictions and observations before and during investigations
  • 2.3 select and use materials to carry out their own investigation
  • 2.4 communicate results and findings from individual and group investigations
  • 4.1 identify practices that ensure their personal safety and the safety of others, and demonstrate an understanding of the importance of these practices
  • 4.2 state problems and pose questions as part of the design process
  • 4.3 make predictions and observations throughout the design process
  • 4.4 select and use tools, equipment, and materials to construct things using the design process
  • 4.5 communicate and record results and findings after constructing things either individually or in group

Mathematics

  • NS1.1 investigate the idea that quantity is greater when counting forward and less when counting backwards
  • NS1.2 investigate some concepts of quantity through identifying and comparing sets with more, fewer, or the same number of objects
  • NS1.3 begin to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects
  • NS1.8 use ordinal numbers in a variety of everyday contexts
  • M2.2 demonstrate through investigation, an awareness of non-standard and measuring devices
  • G3.3 compose pictures, and build designs, shapes, and patterns using two-dimensional shapes using various tools and strategies

Language

  • 1.2 listen and respond to others for a variety of purposes
  • 1.3 begin to use and interpret gestures, tone of voice, and other non-verbal means to communicate and respond
  • 1.4 follow and provide one- and two – step directions in different contexts
  • 1.5 use language in various contexts to connect new experiences with what they already know
  • 1.6 use language to talk about their thinking, to reflect, and to solve problems
  • 1.8 ask questions for a variety of purposes
  • 2.4 respond to a variety of materials read aloud to them
  • 2.5 make predictions regarding an unfamiliar text that is read by and with the EL-K team, using prior experiences, knowledge of familiar texts, and general knowledge of the world around them
  • 2.6 use prior knowledge to make connections
  • 2.10 retell information from non-fiction materials that have been read by and with the EL-K team in a variety of contexts
  • 4.2 demonstrate an awareness that writing can convey ideas or messages
  • 4.5 experiment with a variety of simple writing forms for different purposes and in a variety of context

The Arts: Visual Arts

  • V1.1demonstrate an awareness of personal interest and a sense of accomplishment in visual arts
  • V2.1 explore different tools, materials, and processes of their own choice to create visual art forms in familiar and new ways
  • V4.2 respond to a variety of visual art forms from various cultures, including their own
  • V5.1 communicate their understanding of something by representing their ideas and feelings through visual art

Key Concepts:

Animals, zoo, habitat, care, captivity, pet, indigenous people, domesticated animals, wild animals, homes

Animals

Do Animals Belong in a Zoo?

Engage

Spark interest in your students through nature walks, field trips, human interest stories, students’ personal connections, reading aloud.

Extended

Observe and discuss the balance of human and animal connections and the importance of freedom.
  1. How can we tell about the things that we know, i.e., WonderWall, drawings using paper and iPad drawing apps, charts, Knowledge Circles?
  2. How can we learn from the experts in our class?
  3. What can we learn from experts in the field, i.e., person-to-person interviews, guest speakers, skype calls?
  4. Watch for students making personal connections.

Hands-on Inquiry

Explore a variety of materials and exploratory tools. Provide students with the opportunity to question, critically think, and problem solve through free exploration and play-based learning.
Observe and document children’s thinking for future learning opportunities.
Provide children with good inquiry-based questions to develop critical thinking.

Big Idea

Do animals belong in a zoo?
Cluster 1 / Cluster 2 / Cluster 3
  • Wild animals
  • Indigenous connection
/
  • Domesticated pets
  • Indigenous connection
/
  • Living environments/habitats
  • Indigenous connection

Cluster #1 – Wild Animals

#1 Invitation to question: What is camouflage?
Suggested inquiry questions- your questions will vary depending on your students’ interests and the direction in which they take their inquiry investigation.
  • Why is it important that animals be able to camouflage themselves?
  • Why do animals change colour?
  • Why does a zebra have stripes?
  • Why is a polar bear white and a grizzly bear brown?
  • Why do some animals camouflage themselves to look like other animals?
Conduct this learning through inquiry circles, individual or small group discussions.
Suggested hands-on inquiry-based experiments or activities
  1. Go on a nature walk and observe animal colourations- exploratory investigation
  2. Provide students with pictures of camouflaged animals in their habitat and see if children can find them – exploratory investigation
  3. Provide students with a variety of materials to build and create camouflaged animals that look like other animals, i.e., insect that looks like bird droppings – exploratory creation
  4. Have students explore the idea of creating and buildingimaginary animals that blend into the colours of their classroom.
  5. Dress-up centre with different kinds of animals - play-based learning
  6. Have someone visit from the military wearing and/or bringing camouflage clothing. Why are they important for their job?
  7. Play a game of hide and seek outside.
  8. Go on a nature hike and look for animals. How do they use camouflage?
Facilitate and support extended learning
Introduce a variety of fiction and non-fiction books related to topic.
#2 Invitation to question: How does an animal stay warm?
Suggested inquiry questions- your questions will vary depending on your students’ interests and the direction in which they take their inquiry investigation.
  • Why is it important for an animal to stay warm?
  • How does a polar bear stay warm in the Arctic?
  • How does a turtle stay warm all winter?
  • How does a snake stay cool?
  • What is warm-blooded?
  • What is cold-blooded?
  • Why would an animal have so much fat?
  • Why is important for a polar bear or seal to have so much fat?
  • Is it good for humans to have a lot of fat? Why?
  • What kind of suit might a human wear if they were diving into very cold water?
  • How does this suit help us to survive?
Conduct this learning through inquiry circles, individual or small group discussions.
Suggested hands-on inquiry-based experiments or activities
  1. How does a polar bear dress for the winter?
  2. Natural insulators experiment
  3. Through hands-on investigation, have children explore a variety of different insulators.
  4. Have children build and create different animals demonstrating their knowledge on how they stay warm.
  5. Using the pictocollage iPad app, have children create a picture of warm-blooded or cold-blooded animals.
Facilitate and support extended learning
Introduce a variety of fiction and non-fiction books related to topic.
#3 Invitation to question: How tall is a polar bear?
Suggested inquiry questions- your questions will vary depending on your students’ interests and the direction in which they take their inquiry investigation.
  • How could a polar bear live in my backyard?
  • What kinds of things would my polar bear need?
  • Why is a polar bear so big?
  • Why does a polar bear need to have so much space?
  • What kinds of things does a polar bear eat?
Suggested hands-on inquiry-based experiments or activities
  1. Skype with someone at the Cochrane Polar Bear Sanctuary about polar bears that live there.
  2. Draw a full-sized polar bear and measure using non-standard manipulates.
  3. Have students compare the sizes of other wild animals.
  4. Create and build wild animals in the snow during play-based learning.
  5. Create imaginary tall wild animals using ice blocks and coloured water.
  6. Build a very tall imaginary wild animal in the classroom using recycled materials.
  7. Have the children create an enrichment toy and donate it to a local wildlife sanctuary or zoo.
Facilitate and support extended learning
Introduce a variety of fiction and non-fiction books related to topic.
#4 Invitation to question: Indigenous connection- How did the Inuit use wild animals to survive?
Suggested inquiry questions- your questions will vary depending on your students’ interests and the direction in which they take their inquiry investigation.
  • Who are the Inuit people?
  • Why did the Inuit people have to use wild animals to survive?
  • How did the Inuit people use the fur?
  • How did the Inuit people use the bones?
  • How could we build something out of bones?
  • Why is important to use everything from the animal that we kill?
  • How did the Inuit people show respect for the animals that they killed?
  • Why is it important for us to show respect?
Suggested hands-on inquiry-based experiments or activities
  1. Build a sled out of sticks gathered on a nature walk, and string to explore how Inuit people might have done this.
  2. Provide children with a variety of fake furs and strings to create an outfit that an Inuit might wear to keep warm.
  3. Explore an Inuit story book through good inquiry questions.
Facilitate and support extended learning
Introduce a variety of fiction and non-fiction books related to topic.

Description of Activities

Camouflage?

  • Now You See Me … – Dr. Seuess
  • Plums Photo Hunt – iPad app –

Natural Insulators Experiment

In cold temperatures like the Arctic and in chilly ocean and lake waters, animals survive by using different strategies. They have adapted to their habitat and living conditions. Some animals, like the turtle, are cold-blooded and their bodies don’t need to stay very warm. Other animals are warm-blooded and their bodies need to stay warm in cold conditions. The polar bear has fat and fur to help it stay warm. Sea otters fluff up their fur and add air to it, creating an insulating blanket. Seals use blubber, a thick fatty layer that also acts like a natural sweater. This experiment will help children understand the importance of natural insulators for animals

Investigation #1

  • Fill one cup with shortening and the other cup with water. Make sure that both the shortening and water are at room temperature when you start.
  • Place a thermometer in the middle of each cup. Record the temperatures and then remove the thermometers.
  • Put the cups in the freezer for half an hour.
  • After thirty minutes, remove the cups and quickly test the temperatures before they change. Which one is colder?
  • Continue the experiment for another thirty minutes or for as long as the temperature in the containers keeps changing.

Investigation #2

  • Fill one plastic glove with a cup of shortening.
  • Add cold water into each of the large bowls, then add ice cubes.
  • Once the water is quite cold, place one hand into the plastic glove and the other into the plain glove.
  • What does it feel like?
  • Is there a difference?
  • Have a helper slide the thermometer into each glove and track the temperature for three minutes.

How does a polar bear dress?

In a bag, bring in a variety of props and clothes to represent the adaptations of a polar bear.

  • small bear
  • white hat for furry head
  • swim goggles for protected eyes
  • rain coat for waterproofing
  • white coat for fur
  • black garbage bag for black skin
  • big white boots or socks for paws
  • compass for directional instinct

Put items in a large bag and select a student to dress up as a polar bear. Why would a polar bear need these things to live in his/her environment?

How tall is a polar bear?

Investigate how tall a full-sized polar bear would be. Have children use manipulatives to estimate their size. Research online the height of a polar bear. Using measuring instruments have children problem solve to determine this measurement on rolled out paper. Draw the polar bear and have students cut it out of the paper. Decorate. Tape on the wall and most likely onto the ceiling, too. Have each student stand up to the cutout and mark their height on the drawing to illustrate their size in comparison to the polar bear’s size.

Technology Links

  • All Things Animal – Polar Bear/Animals for children – Kids Videos/kindergarten/ preschool
  • Wii Dance – The Sid Shuffle – Ice Age – Continental Drift
  • Polar bear tundra buggy in Churchill, Ontario
  • Polar bear web cam at the San Diego Zoo

Books

  • Brave Little Polar Bear – Read aloud YouTube
  • The Polar Bears’ Home A Story about Global Warming By Lara Bergen
  • Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the WorldBy Julianna, Isabella, & Craig Hatkoff – non-fiction
  • Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? By Bill Martins & Eric Carle

Indigenous Connection

Inuit video by Victoria Mok

Dog Sled –The Inuit (the indigenous people of the Arctic) used groups of dogs,usually huskies or malamutes, to help with their hunting and hauling supplies. Their dogs pulled a sled, which the Inuit called an “uniek”. The Inuit could ride on the back of the uniuk and use the bed to haul goods. The pieces of the real uniek look a little bit like wood, but wood is very scarce in the Arctic so the sled is actually made from whale bones!

Cluster #2 –What Makes a Pet a Pet?

#1 Invitation to question: What makes a pet a pet?
Suggested inquiry questions- your questions will vary depending on your students’ interests and the direction in which they take their inquiryinvestigation.
  • What is a pet?
  • How is a pet different from a polar bear?
  • Why did you get that kind of pet?
  • Why is it important to care for your pet?
  • How is your pet a responsibility?
Suggested hands-on inquiry-based experiments or activities
  1. Create a graph of different kinds of pets in your classroom.
  2. Have children share pictures of their pets from home and have them create an info graph of this information.
  3. Have children build a pet of their choice out of a variety of materials and compare characteristics of these examples.
  4. Have children compare different habitats of pets. Why are they different?
Facilitate and support extended learning
Introduce a variety of fiction and non-fiction books related to topic.
#2 Invitation to question: How do we take care of a pet?
Suggested inquiry questions- your questions will vary depending on your students’ interests and the direction in which they take their inquiry investigation.
  • Why is important to take care of our pet?
  • Why is important to think and plan before getting a pet?
  • What are some things we have to think about before we get a pet?
  • How could we care for a pet in our classroom?
  • How could we create a space in our classroom for a pet?
  • How do we feed our pet?
  • How can we make our pet their own food?
  • Why does this animal move like that?
  • Why does this animal eat this food?
  • How can I make sure the animal is getting enough exercise?
  • When should we feed the animal?
  • How will we know if the animal is okay at night?
What kinds of things could we gather from nature to feed our animal?
Suggested hands-on inquiry-based experiments or activities
  • Invite a pet into your classroom to visit for a week or longer.
  • Have a pet arrive as a surprise with a note attached to it asking if they can take care of it.
  • Have children create and build a play structure for the pet.
  • Have children create a chart of responsibilities for the pet.
  • Invite someone to come in from the local animal shelter.
  • You might want to set up a web cam for your animal so that students can log on at night and watch him/her.
  • If the pet is new to your classroom and doesn’t have a name, you can vote to name your class pet.
  • Have a baking day and make homemade dog biscuits.
Facilitate and support extended learning
Introduce a variety of fiction and non-fiction books related to topic.
#3 Invitation to question: How do pets help us?
Suggested inquiry questions- your questions will vary depending on your students’interests and the direction in which they take their inquiry investigation.
  • Why is it important to have a pet?
  • Why might someone not have a pet?
  • Why is it fair or not fair to keep a pet in a cage?
Suggested hands-on inquiry-based experiments or activities
1.Invite a dog to come in from the local therapy dog group and children can read to the animal.
2. Invite someone to visit the class that has a service dog.
3. Bring in a stuffed dog and put a note on it that (s)he likes to be read to. Ask the children how this helpful.
4. Have children invent and build something that might help a pet who has a disability.
Facilitate and support extended learning
Introduce a variety of fiction and non-fiction books related to topic.
#4 Invitation to question: Indigenous connection –Sled dogs: pets or working partners?
Suggested inquiry questions- your questions will vary depending on your students’ interests and the direction in which they take their inquiry investigation.
  • How did FNIM people use pets?
  • How were their pets different from our pets?
  • Why did they need to have pets?
Suggested hands-on inquiry-based experiments or activities
  1. Read an Inuit legend story about dogs.
  2. Go outside in the winter and play with different sleds. Try pulling each other.
Facilitate and support extended learning
Introduce a variety of fiction and non-fiction books related to topic.

Cluster #3 –Why Does an Animal Have a Home?