Teachers’ notes – How do animals behave?
Synopsis
As a starting point for this activity, learners consider their observations of the behaviour of different animals and the questions raised by these observations. How do they feed, move, etc.? Learners might consider their own questions such as ‘How do bees collect nectar?’, ‘How do snails find food?’ and ‘Why do slugs leave a slime trail?’ Practical activities encourage consideration of how and why animals make sounds, move and feed. They might observe and record some of the sounds made by different animals and consider why animals make different sounds.Later in the activity, learners are encouraged to discuss the ways in which animals might be trained to engage in specific behaviours. The focus for their discussions is the training of dogs, which many learners may have experienced first-hand at home. The discussion is broadened to encourage identification and consideration of the different contexts in which dogs might work and be trained. Some learners may wish to extend their study even further to find out about how different animals may be trained. Throughout the activity, learners are likely to engage in practical enquiries including information-gathering and classification activities.Additionally, learners could be encouraged to follow up some of their ideas with independent enquiries that meet their interests and capabilities.
Curriculum links
English: Oracy: 1 & 4
Science: Interdependence of organisms: 4, 5 & 6
Communication: 1 & 2
Planning: 3
Developing: 7
Reflecting: 5 & 6
Skills framework links
Developing thinking:
Plan Activating prior skills, knowledge and understanding
DevelopForming opinions and making decisions
ReflectLinking and lateral thinking
Developing communication:
OracyDeveloping information and ideas; Presenting information and ideas
ReadingLocating, selecting and using information using reading strategies; Responding to what has been said
WritingOrganising ideas and information; Writing accurately
Wider communication skillsCommunicating information
Activities
Tab 1
/ Learning opportunity:Learners are helped to identify animals from sounds and collect own sound recordings of animals.
Using the tab:
This tab provides learners with audio clips of the noises made by the following nine animals: sheep, pig, bird, bee, dog, cat, horse, cricket, seagull. Learners discuss and agree the identification of the animal in the sound recording. They are encouraged to discuss their ideas about how each animal is making the sound, perhaps identifying the different parts of the body likely to be involved in sound production. Learners are encouraged to record the sounds of some animals in their immediate locality.They might bring these recordings back to class and investigate which sounds are easy to recognise and which sounds are more difficult. They may create a game for younger children who are asked to try to identify the animal from the sound.
Tab 2
/ Learning opportunity:Learners consider why animals make sounds.
Using the tab:
In this tab learners are initially asked why they think animals make sounds. Encourage them to share and discuss their ideas. The tab provides a randomiser that generates the following children’s ideas about why animals make sounds:
- To talk to each other.
- To say something – like ‘I’m scared’.
- When they want something.
- Because they are born to do it.
- They can’t talk so they use sounds.
- To scare other animals.
- To call their babies.
Tab 3
/ Learning opportunity:Learners draw on their own experience and prior knowledge to discuss the behaviour of different animals.
Using the tab:
Learners are asked to share ideas about the behaviour of different animals. The images of animals provided in the tab includes a dog, sheep, bee, pig, rabbit, spider, cat, frog, bird, fish and a horse.The discussion may be wide-ranging with learners able todescribe experiences and observations of animals’ movement, feeding, reproduction and looking after young and their favoured habitat. Some learners may refer to their own interactions and experiences of some of these animals. These discussions might draw on to experiences of looking after animals, animals at market, animal’s expression of emotions, animals as food sources, etc.
Learners are invited to show some animal behaviour in actions and mime as well as in words.
Tab 4
/ Learning opportunity:Learners observe and discuss the movements of fish and snails.
Using the tab:
In this tab, learners are provided with two video clips that show different animals moving.Learners are asked to share and discuss their ideas about how they think these animals move. The video clips aim to help learners make close observations of the movement of the snail and fish.Rollovers prompt the learners to consider what parts of their body are moving and how each of the animals might change direction. Children may focus on the slime trail of snails they observe which helps the snail to move along vertical surfaces.
Tab 5
/ Learning opportunity:Learners consider the different ways in which animals move.
Using the tab:
In this tab, learners are asked to share and act out their ideas about the different ways in which animals move. The tab provides the following eight photographs of different animals:
goldfish, deer, squirrel, hen, otter, robin, snake and sea lion. Learners are asked to consider how they think each of these eight animals might move. Rollovers prompt the learners to consider the different ways each animal moves and why they think each one moves in these ways.
Tab 6
/ Learning opportunity:Learners classify animals in different ways.
Using the tab:
In this tab learners are provided with photographs of the following twelve animals:dog, sheep, bee, pig, rabbit, cat, elephant, bird, horse, goldfish, hedgehog and mouse.
Learners are asked to group the animals according to how they move. They could be encouraged to make groupings of images using hoops or boxes as well as making groupings on screen. Learners may wish to use more than the two groups shown on the screen. Opportunities to share ideas about groupings could help learners develop their ideas about the different ways animals move.
Tab 7
/ Learning opportunity:Learners group animals according to how they feed.
Using the tab:
In this tab, learners are asked to consider how different animals feed. The tab provides the following ten photographs of different animals: dog, human, horse, frog, wolf, snake, squirrel, bee, hen and otter. Learners are asked to group these animals on the basis of what they eat. The tab provides a random generator which displays each of the animals in turn. Discussion is likely to be wide-ranging including the sources of food for each animal, predator–prey relationships and food chains.
Tab 8
/ Learning opportunity:Learners explore the trained behaviour of some dogs.
Using the tab:
Learners are asked to consider some of the trained behaviours of a dog that are shown in a video clip. It is intended that the clip may resonate with some children’s own experiences and observations of dogs. Some learners may have contributed to the training of their own dog. Learners are invited to discuss their ideas about why people train dogs and other animals. Their discussion might be extended to include a consideration of how dogs could be trained. Some learners may wish to invite into school local dog owners who have trained their dogs, to find out more information. Learners could write invitations to such visitors, arrange questions to ask and organise the recording and sharing of information.
Tab 9
/ Learning opportunity:Learners develop communication and enquiry skills in the course of finding out about dog training.
Using the tab:
Learners are provided with information about some of the ways in which dogs are trained to help people. They are encouraged to find out more information about some the ways these animals are trained and the work of these dogs. It is intended that learners use literacy and enquiry skills to find information about an area of dog training that interests them. They could be helped to access different sources of information including any local experts such as farmers who train and use sheep dogs, or people who train dogs for the police, or Cardiff airport, or for ports in Wales, etc.
Useful links:
Unit 5.1 teachers’ notes –How do animal behave?1