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| Dallas Zoological Society Partnership : Middle School Lessons Birds and Mammals |
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Topic Overview
Quick Facts
Most fish cannot swim backwards, but some can,
such as the eel.
Most fish swim in a horizontal position. The
only fish that can swim in vertical motion is the sea horse.
There are approximately 25 thousand known kinds
of fish.
The largest fish is the whale shark which grows
to more than 50 feet
and may weigh several tons.
The smallest fish is the goby and reaches only
half an inch long in adulthood.
The longevity span is wide; some smaller reef
fishes live only a few weeks, while other fish can live up to 50 years.
The word amphibian comes from the Greek word
amphibiaon, which means both water and land.
98% of the original 5.2 million kilometers of
streams in the continental United States
have been seriously affected by habitat invasion and/or destruction, causing a
drastic decline in amphibian populations.
There has been a 50% loss of the everglades
ecosystem by the early 1990s, furthering the decline of many species of
amphibians.
There are 8,240 species of reptiles in the
world, inhabiting every continent except Antarctica.
Only a few hundred of the world's 3,000 snakes
are venomous. In the United States,
only rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths, and coral snakes are poisonous.
More Americans die each year from bee and wasp stings than from snake bites.
Some turtles and tortoises, including the
Eastern Box Turtle, can live for more than a century.
Komodo Dragons of Indonesia reach up to 10 feet in length, and can weigh 350 lbs.
Begin the Lesson
Fish, amphibians, and reptiles are three kingdoms of animals
that are each very unique. Body structures, behavior patterns, and lifestyles
range widely. These animals are keenly adept at adaptation. Development of fish
and amphibians is particularly fascinating with their complete physical
changes.
Whole Class Introduction to the
Lesson
You will need at least one
computer with Internet connectivity and a projection device, a classroom with
more than one computer, or access to a computer lab.� This introduction will take approximately 10
minutes to complete.
Introduce students to
the module by visiting the videos, “Funky Fish” http://www.ocean.com/mplayer/?ResourceID=101&page=9&URL=http%3A%2F%
�and
“PBS Nature: Snakes” http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/reptiles/media_players_green/snakes_lo.html.
Sample Questions:
Ask students what they know about fish,
amphibians, and reptiles.
Ask students to describe some of the animals
they saw, and how they are alike and different.
Ask students what questions they might have
about fish, amphibians, or reptiles, post these questions on a board for other
students to see. As students progress through the module, encourage them to
find the answers to these questions.
As part of the introduction, you
may want to review some of the glossary terms in advance of students going
online. At this point you can launch the WebLesson as whole-class activity
using a projection device, or you can assign students to work individually or
in teams in a computer lab.
WebLesson Sites
Introduction Dogs, cats, cockatoos, parrots, hamsters, parakeets, even horses are all pets that you might have owned or friends might have owned. While these birds and mammals may join our families, there are thousands of bird and mammal species that would not do very well living in our homes.
There are more than 10,000 species of birds in the world. Each type of bird is very different from the next. They vary in the way that they fly together (flock), eat, nest and migrate. Birds are very interesting diverse living creatures. Birds belong to the Class Aves. They have wings to fly but also can walk on land and some can even swim in the water. Mammals have the smallest number of species of the Animal Kingdom. They are just as interesting and unique. With their warm-blooded hairy bodies and their ability to nurse their young, mammals have very strong bonds with their babies. Humans are the most complex and intelligent of all mammals. Scenario As you take a walk around town, you catch glimpses of many birds and mammals. You listen to the songs made by birds and various squeaks, scratches, sniffing, and peeps made by wild mammals. When you reach your classroom, you want to describe the various animals you observed, but first, maybe you should learn a little more about birds and mammals.
Lesson Pages
Migratory Bird Center
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Education/Kids_Stuff/Woth_game/default.cfm Rich Media
The Bird's Feather
http://www.earthlife.net/birds/feathers.html
All about Birds Video Gallery
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/VideoGallery.html#fig1 Rich Media
All about Mammals
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/
Planet Earth: Animals Up Close
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/planet-earth/animals/animals.html Rich Media
The Great Koala Rescue
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/0503/funfacts.html#content Rich Media
Nature - Chimpanzee (video, facts, and news)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/species/Common_Chimpanzee Rich Media
Conclusion & Project
Conclusion While we can observe many of the species of birds and mammals in zoos, wildlife exhibits, and in regulated safaris, they represent only a fraction of all of the species of birds and mammals in the world. Some animals, such as the white-tailed deer, brown bear, and sea otter reside at just about any local zoo. Other animals, such as the koala, kangaroo, kingfisher, and the wallaby are indigenous to other parts of the world and we therefore may only have a rare chance to encounter them. With the rapid expansion of industrialization in an ever-growing world, the natural habitats for many of these animals are disappearing. This has placed several species at risk of endangerment. There are efforts to protect the Earth’s ecosystems, but we need to do more before we lose certain species forever.
Project Create a poem or song about all of the different birds and mammals that you have encountered in your neighborhood or around school. Be sure to include at least three examples of birds and three examples of mammals.
Glossary
fuse - two objects or materials that blend together
migration - an animal that moves from one location to another based upon the seasons
bill - the horny part of the jaws of a bird; the beak
mollusk - marine invertebrates that contains a shell such as snails and clams
external - outside or outer part
womb - the belly
embryo - organism at any time before full development, birth, or hatching
neotropical - region of the earth\'s surface which comprises most of South America and Latin America
shade-grown - a crop that is grown under a large trees in the shade
molt - to shed feathers, skin, horns, before new growth
preen - birds secrete an oil from their skin and then rub it over thier feathers to protect them
shaft - the stem of a feather; the hollow tube that holds the feathers together and in place
cere - fleshy area above the beak, where the nostrils of most birds are located
pellet - the unusable and undigested material that a bird cannot process for nutrients, and is regurgitated in the form of a pellet
nourish - provide food and care for
monotreme - egg-laying mammal
marsupial - mammals that have a pouch which is where babies are fed and grow
genus - scientific category for living organisms; below family and above species
herbivore - animal that eats only plants
carnivore - animal that eats only other animals
omnivore - animal that eats both plants and animals
insectivore - an animal that eats mainly insects
pride - a large group of company of lions
marine - the sea or ocean
buoyant - something that stays afloat in water or air
joey - baby or young marsupial such as a kangaroo
tranquilizer - drug that is used to reduce stress or anxiety
memory - mental ability to remember past experiences
instinct - inborn and involuntary behavior that occurs in response to environment
learned - acquiring information by experience
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