Signs and Tracks of Animals
Summary
The students will examine clues about animals such as nests, leaves, feathers, fur, pine cones, bark, bones, tracks, etc. They will discover that these clues allow some conclusions about identity, physical characteristics, home, eating habits, life cycle or behavior of the respective animal. Students will focus on animal tracks as a good source for possible identification. It also will be attempted to determine what types of animals come to the school yard by capturing their tracks.
CollapseLearning Goals
This activity allows students to:
1. Recognize that animals leave traces that provide clues about their identity, physical characteristics, home, eating habits, life cycles or their behavior.
2. Practice their observation skills by analyzing the details of footprints and animal tracks and connecting them to possible animals using prior knowledge
3. Draw tracks based on reading or listening to descriptive clues.
4. Explore the potential of a tracking device that helps to confirm the existence of small animals in the school yard.
Some key vocabulary: spider web, tree hole, feathers, fur, bones, leaves, bark, egg shell, pine cone, tracks, claws, pads, toes, webbing, hoof.
1. Recognize that animals leave traces that provide clues about their identity, physical characteristics, home, eating habits, life cycles or their behavior.
2. Practice their observation skills by analyzing the details of footprints and animal tracks and connecting them to possible animals using prior knowledge
3. Draw tracks based on reading or listening to descriptive clues.
4. Explore the potential of a tracking device that helps to confirm the existence of small animals in the school yard.
Some key vocabulary: spider web, tree hole, feathers, fur, bones, leaves, bark, egg shell, pine cone, tracks, claws, pads, toes, webbing, hoof.
Context for Use
This is a 2nd grade science class activity that will require several class periods. It can be done in a small or large group setting. Since these students learn in a foreign language immersion environment, many of the vocabulary words will be new for them. Additional activities for vocabulary build-up will be necessary during each lesson.
Description and Teaching Materials
1. Show students some objects that are connected to common local animals (i.e. feather, leaf with holes, piece of bone, piece of fur, etc. Say/ask: I was hiking through a nature area that had trees, a meadow and a pond. I didn't see many animals, but I found these items. What can you tell me about them? What information could they give us about the animals living there? Hopefully students will name the object and come up with the names of possible animals connected to the objects.
2. Write the answers (names of the shown objects and of the most likely animals) on the board. Ask students to explain their reasoning for listing a certain animal.
3. Students now work in small groups. Each group gets one large piece of paper. Ask: Could you find even more clues about these or other animals living in a nature area or maybe even in your neighborhood? - Depending on their vocabulary knowledge, students are asked to write or draw and label their ideas on the group poster (i.e. tracks, caves, tree holes, nest, eggs, claw marks, snake skin, antlers, ant hills, etc).
4. Each group shares their ideas with the class. Teacher records the animal sign and the associated animal on the board. If necessary, silent input can be provided by showing pictures of animals or of the seasons (summer and winter) to generate additional ideas. Hopefully students will mention tracks/ footprints.
5. Ask: Do humans also leave tracks? What do they look like? What parts of the foot makes the track? Why? Students go outside and make footprints (barefoot and with shoes) with water on the pavement to investigate these questions. They outline the footprints with chalk. Discussion about discoveries and observations follows.
6. Back in the classroom, show pictures (maybe on overhead) with distinctively different animal tracks (duck, bird, deer, rabbit, mouse), and an imprint of a human foot. Students describe in detail what they see, guess the type of animal that could have made the tracks and explain why. It will be necessary to introduce vocabulary such as toes, heel, claws, pads, webbing, sole, hoof, etc. The pictures can include labels for the different parts of the tracks, as a reference.
7. Students receive a worksheet with different animal tracks and labeled pictures of animals. After reviewing the names of the animals, the students try to match tracks and animals. Students draw (copy) the tracks based on size of the animal that made them, from smallest to biggest, and then label each.
8. Students discuss answers to the worksheet and explain their reasoning. Ask: How can these tracks help us to identify the animal? (Shape and size of feet give clues about usage and movement). Which other animals have similar tracks? - Students look in books and field guides for other animals that could produce similar tracks and add the names of these animals next to the various tracks already on the worksheet.
9. On a 2nd worksheet, students are asked to draw tracks using basic descriptors (given orally or in writing) i.e. the track of an animal with webbing between toes, a track smaller than 2 cm showing 5 toes. Students show their work to the class or in small groups and have others name possible animals that could have made these types of tracks.
10. Teacher shows parts of a device that can be used to tracking and asks: Let's find out if any animals live or move through our school yard. How can these materials be used to capture tracks? - Show the tube, felt, ink, paper.
11. Students assemble device in groups and decide on a location to place the device in different areas of the school yard (along the wall, in corners, in the garden). Students will check daily for signs of tracks.
MATERIALS:
Various objects such as tracks, feathers, nest, fur, bark, snake skin, galls; pictures of caves, tree holes, spider webs, pine cones; pictures of tracks and animals.
Posterboard, magnifying glasses, worksheets; buckets of water, chalk
Device to capture tracks: a moisture-resistant tube (3 inches or more in diameter), a piece of felt to be placed inside the tube, water-soluble ink (for wetting the felt), paper placed on both ends of the tube
2. Write the answers (names of the shown objects and of the most likely animals) on the board. Ask students to explain their reasoning for listing a certain animal.
3. Students now work in small groups. Each group gets one large piece of paper. Ask: Could you find even more clues about these or other animals living in a nature area or maybe even in your neighborhood? - Depending on their vocabulary knowledge, students are asked to write or draw and label their ideas on the group poster (i.e. tracks, caves, tree holes, nest, eggs, claw marks, snake skin, antlers, ant hills, etc).
4. Each group shares their ideas with the class. Teacher records the animal sign and the associated animal on the board. If necessary, silent input can be provided by showing pictures of animals or of the seasons (summer and winter) to generate additional ideas. Hopefully students will mention tracks/ footprints.
5. Ask: Do humans also leave tracks? What do they look like? What parts of the foot makes the track? Why? Students go outside and make footprints (barefoot and with shoes) with water on the pavement to investigate these questions. They outline the footprints with chalk. Discussion about discoveries and observations follows.
6. Back in the classroom, show pictures (maybe on overhead) with distinctively different animal tracks (duck, bird, deer, rabbit, mouse), and an imprint of a human foot. Students describe in detail what they see, guess the type of animal that could have made the tracks and explain why. It will be necessary to introduce vocabulary such as toes, heel, claws, pads, webbing, sole, hoof, etc. The pictures can include labels for the different parts of the tracks, as a reference.
7. Students receive a worksheet with different animal tracks and labeled pictures of animals. After reviewing the names of the animals, the students try to match tracks and animals. Students draw (copy) the tracks based on size of the animal that made them, from smallest to biggest, and then label each.
8. Students discuss answers to the worksheet and explain their reasoning. Ask: How can these tracks help us to identify the animal? (Shape and size of feet give clues about usage and movement). Which other animals have similar tracks? - Students look in books and field guides for other animals that could produce similar tracks and add the names of these animals next to the various tracks already on the worksheet.
9. On a 2nd worksheet, students are asked to draw tracks using basic descriptors (given orally or in writing) i.e. the track of an animal with webbing between toes, a track smaller than 2 cm showing 5 toes. Students show their work to the class or in small groups and have others name possible animals that could have made these types of tracks.
10. Teacher shows parts of a device that can be used to tracking and asks: Let's find out if any animals live or move through our school yard. How can these materials be used to capture tracks? - Show the tube, felt, ink, paper.
11. Students assemble device in groups and decide on a location to place the device in different areas of the school yard (along the wall, in corners, in the garden). Students will check daily for signs of tracks.
MATERIALS:
Various objects such as tracks, feathers, nest, fur, bark, snake skin, galls; pictures of caves, tree holes, spider webs, pine cones; pictures of tracks and animals.
Posterboard, magnifying glasses, worksheets; buckets of water, chalk
Device to capture tracks: a moisture-resistant tube (3 inches or more in diameter), a piece of felt to be placed inside the tube, water-soluble ink (for wetting the felt), paper placed on both ends of the tube
Teaching Notes and Tips
Practice describing objects in details in various contexts throughout the year. This will enlarge student's vocabulary and increase their observation skills and memory.
Other science activities that can follow this lesson: Students visit a neighborhood park, investigate a designated (marked off) area of the park and record their observations on a structured worksheet or in a log.
Math: Measure footprints, tracks and strides.
Literacy: How did the objects or tracks get there? What do you think happened? Write a story.
Phy Ed: Hop like a bunny (place feet in front of hands), walk like a fox (in a straight line.
Other science activities that can follow this lesson: Students visit a neighborhood park, investigate a designated (marked off) area of the park and record their observations on a structured worksheet or in a log.
Math: Measure footprints, tracks and strides.
Literacy: How did the objects or tracks get there? What do you think happened? Write a story.
Phy Ed: Hop like a bunny (place feet in front of hands), walk like a fox (in a straight line.
Assessment
Learning Objective 1: Group poster
Learning Objective 2: Worksheet with tracks and animal pictures
Learning Objective 3: Worksheet requiring drawing of tracks based on written or oral descriptors
Learning Objective 4: Assembling and using home-made tracking device
Learning Objective 2: Worksheet with tracks and animal pictures
Learning Objective 3: Worksheet requiring drawing of tracks based on written or oral descriptors
Learning Objective 4: Assembling and using home-made tracking device
Standards
II. PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Classify and sort objects based on their properties
IV. LIFE SCIENCE
C. Diversity and Interdependence of Life.
Different types of organisms live in different environments.
Life is found almost everywhere.
Classify and sort objects based on their properties
IV. LIFE SCIENCE
C. Diversity and Interdependence of Life.
Different types of organisms live in different environments.
Life is found almost everywhere.
References and Resources
Tracks, Scats and Signs by Northwood Press
Online worksheets: Animal Tracks, by Linda Dow, www.learnnc.org
Reading Tracks: www.teachervision.com (literacy activity, focusing on bird tracks)
Online worksheets: Animal Tracks, by Linda Dow, www.learnnc.org
Reading Tracks: www.teachervision.com (literacy activity, focusing on bird tracks)