caring about animals learning booklet · to improve students’ understanding of different animals....

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Caring about Animals Learning Booklet


Caring about Animals

Learning Booklet

Content

Chapter 1: Animal Kingdom 3

Activity 1 4

Activity 2 4

Activity 3 5-8

Chapter 2: Do You Know Where I Grew Up? 9

Activity 1 9-12

Activity 2 13

Chapter 3: Animal Life Cycles 14

Activity 1 15

Activity 2 16


Chapter 1: Animal Kingdom

Objective: To help students understand the different categories to which animals belong.

They should recognise that human beings are not the only members of the animal kingdom

with a right to live on Earth; we share it with a very great number of species on whom we

depend. While animals vary greatly in size and appearance, the most common species can be

roughly classified into six categories: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and

invertebrates.

Mammals are warm-blooded vertebrates.

Most have hair or fur. The females have

mammary glands which secrete milk

Amphibians hatch in water from eggs with

soft shells. Once they develop four limbs

and a backbone they can move onto land

Birds have two legs and a pair of wings

which enable them to fly. They are

vertebrates and lay eggs with hard shells

Fish are aquatic animals, meaning they live

in water (fresh or sea water). They have fins

to swim with and use gills for breathing

Reptiles rely on external sources of heat to

maintain body temperature. Their body is

protected by scales or a hard shell

Invertebrates have no backbone with a

body divided into three parts. They are very

abundant; most insects are invertebrates

Animals can also be also be subdivided into three groups according to how they live:

Wild animal An animal that lives and reproduces without human care.

Farm animal An animal that has been domesticated to provide humans with food, labour,

fleece or leather. Humans are responsible for their care and health.

Pet animal Also known as a companion animal, a pet is an animal that lives with

humans and shares their homes. Humans are responsible for pets’ care and

health.


Activity 1

Draw lines to link the animals and their correct animal categories.

●

A. Butterfly

Mammals

●

●

B. Frog

Fish

●

●

C. Cat

Amphibians

●

●

D. Goldfish

Birds

●

●

E. Pig

Invertebrates

●

●

F. Shark

Reptiles

●

●

G. Eagle

●

H. Sea turtle

Activity 2

List the animals featured in Activity 1 in their correct categories.

Wild Animals: _________________________________

Farm Animals: _________________________________

Common Pets: _________________________________


Activity 3

Form groups of 2 and play the game “Guess What This Animal Is”. The aim of the game is

to improve students’ understanding of different animals.

Instructions:

1. Student A chooses one animal from the pictures below and writes its name on a piece

of paper, covering it carefully so that others cannot read it.

2. Student B then asks no more than 10 questions to try and identify the animal. Student

A can answer only Yes or No. (For example: Is this a farm animal? Does it have a long

tail? Is it a nocturnal animal?)

3. Student B then makes a guess at the animal from the responses of Student A.

4. Once Student B answers correctly, the two students switch roles to guess the identity

of another animal.

5. Within a given time limit, the one who gets the answer by asking the fewest questions

will be the winner.


Dog

Chicken Dolphin Lion

Cat

Chinchilla Kangaroo Owl

Squirrel

Rabbit Eagle Sheep

Butterfly

Brown Bear Horse Panda


Monkey

Seahorse Pig Duck

Tiger

Ostrich Elephant Wolf

Polar Bear

Spider Fox Cheetah

Fly Shrimp Sea Turtle Lizard


Crab Cow Hippo Jellyfish

Starfish Whale Walrus Ant

Giraffe

Guinea Pig Snowy Owl Snake

Shark Mouse Seal Zebra


Chapter 2: Do You Know Where I Grew Up?

Objective: To help students understand the different habitats that animals live in.

The Earth is made up of different regions with different climates and temperatures. Some regions are covered with snow all year round and are extremely cold; some are very hot and suffer from drought; some are thickly forested and are hot and humid; others are simply areas of grassland; and there are also the oceans, which cover almost 70% of the surface of our planet.

Geographic location is the main factor which causes the weather to vary in different regions; it has a direct influence on temperature and rainfall. Places closer to the equator are warmer and have a higher rainfall. They are home to many more kinds of animal. The further you go from the equator it becomes colder. Such regions support fewer different animals. What makes the natural world so amazing is that different ecological environments and habitats nurture different kinds of species.

Activity 1

Students should choose one habitat from the list below and find as many facts about it as possible. Once completed, they share and discuss the information with other classmates.

Appropriate information should include:

- The main features and the climate of the habitat - What kinds of animal live in that habitat (mention at least 3 species) - The characteristics of those animals (appearance, the food they eat, how they move,

etc.) - Attach pictures of the animals or draw them on the scene below (pick at least 3 species)


i) Rain Forest


ii) Desert


iii) Ocean


Activity 2

Using Ghost Leg (Amidakuji), have students match the animal with its suitable habitat by drawing its route using different colours. They start at the top and as they reach a transverse line they must take it.


Chapter 3: Animal Life Cycles

Objective: To help students understand what is meant by an animal’s life cycle.

Fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles, insects and mammals are all living beings. They each progress through different stages in their life, from birth and growing up to reproduction, growing old and eventually the end of life. This sequence is experienced by all of Earth’s living creatures and is referred to as the animal’s natural life span or life cycle.

Different animals have different life spans. Some live for a very long time; others live for only a short period. No matter how long their expected life, their appearance, behaviour and characteristics will change according to each different stage. The very young and very old will be much weaker when compared with healthy adult animals. It is important for pet owners to understand this and to care properly for an animal regardless of its age.

While wild animals can grow up and reproduce without human help, pets cannot. They are totally reliant on human care. Owners must be aware of the changes that take place during a pet animal’s life and act responsibly. Having a pet is a life-long commitment.


Activity 1

Students choose one kind of animal and describe its life cycle, as in the example below. They should then share and explain what they have found with classmates.

Life Cycle of a Frog

Eggs (spawn)

Tadpole with all legs

Tadpole with

hind legs

Tadpole

0 days

5-8 weeks

14 days

10-12 weeks

10-16 weeks


Activity 2

After reading the text in chapter 3, answer true or false to the questions below by writing

T or F.

1. Animals go through different stages in life from birth, growing up and reproduction to growing old and death.

Answer: _______________

2. Different animals have similar life spans.

Answer: _______________

3. Infant and older animals need more care.

Answer: _______________

4. Wild animals need daily human care.

Answer: _______________

5. Pet owners are responsible for caring for their pet for its entire life.

Answer: _______________


Answers

(P.4)

Wild Animals: A, B, F, G, H_

Farm Animals: E________

Common Pets: C, D____

(P.13)

Jelly fish – Ocean

Hippo – Rain forest

Cow – Farm

Cat – Apartment

Zebra – African Savannah

(P.16) 1. T 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. T

caring about animals learning booklet · to improve students’ understanding of different animals....

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