Thank you for your interest in the
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden!
Take a look inside this packet to discover all the wonderful
program opportunities available for 7th& 8th grade students!
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact:
Kate Aug Cincinnati Zoo School Liaison
513.559.7726 [email protected]
Adventure pass New! Standards based programs
Embark on an exciting adventure through the Zoo by
completing missions and investigating the living
environment through inquiry. Your group will start their
day at the Zoo with a laugh-out-loud presentation in the
Harold C. Schott Education Center, which will set the
stage for your adventure. Then, with Adventure Pass in
hand, groups of students will meet up with educators,
zoo keepers, and animal handlers stationed throughout
the Zoo. Age-appropriate, standards based topics
available for all ages.
What Topics are Available?
Topic Grade Description
Staying Alive K-2 Grades K-2 students embark on an introductory activities-based adventure to explore special features of plants and animals that help them live in different kinds of places. Students will explore how physical and behavioral adaptations help plants and animals meet their basic needs.
Survival Spies 3-5 Grades 3-5 students embark on an investigation-based adventure to discover why plants and animals interact to survive in the wild.
Ultimate Survival 6-8 Grades 6-8 students embark on a challenging investigation- based adventure to explore plant and animal characteristics and interactions that are significant to their survival.
Saving Wildlife 9-12 Grades 9-12 students embark on an activities-based adventure to discover and assess the ways people take action to save wildlife.
Questions?
Email [email protected] or to register over the phone contact the Education Department at (513) 559-7767
ZOO MATH DAYS COME EXPLORE EQUATIONS IN OUR ENVIRONMENT! Add this event to your calendar, and explore the Zoo as you never have!
Zoo Math Days provides an opportunity for your students to experience
math in action. From comparing sizes of birds in the Zoo to determining
the microclimates in Manatee Springs, these real world problems will
stimulate student proficiency in math. All of our self-directed math
programs are designed to meet Tri-State standards.
What Topics are Available?
Questions or to register contact (513) 559-7767 or email [email protected] Be sure to make your reservation at least two weeks in advance!
Topic Description
Alligator Pool Students will use math skills to plan a work task at the Reptile House.
Biodiversity Index Students will calculate the biodiversity index for bird species in the Austral-Asian Rainforest exhibit in the Wings of Wonder building.
Bulb Garden Planning Students will use math skills to plan for a bulb garden.
Easy ID? Students will collect data from the Reptile House to test the truth of the idea that you can tell a venomous snake from a non-venomous snake by the shape of its head.
Enrichments Students will be given a sampling of quick equations that they can complete as they tour the Zoo
Exhibit Design I & II Students will explore some of the design and architectural components of the Elephant Reserve building.
In the Zone: Habitat Niches Students will assess how different animals in one environment share habitat space by conducting a habitat use survey in Manatee Springs.
Insect Exploration Students will observe and count insects in the World of Insects building in order to collect data that will be used in computations in the classroom.
Manatee Springs Microclimates Students will determine the climatic differences of various microclimates in the Manatee Springs greenhouse.
Plant Biodiversity Students will calculate and compare the plant biodiversity in two separate rainforests.
Predators and their Problems Students will analyze and compare data on the amounts and types of prey in the diet of wild Mexican wolves and the history of wolf restoration to their natural range.
Predicting Bald Eagle Pairs Students will complete a table with data from the Bald Eagle
exhibit and use it to develop a scatter plot and fit a regression line equation to the data.
What Does a Bat Weigh? Students will select tolls to obtain weights of unknown objects, compare this data to the weights of several bat species in the Nocturnal House and communicate this information of relative sizes to others.
FREE with your visit to the Zoo!
NOCTURNAL ADVENTURES
OVERNIGHT PROGRAMS
The Wildest Nightlife in Town!
Thousands of children from school, scout, church, family groups and more have experienced the wildest nightlife in town. Come join the fun!
During the evening, you will tour exhibits, experience live animal encounters, sneak a peak behind the scenes, play games and engage in other exciting activities. In the morning you will awake to peacock and gibbon calls, have breakfast and finish your morning with a special animal appearance.
All of our overnight programs are available year round and are
designed to meet school standards and scout badge requirements.
What topics are available?
Topic Description Grades
Wolf Woods Work to understand the delicate balance of life
and how amazing the relationships between all
animals are.
2nd grade and up
Sleep with the Manatees Explore the diversity of life on this amazing planet. 5th grade and up
Questions or to register contact the Education
Department at (513) 559-7767 or email
Examples of Academic Standards Addressed by Zoo Programs NOCTURNAL OVERNIGHT—WOLF WOODS *More standards are available online
OHIO 7TH – 8th GRADE
Standard Benchmark Indicators
Life Sciences Describe the characteristics of an organism in terms of a combination of inherited traits and recognize reproduction as a characteristic of living
organisms essential to the continuation of the species.
Grade 7 8. Investigate the great diversity among organisms. Grade 8 3. Explain how variations in structure, behavior or physiology allow some organisms to enhance their reproductive success and survival in
a particular environment.
INDIANA 7TH – 8th GRADE
Standard Benchmark Indicators
The Living
Environment
Interdependence of Life and Evolution
7th Grade 7.4.6 Explain how food provides the fuel and the building material for all organisms. 8th Grade 8.4.4 Describe how matter is transferred from one organism to another repeatedly and between organisms and their physical environment.
KENTUCKY 7TH – 8th GRADE
Standard Benchmark Indicators
Unifying
Concepts
Energy Transformations Seventh Grade SC-07-4.6.4 Students will describe or represent the flow of energy in ecosystems, using data to draw conclusions about the role of organisms in an ecosystem. Eighth Grade SC-08-4.6.5 Students will: Describe the relationships between organisms and energy flow in ecosystems (food chains and energy pyramids); Explain the effects of change to any component of the ecosystem.
Questions or to register contact the Education
Department at (513) 559-7767 or email
NEW! School Inquiry Wild Pack
Using Scientific Inquiry at the Zoo
Rent the new School Wild Pack to engage your students in self-
guided investigations during their Zoo visit. Explore answers to
these questions and more:
Does ant size matter in the race to cut leaves?
Are more primates left or right-handed?
Which seed designs fly best?
Each Wild Pack contains three inquiry investigations based on the
questions above with enough supplies for a maximum of 10 students per
pack. Supported by the National Science Foundation, the Wild
Packs advance district, state, and national standards while improving student achievement in core
concept areas.
These investigations include clear and detailed steps on how to
engage students in observation, questioning, data collection and
recording. The best part is that everything is formatted in an easy and
fun way that any chaperone can lead and all students can enjoy!
Schools can Register Online for
Admission and the Wild Pack.
Questions?
Email [email protected] or to register over the phone contact the
Education Department at (513) 559-7767
Investigation Description
Do leaf cutter ants carrying
leaves travel faster than ants
without leaves?
Using inquiry skills, students will
observe the leaf cutter ant colony
in the Zoo’s Insect World to
determine whether ants with or
without leaves travel faster.
Results from this inquiry can be
taken to the classroom and
groups can share findings and
graph the information.
Are more primates left of right
handed?
Students will think about their
hand preference. Using inquiry
and a variety of tools, they will
discover whether the Zoo’s
primates are right handed or left
handed. Continue the
investigation and find out if other
animals have a hand preference.
Which seed designs fly best?
Discover whether all seeds fall at
the same rate. Do small or big
seeds fall more slowly? Students
will use inquiry to discover
answers to these and other
questions.
“The Wild Packs were
amazing. To watch the
fifth graders create their
own replicas of seed pods
then test their data in
the rainforest was so
rewarding. They were
engaged, fascinated and
if I hadn’t known better,
I’d have thought they
were not studying and
working but playing.
They were having fun,
they looked like little
scientists!”~ Barbara
Collier/Bethany School,
5th
grade, 10/30/09
Examples of Academic Standards Addressed by Zoo Programs SCHOOL WILD PACK—FASTEST CUTTERS *More standards are available online
OHIO 7TH – 8th GRADE
Standard Benchmark Indicators
Scientific
Ways of
Knowing
Explain the importance of reproducibility and reduction of bias in scientific Methods
Grade Seven 1. Show that the reproducibility of results is essential to reduce bias in scientific investigations. 2. Describe how repetition of an experiment may reduce bias. Grade Eight 2. Explain why it is important to examine data objectively and not let bias affect observations.
INDIANA 7TH – 8th GRADE
Standard Benchmark Indicators
The Nature
of Science &
Technology
The Scientific
View of the
World
7th Grade 7.1.1 Recognize and explain that when similar investigations give different results, the scientific challenge is to judge whether the differences are trivial or significant, which often takes further studies to decide. 8th Grade 8.1.1 Recognize that and describe how scientific knowledge is subject to modification as new information challenges prevailing theories and as a new theory leads to looking at old observations in a new way.
KENTUCKY 7TH – 8th GRADE
Standard Benchmark Indicators
Biological
Science
Unity & Diversity 8th Grade SC-08-3.4.4 Students will describe and explain patterns found within groups of organisms in order to make biological classifications of those organisms. Observations and patterns found within groups of organisms allow for biological classifications based on how organisms are related.
Add something special to
your day!
Make the most of your school visit
Free Planning Visit
Teachers are invited to schedule a free pre-visit to the Zoo in preparation for your school's visit. Our knowledgeable Educators look forward to helping you plan an easy, fun and educational field trip to the Zoo. Simply call to schedule your pre-visit. Questions? Email [email protected] or to register over the phone contact us at (513) 559-7767
4-D Special FX Theater
The Cincinnati Zoo is the first zoo in the country to open a 4-D Theater. You’ll see it. You’ll move with it. You’ll taste it and you’ll even smell it. Believe it or not, it will even touch you. Experience a NEW 4-D Special FX Theater only at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Digital 3-D visual effects coupled with 4-D environmental effects, such as wind, scents and other amazing surprises will leave you on the edge of your seat!
Lunch at the Zoo
Don’t feed the animals…but DO feed your class “ZOOper Dooper Lunches” Convenient and inexpensive lunches are available for your hungry classes. Lunches can be delivered to the Safari Camp Picnic Shelters at the time you request. Lunches include pizza, chips and a drink. This special is available for groups who order a minimum of 20 lunches at least 7 days before their visit. Order lunches by calling (513) 559-7767.
Ec0-cell
Recycle your old cell phone at the Zoo
Cincinnati schools and businesses are joining the Zoo in our effort to collect cell phones, cell phone batteries and cell phone chargers. Recycling them will reduce mining for coltan, an ore used in cell phones, in gorilla habitat and raise money for the Zoo’s Conservation Fund. Collection boxes are located at the Zoo's main ticketing office, the education center, and at the Gorilla World exhibit.
OUTREACH Bring the wonders of the world to your classroom!
Individual classrooms can experience fun, enriching and interactive learning experiences with live animal encounters. All programs are based on academic standards with pre and post activities available below! Be sure to schedule programs well in advance as dates fill quickly. We schedule many programs for schools within a 30 minute driving distance of the Zoo. Check in with the teachers at your school and see if a Frisch's Program is already scheduled for your location. We are happy to do multiple programs in one day.
What topics are available? Now you can choose multiple programming options through participation in a series! Continue the learning experience by expanding on a topic. Each program compliments the others within the series as you explore a theme more in-depth. Choose one or more programs on the following topics:
Questions or to register contact Frisch's Outreach at (513) 475-6152 or email
[email protected] Be sure to schedule programs well in advance as dates fill quickly!
Topic Description
Amazing Adaptations How can animals meet the challenges of survival? Find out just how adaptable animals really are!
Animal Communication Explore the fascinating way animals communicate. Discover the secrets of how animals will use communication to survive in our wild world.
Biodiversity Discover the unique and rich variety of life in our natural world. See how the differences in plants and animals work together in a healthy ecosystem.
Classification Try your hand at classifying some animals! Discover similarities and differences among varying classes and species. Also available as a series.
Endangered Species Why can survival in the wild be so difficult? Discover some of the causes and ways that we can help.
Predator-Prey Relationships
Predators and prey play starring roles in the food web. Find out how they impact the transfer of energy throughout our ecosystems.
Rainforests Uncover the secrets of the abundant life found in one of the most diverse habitats. Did you touch something from the rainforest today?
Safari Explore different regions of our planet. Investigate what makes them unique and how animals are able to survive in these places. Choose one or more of the following topics: Africa, Australia, North America & South America
Wild Art Sketch a skink, draw a Dumeril’s Ground Boa, sculpt a snake, paint a parrot! Partner with a Cincinnati Zoo instructor and create a masterpiece from a not-so “still life” observation. Through close examination and tactile encounters you can create Wild Art in your classroom with visiting Zoo animals as your subjects! We bring the zoo animals you provide the art materials!...how wildly creative you are!
Wild Writing Write wildly about wonderful Zoo animals! Pen a poem, a narrative, a persuasive essay, a letter, or a report after visiting with live Zoo animals in your classroom! Through close examination and tactile encounters with the animals you can enrich your writing experience. Partner with a Cincinnati Zoo Instructor and the Zoo animals for a Wild Writing experience! You determine the writing form, provide the writing materials, and then explore how to write wildly!
Zoo Careers This program investigates the different types of jobs it takes to run the zoo, from driving the train to caring for the animals.
Examples of Academic Standards Addressed by Zoo Programs FRISCH’S OUTREACH – WILD WRITING
Ohio Science Academic Content Standards Prewriting Grade 7-12: 1,2,3,4,5 Drafting, Revising, Editing Grade 7-12: 6,7,8,9,10,111,12,13,14,15,16 Publishing Grade 7-12: 17 Research Grade 7 & 8: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 Grade 9-12: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Kentucky Core Content—Science Grade 7 WR-M-1
WR-M-1.1 WR-M-1.2 Grades 8-12 WR-H-1 WR-H-1.1 WR-H-1.2
Questions or to register contact Frisch's Outreach at (513) 475-6152 or email
[email protected] Be sure to schedule programs well in advance as dates fill quickly!