Zoo Field Trip

By: Emily, Laura, Colleen, Jenny, and Angela

Goals of Project: How to introduce the field trip to our class The field trip should be

introduced at the beginning of the unit as an incentive to learn the material.

Students should be told that they have the opportunity to directly observe what they will be learning in class.

The field trip may be used as an incentive for good behavior.

The instructor should go over rules before the trip including appropriate behavior at the zoo and consequences for not following rules.

Goals of the Project continued: Driving Questions:

What is the difference between mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish?

What do mammals all have in common? Reptiles? Amphibians? Fish?

What do all animals need to survive? Basic Objectives:

Compare and contrast different kinds of animals. Give students the opportunity to observe real animals in their

“natural” habitats Basic Outcomes (products and skills):

Students will be able to practice and improve their observational skills

Students will gain more interest in the subject material because it will become relevant to their lives

Application/Illustration of Terms:

5 terms that are important for students to learn during the field trip Reptile, amphibian, mammal, fish, habitat

Define terms/connect to particular activity Reptile: cold-blooded, egg-laying animal that is capable

of living on land Amphibian: cold-blooded, smooth-skinned vertebrae

that hatches as an aquatic larvae and transforms into an animal capable of living on land and water

Mammal: warm-blooded vertebrae with hair on the skin Fish: cold-blooded, aquatic vertebrae Habitat: the area or environment in which an organism

naturally lives

Application/Illustration of Terms cont:

How terms will be learned on the field trip: Students will be asked to complete a worksheet that

encourages them to think about different kinds of animals and their natural habitats

Students will be split into 3 groups and each group will rotate through 3 houses at the zoo (Ape House, Reptile House, Cat House)

When we went to the zoo to plan this field trip, we followed this path. The following shows the questions that students will be asked to answer. The pictures that accompany these questions help to “tell the story” of our location, the zoo.

Apes of Africa: Primates of the World1. Write down 3 subspecies of gorillas

Answer: The Mountain Gorilla, Eastern Lowland Gorilla, Western Lowland Gorilla

2. What species are the gorillas seen at the zoo?

3. Give 2 facts about gorilla behavior Answer: relaxed, sociable; 8 hours a day

gorillas search for food; between feeding sessions gorillas sleep and sunbathe; adults exhibit play behavior when with youngsters

4. Give two facts about the anatomy of the gorilla

Answer: males can weigh up to 500 lbs and stand 6 ft tall; females can weigh up to 250 lbs and stand 5 ft tall; gorillas move by walking on their knuckles; gorillas have strong hands to support their weight

5. What kind of animals is the monkey from the Lion King?

Answer: Mandrill Monkey

Male Mandrill

Female Mandrill

Apes of Africa cont:6. Give two facts about the anatomy of

the MandrillAnswer: their build is very stocky; males

are double the size of females; the face of a male is very colorful (lavender, blue, red, orange)

7. Where do Spider Monkeys live?Answer: Southern Mexico and Central

America8. What do Spider Monkeys eat?

Answer: fruit, seeds, leaves, and insects9. Complete the “Are you as strong as

an orangutan?” activity. Record the grip force of each of the members in your group.

10. Meet the Orangutan named “MJ.” Record 3 facts about him here.

Answer: Birthday: 7-28-1980; He was born at the Toledo Zoo; He weighs 160 lbs; He came to Milwaukee on April 4th, 2007

MJ the Orangutan!

Siam Monkey

Reptile House:1. Pick 3 types of snakes and describe

them.Possible answers: King Cobra (venomous),

Rhino Viper (venomous), Black Tail Rattle Snake (non-venomous, can be found in Texas and Arizona), Green Tree Python (non-venomous, good mothers)

2. Where is the Chinese Alligator found?Answer: East Asia

3. How is the gender of the Chinese Alligator decided?

Answer: If the temperature is warm, the baby is a male, and if it is cool, the baby is a female

4. How long can Cuban Iguanas grow?Answer: 4 ft

5. How many species are there of the Curly Tail Lizard?

Answer: 20

Rhino Viper

Chinese Alligator

Reptile House cont:

6. Where in a snake’s body is its windpipe?

Answer: the floor of its mouth7. How does the Giant Anaconda

swallow its prey?Answer: it swallows it whole and

head-first8. Why do snakes use venom?

Answer: because it allows them to feed on bigger prey

9. Write two facts about fangs.Possible Answer: fangs are much

longer than our teeth; they are hollow to send venom into the wound

10. Where is the Hellbender from?Answer: It is found in the U.S., but

has relatives in Japan and China

Laura and Black Tail Rattlesnake

Green Tree Python

Fish:1. Pick a fish that interests you. Give

two interesting facts about it.Possible Answer: Sheephead; lives in

the Pacific Ocean; lives between tides

2. Name 3 Lake Wisconsin fish that are more than 20 inches.

Possible Answer: Rainbow trout, Blue sucker, Flathead fish

3. Why are fish in trouble?Answer: human activity

4. What does the word “exploit” mean?

Answer: As human population increases, so do pollution and other problems

5. What pollutions are the most prevalent?

Answer: heavy metals, PCBs, and pesticides

Wisconsin Fish

Lake Wisconsin

Display

Fish cont:6. Do people fish for Peacock

fish?Answer: Yes; in Florida

7. How many different kinds of cat fish are there?

Answer: 1000

8. Why does the Amazon River flood?

Answer: Because 5-10 ft of rain fall each year

9. What is another name for the Amazon River?

Answer: It has been called “River Ocean”

10. What was your favorite fish from this exhibit and why?

Amazon Fish

Data Collection/Management:Field Trip Logistics

Cost for 40 students: $3.50/student $140 Chaperones neededOne per 10 students (3

plus teacher)=$14.00 Mode of Transportation: Bus ($14 to park) Accommodations for Special Needs:

Bus with wheel chair accessibility Contact the zoo for extra wheel chair if necessary Make sure each exhibit is wheel chair accessible Check health records for any allergies that pertain to the

zoo environment Field Trip Permission Slip

Analysis/Conclusion:

•This trip is important for their learning process because it allows them to learn about and understand animals and their habitats.

•Students are able to visually observe the animals and learn about how they use their habitats to survive

•The zoo provides great/unusual information about animals and their habitats

•Brings students outside of the classroom to real life examples

•Students can apply what they learn in the classroom to what they see in each exhibit

•Bring what they learn back to the classroom

General Checklist “Assessment”:

Checklist Will collect the worksheets with the questions

the students did on the different animals and their habitats

Once students are back in class, they will present one animal and its habitat to the other students in the class.

Make a poster with a drawing of the animal and its habitat, where/how it lives, what it eats and hot it survives

Literature Needed:

The Chimpanzee Family Book by Jane Goodall Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins From Head to Toe Big Books by Eric Carle The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today! By Dr. Seuss The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister and J.

Alison James A Fish Out of Water by Helen Palmer and P.D.

Eastman

Cross-Curricular Connections:

•Can be used in other subjects such as social studies and writing. •For writing, the students could participate in a creative writing assignment.

•Pick an animal from the habitat they studied at the zoo, and write about its habitat using descriptive words•Then form a paper discussing certain points in each paragraph

•Specific points = food it eats, its habitat, climate•Will be able to be creative in choosing their animal but still have guidelines in which habitat that animal comes from. •Will be able to tie the field trip and the discovery of their animal into their writing

Misconceptions Identified:

Some misconceptions we had were that there are more endangered animals then we imagined. We were not aware all the different actions humans take in destroying their habitats.

One misconception students may have is that animals all live in the same habitat. An example of this may be that a panda bear and black bear can live in the same environment. We want the students to be able to understand the differences between their habitats and their habitat is crucial to their survival.

The End!