Wisconsin animals
By Jenny Fox and Liz Vinopal
Grade level: 2, 3
Rationale
Students will learn about a variety of animals that live in Wisconsin and the adaptations they have for living in this region, so they may become familiar with animals they may see in their own surroundings.
Objectives
Each child will learn to identify at
least six animals that live in Wisconsin.
Students will be able to define what
adaptation is.
Preparing for the field trip…
 | Make reservations for the museum in advance. |
| Send letter home to parents requesting chaperones. (Sample Included) |
| Send permission slip home to get parents okay. (Sample Included) |
| Get permission from the administration well in advance. (Beginning of school year) |
| Make arrangements for a bus to transport students to and from the museum. |
| Send a copy of the lesson plan home to the chaperones, so they know what is going on and can help out on the field trip as much as possible. |
| Pack clipboards, paper and pencil for each student. |
Pre-activity
In the days before we go on the field trip to the museum we will have the students bring in five pictures of animals they believe are from Wisconsin. The pictures can be photographs or magazine or newspaper pictures. At the beginning of the class, the teacher will ask the students to put their names on the pictures they brought in and then collect them. Then in a big group the students will be asked what they know about animals from Wisconsin. The students can give examples (such as a rabbit gets a thicker coat of fur in the winter to keep it warmer) and the teacher will write them on the board or a large sheet of paper so everyone can see them. After this the teacher will hold up one picture at a time and let the students decide as a class which ones are from Wisconsin and which ones are not. (To avoid everyone shouting out what they think; simply have the students raise their hands silently if they agree that the animal is from Wisconsin.) Once the class has gotten through all of the pictures, the teacher will help lead the students on a discussion of why they think these animals are from Wisconsin. Then after this discussion the word adaptation can be brought up. Before the teacher explains what adaptation is they may ask the students if they know what adaptation means. After describing what adaptation is, the children will be able to explain what adaptations some of the animals in the pictures have to help them survive in the Wisconsin region.
Students will also pick someone to be their partner that they can work with at the museum and once they get back from the museum. (They will be told that they must pick someone they know they can work with and not just someone who is a good friend of theirs.)
| The books: Animal Camouflage and Creatures of the Woods, will be in the classroom for students to do a little investigating on their own about the changes that animals go through and some of the adaptations that they make. |
| The teacher will call the museum that day before the trip to confirm the reservations. |
On-site activity
A sample schedule of the whole field trip is attached.
When we arrive the students will listen to the museum guide and ask any questions they may have. We will then tour the museum in groups of four with one chaperone per group. (Larger or smaller groups may be formed depending on the number of chaperones there are.) During the time the students are touring the museum with the chaperone, they will have the opportunity to write down different animals they think are from Wisconsin, or ones they remember from the pictures they looked at in class. (Each student will be given a clipboard, paper, and pencil.) The students will be able to ask the teacher or chaperone if a certain animal is from Wisconsin, if they aren’t sure.
Then the students will get with their partner to work on a worksheet. (Example Attached.) They will be asked to pick at least three animals to go more in depth on for a project they will be doing once they get back to school. The teacher will give further directions for the worksheet, before the students go off to work. Chaperones and the teacher will split themselves up in the different areas of the museum to ensure that the students are working and also help the students if they have any questions.
Post activity
Back at school the students will get together with their partner and pick their favorite animal of the three they choose to go into more detail about, while they were at the museum. The class will gather in a circle and each pair of students will designate one speaker to say what animal they chose when it gets to be their turn. If any of the students chose the same animal, one group will be asked to change to their second or third choice, so there are no doubles. Then the students will have time to go to the library and get some more information about the animal that they chose. They will be able to use the Internet, books, magazines, newspapers, etc. They will then make a poster about their animal. It can include such things as pictures of the animal, adaptations the animal may have, what it likes to eat, etc. They will then share these posters with the class and tell about some of the interesting things they learned about their Wisconsin animal.
Assessment
| The teacher will read about the animals that the children picked to write about on their papers and worksheet from the museum, to see what animals and adaptations they observed. |
| The students will give oral presentations on the posters they made. They will discuss the different characteristics of the animals they chose and how they adapt to the Wisconsin region. |
References
Carthy, J. (1974) Animal Camouflage. New York: McGraw Hill.
Eugene, T. (1985) Creatures of the Woods. Washington D.C., The National Geographic Society.
Field trip to UWSP Museum October 14, 1998 8:45-9:00 Chaperones Arrive at Glen Bauer School 9:00-9:15 Bathroom break before field trip 9:15-9:20 Board bus and departure 9:20-9:45 Bus ride to UWSP Museum 9:45-10:00 Arrival, putting jackets in one specific spot, using rest rooms, chaperones will help supervise (male for boys and female for girls) 10:00-10:15 Curator will talk to class about what they are going to see and ask if they have any questions. 10:15-10:45 Students will go in groups of four (group size depends on the number of chaperones) to tour the museum 10:45-11:15 After going through the museum once and becoming familiar with it, the students will go through with their partner (that they picked in the classroom) and fill out the work sheet, picking at least three animals that they go into more detail on 11:15-11:30 rest room and water break, gathering worksheets and papers, getting jackets 11:30-12:00 board bus and ride back to school 12:00 Arrival back at Glen Bauer School |
Volunteers needed for the class field trip!! Who: Parents, guardians, or grandparents What: Please volunteer to be a chaperone for our class field trip. Each chaperone will be in charge of a small group of students. Where: We will be visiting the UWSP Museum of Natural History. The school bus will leave from the Glen Bauer Elementary School. When: Thursday November 12, 1998. The school bus will leave Glen Bauer Elementary at 9:15 a.m. Chaperones should arrive at 8:45 a.m. to be assigned a group and gather coats to load the bus. We will return at approximately 12:00 p.m. Why: This field trip will enhance in-class studies on the adaptations of animals. Chaperone expectations:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _____Yes, I would be happy to chaperone your class field trip to the UWSP Museum of Natural History on Thursday November 12, 1998. Name________________________________________ Phone #____________________ Address_________________________________________________________________ I have agreed to the expectations above and will wait for you to contact me with any information concerning this trip. Signature of Chaperone and Date:____________________________________________ |
UWSP Museum of Natural History The Search for Wisconsin Animals Look for animals that you think are from Wisconsin. Once you find one write its name on the first line and then its adaptations on the line next to it. There are 12 lines for the 12 animals you need to find. After you are done with the worksheet pick out three animals that you and your buddy would like to learn more about. ________________________________________________________________________
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