Zoos can provide exciting educational opportunities for students to learn about a wide range of science subject matter. Zoos and similar nonschool sites have the added advantage of getting students out of school and into another environment, demonstrating that science learning can take place anywhere--not only in formal school settings. Through…

In this activity, Namib and Antarctic arthropods are used to illustrate several important biological principles. Among these are the key ideas that form follows function and that the environment drives evolution. In addition, students will discover that the climates of the Namib Desert and the Antarctic Peninsula are similar in several ways, and…

Inspiring students to learn about birds can be a daunting task--students see birds just about every day and often don't think twice about them. The activity described here is designed to excite students to "become" birds. Students are asked to create a model and tell the life story of a bird by mapping its migration pattern. (Contains 6 figures, 6…

In this inquiry-based activity, Roborovsky hamsters are used to provide students with an opportunity to develop their skills of analysis, inquiry, and design. These hamsters are easy to maintain, yet offer students a means to use conventional techniques and those of their own design to make further observations through measuring, assessing, and…

This article describes an interdisciplinary, activity-based lesson plan implemented in a third/fourth-grade classroom. During these activities, students use musical concepts to think about, illustrate, and discuss animal behavior, and they use scientific concepts to motivate musical composition and performance. The lesson ends with small group…

Crayfish, also known as "crawfish" or "crawdads," are easy to keep in the classroom, and with patience and luck, students will observe the complete life cycle of the crayfish. They will also learn about aquatic animals and habitats and get to conduct inquiry experiments about animal behavior. This article describes how a third-grade teacher used…

All animals must make choices regarding what foods to eat, where to eat, and how much time to spend feeding. Optimal foraging theory explains these behaviors in terms of costs and benefits. This laboratory exercise focuses on optimal foraging theory by investigating the winter feeding behavior of birds on the goldenrod gall fly by comparing…

Presents an overview of an interdisciplinary animal behavior unit on wolves, including aspects of science, social studies, and language arts. Includes sources of wolf information. (MKR)

This document describes a game that provides students with practice in learning vocabulary and concepts associated with wolves. Directions for play and play cards (four to a page) are included. (ASK)

Based upon British studies, suggests how the coexistence of different ant species can occur, and discusses competition and niche-separation in relation to a study made in Norfolk. Recommends the elucidation of the mechanisms of niche-separation in ants as an ideal student project. (JR)

Notes that rodents and rabbits share many characteristics that make them suitable classroom pets and gives background information on rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and gerbils. Offers advice on buying a classroom pet, the pet's home, feeding, helping the children handle the pet, and pet health and family planning. (TJQ)

Presents an example of an authentic inquiry-based investigation of living organisms that can be easily performed in a school setting or students' neighborhood using pillbugs. Students observe, ask questions, collect data, classify and compare, measure, and analyze data to draw conclusions about pillbug behavior. (SAH)

The focus of this manual is the timber wolf and its experience in the United States. The activities are designed to enable students to gain a factual understanding of the timber wolf, question any misinformation they have learned regarding wolves, and learn to appreciate the wolf as a creature of nature rather than fear it as a creature of fairy…

Guinea pigs are presented as versatile classroom animals. Suggestions for animal behavior and genetics studies are given. Also included is information concerning sex determination and the breeding of guinea pigs, and hints on keeping these animals in the classroom. References and illustrations complete the article. (MA)