|
May 1, 2002
Mammals
By Susan Silverman
Kids of all ages love learning about mammals. They keep mammals as pets; they visit mammals at zoos, and, after all, they themselves are mammals. Here are some wonderful resources to enrich your students' journey through this part of the animal kingdom.
All About Mammals
In addition to general information about mammals, this site offers educational mammal printouts and a mammal calendar for children to color. You'll find a section on the classification of mammals and information about mammal evolution. This site is the perfect destination to begin your unit on mammals. [Recommended Grades: 2-6]
Mammals Trust UK Kids Page
Don't miss this fantastic site created by the Mammals Trust UK, a charity organization that protects native British mammals and their habitats. Your children can explore the world of UK mammals and learn about natural conservation and animal protection. They'll love the "footprint identity parade," mammals quiz and art gallery! [Recommended Grades: 2-6]
Mammals of Belize
If you can't take your class on a field trip to a tropical zoo, a virtual trip to the Belize zoo is the next best thing. Your children will learn about the mammals of Belize, including the jaguar, ocelot and tapir. They can check out mammal photographs, as well as audio and video clips. Just don't be surprised when you learn as much as your students! [Recommended Grades: 1-6]
Mammals
The Canadian Museum of Nature offers this Natural History Notebook to enrich your study of mammals. Click on each animal name for a photograph and detailed habitat and behavioral information. The site includes exotic mammals such as the gaur, Vancouver Island Marmot and pygmy hippopotamus. [Recommended Grades: 3-6]
Mammal Hunt: A WebQuest for Elementary and Exceptional Children (Science)
In this mammal web quest presented by the Memphis City Schools, students pretend they are hired by the Memphis Zoo to help classify animals as "mammals" or "non-mammals." They are asked to define the word mammal, conduct mammal research, keep mammal journals and create mammal Power Point presentations. The site offers valuable resources to help you in your web quest. [Recommended Grades: 2-4]
Endangered Animals: ThinkQuest Junior
A team of fifth graders from South Guam elementary school created this resource to teach their peers about endangered animals. The site features animal information pages, student artwork, a mammals quiz and related links. Your children will be impressed that students created this resource, and may ask to create a mammal site of their own.
[Recommended Grades: 1-5]
In Search of Stellaluna's Family: Web Quest
No unit on mammals is complete without a study of bats. To participate in this web quest, students first read Janell Cannon's beautiful book Stellaluna. They then learn about different types of bats, echolocation and more. There are tons of great bat resources at this site including a crossword puzzle, quiz, and games. [Recommended Grades: 1-3]
Betz's Pet Shop
This creative web quest developed by Mrs. Evon, a second-grade teacher in Nebraska, will teach your children how to classify animals. Students imagine that they are opening a new pet shop. Working in teams, they research various animals, write animal characteristic charts and finally present their work. The site offers detailed instructions on how to organize the web quest as well as useful links. [Recommended Grades: 2-4]
Sea Otters: California's Threatened Treasure
Introduce your students to the fascinating world of sea otters at this award-winning ThinkQuest site. Students will learn all about these threatened mammals, including their habitat, diet and lifecycle. They can read about why sea otters became endangered, how they are now being protected and what they can do to help. There's an interview with a marine mammal trainer and live streaming video from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. You're going to love this beautifully designed, student-focused, multimedia resource. [Recommended Grades: 6-12]
Fossil Mammals
Explore some of the first mammals in history at the Smithsonian Institution Natural History web site. Your students can learn about Hyracotherium Vasacciensis, a 55 million year-old horse fossil. They can also learn about ancient squirrel, rhino and other mammal fossils. [Recommended Grades: 6-12]
Tigers
I guarantee that you will adore this not-for-profit site devoted to educating the public about tigers and their habitats. It's chock full of information about tiger evolution, biology and behavior. You can also learn about tigers in zoos and tiger coverage in the media. With teacher resources, a kid's section, regular news updates and practical information about how you can help protect tigers, this site offers all you need to begin studying these beautiful, fascinating mammals.
[Recommended Grades: 2-5]
Animals of the world
Your students will love learning about mammals with this fun "What am I?" guessing game at KidsCom. Children select questions to receive clues about mystery mammals. They have five guesses until they are given the answer with a fun fact about each mammal. To tailor this site for younger students, play the game as a class. For more advanced students, ask them to conduct research so they can challenge their classmates with their own mystery mammals. [Recommended Grades: 3-5]
No matter how you approach the study of mammals, you can enhance your unit with web resources. And if a certain mammalian project is especially fun and rewarding, why not share it with your fellow mammals in cyberspace? Then you'll be playing a part in the exciting evolution of educational resources online.
Email: Susan Silverman
|
