WebLessons: Teaching Social Studies and Science with Online Lessons

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Core Curriculum•Health & Wellness•Writers

Core Curriculum

Honolulu Zoo Society Lessons

Elementary

Animals A-Z

• Animals Everywhere (K - 1st)...The world is full of many different types of animals. We can group them by size, color, texture, habitat, and more. There are millions of kinds of animals. Scientists are always working to find new animals. Meanwhile, various groups work hard to protect the current species that we do know.

• Fascinating Animals (K - 1st)...This WebLesson will feature interesting, funny, and even surprising animals interacting in their environment and with each other.

• Animals - Vertebrates (Gr 2 - 3)...Animals that have a strong bony structure along their backs are called vertebrates. There are five main groups of animals with backbones (called vertebrates): fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Animals without backbones are called invertebrates.

• Animals - Invertebrates (Gr 2 - 3)...From earthworms to butterflies, scuttlefish to seastars, invertebrates represent the largest group of animals on Earth. Come learn more about invertebrates.

• Exploring Animals (Gr 4 - 5)...The animal kingdom contains all of the animals on the planet. This includes everything from the smallest insects to the largest mammals. Some scientists estimate that there are over 1 million known species of animals. Animals are categorized based on many characteristics. By grouping animals together, it is easier to organize the information we have about animals and learn more information.

• Classifying Animals (Gr 4 - 5)...The animal kingdom contains all of the animals on the planet. This includes everything from the smallest insects to the largest mammals. Some scientists estimate that there are over 1 million known species of animals. Animals with common characteristics are classified into a phylum, class, order, family, genus, and, finally, specie. By categorizing the animals into these groups, it is easier to organize the information we have about animals, understand the animals' relationships to each other, and to learn more information about the animals.

Interdependence - What's for Lunch?

• Food Chains and Food Webs...Grass gets energy from the sun. Cows like to eat grass. Milk comes from a cow and people like to drink milk. The grass, cows, and people is an example of a food chain. Without the cows, people would not have milk. Without grass, cows would not get energy to make milk. Every part of a food chain is important for the cycle of life.

• Interdependence...Plants and animals depend on each other to live. Plants and animals need each other. This is called interdependence. A caterpillar depends on a wheat plant for food. A baker depends on the wheat plant to make flour. People need the flour to bake cookies, cakes and pies. This is called a food web. In the web, plants and animals are connected to each other. Think about your breakfast today. Did you eat cereal with milk? Did the milk come from a cow? Did the cow eat grass to produce the milk? What other animals might need grass to live? If you drew a picture with lines to connect the plants and animals, it would look like a web. The interdependence of plants and animals is called a food web.

Biomes

• The Places Where Animals Live (Biomes Intro)...Students will be introduced to a variety of biomes. They will investigate how each biome supports a unique collection of flora and fauna, and how those plants and animals, in turn, contribute to the biome.

• Life- Deal with It (Adapting within a Biome)...Students will explore how different biomes affect the appearance and behaviors of the animals living there.

• Threats (Human Impact to Various Biomes)...Our world is covered with beautiful natural places, each rich with natural resources. The challenge for humans is how to harness those natural resources while protecting the sustainability of the ecosystem. It requires planning and care. In some places, and with some species, our impact has been destructive, even fatal. In others, our actions have been more responsible. Come explore the human footprint on biomes around the world.

Survival! Adaptations

• Structural Adaptations...There are over one million different species of animal. They can look very different from one another. Many of these differences are the result of structural (adaptations) that occur as animals become better suited to their environments. Adaptations usually occur over long periods of time. A structural adaptation refers to the way an animal’s body looks (characteristics or traits). For example, skin coverings (hair, feather, fur, scales), coloring and texture are structural adaptations. Body shape, facial structure, and feet and claw design are structural adaptations as well. Think of an elephant and how its long nose looks. What might an elephant use this nose for? Could you imagine how an elephant would look bending over and eating grass like a zebra? One adaptation of an elephant is how its nose formed and now works like a special hand, picking up anything the elephant might want. The endless variety of adaptations in organisms leads to the vast biodiversity that exists in the world.

• Behavioral Adaptations...Not only do animals come in many different colors, shapes and sizes. Animals can also behave very differently from one another. Animals behave in specific ways to protect themselves, find food and water, move about, maintain body temperature, and find a mate and raise their young. These types of adaptations are call behavioral adaptations and, like structural adaptations, help the animals survive in their environments.

• Animals Adapt to their Habitats... Every organism lives within an ecosystem. An ecosystem includes all living things (biotic factors) and non-living things (abiotic factors) in an environment and how they interact. Within ecosystems, each animal lives in a “habitat” which provides for its basic needs such as food, water, shelter and a place to breed and rear young. All organisms are adapted to their habitats.

• Plants Adapt to their Habitats...Humans and animals are not the only ones who have to adapt to their surroundings. So do plants. The large number of plant species that exist must make adaptations (either structural or behavioral) to help them survive in their natural areas. Adaptation refers to the special features that enable a plant to live successfully in a particular habitat.

• A Trip Around the World...Students will take a virtual trip around the world to visit various habitats including grassland savannas of Africa, tropical rainforests of South America, Asian forests, North American mountains and forest highlands, the desert, and an finally an island!

• Conservation and Preservation...Animals in the wild all live in a particular home with specific living conditions that they require in order to survive. The plants, other animals, temperatures, precipitation, ground quality are all important factors to these animals. Humans have moved in and taken over vast amounts of natural environments over the years. Human activities ranging from driving a car to large industries cause changes in climate that alter the planet’s temperatures, precipitation, and sea level. Thus important habitats are wiped out.

Fragile Hawaii

• Aloha Hawaii...Hawaii's amazing biodiversity is visible from the peak of the Big Island's Mt. Kilaueau. From here, we can see the islands steep cliffs, the mesic forests, and the wandering streams. Endemic flora and fauna are all around. You just have to open your eyes.

• Native Wildlife of Hawaii...Many of Hawaii's endemic and native species lost their natural defenses against predators because the islands shelter no large land mammals or reptiles. This makes Hawaii's native species especially vulnerable to invasive, alien species and makes Hawaii, according to the Bishop Museum, the endangered species capital of the world. Hawaii has more endangered species per square mile than any other place. Hawaii's rare nene geese, humpback whales, bottlenose dolphins, monk seals, green sea turtles, and the tree snail are just a few of the truly unique and spectacular species that call Hawaii home. Let's make sure future generations of these species will call Hawaii home, too.

• Introduced Animals and Invaders of Hawaii...Introduced invasive species are having a devastating effect on the Hawaiian ecosystems. Gorilla Ogo (a type of algae), Miconia (a flowering plant), and the Small Indian Mongoose are just a few of the alien species that are ravaging Hawaiian ecosystems. Officials and volunteers work tirelessly to contain and stop the spread of invasive species and prevent other alien species like the Brown Tree Snake from entering Hawaii.

You can have a big impact on invasive species in Hawaii by doing some simple things. Report pests to the Pest Hotline on O`ahu at (808) 586-PEST. Do not own illegal pets such as hamsters, ferrets, snakes, alligators/crocodiles, hermit crabs, veiled chameleons, iguanas, and tarantulas. And, remember, even legal pets can become pests if you don’t take care of them. When boating, surfing, and fishing, be sure to wash all equipment including surfboards, nets, fishing lures, lines, and hooks, anchor lines, and boat hulls with fresh water and check for algae fragments. Lastly, before driving or hiking into nature, wash tires and brush mud from boots to prevent the spread of invasive plants seeds. With these simple steps, you can make a difference and help stop the spread of invasive species.

Earth 911

• Humans and Animals Meet – Preservation for Sustainability for all Living Organisms ...Every creature is connected to all others in a system known as an ecosystem. Plants supply food, water, and shelter. Plants depend upon animals for such processes as pollination and breaking down necessary nutrients. Animals are part of complex food webs, chains, and pyramids that rely on a balance in the predator-prey relationship. The way in which living and non-living components interact comprise what is called an ecosystem. Some of these factors include precipitation, sunlight, ground covering, and temperature. Limiting factors, such as food, water, shelter, and space control population size. This usually results in the fluctuation of various populations over time. Natural disasters are a major factor that can also cause dramatic and immediate changes in populations. Ecosystems provide both renewable and nonrenewable resources. Human interactions with these resources often have devastating effects. With time and effort, humans have begun to recognize the warning signs of a deteriorating ecosystem. Environmentalists have created a variety of solutions, including recycling, reducing, conserving, and reorganizing landfills. These efforts are world-wide and our hope is to see the Earth’s valuable resources renewed to sustainable conditions.

• Malama I Ka 'Aina...Malama I Ka `Aina aims to improve and expand the education of Hawai`i's children by developing and disseminating new science curricular materials based on an understanding and appreciation of the ways in which traditional Hawaiians effectively managed the environment for sustainability.

Professional Development - Educator Workshop

• Inquiry Based Learning (IBL)

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