Last updated: September 15, 2023
Lesson Plan
Animal Research
- Grade Level:
- Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
- Subject:
- Science
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
Essential Question
How do scientist study animals?
Objective
Students will be able to:
• Discuss difference between cultures with relation to animals.
• Use guiding questions to conduct effective research about animal species
living in Glacier National Park.
• Illustrate their animal research.
• Communicate the results of their research with others.
Background
This lesson is one part of Work House: A Glacier National Park Science and Indian Education Program. It can be completed as a stand alone lesson or as part of the greater Work House course.
The full Work House Program is available on Glacier National Park's website.
Background information as well as the full lesson plan can be found as a PDF here.
Assign student reading. Get books for student research. Mark specific reference pages in suggested books. Arrange internet access and download the “Animal Field Guide, Flathead Reservation Riparian Species” App if applicable. Review the websites referenced in the introduction for this unit. You may want to compile a list for students to use in their research or make it into more of a “webquest” with the websites provided. Have questions for research ready to handout/display and a completed example (or grading rubric if applicable) to show students of the expected report results from their research.
Preparation
- Prepare for two 50 minute class periods - one for reading/discussion, choosing animal and starting research. One to finish research and write report with animal illustration. More time needed for extension activities.
- Theme and art paper
- Pencils, colored pencils
- Internet access, encyclopedias, wildlife books, and particularly books about the animals of Glacier National Park, as well as People Before the Park by Sally Thompson, Kootenai Culture Committee & Pikunni Traditional Association
Procedure
- Students should do the Student Reading for Unit 5, pages 34-40, before starting this lesson. Use the “Checking for Understanding” questions to focus on the lesson objectives of exploring how people relate to animals, especially wild animals and the idea of sharing the Earth with other creatures. Included in the objectives is for students to realize that different people and cultures all relate differently to animals. In doing their animal research, they should be thinking of their relationship or beliefs/feelings toward wild animals and why they feel that way. How do the different ways people feel about animals influence national parks?
- Let students know that they are going to learn more about the wild animals in Glacier National Park by creating research reports of a favorite animal that they are certain lives in Glacier National Park (and if going on a field trip, one that they would like to see on their visit). Be sure that they have a second choice so that there are not duplicates. The instructor may wish to specify animals that would frequent beaver habitat, or that would live in a burned forest, or that appear in a traditional Blackfeet, Kootenai, Salish or Pend d’Oreille story (or that conform to some other precondition). There are numerous references to uses and importance of specific animals found in Glacier National Park by the Kootenai and Blackfeet in the book, People Before the Park. There are also a variety of books in the Blackfeet Reading Series and from the Salish and Kootenai Culture Committees of animal stories. The Fire on the Land Project from CSKT has a section on wildlife, and Bull Trout’s Gift and Explore the River from CSKT has information on animals. If students have access to Apps, the CSKT Riparian Animals Field Guide is a result of CSKT putting all their animal research together in one place for people to use- could your students make an App for Glacier?
- Go over the “Questions for Animal Research” to make sure students understand what they should be trying to find out about their animal. (Perhaps having a sample to show or one from a previous year’s student will help). Show the students how to find resources in the library, and walk through the Montana Field Guide on-line to help them begin their research.
- Ask students to illustrate their writing on a separate piece of art paper. Some students may find research more to their liking if they are allowed to draw the picture first. (There are animal coloring book pages on the park website.)
- For advanced students, have them make a movie documentary of their animal research. Here is an example the park received from a student who did research on wolverines.
Questions for Animal Research
- Give the common name and scientific name of the animal you have chosen to research (and if you wish, the Blackfeet, Kootenai, Salish-Pend d’Oreille name). Give a physical description of the animal.
- How does this animal reproduce? Are the young born alive? Are they hatched from eggs?
- How does this animal care for its young? Do parents supply food directly? Do they nurse them? Are the young taught to find food or are they left on their own?
- What does this animal eat? Does it eat plants and animals (omnivorous)? Does it eat only plants (herbivorous)? Does it eat only animals (carnivorous)? The Glacier National Park Teacher’s guide has a chart of “Who eats Whom” other activities to learn about Glacier’s wildlife.
- How does this animal move about? Does it fly, walk, crawl, etc.?
- In what kind of environment does this animal live? Does it live on the ground, in the air, in water, or in a combination environment? Does this animal prefer special terrain such as alpine tundra, marsh, open meadow, forest, stream, etc. ?
- What other interesting observations can you make about this animal?
- Draw the animal in an appropriate environment on a separate sheet of art paper.
Writing Extension
When writings have been edited and drawings are completed, have the students present their reports and pictures to each other in order to share knowledge of all the animals. Choose a title and help students assemble their reports and art in a book - maybe even a field guide for a trip to Glacier!
Field Trip Extension
- Play traditional American Indian games. Contact the International Traditional Games Society to obtain lesson plans and game kits. How did these games help children learn the skills needed to improve their observation skills of animals?
- Family Forestry Expo and River Honoring - organized annually, target specific grades and include information about wildlife.
- Invite someone from the local community or tribal government to discuss wildlife management in your area. Compare local management objectives with the National Park Service objectives.
- Invite an elder to your class to talk about wildlife experiences he/she may have had in the past.
- Contact the wildlife division for one of the Reservations and ask it it’s possible to arrange a speaker or a field trip.
- Ranger-Led Field Trips and Service Learning Projects in Glacier National Park. The park’s native plant restoration program has service learning field trips for middle and high school students; the Forest Processes and Fire Ecology field trips can be modified for 3rd - 8th grade.
- Self-Guided Field Trips as well as Guided Tours - various concession operated - in Glacier National Park.
- Glacier Institute - geology and other education programs.
- Guided Tours in Glacier National Park- various concession operated.
- Flathead Community of Resource Educators (CORE) - outdoor education guide for field trips in the Flathead Region.
Vocabulary
Carnivorous, environment, herbivorous, omnivorous, reproduction.
Assessment Materials
Play the Animal Story Guessing Game. After students have presented their stories, have them take turns telling animal stories that give vital information, except name and physical description, about some animal that lives in the park. The other students ask for clues and guess which animal is being described.
Play an animal pantomime game. Have students take turns doing a silent imitation of animal behavior until the other students successfully guess which animal they are imitating. Both of these activities are fun for students and provide a good review.
Additional Resources
- Research the ten thousand acre Grizzly Bear Conservation Area in the Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness by contacting CSKT’s Division of Fish, Wildlife, Recreation, & Conservation.
- Fire on the Land DVD - contains information about wildlife and fire.
- Glacier Education Trunks available to borrow that have wildlife connections: Songbird Trunk, Fire Works Trunk, Mammals Kit, Bear Trunk, Wolf Trunk.
- Glacier NP Student Resource Guide - has copyright free images of Glacier wildlife, fact sheets about the plants and animals, podcasts about bear research and Citizen Science, resource bulletins about various animals, coloring books, alphabet books, and much more.
- Browning Public Schools has a Blackfeet English Language Animal Coloring Book.
- Look at a copy of Glacier National Park’s Bear Management Plan and Bear Management Guidelines and discuss them.
- Montana State Park’s Indian Education for All Lesson plans associated with state parks in Montana.
- Flathead Community of Resource Educators (CORE) - list of education trunks available from various organizations across the state. Also links to various education resource providers in the Flathead Region.