Introduction
Welcome 4th Graders!
You will begin researching an animal and how it adapts to its surroundings. You will be given one animal and will observe that animal both in the wild and in captivity. Animals and plants adapt to their surroundings, but sometimes those adaptations can be harmful. You will compare both animals and highlight differences you see in the animals' behaviors and adaptations.
You will be responsible for creating a research summary of your findings and a visual representation of how your animal adapts in the wild and in captivity. You will be given some examples of this in the tabs to your left.
Before starting however, we need to understand what an adaptation is and why scientists observe animals so closely.
Click the following link to watch a video about why scientists study and observe animal behaviors. Complete the questions on a sheet of paper or in a new post on kidblog after viewing.
National Geographic Penguin Video
1. Why do scientists observe animals?
2. What prediction did the scientists make about how penguins get fish when they dive in water?
3. Was their prediction correct? 4. Why do you think the penguins get the fish from the top of the water? 5. Based on the observation, what questions do the scientists need to research now?6. What is an adaptation? Make a prediction about how penguins adapt when they are taken out of their natural environment. Compare this to how they adapt in the wild. Remember, if you are comparing and contrasting, you need to tell the similarities and differences of each environment.Read the following article to check your prediction. Was it right or wrong?Penguins in Captivity Story
Task
Task 1: Students will be required to informally observe one animal, both in the wild and in captivity. Once you have detailed observations, you will begin researching scientific facts about the effects that captivity has on animals taken out of their natural habitats.
Use the following links to observe your animals.
BE SURE TO CITE THE SOURCE ON YOUR OBSERVATION SHEETS.
Animal Webcam Links and Guiding Questions for Observations
Animals in Captivity Sites:
Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Nation Wide Insurance Columbus Zoo Cam
Animals in the Wild Sites:
National Geographic, Pete's Pond
National Geographic Wild Animal Observations
While observing your animals, please answer the following questions for BOTH observations in the wild and in captivity.
Guiding Questions:
· What is the animal doing?
· What do you notice about the animal's habitat?
· How does the animal move?
· How does the animal interact with others (Remember, animals play and communicate.)?
· What do you notice when you look closely at the images?
· Do you think this behavior is an adaption?
· Is this behavior learned or instinctive?
· Does this behavior help the animal survive? Why or why not?
· What would a scientist notice about this animal?
(Be sure to fill out the observation questions for your animal in captivity and in the wild)
Sometimes animals must adapt their behaviors based on their environment, no matter how crazy the behavior seems. See the video below of a pigeon that keeps taking Doritos from a store!! The pigeon repeats the behavior and only chooses the Doritos. As you view, think about why the pigeon is taking the chips and why the pigeon is only choosing Doritos.
Sam the Seagull stealing doritos video
Task 2: Research
Once you have made your observations and have your detailed observation sheets, you will need to do additional research about your animal and how it adapts in captivity and in the wild. Some questions that you will need to answer are similar to the observations you made, but please stay focused on one topic. For example, how does this animal interact with other animals of its own kind? You will need to research that one question and find more information to include in your paragraphs.
Your summaries need to be at least 4 paragraphs and must include the following:
- The animal you observed and from where is this animal naturally located. (For example, elephants are only found in Africa and Asia. This is their natural living environment.)
- Highlight the similar adaptations they make both in the wild and in captivity.
- Highlight the differences in their adaptations they make in the wild and in captivity.
- Conclusion about the animal's adaptation and the effects captivity and being in the wild has on the animal.
- Bibliography (You must cite all of your sources at the end of your paragraphs.)
Please remember when you are comparing and contrasting, you MUST compare like things. If you are describing their physical features that help them to adapt in the wild, you must do the same for how they adapt in captivity. Take a look at this great compare/contrast article.
Polar Bears in the Wild
Polar bears are superbly adapted for life in a bitterly cold world of pack ice, tundra, coast and boreal forest. Their small ears and tail reduce heat loss, and they are the only bears that are completely covered in fur, except for the nose and pads of their feet. Their thick coat of guard hairs and underfur cover a layer of blubber up to 10cm thick, providing insulation against freezing winds and icy waters. In fact, polar bears are so good at staying warm that, when active, they can overheat when the temperature is only 0 degrees Celsius.
Their feet are also uniquely adapted for travelling over ice and snow. Their non-retractable claws provide traction on the ice; their wide feet act as snowshoes in the deep snow; the hairs on their feet not only insulate, but prevent the bear from sliding on the ice; and their pads are covered with dermal bumps that also prevent slipping.
In the wild, polar bears spend the majority of their time travelling and hunting. They will travel many kilometres in a single day, climbing snow banks and steep ridges of ice, and leaping over cracks in th e ice that are more than 6 metres wide. A single bear may range over 3,000 kilometres in a year, covering a home territory that can be as large as 300,000 square kilometres. Polar bears are also adapted for life in the ocean and are expert long-distance swimmers. Their tapered head, streamlined body, and paddle-like feet, which have webbed toes, allow them to swim for many kilometres without stopping. Scientists have tracked polar bears swimming up to 100 kilometres without stopping to rest!
The mainstay of a polar bear's diet is seal blubber. The most common method of hunting is still-hunting - waiting beside a hole in the ice for a seal to come up for air, and then striking the seal with a crushing blow from an enormous paw. Less commonly, polar bears will creep towards a seal lying on the ice, taking advantage of their camouflaged white fur. Polar bears also use their keen sense of smell to sniff out a seal's den and prey on her pups.
Adult polar bears have no natural enemies. The main threats to polar bears are habitat loss due to human activity, pollution of Arctic land and water, and the effects of climate change. As the temperature in the Arctic slowly rises, more and more summer ice has been melting and the ice floes are getting increasingly smaller and farther apart. This makes it much harder for the bears to hunt.
Polar Bears in Captivity
Yupi is a female polar bear, approximately 15 years old, who lives in a Mexican zoo. She was born in the wild in Alaska and has been in captivity since she was a cub.
Yupi's captivity demonstrates many of the serious problems with keeping polar bears in zoos. These include:
- Antiquated, Inappropriate Exhibit Design. Yupi's exhibit has concrete flooring and 4-metre high walls surrounding it. It was constructed for security and ease of maintenance, but in no way does it simulate a natural habitat for a polar bear.
- Lack of Space. Polar bears are among the widest ranging terrestrial mammals on earth; a typical polar bear's enclosure has been estimated to be one-millionth of a polar bear's minimum home-range. Polar bears should be provided with expansive, naturalistic paddocks that allow them plenty of room to roam. Yupi's enclosure is only 110 square metres.
- Inappropriate Hard Substrates. Yupi's entire enclosure is comprised of hard concrete floor surfaces. Not only are these surfaces uncomfortable to stand, sit and lie on, but they provide no opportunity for natural behaviours such as digging and foraging.Inadequate Shelter and Privacy. Although privacy is not a major problem for Yupi, as visitor observation is restricted to the underwater viewing station, her exhibit lacks adequate shade from the sun.There are no structures in the exhibit to provide shade, other than the side walls, and an alcove at the back of the exhibit that leads to the holding area. Polar bears are adapted to keep warm in frigid temperatures; even in the shade, the warm temperature and high humidity of Mexico is a problem for Yupi.
- Lack of Structural Features, Furnishings and Enrichment. Polar bears are complex, intelligent animals that require a great deal of stimulation, yet Yupi's exhibit is barren, and does nothing to encourage natural movements or species-specific behaviour. Yupi's enclosures has two wooden stumps, embedded in concrete, and a single dead tree, encased in concrete. Yupi has nothing to push, pull, dig, tear apart, climb or manipulate. Nor is there any visual or olfactory stimulation available.
- Inappropriate Environmental Conditions. The climate in Mexico is completely unlike that found in the Arctic regions, and keeping cool is a major challenge for Yupi. As already mentioned, polar bears are adapted to keep warm in frigid conditions, and they overheat easily. Even Yupi's pool, which is not refrigerated, may not provide adequate relief.
- Abnormal Behaviour. Yupi has been observed sitting or lying prone for relatively long periods of time, and also swimming in a repetitive fashion. It is highly likely that the lack of space and the barren conditions of captivity have contributed to Yupi's abnormal behaviours, caused by boredom, frustration and deprivation.
- Inappropriate Lock-in Practices. While Yupi's main exhibit is grossly substandard, the holding area where she spends most of her time is much worse. The holding area (off-exhibit) includes two separate cages, each approximately 15 square metres in size. The floor in the holding area is concrete and no bedding is provided for Yupi. There is no natural light in the holding area, nor is it air-conditioned or well ventilated.
Task 3: Once you have finished your observations, research, and paragraphs, you will need to create a visual representation of your results. Remember, in the scientific method, we must analyze our results and then draw conclusions about our collected data. You may do any visual representation you like. It can be a poster, diorama, iMovie, powerpoint, etc. It must highlight the following components:
- The animal you researched
- The data (research) you collected about the animal in captivity and in the wild
- A picture of your animal (you could include your animal in captivity and in the wild)
- Visual representation of your research. (you could include newspaper articles, magazine articles, compare and contrast Venn diagram, etc.)
Examples:
Here's one more article to help you understand the differences between animals living in the wild and in captivity!
Process
- Students should understand adaptations and how animals use them to adapt to their surroundings.
- Students should understand the differences between animals being held in captivity and those same animals in the wild.
- Students will complete observations first of wild animals in their natural habitats and those same animals within a confined area.
- Students will then do additional research to understand what they observed about their specific animals.
- Students will create a 4-paragraph summary of their findings that include comparisons and differences with their researched animal adaptations and environments.
- Students will create a bibliography page highlighting all of their sources.
- Students will create a visual representation of their research and observations.
- Students will present their findings to the class.
Template to follow for compare and contrast essay:
Writing a Compare/Contrast Essay
Here is some general information about the organization for this type of essay:
• A comparison essay notes either similarities, or similarities and differences.
• A contrast essay notes only differences.
• The comparison or contrast should make a point or serve a purpose. Often such essays do one of the following: Clarify something unknown or not well understood. Lead to a fresh insight or new way of viewing something. Bring one or both of the subjects into sharper focus. Show that one subject is better than the other.
• The thesis can present the subjects and indicate whether they will be compared, contrasted, or both.
• The same points should be discussed for both subjects; it is not necessary, however to give both subjects the same degree of development.
• Some common organizational structures include: (see note below) Block method (subject by subject) Point by point Comparisons followed by contrasts (or the reverse)
• Use detailed topic sentences and the following connecting words to make the relationship between your subjects clear to your reader:
Connectors That Show Comparison (Similarities)
In additon
Correspondingly
Compared to
Similarly
Just as
As well as
Likewise
Same as
At the same time
Connectors That Show Contrast (Differences)
However
On the contrary
On the other hand
Even though
In contrast
Although
Unlike
Conversely
Meanwhile
Evaluation
Students will be graded on the following rubrics:
Task 1: Animal Behavior Observations
|
Animal Observations |
4 Points |
3 Points |
2 Points |
1 Point |
Totals |
|
Observation Notes |
Animal was accurately observed in the wild and in captivity |
Animal was observed, but details are missing in observations |
The animal was only observed in the wild and/or captivity |
Animal was not observed, minimal observations |
____/4 |
|
Questions & Predictions |
All observation sheets were complete with engaging, thoughtful questions and realistic predictions that reflected behavior observation notes |
Most observation sheets lacked engaging, thoughtful questions and/or predictions were inconsistent with behavior observation notes. |
Some observation sheets lacked engaging, thoughtful questions and/or predictions were inconsistent with behavior observation notes. |
Overall, observation sheets lacked a clear understanding of creating thoughtful questions and predictions about observed behaviors |
____/4 |
|
Participation |
Demonstrated proper research and collaboration behaviors |
Mostly demonstrated proper research and collaboration behaviors |
Somewhat demonstrated proper research and collaboration behaviors |
Did not consistently demonstrate proper research and collaboration behaviors |
____/4 |
|
Citing Sources |
Sources were cited for all four animals observed |
Sources were cited for three animals observed |
Sources were cited for two animals observed |
Sources were cited for one animal observed |
____/4 |
Total: ____/16
Final grade for Task 1:
Task 2: Behavior Research
|
Behavior Research |
4 Points |
3 Points |
2 Points |
1 Point |
Totals |
|
Chart Guide |
All sections are complete and relevant to the behavior observed |
Most sections are complete and relevant to the behavior observed |
Some sections are complete and/or sections are not relevant to the behavior observed |
Sections are incomplete and not relevant to the behavior observed |
____/4 |
|
Citing Sources |
Sources were cited for all sources |
n/a |
Sources were cited for at least one source |
Did not cite any sources |
____/4 |
|
Text Information & Thoughts |
Text information accurately describes observed behavior and thoughts properly reflect text information |
Text information somewhat accurately describes observed behavior and thoughts somewhat properly reflect text information |
Text information is somewhat inaccurate and does not apply to the observed behavior |
Text information is incomplete and/or student did not provide thoughts about the information |
____/4 |
|
Participation |
Demonstrated proper research and collaboration behaviors |
Mostly demonstrated proper research and collaboration behaviors |
Somewhat demonstrated proper research and collaboration behaviors |
Did not consistently demonstrate proper research and collaboration behaviors |
____/4 |
+1 Extra credit for using three sources
Total: ____/16
Final grade for Task 2:
Task 3: Visual Representation and Summary
|
Visual Representation & Summary |
4 Points |
3 Points |
2 Points |
1 Point |
Totals |
|
Summary Guideline |
Summary guideline is complete and conclusion is reasonable based on evidence from text |
Summary guideline is complete with a reasonable conclusion; however evidence from the text does not fully support the conclusion |
Summary guideline is complete with a reasonable conclusion; however evidence from the text does not support the conclusion |
Summary guideline is incomplete and/or conclusion is not reasonable and no evidence from text is given |
____/4 |
|
Four Paragraph Summary |
Summary is complete, demonstrates proper use of grammar, and accurately provides information according to guidelines |
Summary is complete; however, summary does not fully demonstrates proper use of grammar and/or does not fully provide information according to guidelines |
Summary is somewhat complete, does not fully demonstrate proper use of grammar and/or does not fully provide information according to guidelines |
Summary is incomplete, does not demonstrate proper use grammar, and does not provide information according to guidelines |
____/4 |
|
Visual Representation |
Visual representation is neat, clean, presentable and accurately represents research |
Visual representation is mostly neat, clean, presentable and accurately represents observed research |
Visual representation is not neat, clean, or presentable and/or does not accurately represent observed research |
Visual representation is incomplete |
____/4 |
|
Participation |
Demonstrated proper research and collaboration behaviors |
Mostly demonstrated proper research and collaboration behaviors |
Somewhat demonstrated proper research and collaboration behaviors |
Did not consistently demonstrate proper research and collaboration behaviors |
____/4 |
+1 Extra credit for presentation
Total: ____/16
Final grade for Task 3:
Conclusion
The most important component to this project is for you to understand the similarities and differences in animal behaviors and adaptations when they are taken out of their natural environments.
I want you to develop an opinion and be able to support that opinion with solid evidence. This will help you be confident when you present your findings. Please remember, you do NOT have to agree with me about animals nor do you have to agree with your classmates, however, with this project, we need to understand all points of view and need to respect each other's opinions.
Remember, this is a research based project, but upon the conclusion, you can form an educated opinion about your animal in captivity and in the wild. Most of all, I want you to learn about our world and how we can make it better.
Mrs. Bushnell
Credits
Research Sites:
Creating a BibliographyAs we research, it is important that we list our sources. At the end of the project, we will create a bibliography. A bibliography is a list of sources you used to gather information for your research. Authors give us information that we can use for research; however it is very important that we tell the reader we did not create the information. Taking someone's information, pictures, or videos without citing the source is illegal. We need to give credit to the person that created the information.Check out this site for examples on writing a bibliography that includes websites, books, and magazines!Fact Monster