Animals

Grade 3:

Unit 1: Poonam’s Day Out

Animal Riddle Cards: This is an interesting game that students can play with twenty riddle cards. Clues are given for each animal which would encourage students to get informed about the different animals living around them.

Stories on Animals: Information to understanding unique behaviour and characteristics of animals around us could also be provided.

An observation activity to observe animals/birds around their houses, on where they live, what they eat and how they move from one place to other, will get the students interested in the topic even more.

Grade 4:

Unit 2: Ear to Ear

Features of Animals - List down the animals known to students and then discuss on the features of these animals – how do their eyes, ears, mouth, tails, legs and skin look like? Teacher can use animal names to make students identify their corresponding features.

Resources: Picture cards

Observe and Identify Body Parts- Identify and list animals with and without ears; and with and without hairs. Also note the differences in the shapes and sizes of their ears and hairs from pictures of different animals. Teachers can ask students to draw the different shapes of ears on animals and the different patterns and colours on skin made by their hairs.

Resources: Pictures, Story and discussion notes.

Profiling a local animal – The local animal of choice can be a domestic/pet animal. Students can decide the characteristics and properties to be observed through a discussion in the class.

Resources: Sample note on an animal profile

Unit 3: A Day with Nandu

Stories to discuss what students already know about the life of animals, their behaviour.

Resources: Stories (Gajapati Kulapati - video on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlK4lD5eGRI,

Facts on animal behaviour: Animal Behaviour, Jermare Harrison - https://www.storyjumper.com/book/index/17899678/Animal-Behavior#)

Animal Living in Groups - Readings and discussions on animals living in groups and details on their social behaviour could be given. Students can also observe and collect details about herd behaviour of domestic animals like goat, ducks etc.

Resources - Videos (Herd animals - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG_zWkdYyTw, Elephants living as herds - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JscCirtH_k8) and Reading animal facts (Reference website- https://a-z-animals.com/animals/)

Protection of Wildlife and Developing Sensitivity towards Animals: Reading stories, recent updates about protection of wildlife and discussing about how animals are treated at homes, temples and farms could be included in engaging students initially. Stories on wildlife protection and their link to wild animals could also be shared.

Resources: Stories and Discussion guides, newspaper articles.

Grade 5

Unit 1: Super Senses

Videos to understand unique sensing habits of animals around us could be shown. For instance, of ants finding sweets, birds finding its prey, etc.

Resources: Videos on different animals and its unique sensing habits could be shown: Super senses of animals - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7REZdw0zt3s)

Story-time: Stories to understand unique characteristics of animals could be shared. The species-level characteristics and behaviours of animals could be explored. Examples like that of sea turtle, oyster, chameleon, caterpillar, fish etc. can be discussed.

Resources: Children story books

Unit 2: A Snake Charmer’s Story

Knowing about snakes- Discussion on exploring snakes, their habitat and diet could be held.

Resources: Presentations including the details

Knowing about Snake Charmers

Understanding the livelihood of Snake Charmers. Who are they? What do they do for living?

Resources: Videos (The snake-catching tribe saving lives in India -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87Xx3zkRXuo, &

Snake hunters from India tackle Florida's python problemhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_fFk53I3nE)