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Plug
in to the Possibilities!
The
Toledo Zoo uses cutting-edge technology to bring interactive videoconference
learning to classrooms with compatible equipment. Single or multipoint
connections offer the benefits and convenience of a "virtual
field trip" to a variety of exhibit sites. Students
expand their knowledge by meeting live animals, exploring exhibits,
participating in learning activities with the Zoo's education personnel,
talking with Zoo keepers, and interacting with their peers at other
locations. Curricula have been designed for Animal Classification,
Food Chains/Webs, The Rainforest and African Grasslands or, with
advance notice, we will design programs to fit your classroom needs.
The
cost is $85.00 per 1 hour of content per class, plus a long distance
(if applicable) and bridging charges for multi-point hookups. For
more information please call (419) 385-5721 ext. 2044
| Animal
Coverings (K-12) |
| Explore
the differences and similarities among animal coverings through
puppets, animal biofacts and live animals. Children will also
observe "inside/outside" skeletons and play simple
sorting games using beanie
animals, foodstuffs, etc. Puppets will introduce the different
groups, and then live animals from different
classes will visit to show off their covers. The concepts of
"camouflage" and "mimicry" will be introduced.
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| Animal
Groups (1-3) |
| Children
will discuss the variety of living organisms and why we name
and group them. Concepts of living/non-living and plant/animal
will be introduced. Classes will learn that science categorizes
animals based on differences and similarities. The terms vertebrate/invertebrate
will be introduced. Live animals and animal biofacts will be
on hand to "test" whether students have learned the
basic differences among five classes of vertebrates (i.e. fish,
birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.) Students will participate
in sorting games that illustrate how groups are formed using
similarities and differences. |
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| Animal
Classification (4-10) |
| Students
will discuss the variety of living organisms and why we name
and group them. They will also learn who created binomial nomenclature,
why the world of science needed it, and why we have to learn
all that Latin! A few basic Latin root words used in classification
will be introduced. Younger students will see carnivore and
herbivore skulls (and learn about omnivores) and then discuss
how animals can be grouped according
to the foods they eat. Older students will learn the word
"taxonomy" and the divisions of kingdom, phylum,
class, order, family, genus, and species. Working in groups,
students will create pneumonic devices to remember these divisions.
Games and sorting strategies will be employed to see how science
uses differences and similarities to form groups. Students
will classify live animals to test what they've learned.
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| Arctic
Animals (K-12) |
| Live
from the Zoo's Arctic Encounter® exhibit, students will
learn the basic geography and physical characteristics of the
Arctic. Students will also have the opportunity to learn more
about our polar bears and seals. Special adaptations that help
animals and peoples to survive the harsh climate and circumstances
in the Arctic will be emphasized to illustrate how life persists
there. |
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| Arctic
Peoples & Culture (2-8) |
| After
a brief introduction to the arctic, students will learn about
arctic peoples. Focusing on Inuit culture, students will learn
what "culture" encompasses. They'll also complete
a Venn diagram to illustrate the differences and similarities
between their culture and Inuit culture, highlighting dress,
transportation, art, games, food, housing, and how animals affect
culture. Of course, a look at polar bears and seals is included!
Students will finish their session with a power point review
and an Arctic Challenge. Beware! Not many survive!! |
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| Endangered
Species (K-12) |
| Students
of all ages will learn about the plight of endangered animals
with a basic overview of what (who) has caused this dilemma
and what we can do about it. Using live animals and biofacts,
children will see some
of the products and ornaments that animals are used for and
see how zoos are working to promote awareness,
appreciation and conservation of animals. K-2
will learn the meanings of "endangered," "extinct,"
and "habitat." Children will discover how we are
all part of the problem but can also work to be part of the
solutions, e.g., recycling, reducing, re-using, protecting
and creating habitats, and being smart consumers.
3-8
will look at some specific problems causing endangerment,
i.e., poaching, over-harvesting, pet trade, habitat destruction,
and pollution.
9-12
will look in-depth at some of the complex issues surrounding
conservation, i.e., jobs, politics, money needed, space needed,
preparing the wild for re-introduction, and considerations
for genetic diversity. Students will play a game of "In
Jeopardy" with Alexa Treesback and determine if they
have the knowledge to help win the most important game of
all! |
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| Food
Chains and Webs (3-8) |
| Games
that create food chains using your students will help them develop
a better awareness of how ecosystems work. Using the premise
that "everybody is somebody's lunch," students will
appreciate how each aspect of life represents a certain amount
of energy and convert that to ecosystems. Of course, since it
all starts with the sun, a good review of photosynthesis is
included. Children will work together to create food chains
in the Arctic, the desert and a prairie. To top it off, a living
food chain of animals will visit to help students "digest"
this material! |
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| Animal
Adaptations (K-12) |
| What
is an adaptation, how do adaptations happen, and what do they
mean to animals and the natural world? Students will review
all this and much more as they begin to explore how an adaptation
aids survival. Simulations and experiments will help students
become better skilled at observing and recognizing adaptations
and how they help animals to succeed in their niches. Older
students can gain knowledge about natural selection and explore
both physical and behavioral adaptations on a more complex level. |
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| Desert
Animals (2-8) |
| Students
will learn what a desert is, where they are, what they look
like and explore some of the fascinating animals that live there.
A look at the "unusual" (to the Midwest anyway) plants
that grow in deserts is featured, too. The primary focus is
how living things adapt to the arid conditions that exist in
most deserts. |
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| Rainforest—Layers
of Life (K-8) |
| Tune
in to share the secrets of each layer (floor, understory, canopy,
emergent layer) of this distinctive biome of abundant biodiversity.
Students will review a variety of questions, such as What is
a rainforest? (amount of rain, temperature) Where are they?
(equator/tropics ) What do they look, feel and sound like? (wet,
green, dense with vegetation, rain sounds, animal calls, sounds)
Why are they so important? (weather, products, species, food
& medicine). Students will meet a few live rainforest species
and also observe an experiment that turns plant bi-product into
a product they see almost daily in their lives. The Toledo Zoo
will use slides, experiments and live animals to help your students
gain new insights into tropical topics! |
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ALL
PROGRAMS CAN BE MODIFIED TO MEET SPECIFIC LESSON GOALS, AGE LEVELS,
AND EXPERIENCE LEVELS. CALL 419-385-5721, EXT. 2044 TO DISCUSS
YOUR NEEDS.
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