• Title
• Introduction
• Task
• Process
• Map
• Evaluation
• Conclusion
• Teacher Page

Process

Day 1: Computer Lab

Choose an animal from the list below. This will be the animal you study for the next week.

• African Elephant
• Cheetah
• Rhinoceros
• Zebra
• Giraffe
• Lion

When you have selected your animal let your teacher know which one you have chosen. There can be no more than five people to a group. After telling your teacher which one you have chosen, click on the name of your animal in the list above to link to a site about your animal. Read the passage about your animal and begin to fill in your African Safari Animal Biography sheet. Pull as much information as you can from the passage, but don't worry about filling up the sheet, you will be adding information to it all week.

Day 2: Library

During our library time today you will be finding a book about your animal. If there are not enough books about your animal for everyone to have one, you may share with one other person who is studying the same animal as you.

You may begin looking through the book and adding information about your animal to your Biography sheet as soon as you have checked out the book. You will also have about fifteen minutes later today to find information in your book and record it on your Biography sheet. By the end of the day you should have added information to at least five of the sections of your Biography sheet.

Day 3: African Wildlife Foundation (computer lab)

Today you will use another online resource to learn more about your animal. Click on the name of your animal to visit its site at the African Wildlife Foundation.

• African Elephant
• Cheetah
• Rhinoceros
• Zebra
• Giraffe
• Lion

On this website there is a section on the environment of your animal. It tells you about the environment, but not why your animal lives in that environment. See if you can figure out some reasons your animal lives in its particular environment.

By the end of the day most sections of your Biography sheet should be full and you should feel like you’re becoming an expert on your animal.

Day 4: Expert collaboration

Today you will meet with your classmates who have been learning about the same animal as you. You will discuss the items you have written on your Biography sheet and you should finish filling in every section of the sheet. There may be things you’re asked for on the sheet that you never found on the websites or in the books you looked at. See if your group can take what you already know and hypothesize the answers. If you have extra time in your group, begin discussing how you want to do your presentation.

Day 5: Preparing the presentation

Today you will meet with your group again and decide how to organize your presentation. This means you should:

1. Decide what kind of visual you want to use and what each group member's responsibility will be.
2. Decide what the most important information is in each of the sections on your biography sheet. These will be the things you share with the class.
3. Decide how you will involve everyone in the presentation. Will each person present a section from the biography sheet? Will each person tell one important thing from each section? Be creative with your presentation.

Your teacher will provide you with paper for posters, markers, crayons, glue, scissors, and rulers. If you need other materials, ask your teacher if he/she can provide them. If he/she can't, you must either change your plan or bring the materials from home. You will be preparing your presentations over the next two days so be prepared. Here are some sites to help you:

• Make African Safari Animals
• How to draw African Safari Animals
• How to Make African Animal Masks

Day 6-7: Preparing the presentation cont.

Today you should prepare the visuals you will need and finalize each group member's responsibilities. We will begin presenting on (day of week). Remember what should be included in your presentation:

1. A description of your animal (color(s), size, life-span, fur/hide, special features that make it unique, etc.)
2. The animal's claim to fame. What makes your animal different from any other animal?
3. Family life of the animal Does it take care of its young? Does your animal live in groups? What is the group called? Is there a leader?
4. Adaptations (what are special features or abilities your animal has that helps it to survive?) you should include at least four adaptations.
5. Describe an environment that would be good for your animal and what makes it good. How does the environment work with your animal's adaptations?
6. Describe an environment that would not be good for your animal. What makes it a bad environment? What adaptations might your animal need to survive in that environment?
7. A visual. This can be a poster, photo, drawing, diorama, etc. Everyone must contribute to the visual. This means that if you make a poster, every one helps, if you have photos of your animal, each group member should have a photo.

Day 8-9: Presentations

You and your classmates will be presenting today and tomorrow. You will need to listen carefully to what each group says and fill in an information sheet on each animal. You may ask the presenting group questions when they are finished presenting.

Resources:

Day 1: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/reallywild/amazing
Day 2: various books on animals
Day 3: http://www.awf.org/content/wildlife