Wildlife Science

Grade: 3 – 8 (could be adapted for high school)Wildlife Science Toolkit Grade: 3 - 8 (could be adapted for high school) Based on the Purdue “Nature of Teaching” series which was created in Indiana, this kit introduces youth to investigations of animals found in the wild. Included are activities on wildlife tracking, exploration of food webs, and ecosystem dynamics. More activities can be found on Purdue’s Website. This kit is suitable for youth in grades 3 – 8 (could be adapted for high school). All animal skulls and pelts within the toolkit are replicas. Notice: This kit is very large and heavy. Please use caution when lifting and transporting. Items not included in the kit are listed below: Plaster of Paris Sand Owl pellets - these can be purchased from Carolina Biological Supply and other sources. Lessons included in this kit: I. Unit 1 - Animal Diversity and Tracking Animal Tracks Tracks include Maine native species Scent Stations Indoor Track Casting Outdoor Track Casting II. Unit 2 - Mammal Food Webs Be a Tooth Sleuth Skulls include Maine native species Exploration of Food Webs Student Investigations of Food Webs Energy Flow and Food Webs III. Eco-llapse Game IV. Discovering the Watershed Human Impact and Watershed Distribution Game V. Unit 5 - Ashes to Ashes: Succession & Disturbance Wildlife Habitat through Succession Disturbance VI. Healthy Water, Happy Home

The activities contained in this toolkit are a mix of lessons from UMaine 4-H and Purdue “Nature of Teaching” series, which was created in Indiana. This kit includes wildlife tracking, exploration of food webs, and ecosystem dynamics. More activities can be found on Purdue’s Website. This kit is suitable for youth in grades 3 – 8 (can be adapted for high school). All animal skulls and pelts within the toolkit are replicas. 

Notice: This kit is very large and heavy. Please use caution when lifting and transporting.

Items not included in the kit are listed below:

  • Materials to make tracks
  • Sand
  • Owl pellets – these can be purchased from Carolina Biological Supply, Owl Brand Discovery Kits, and other sources.

Lessons included in this kit:Image of book: Critters of Maine, book: Peterson's Field Guide to Animal Tracks, and track molds found in the Wildlife toolkit.

I.  Activity 1: What’s that Track?!

  • Learning Targets:
    • Understand why identifying tracks is important.
    • Know the difference between foot types: plantigrade, digitigrade, and unguligrade.
    • Identify different Maine mammal tracks using a guide and ruler.
    • Files: PDF or Word

II. Activity 2: Scent Stations (Purdue Nature of Teaching)

  • Create track stations outside with different scents to learn about the wildlife in that area.

III. Activity 3: Make a Track

  • Learning Targets:
    • Know and identify the different foot types: plantigrade, digitigrade, and unguligrade.
    • Gain perspective on the actual size of Maine mammals.
    • Create a track using a mold. (Materials to make tracks are not included in the toolkit.)
    • Molds contained in the kit: beaver, white-tailed deer, moose, black bear, red fox, gray fox, coyote, mink, bobcat, skunk, cottontail, and squirrel.
    • Files: PDF or Word

IV. Activity 4: Inspector Tooth

  • Learning Targets:
    • Identify the different types of teeth mammals have (incisors, canines, premolars, and molars) and what they are used for.
    • Understand the different types of feeding diets: herbivore, omnivore, and carnivore.
    • Compare human teeth and diets to other animals
    • Skulls contained in the kit: beaver, white-tailed deer, black bear, red fox, coyote, raccoon, bobcat, and mink.
    • Files: PDF or Word

V. Activity 5 (Unit 2, Lesson 2): Poster Exploration of Food Webs (Purdue Nature of Teaching)

  • Understand how different trophic levels function in a food web using an Owl Food Web diagram.

VI. Activity 6 (Unit 2, Lesson 3): Student Investigations of Food Webs (Purdue Nature of Teaching)

  • Understand how food webs work through a hands-on demonstration using yarn.

VII. Activity 7 (Unit 2, Lesson 4) Energy Flow and Food Webs (Purdue Nature of Teaching)

  • Learn how energy flows in a food web through the investigation of what’s contained in an owl pellet. Owl pellets not contained in this toolkit!

VIII. Activity 8: Trophic Tumble

  • Learning Targets:
    • Understand that the proportions of trophic levels (producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer) in an ecosystem are different. 
    • Understand what type of species are found in each trophic level.
    • Understand that each level interconnects with all trophic levels, and if a species is removed there is an effect.
    • Files: PDF or Word

IX. Activity 9: Discovering the Watershed (Purdue Nature of Teaching)

  • Interactive game that illustrates how humans impact water quality in an environment and the importance of indicator species.

 

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