Reading With Purpose: Animal Antics by Teacher Superstore

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Written by Margaret Etherton. Illustrated by Terry Allen. Published by Ready-Ed Publications (2007) © Ready-Ed Publications - 2007. P.O. Box 276 Greenwood Perth W.A. 6024 Email: info@readyed.com.au Website: www.readyed.com.au COPYRIGHT NOTICE Permission is granted for the purchaser to photocopy sufficient copies for non-commercial educational purposes. However, this permission is not transferable and applies only to the purchasing individual or institution.

ISBN 1 86397 708 2

Rationale The animal kingdom is diverse, surprising and elaborate. Biodiversity, the interdependence of animals and plant life, and the life cycles of animals are important concepts for an understanding of environmental issues and problems. Many animals have endangered status and this situation may be directly or indirectly a result of human behaviour and practices. Their status may be extinct, endangered, critically endangered or at risk. Students are often unaware of what is being done and what can be done to help protect animals and the environment.

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This book endeavours to enlighten students on some of the more unusual antics of animals. It includes articles on the strongest, greenest and the most slothful animals in the animal kingdom. Each story is taken from a slightly different slant. Biological concepts are covered such as animal classification, biodiversity, the web of life, nature’s numbers, and animal survival strategies like camouflage, hibernation and adaptation.

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Each animal article is followed by vocabulary, comprehension and writing activities. Animal-themed extension activities (Animal Fun) include drawing, designing tasks, games and posters. To follow up there is also a research task with specific websites or instructions on how to navigate the web using encyclopedias, search engines or appropriate key words. There is an emphasis on exploring the issues which threaten animal survival. The activities encourage students to think beyond application, knowledge and understanding to consider analysing, creating, synthesising and evaluating information.

This book has been designed for use in the upper primary school classroom but it could equally be used by homeschoolers. A bibliography is included on Page 60 which contains details of reference materials and relevant websites.

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To provide a range of written text types; To develop skills in critical thinking, analysis and comprehension;

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To expand environmental, biological and animal vocabulary;

To foster an understanding of the impact of human behaviour and development on the lives of native animals in different parts of the world.

o c . Website References che e r o t r s super All websites listed in the Reading With Purpose series are linked from the Ready-Ed website listed below. This saves the teacher and/or student from typing in the addresses each time. External websites referred to in this book will be updated through the Ready-Ed site below should they disappear or modify their address after publication. Bookmark this site for ease of use:

www.readyed.com.au/urls/readers

Contents Rationale ............................................................................................................................. 2 Curriculum Links ............................................................................................................... 4

Themes

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1. The Tiger from Tasmania Reader ................................................................................................................ 6 Word Study ......................................................................................................... 8 Comprehension ................................................................................................... 9 Reflection ............................................................................................................ 10 2. The Monster from Timble Tickle Reader ................................................................................................................ 11 Word Study ......................................................................................................... 13 Comprehension ................................................................................................... 14 Reflection ............................................................................................................ 15 3. Just Hanging Around Reader ................................................................................................................ 16 Word Study ......................................................................................................... 18 Comprehension ................................................................................................... 19 Reflection ............................................................................................................ 20 4. The Strongest Animal in the World Reader ................................................................................................................ 21 Word Study ......................................................................................................... 23 Comprehension ................................................................................................... 24 Reflection ............................................................................................................ 25 5. Cuddly Koalas Reader ................................................................................................................ 26 Word Study ......................................................................................................... 28 Comprehension ................................................................................................... 29 Reflection ............................................................................................................ 30 6. Elephant Mysteries and Myths Reader ................................................................................................................ 31 Word Study ......................................................................................................... 33 Comprehension ................................................................................................... 34 Reflection ............................................................................................................ 35 7. Survival of the Biggest Reader ................................................................................................................ 36 Word Study ......................................................................................................... 38 Comprehension ................................................................................................... 39 Reflection ............................................................................................................ 40 8. As Green as a Leaf Reader ................................................................................................................ 41 Word Study ......................................................................................................... 43 Comprehension ................................................................................................... 44 Reflection ............................................................................................................ 45 9. Butterfly So Blue Reader ................................................................................................................ 46 Word Study ......................................................................................................... 48 Comprehension ................................................................................................... 49 Reflection ............................................................................................................ 50 10. Panda Trouble Reader ................................................................................................................ 51 Word Study ......................................................................................................... 53 Comprehension ................................................................................................... 54 Reflection ............................................................................................................ 55

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Answers .......................................................................................................................... 56 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 60

Curriculum Links Subject Areas / Related Strands

Science (Science and Technology) Values and Attitudes • Appreciates contributions made by individuals, groups, cultures and communities to scientific and technological understandings.

Vic: Biological Science 3.1 WA: Earth and Beyond Level 3; Life and Living Level 3; Investigating Scientifically Level 3

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Information and Communication • Creates and evaluates information about the interactions between living things and their effects on the environment. Living Things • Identifies, describes and evaluates the interactions between living things and their effects on the environment.

National: Earth and Beyond 3.1; Life and Living 3.7, 3.9

NSW: Values and Attitudes VA 7; Information and Communication IC S3.2; Living Things LT S3.3; Earth and its Surroundings ES S1.6

QLD: Science and Society 2.2, 2.3, D2.4, 3.1; Life and Living 3.1, 3.3; Earth and Beyond 2.3

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Earth and Beyond • Identifies and describes ways in which people and other living things depend upon the earth and its environment.

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Relevant State Outcomes

SA SA: Earth and Space 2.1, 3.1; Life Systems 2.6, 3.5

Society & Environment (SOSE / HSIE) Place and Space (Place and Environment)

Vic: Place and Space Level 2-3 outcomes; Time, Continuity and Change Level 2-3 outcomes; Natural and Social Systems Level 2-3 outcomes

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Time, Continuity and Change • Explains changes in the local community and global environments and their effect on individuals, groups and living things. Investigation, Communication and Participation • Presents information to explore a key idea.

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National: Time, Continuity and Change 3.3; Place and Space 3.6; Resources 3.12; Natural and Social Systems 3.13; Investigation, Communication and Participation 3.16 NSW: Environments EN S3.5; Social Systems and Structures SS S3.7; Change and Continuity CC S2.2

QLD: Place and Space PS 3.1; Culture and Identity CI 3.1; Systems Resources and Power SRP 4.1; Time, Continuity and Change TCC 3.2, TCC 3.3

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• Frames questions and identifies sources of information.

SA: Time, Continuity and Change 3.1 Place, Space & Environment 2.6, 3.4

English

Vic: Reading: Texts 3.5(a), 3.5(b); Contextual Understanding 3.6(a) 3.6(b); Linguistic Structures and Features 3.7(a), 3.7(b); Strategies 3.8(a), 3.8(b); Writing: Texts 3.9, Contextual Understanding 3.10; Linguistic Structures and Features 3.11; Strategies 3.12

Writing

• Produces a wide range of well-structured and wellpresented literary and factual texts for a wide variety of purposes and audiences, using increasingly challenging topics, ideas, issues and written language features. • Uses knowledge of sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation to edit own writing. • Produces texts in a fluent and legible style and uses computer technology to present these effectively in a variety of ways.

WA WA: Investigation, Communication and Participation ICP3.2, ICP3.4; Place and Space PS3.1, 3.3. 4.3; Time, Continuity and Change TCC3.1; Natural and Social Systems NSS3.1

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• Demonstrates an understanding of the interconnectedness between Australia and global environments and how individuals and groups can act in an ecologically responsible manner. Natural and Social Systems (Systems, Resources and Power) • Describes how Australian people, systems and communities are globally connected and recognises global responsibilities (e.g. protecting endangered species).

WA: Reading: Use of Texts R3.1; Contextual Understanding R3.2; Conventions R3.3; Processes and Strategies R3.4 Viewing: Use of Texts V3.1; Contextual Understanding V3.2; Conventions V3.3; Processes and Strategies V3.4 Writing: Use of Texts W3.1; Contextual Understanding W3.2; Conventions W3.3; Processes and Strategies W3.4

Curriculum Links Subject Areas / Related Strands

English cont.

National: Reading and Viewing: Texts 3.5; Contextual Understanding 3.6; Linguistic Structures and Features 3.7; Strategies 3.8(a), 3.8(b) Writing: Texts 3.9; Contextual Understanding 3.10; Linguistic Structures and Features 3.11; Strategies 3.12(a), 3.12(b)

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The Arts (Creative Arts) Visual Arts • Investigates subject matter in an attempt to represent likeness of things in the work. • Makes art works for different audiences and assembles materials in a variety of ways. • Acknowledges that audiences respond in different ways to artworks and that there can be different opinions. • Communicates about the ways in which subject matter is represented in artworks.

NSW: Writing WS3.9, WS3.10, WS3.12; Reading RS3.5, RS3.6, RS3.7, RS3.8 QLD: Reading and Viewing Cu3.2, Op3.2, Cr3.2; Writing and Shaping Cu3.3, Op3.3, Cr3.3

SA SA: Texts & Contexts 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4; Language 2.7, 2.8, 3.7, 3.8; Strategies 2.11, 2.12, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12

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Reading / Viewing • Reads independently an extensive range of texts with increasing content demands and responds to themes and issues. • Uses a comprehensive range of skills and strategies appropriate to the type of text being read. • Critically analyses techniques used by writers to create certain effects, to use language creatively, to position the reader in various ways and to consruct different interpretations of experience. • Identifies the text structure of a wider range of more complex text types and discusses how the characteristic grammatical features work to influence readers’ and viewers’ understanding of texts.

Relevant State Outcomes

Visual Arts: Arts Practice 3.1, Responding to the Arts 3.2; WA:

Communicating Arts Ideas CAI 3; Using Arts Skills, Techniques, Technologies and Processes STP 3; Responding, Reflecting on and Evaluating the Arts RRE 3; Understanding the Role of Arts in Society AIS 3

National:

Visual Arts: Creating, Making and Presenting Band B; Arts Criticism and Aesthetics Band B; Past and Present Contexts Band B

NSW: QLD:

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Visual Arts 3.1, 3.2, 3.3

SA SA:

Arts Practice 3.1, 3.2

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Visual Arts VAS3.2

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Theme 1

The Tiger from Tasmania

animal with pointy ears and nose) and the Tasmanian devil. The thylacine was the largest of all the carnivorous (meat-eating) marsupials. Its pouch opened up to protect the young, who were born tiny and hairless. The thylacine usually had three babies at a time. Six months later the mother left the “pups” in a safe place while she looked for food.

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There is evidence to suggest that the native Tasmanian Aborigines hunted and ate thylacine meat. When the first European settlers arrived in Tasmania in 1803, they caught glimpses of this animal. Because it was killing their animals, the farmers killed it whenever they could. Sometimes the stories of its wild behaviour were exaggerated, but the settlers were scared.

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Millions of years ago in the darkest forests of Tasmania, there lived a strange creature. It was striped like a tiger, had a dog-shaped head, and hunted like a wolf in small family groups. But surprisingly, it fed its babies on milk and carried them in a pouch. What was this strange beast? It was a thylacine, sometimes called a “pouched wolf” or a “Tassie tiger”, the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world.

During the day the thylacine rested in the woodlands and at dusk it came out to hunt on the open grasslands. While hunting, the thylacine chased its prey to the point of exhaustion. Thylacines preferred to munch on wallabies, bandicoots, kangaroos, small rodents and birds. The thylacine didn’t run easily and when it trotted it looked very awkward.

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The thylacine’s long, thin body was longer than a dog’s. Its head was fat and its tail was pointy, stiff, and shaped like a kangaroo’s tail. It was coloured yellowbrown with 15 to 20 dark stripes across its back that gave it camouflage like a tiger in dappled light under trees. *

At one time, thylacines were widespread over Australia, extending north to Papua New Guinea and south to Tasmania. The Aborigines painted their likeness on rocks in areas like the Kimberley in Western Australia. Also scientists have found fossils of many different species of thylacines all

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The thylacine was a marsupial like its near relatives who are still alive today. These include the quoll (a small cat-like 6

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Theme 1

The Tiger from Tasmania

Fact File on the Thylacine: Length 1 to 2 metres

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Why did the thylacine die out in Tasmania? Its habitat was destroyed by humans. Because farmers thought that thylacines were eating their sheep, the government paid money, called a bounty, for every animal killed. In the end the thylacine was hunted to death. It was a big mistake. Even though sometimes people often report seeing one in the distance, no one has been able to photograph or to prove that a thylacine still exists today. The thylacine is officially extinct since the last confirmed sighting was in 1936. It is unlikely that anyone will see the thylacine trot through the forest hunting for its dinner ever again. But if you go to Tasmania, you better take your camera and be on the lookout for this mysterious creature. After all there could be a reward for a good photograph!

Height 58 centimetres

Mass 20 – 25 kilograms

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over Australia. It is thought that the dingoes killed off all the thylacines on the mainland a long time ago. Within 100 years of the arrival of the European settlers however, all of the thylacines were dead in Tasmania as well. All that remains to tell us that the thylacine actually existed is a jerky film clip, some black and white photos, some floor rugs make from pelts, and several hundred museum specimens.

Fur colouring yellow-brown 13 – 20 black stripes Eyes almond shaped

Diet wallabies kangaroos bandicoots small rodents birds

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thick rainforests

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Special features small pouch to hold its babies carnivorous hunted at dusk nervous in captivity Life span 5 to 7 years in the wild

Bibliography: Bailey Jill, Factfile of Mammals – 200 Mammals From Around the World, Andromeda Oxford Ltd,1996. MacDonald Dr D, The New Encyclopedia of Mammals, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. May J and Marten M, The Book of Beasts, New York: Viking Press, 1982. Mammals, An Explore Your World Handbook, London: Discovery Books, 2000. Internet Sources: www.dpiwe.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/BHAN-53777B?open

www.austmus.gov.au/thylacine/02.htm

Theme 1 The Tiger from T asmania 1 Tasmania

Word Study

Match Up Match the following words with their meanings: •marsupial •carnivorous •existed •widespread •exhaustion

•hairless

tiredness __________________________________

far and wide _______________________________

lacking hair ________________________________

lived _____________________________________

pouched animal _____________________________

meat eating ________________________________

Another stronger word for walk is trot. Unjumble these words to find synonyms for walk.

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OTTR __________________

SRLTLO _________________

AEENMDR __________________

IEKH ___________________

RSEIDT _________________

EDTDOL ___________________

SRNATEU _______________

BALME _________________

Adjectives

Create a word bank below of adjectives to describe marsupials like the thylacine.

pouched

furry

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E R V E O F P C U S N H H S T O M K X N H F L P Q P G T R V K Y H T O J

A F T B A C I

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T C F Y E P

Prefixes

A base word is a word which can be made into another word by adding a prefix. For example mis + take = mistake. ‘Mis’ means wrong and ‘un’ means not. Use a / to divide these words into prefixes and base words, e.g. mis/take.

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J N T L V G R E

O K F O U L M W C F B O D R

V X B S Y A O X U T M T P C H V R G X F K E D M D O W C S A P S E N I C A L Y H T V

M N D F L O W P Z T W P Q Z

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Word Search •TROT •MARSUPIAL •TIGER •WOLF •THYLACINE •EXTINCT •PHOTOGRAPH •BANDICOOT

e.g. un/born

misguided

misuse

mischief

unbent

unplanned

misheard

unwise

untidy

undeveloped

uneven

misspent

unbent

misconduct

unhappy

Dictionary – Use a dictionary to find the meaning of these words:

fossils _________________________________________________________________________________ exaggerated____________________________________________________________________________ specimens _____________________________________________________________________________ extinction _____________________________________________________________________________

Theme 1 The Tiger from T asmania 1 Tasmania

Comprehension

Understanding the Text

Which animals does a thylacine look like? ____________________________________________________________________________________ What are the various names given to the thylacine?

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____________________________________________________________________________________ How did the thylacine become extinct?

____________________________________________________________________________________

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What is a bounty? Why did the government offer a bounty?

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____________________________________________________________________________________

What evidence is around today to prove that the thylacine once existed? List at least four things.

____________________________________________________________________________________

True or False

A baby giraffe can splay its legs.

True

False

Thylacines preyed on bandicoots.

True

False

One of the closest living relatives to a thylacine is a cat.

True

False

Baby thylacines are very hairy.

True

False

Carnivorous means meat-eating.

True

False

The thylacine is a type of wolf.

True

False

Animal Fun Complete the following fact file for yourself as an example of a human:

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Length ______________________

Height ___________________

Hair colouring _____________________________

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Mass _________________

Eye colouring __________________________

Habitat ___________________________________________________________________________

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Diet ______________________________________________________________________________ Special features _____________________________________________________________________ Life span __________________________________________________________________________

Imagine humans had to have camouflage to survive. What would humans look like? On another sheet of paper, draw a person with camouflage on. Sometimes there is a reward for finding evidence that the thylacine still exists – it could be a photograph or a paw print. On a piece of art paper, draw a poster offering a reward for finding evidence of a thylacine. 9

Theme 1 The Tiger from T asmania 1 Tasmania

Reflection

Reflection on Animal Survival

What advantage is there in having a striped back? ____________________________________________________________________________________

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What other types of camouflage can animals have to help them to hide? Give examples.

____________________________________________________________________________________ How do you think the thylacine could have been saved?

____________________________________________________________________________________

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What measures can people take to make sure that other marsupials in the wild, such as the Tasmanian devil, Eastern quoll or the Southern hairy-nosed wombat, do not become extinct?

Using a mind map brainstorm a campaign to help one of these animals from becoming extinct.

Compare these marsupials: THYLACINE, KOALA and KANGAROO.

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How are they the same? How are they different? How does having a pouch help them to survive?

Find another animal which has become extinct in the last few hundred years and write a report on it. For example: dodo, American passenger pigeon, Darling Downs hopping mouse, and Arabian gazelle. Write down what was special about the animal, how it became extinct and why it was hunted. www.redlist.org (Redlist of endangered species) amonline.net.au/mammals/rare/index.htm (database of extinct Australian mammals)

Write a story about finding a tiger and collecting $1 million reward. Start with a setting, a character (you), and a problem. What difficulties did you have? Where did you look? What did the countryside look like? How did you find the tiger? What did you do with the reward money?

Research

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To find out more about the thylacine and to view some rare film of the animal when it was alive go to: www.naturalworlds.org/thylacine/index.htm

Theme 2

The Monster from Timble Tickle

until submersibles were invented only recently. If the squid come too close to the surface they get weak from lack of oxygen and suffocate. Any squid actually pulled to the surface is usually battered and squashed.

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The fishermen used their anchor to catch hold of the squid’s body and tie it to a tree on shore. Later when the tide fell, the animal was left stranded on the rocks and died. The fishermen measured it and chopped it up for their dinner!

Many mythological stories surround the giant squid. The Vikings called these beasts kraken. They were supposed to be one mile long and could sink the largest ship. Some called them “living islands”. Perhaps sailors long ago saw giant squids when they thought that they saw mermaids. Pretty amazing!

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GIANT SQUID FOUND AT TIMBLE TICKLE. So read the headlines at Timble Tickle in Newfoundland, Canada, on the 2 November in 1878. A crew of fishermen found a giant squid floating near rocks in the bay. Fully stretched out it measured 17 metres. There’s no such thing as a giant squid you say! Does it sound like the stuff of science fiction or horror movies? Could it be the tale of a drunken sailor?

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Scientists have agreed that the giant squid does exist. Its scientific name, or Genus, is Architeuthis dux (pronounced ark-eTOOTH-iss) which means king squid, and it is a carnivorous (meat-eating) mollusc of the cephalopod family. A mollusc which eats flesh! If this is true why have we not heard about the giant squid before? Why don’t fishermen catch them? Why don’t we have calamari rings the size of tractor tyres on the menu?

Only about 100 specimens have been found in the last 400 years. In October of 1997 fisherman off the coast of Tasmania, Australia, caught three giant squid in nets. The squid measured approximately 15 metres. Scientists are still trying to view a live giant squid in the murky depths.

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Giant squid are hard to observe in the wild because they live so far down in the ocean. Because of the pressure of the water no one could safely travel there

Giant squid are part of the cephalopod family so they are like octopus, cuttlefish and other small squid, with an internal skeleton. They eat fish, other squid and whales. They are found between 200 and 4000 metres below the surface in the North Atlantic, Northern Pacific, Southern Ocean and the Sea of Japan, also off the coast of Norway, Hawaii and California. *

Theme 2

The Monster from Timble Tickle

Definitions Cephalopods (Class)

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Cephalopod literally means “headfoot”. It is the family of soft-bodied animals having a mouth, a number of fleshy arms or tentacles with sucking cups to stick to things. Cephalopods include cuttlefish, octopus, nautilus, small squid, giant squid and colossal squid.

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If a giant squid came swimming towards you it would look a bit like a toilet brush: at the front a pointy fin like a sharp spearhead and in the middle a body called a mantle with two large eyes. At the base of the body is a hole with a sharp beak-like mouth, similar to the beak of a cockatoo. As the tentacles trailing behind it unravelled you would see four pairs of “legs” and another pair of tentacles, longer and thinner than the rest that are used to catch food and feed into the mouth. It moves through the ocean by spurting water out of the body.

Molluscs (Phylum or family name)

Molluscs are animals with a soft body, internal or external shell, a muscular foot and/or tentacles. Examples of molluscs include: chitons, limpets, clams, oysters, scallops, mussels, nudibranchs, snails, slugs, sea butterfly, sea angels and squids. In the case of the giant squid, their “shell” is their internal skeleton.

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Architeuthis (Genus individual species name)

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Bibliography: Richard Ellis, The Search For The Giant Squid, New York: Lyons Press, 1998. Herman Melville, Moby Dick, USA: Castle Books, 2004. Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, USA: Tor Classics, 1995. Documentary: Chasing Giants: On the Trail of the Giant Squid, Discovery Channel Internet Sources: www.cnn.com/WORLD/9710/18/fringe.australia.squid/ www.unmuseum.org/squid.htm seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/OCEAN_PLANET/HTML/squid_links.html www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200509/s1470043.htm www3.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/giant-squid.html

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Mermaids, living islands, monsters from the deep! Watch out the next time you go deep sea diving into the wild. Beware of those deadly suckers and the crunching beak of the monster from Timble Tickle!

Architeuthis means “giant squid”.

Theme 2 The Monster from Timble Tickle 2

Word Study

Match Up – Match the following words with their meanings:

•sucker •skeleton •carnivorous •mollusc •mythological •mantle

meat eating

_____________________________________________

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based on a traditional story without facts to back it up

_____________________________________________

bones

_____________________________________________

shell

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

an organ specialising in sticking to an object by suction

_____________________________________________

Words Spelt Incorrectly

Underline the words spelt wrongly in the following sentences:

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a muscular structure or organ in molluscs

Mythological creetures like mermiads, kraken and monsters are supposed to live at great depths in the ocean. The gaint squid has ten tentickles, a mantel and a large head with huge eyes. The fishermenn measured the giant sqid and chopped it up for their diner. The giant squid mooves through the ocean by spurrting water out of the body. The giant squid is not a mythical animale.

Unjumble these words to make adjectives for different sizes: ASLML _________________

AGITN __________________

AOCOSLLS _________________

NIDLIMDG ______________

RSEIDT _________________

UHGE ______________________

Similes The giant squid looks like a giant toilet brush. “Looks like a giant toilet brush” is a simile. Write some funny or unusual similes for these sentences:

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Jumbled Letters

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The monkey looks like a __________________________________________________________________

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The tiny parrot squawks like a _____________________________________________________________

o c . Latin Base Words che e r o t r s super

The mermaid sang like ___________________________________________________________________

Why is “aquatic” spelt like these words: aqueduct, Aquarius, aqualung? Can you see a connection with the word aqua, which is the Latin word for water? Here are some more Latin base words: luna, mikros, terra, magnus and pedis. Use your dictionary to find more words which start with these base words: BASE

MEANING

luna

moon

mikros (micros)

small

terra

earth

magnus

great

ENGLISH WORDS

Theme 2 The Monster from Timble Tickle 2

Comprehension

Understanding the Text

Why do giant squids die when brought to the surface? ____________________________________________________________________________________

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

What does the mouth of a giant squid resemble?

____________________________________________________________________________________ Why do humans find it difficult to dive to find the giant squid?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Teac he r

What do giant squid eat?

How do squid move through the water?

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____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

Do you believe that other species live at great depths in the ocean? Why? or Why not?

____________________________________________________________________________________

True or False

False

The Vikings believed a kraken could sink their ships.

True

False

A giant squid was found by mermaids.

True

False

Fisherman ate the giant squid at Timble Tickle for dinner.

True

False

A giant squid has ten tentacles.

True

False

A giant squid has an external skeleton.

True

False

Animal Fun

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Write a description of a giant squid in your own words.

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The giant squid is a mythical creature.

____________________________________________________________________________________

o c . che e r o t r s super

____________________________________________________________________________________ Make up your own sea monster. Describe your mythical sea creature and how it survives at great depths in the ocean. What features about it make your animal able to survive? How big is it? What does it eat? Where does it live? What colour is it? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ A cephalopod is an animal with a beaked head, an internal shell and grasping tentacles. A squid is a cephalopod and so too are nautilus, squid, cuttlefish and octopus. Draw these animals on a large piece of paper.

Theme 2 The Monster from Timble Tickle 2

Reflection

Reflection on Animal Survival

Write three sentences about three different sea creatures, including something about what helps each of these creatures survive.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

1. ___________________________________________________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________________________________________________ 3. ___________________________________________________________________________________

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Imagine that there were thousands of giant octopi and they developed the ability to breathe out of water. What would happen? ____________________________________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________________________________

The giant squid has one mouth, two eyes, four pairs of short arms (8) and one pair of longer arms (2). Have you noticed the number of mouths, eyes, ears, fingers and limbs on animals are 1, 2, 3, 5 or 8? These numbers are called magic numbers because they appear over and over again in nature. (They are also called the Fibonacci Numbers after the man who first found them.) They have to do with the development of the body and the way cells split and grow. Name three animals and count their number of mouths, eyes, ears, fingers and limbs.

# ears

# fingers

# limbs

___________________________

____

___________________________

____

___________________________

____

Creative Writing

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# eyes

Write a creative story about a dangerous creature. If you saw it what would you do? How would you feel?

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#mouths

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Newspaper Writing Write a newspaper story about the discovery of a new species found in the ocean. Answer some questions to write your article beginning with: Who? Where? When? How? What? Why? Further reading: Read the books 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea or Moby Dick from the library or read them on the computer at www.gutenburg.com

o c . che e r o t r s super

Research Find out the latest news about the giant squid: news.nationalgeographic.com/index.html and use the search box. You can find out more about squids from these websites: www.cnn.com/WORLD/9710/18/ Find out more about Fibonacci numbers in nature: www.world-mysteries.com/sci_17.htm

Theme 3

Just Hanging Around

Can you imagine an animal with bright green fur? *

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S *

Teac he r

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You probably know that a sloth is a quiet and sluggish animal that hangs around in trees. A sloth moves almost in slow motion, rocking its way around a tree, grabbing one branch after another, or hanging upside down. The word “slothful” means slow and lazy. But truthfully, sloths are not lazy. They move slowly for a completely different reason. *

armadillos and American anteaters. Like armadillos and anteaters, sloths have an extra strong backbone. Sloths however, are different from both of these animals, because they live in trees and are clumsy on the ground.

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Sloths live in South and Central America in areas of tropical rainforest. The two main species are two-toed and three-toed sloths. They both have three toes, but they have a different number of fingers on their hands – two fingers on the two-toed sloths and three fingers on the three-toed sloths. The other difference is the threetoed sloth has a small tail and an orange patch with a black border between its shoulders.

o c . che e r o t r s super *

Sloths have small, flat faces. They are huge and hairy and their rounded heads are small compared to their bodies. Sloths have four very long legs ending in clawed toes and fingers. Their ears are well hidden behind a sprout of fur. Sloths look like monkeys, but they are more similar to

Have you heard the sloth is bright green? It’s true that the sloth moves so slowly that green algae has time to grow on it. In the wet season, the algae grows in grooves along the hair so the hairs seem to be green. The sloth doesn’t mind as the jungle green then acts as camouflage, allowing it to blend in with the lush green rainforest. *

Theme 3

Just Hanging Around

More facts about sloths besides living life upside down: They sometimes eat small animals.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Most sloths stay in one tree all day. When it rains, water runs off their bodies easily because their hair, unlike other mammals, grows towards the centre of their back instead of away from the centre. Sloths only come down once a week for a bathroom break. A sloth can’t walk on the ground very well because its fingernails are so long that they get in the way. They eat and sleep upside down. They even give birth upside down!

They defend themselves with sharp claws.

Their internal organs are different from other mammals.

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Teac he r

The sloth lives life in the slow lane. It moves slowly because its metabolism, (a series of chemical reactions in which food is used to create energy for bodily functions), is unusually slow. Sloths can survive on a low-nutrient diet, whereas other animals require richer food sources. Some of the plants it eats are toxic, but the sloth is able to break down the toxins and make them harmless. It eats a variety of about twenty-one different plants and prefers the young leaves.

They can’t talk but they can make a hissing sound and a cry.

A newborn sloth is 25 centimetres long. They do not have incisor teeth but can munch leaves with their hard lips.

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ground sloth, was as large as an elephant.

o c . che e r o t r s super

Sloths are not lazy animals. But they are the slowest mammal in the world. They are perfectly happy just hanging around, living life upside down. *

Bibliography: Bailey, Jill. Factfile of Mammals – 200 Mammals From Around the World, London: Andromeda Oxford Ltd, 1996. Macdonald, David, ed. The New Encyclopedia of Mammals, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. May, John and Marten, Michael. The Book of Beasts, New York: Viking Press, 1982. Myers, Philip. Mammals, An Explore your World Handbook, London: Discovery Books, 2000. Internet Sources: www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/sloth/index.shtml animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Xenarthra.html animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/chordata/mammalia/xenarthra/megalonychidae.html

Theme 3 Just Hanging Around 3

Word Study

Vocabulary Put a line under the words spelt incorrectly and correct them. _________________________________

Sloths are huge and hairey.

_________________________________

Their ronded heads are small compared to their bodys.

_________________________________

Sloths are the slowist animal on erth.

_________________________________

Armadilloos and anteters live on the ground.

_________________________________

Sloths are able to eat platns that other animels find toxic.

_________________________________

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Write these words in alphabetical order.

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Teac he r

A sloth is a quite and sluggish animal.

•mammal •lazy •slothful •anteater •backbone •nutrient •animal •armadillo •plants •vertebrae •creature •toxic

1) __________________________ 2) _________________________ 3) ___________________________ 4) __________________________ 5) _________________________ 6) ___________________________

7) __________________________ 8) _________________________ 9) ___________________________ 10) _________________________ 11) ________________________

relaxing

non-poisonous action

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____________________

vertebrae

_________________________

able to live

_________________________

o c . che e r o t r s super save energy

_________________________

____________________

plant food

_________________________

chemical reactions in the body

_________________________

____________________

awkward

____________________

Find the word from the text which means the same as the following words:

____________________

energetic

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Match the following word with its antonym (opposite): •slothful •agile •gripping •reaction •toxic

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Unjumble these words: AEFSC ___________________________________

BNNWORE ______________________________

LLHOSTUF _______________________________

OCRAENST _____________________________

IRILGNENAFS ____________________________

LDCWAE ________________________________

Theme 3 Just Hanging Around 3

Comprehension

Understanding the Text

Which animal does the sloth look most like? ____________________________________________________________________________________

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

How are sloths different from anteaters and armadillos? How are they the same?

____________________________________________________________________________________ What is meant by “metabolism”?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Teac he r

Why do sloths try to save energy?

What is the sloth’s favourite food?

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____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

How do sloths give birth?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Why can’t sloths walk easily along the ground?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Animal Fun

Write down how sloths are the same and how are they different from humans: (besides living upside down!)

DIFFERENT

Eat plants

Eat toxic plants

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SAME

o c . che e r o t r s super

Sloths can have three toes or two toes.

How many toes do you have? What good are toes?

Draw an upside down sloth.

_________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________

Creative Fun Create a forest diorama for your sloth to live in. 19

Theme 3 Just Hanging Around 3

Reflection

Reflection on Animal Survival

What are the advantages and disadvantages of going slow? ____________________________________________________________________________________

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

What will happen to the sloth if the trees are chopped down in its environment?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Teac he r

Why do you think that the fur on a sloth grows towards the backbone instead of away from it? How does this feature help the animal to survive?

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____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

Find other animals which try to conserve energy by moving slowly.

____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons People reckon I’m slothful. I live life in the slow lane but that does not mean I am lazy … •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• Write a story about a sloth overcoming the disadvantages of going so slow. Write it from the point of view of the sloth.

Report Writing Write a report about the family of sloths. Don’t forget to include: Classification •Habitat •Diet •Predators •Behaviour •Breeding •Endangered status

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Creative Writing

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HINT:

Try animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html

. t Researche

o c . che e r o t r s super

Research rainforests of the world to find out which countries have them.

Colour in green the places where rainforests exist.

HINT:

Try www.enchantedlearning.com and type “rainforest” in the search engine.

Theme 4

The Strongest Animal in the World

to a rhinoceros. They are all scarab beetles and are found in tropical and subtropical places around the world, including Australia, Indonesia, Japan, the Solomon Islands and North and South America. In most places they are quite happy to live in dirty old compost heaps or bins in a backyard.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

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Teac he r

Which animal do you think is the strongest in the world? Did you say the elephant? If you did you were wrong! The strongest animal in the world is the rhinoceros beetle. The Guinness Book of Records claims that the rhinoceros beetle, Dynastes hercules, is the strongest animal because it can support 850 times its own weight on its back.

The life cycle of a rhinoceros beetle has many stages. It starts as an egg and then it hatches into a fat, white grub called the larval stage. The grub eats rotting wood and leaf matter, which is why it likes compost heaps. Then it makes a cell in the soil and transforms into a pupa. About 6 to 12 weeks later the adult beetle climbs out of the cell as a fully-formed beetle. The adult beetle eats leaves, fruit and sap.

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Did you know that an elephant can only carry one quarter of its own weight on its back? So the rhinoceros beetle wins by a long way! Average humans can carry less than their own weight. Even an Olympic weightlifter has to strain to lift twice his weight and he can do this for only a few seconds. A rhinoceros beetle weighing 50 grams can lift a weight of 42 kilograms.

The rhinoceros beetle actually has two horns attached to its head. The large horn on top looks similar to the rhinoceros horn and underneath the smaller horn curves upward. This makes it look as if it has one gigantic grasping claw – connected to its head instead of its arm!

o c . che e r o t r s super

The rhinoceros beetle has some other common names, such as the elephant beetle, the Hercules beetle and the unicorn beetle. The name rhinoceros beetle is used to describe as many as 30 different species of beetles, all with a horn similar 21

Theme 4

The Strongest Animal in the World

Dynastes hercules is the most spectacular of the rhinoceros beetles and is found in South America and nearby islands. The adult male has shiny, olive green wings and can grow to be as long as a man’s hand, but the adult female is not as big as her partner. *

Did you know that there are more than twenty million species of insects in the world? In fact there are so many that scientists cannot agree on the number – so there may be a few million left to discover.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S *

In everyday life the rhinoceros beetle does not go around carrying weights even one hundred times its own weight. Basically it uses its strength to do difficult jobs like charging through the leaf litter in the forest or garden, looking for food. It will also battle with enemy beetles using its stiff horn.

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Teac he r

More Facts About Insects

Here are some estimates of the number of insects species discovered so far: Butterflies and moths – 170,000 Grasshoppers – 20,000

Dragonflies – 5,000 © R e a d y E d P u bl i cat i ons * * * * * Flies – 120,000 •f orr evi ew pur p osesonl y• Bugs – 82,000 What makes rhinoceros beetles so

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Ants and bees – 110,000

o c . che e r o t r s super

The rhinoceros beetle would make a good pet. Even though it looks as if it might charge you like a rhinoceros it does not actually attack people. Also its mouth is much too small to bite! It is clean, can’t drop any hair and doesn’t chew slippers. It can live in a box, eating scraps and leaves and doesn’t make much noise. Not a bad pet really. It is a shame this champion weightlifter can’t carry your school bag for you. After all it is the strongest animal in the world! 22

Beetles – 350,000

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powerful? They carry any weight quite slowly and their muscles contract and relax slowly. Plus the exoskeleton of the rhinoceros beetle is very strong so it can carry heavy loads without much effort.

Bibliography: Imes, R. The Practical Entomologist, USA: Simon and Schuster, 1992. Slater, P. First Field Guide to Australian Insects and Spiders, Archerfield Queensland: Steve Parish Publishing Pty. Ltd, 1997. The Guinness World Records, US: Guinness Publishers, 2002. Internet Sources: www.naturalworlds.org/scarabaeidae/species/ Dynastes_hercules_3.htm animal.discovery.com/fansites/jeffcorwin/carnival/crawler/ rhinobeetle_print.html www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/kkhp/1insects/hercbeetle.html

Theme 4 The Strongest Animal in the W orld 4 World

Word Study

Comparatives and Superlatives When we use adjectives we can create comparative words by adding an –er when comparing two things, or –est when comparing more than two things. E.g. The rhinoceros beetle is strong. It is stronger than an elephant. It is the strongest animal in the world. Add -er and -est endings to these adjectives.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

______________________________

brave

_____________________________

______________________________

grand

_____________________________

______________________________

fair

_____________________________

______________________________

slow

_____________________________

______________________________

Teac he r

_____________________________

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tall

Misspellings

Underline the words spelt incorrectly:

A rihnoceros beatle is very good at burrowing. The adult male has shinny green winges. He uses his stiff horne to fight other mails. He prefers to live in composte in the gardin. Some peeple like to keep a

rhinoceross as a pet.

Pre means before and post means after.

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to find as many words as you can with exo-.

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Cut these words into their prefix and a base word:

preview

______________

postoperative _____________

_____________

preplan

______________

postmortem

_____________

precut

______________

postnatal

_____________

postscript ______________

______________

prepaid

_____________

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o c . che e Greek base words r o t r s super

‘Phys’ means body or nature in Greek and is the base word found in words like physical and physician. The following Greek words are base words for many English words: aster = a star, okto = eight, tele = far, thermos = hot. Use your dictionary to find some English words starting with these base words: BASE

MEANING

ENGLISH WORDS

aster okto (octo) tele thermos

Theme 4 The Strongest Animal in the W orld 4 World

Comprehension

Understanding the Text – Circle the correct answer. The main idea of this text is that: a) The rhinoceros beetle is in the Guinness Book of Records. b) The rhinoceros beetle is strong compared to its size. c) A beetle is like a rhinoceros.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Why is the rhinoceros beetle in the Guinness Book of Records?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Teac he r

How many kilograms can a rhinoceros beetle carry?

What are the common names given to the rhinoceros beetle?

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____________________________________________________________________________________

What does a rhinoceros beetle eat?

____________________________________________________________________________________

How does a rhinoceros beetle battle other beetles?

____________________________________________________________________________________

How many different species of beetles are there in the world?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Animal Fun

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Height Weight Weight can carry

RHINOCEROS

o c . che e r o t r s super

Draw a beetle with a different shaped horn.

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Compare yourself – your height and weight – with that of a rhinoceros beetle. How many kilograms can you carry? Test to see how much you can lift compared to a rhinoceros beetle. BE CAREFUL! DON’T HURT YOURSELF BY TRYING TO LIFT TOO MUCH. Complete the table below:

Draw the life cycle of a rhinoceros beetle.

Theme 4 The Strongest Animal in the W orld 4 World

Reflection

Reflection on Animal Survival

What would you need to keep a rhinoceros beetle as a pet? ____________________________________________________________________________________

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

A rhinoceros beetle has an exoskeleton. Write down the advantages and disadvantages of an exoskeleton. ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

Teac he r

What is so special about the horn of a rhinoceros beetle? How does it help the beetle to survive?

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____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

Opinion Writing

Which unusual animal would you like to keep as a pet? Why?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Some people like to keep a rhinoceros beetle as a pet. What do you think about this?

____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

Is it a good thing for people to keep endangered animals as pets? For example: cottontop tamarins, blue Tahitian lories (parrots) and black-footed ferrets. Or is this a bad thing? Why? ____________________________________________________________________________________

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Is it dangerous to keep some animals as pets? Which ones are too dangerous?

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____________________________________________________________________________________

Write a story from the point of view of a pet rhinoceros beetle. What name will you give your pet? What will happen to it?

Research

Write down the Guinness Book of Record entries for the greediest, fastest, slowest and tallest animals in the world. Check out www.guinnessworldrecords.com/

Reading Read about yucky animals at this website: yucky.kids.discovery.com/noflash/roaches/ 25

Theme 5

Cuddly Koalas

When is a bear not a bear? When it is a koala bear of course! The koala is an animal found only in Australia. People all over the world recognise the koala as Australia’s cutest animal. What a cuddly fellow it is! *

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S *

Sometimes the koala is called a native bear but, of course, it is not a bear it is a marsupial. A marsupial is a special type of mammal. You are a mammal because you were born fully-formed but a marsupial baby is born so small that it has to live inside a pouch for a while. The baby, as small as a jellybean, crawls from the birth canal out across the fur to the pouch. Quickly it latches onto one of its mother’s teats and sucks away until it is properly formed. When it is big enough, it pokes its head out of the pouch to sneak a look at the outside world.

Have you ever taken ages to find a koala in a tree at the zoo? The fur on its bottom is speckled so, from below, it blends in with the light and dark of leaves against the sky. A koala’s fur is coloured red-brown or silver grey with a bit of white on its chest and the tips of its ears. Its nose is so shiny black it looks constantly wet. *

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caecum. You have a caecum too – yours is called an appendix. Your appendix is only small but a koala’s caecum is 200 centimetres long.

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Did you know that the koala smells like eucalyptus? It eats only the gum leaves from its favourite eucalyptus trees. Of the 600 species of eucalypts that grow in Australia it chooses only a select few, as it is quite fussy. *

o c . che e r o t r s super *

Eucalyptus leaves are poisonous! This is true – eucalypts have adapted to be poisonous to keep pests away. Fortunately the koala is able to detoxify the poison in their long digestive system called a 26

Each koala has its own home range with trees to live, sleep and feed in. The home ranges of different koalas fit together like a jigsaw except for some overlap of trees where they go to visit their friends. Perhaps they talk about the weather! *

Theme 5

Cuddly Koalas

Fact File on Koalas Koalas weigh between six and fourteen kilograms with the male weighing twice the size of a female.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Koala is an aboriginal word meaning “no drink” because a koala does not drink much water. It gets moisture from leaves and only looks for water when the weather has been dry for a long time such as during a drought.

Koalas have five fingers on each paw. The two fingers on the front paws are opposite the other three to help them to grip the branches.

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Teac he r

Koalas have many sounds that they make to communicate. A deep bellow is their hello signal to say: “I’m around” which males make more than females. Mothers and babies make soft murmurs or hums to each other. Mums even have a grunt to show they are annoyed about something. When stressed koalas give a cry like a baby’s cry.

The koala is found in eucalyptus forest and woodlands in South Australia and along the east coast of Australia.

The koala moves very slowly, plus it sleeps about 18 hours a day. This saves the koala a lot of energy and means that it can eat less than other animals.

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Koalas are definitely cuddly and cute. You might like to nurse one in a zoo but watch out it doesn’t scratch you with its claws – it prefers to be asleep!

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Bibliography: Bailey, Jill. Factfile of Mammals – 200 Mammals From Around the World, Andromeda Oxford Ltd,1996. MacDonald Dr D. The New Encyclopedia of Mammals, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Mammals, An Explore Your World Handbook, Discovery Books, London, 2000. Internet Sources: www.savethekoala.com/ www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/creature_feature/0008/koalas2.html www.thekoala.com/koala animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Phascolarctos_cinereus.html

Theme 5 Cuddly K oalas 5 Koalas

Word Study

The word koala is an Aboriginal word meaning “no drink”. Kangaroo comes for the Guugu Yimidhirr word gangurru which means a large black kangaroo. Say these Aboriginal words aloud and try to write them in English: wolaba _________

womback ________

koola ________

cocopara_________

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Write down some other Aboriginal words or place names that you know:

____________________________________________________________________________________

Suffixes

Teac he r

The suffix -ity is an ending for some base words, e.g. universe becomes university. Divide these words up into base words and suffixes with a /. Write the base word for each.

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univers /ity _________________ diversity ___________________ community ___________ e.g. universe scarcity ____________________ locality ____________________ ability ________________

Nouns

Choose one of the following nouns and adjectives to fill in the gaps: •live •bushland •marsupial •pouch •scrub

Word Search

Find the following words in the word search below:

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•BEAR •KOALA •EUCALYPTUS •JOEY •SPECKLED •MARSUPIAL •TERRITORY •RANGE

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M V D Z E R V S M R T D Z F V

Animal names Male koalas are called jacks, female koalas are called jills and baby koalas are called joeys.

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Complete the following table for different names:

o c . che e r o t r s super

D A S Z T A G G J O E Y X H E

animal: koalas

animal: tiger

R M R Y Z E P F N S R O U Y J

male:

A G C S N B D S P V R V U M E F K V R U H E E V N I P E G Y V L O C A P C E J C T J N P X

female: baby:

jack jill

joey

female: baby:

B F N A T K I T G K O A W T S

animal: cattle

animal: peafowl

P Z Y M L R E A H D R G X O Z

male:

S M P E R A D Z L F Y V D S V

female:

baby:

W V D E E U C A L Y P T U S Z

Theme 5 Cuddly K oalas 5 Koalas

Comprehension

Understanding the Text

What is the habitat of a koala? ____________________________________________________________ What does a koala eat? __________________________________________________________________

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

How is a koala different from a bear? ______________________________________________________ What is a meant by â&#x20AC;&#x153;home rangeâ&#x20AC;?? ________________________________________________________ What is special about a koalaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paw? _______________________________________________________

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Teac he r

What sounds do koalas make? ____________________________________________________________ Why is a koala not poisoned by the toxic stuff in eucalyptus leaves? ______________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

True or False

Koalas spend most of their time up a tree.

True

A koala drinks lots of water.

True

The fur of a koala is fluffy and soft.

True

Koalas like to visit communal areas to â&#x20AC;&#x153;talkâ&#x20AC;? to their neighbours.

True

False

ÂŠ ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons â&#x20AC;˘f oChoice rr evi ew pur posesonl yâ&#x20AC;˘ Multiple

A koala is a ...

reptile

monotreme

A nocturnal animal is ...

awake in the day

Koalas eat ...

vegetarians

marsupial

poisonous

vegetables

False

bear

awake at night

eucalyptus leaves

always tired other koalas

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False

Animal Fun

Koalas use a range of sounds to communicate. E.g. murmur, grunt etc. Add more sound words to the list to make a databank of animal sounds:

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o c . che e r o t r s super

Koalas are furry. List some other Australian marsupials which have fur. Describe them according to their colour, size and appearance: â&#x20AC;˘marsupial

â&#x20AC;˘fur colour

â&#x20AC;˘size

â&#x20AC;˘appearance

Classification â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Write the word which does not belong.

â&#x20AC;˘eucalyptus

â&#x20AC;˘wattle

â&#x20AC;˘banksia

â&#x20AC;˘butterfly

â&#x20AC;˘crawl

â&#x20AC;˘sleep

â&#x20AC;˘snooze

â&#x20AC;˘doze

â&#x20AC;˘koala

â&#x20AC;˘tiger

â&#x20AC;˘kangaroo

â&#x20AC;˘quoll

Theme 5 Cuddly K oalas 5 Koalas

Reflection

Reflection on Animal Survival

Koalas are marsupials. How is a marsupial different from other mammals? ____________________________________________________________________________________

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

What are the advantages of being a marsupial compared with other mammals?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Teac he r

Koalas are considered a low risk from extinction but they are subject to diseases. They have small areas of habitat left because farmers are cutting down trees. If farmers do not leave corridors for the koalas to find a mate or new food sources, the koala will become endangered.

•types

•causes

•effects

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In the table below, brainstorm different types of problems which will affect survival of the koala:

•solutions

Letter Writing

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Creative Writing Write a diary for a koala, including the time spent gossiping and visiting. E.g. Dear Diary, Today I woke up early just as the sun was setting. What a beautiful night for some yummy leaves. I never get tired of eucalyptus leaves ...

Find out which marsupials are most at risk of becoming extinct on the Department of Environment and Heritage website. Write a letter of concern to the department asking them to protect the species. See: www.deh.gov.au and follow the links to biodiversity and threatened species.

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Research

o c . che e r o t r s super

Are koalas only found in zoos? Find out if there are any koala sanctuaries near your area. On the map of Australia mark the location of koala habitats. See the Australian Koala Foundation and follow the links to Science and Mapping: www.savethekoala.com

Theme 6

Elephant Mysteries and Myths

Elephants are scared of mice. When panicked they always stampede and trample people to death. It was thought that when panicked by something even as small as a mouse, elephants stampede and trample people to death. This one is a myth. Elephants don’t always panic when they are startled or frightened. The matriarch flaps her ears as a signal to the others to get ready to flee. She checks out the problem, decides whether to run away or not, and leads the family group out of danger in an orderly fashion. Many studies have shown that elephants are not scared of mice either!

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

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Teac he r

Elephants are oversized, hairy mammals. People the world over love these huge, lumbering animals. However, many mysteries and myths surround elephants, for example, An elephant never forgets; Elephants are scared of mice; When panicked they stampede and trample people to death; An elephant is clumsy; An elephant’s trunk is its nose; and Elephants bury their dead in cemeteries. Are these true or are they myths?

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An elephant is clumsy. Because elephants are very, very heavy, weighing between 3,600 and 5,900 kilograms, you would think that they would be clumsy. But the area of the base of each foot is large so that they leave faint footprints and walk daintily through the countryside. They also don’t make a loud noise. So they are not clumsy at all.

o c . che e r o t r s super

An elephant never forgets. Elephants have a reputation for having a good memory. For one thing an elephant has to remember where to find waterholes and the tastiest food as it wanders around the savannah forest of Africa and Asia. Each year the group migrates along the well-worn elephant roads. So it is true that an elephant has a fantastic memory to remember the map of the forest.

An elephant’s trunk is its nose. The trunk of an elephant is more than a nose; it is a fifth limb. And it is one of the most astounding limbs in all of nature. It has 100,000 muscles and ends in one or two tiny fingers that the elephant uses to pick up objects as tiny as a peanut. When a baby elephant first uses its trunk, it waves it 31

Theme 6

Elephant Mysteries and Myths

around crazily like a baby waving its arms. It takes many years to control all of those muscles. The trunk is used to suck up water, pick up food, scratch, throw or massage. At the end of the trunk are thousands of sensitive whiskers for smelling and tasting. *

Elephants are the only mammals that can’t jump.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S *

Elephants bury their dead in cemeteries. For a long time people thought that elephants buried their dead because often elephant bones were found in one place. But they don’t bury the bodies as people thought. Often elephants die in years of drought just next to water holes. Or poachers kill many elephants grouped together to steal their ivory tusks.

Elephants live in a complicated society and when family groups meet up all the elephants shake trunks to say hello.

Elephants communicate by infrasound, noises at a level that humans can’t hear, letting other groups know of danger or an approaching thunderstorm.

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Teac he r

Facts about Elephants

The sounds they make include purring, roaring, trumpeting, gurgling and rumbling like a tummy-rumble.

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These are only some of the amazing mysteries and myths about elephants. We don’t know everything about them either. More studies have to be done on elephants in the wild or in national parks to understand their animal behaviour and their complicated society. One thing is certain: elephants don’t need to tie a piece of string around their trunk to remember things!

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Elephants have a matriarchal society where the leader is a female. She is usually the oldest and wisest elephant in the herd. When a baby elephant is born other females in the group called the “aunties” help the calf to her feet. They protect the calf from predators such as lions, hyenas and humans.

o c . che e r o t r s super *

Bibliography: Macdonald David, ed. The New Encyclopedia of Mammals, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Mammals, An Explore Your World Handbook, Discovery Books, London, 2000. Internet Sources: www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/azeleph.html elephant.elehost.com/About_Elephants/Life_Cycles/life_cycles.html elephant.elehost.com/About_Elephants/Life_Cycles/Baby/baby.html

be 69 years old.

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Theme 6 Elephant Mysteries and Myths 6

Word Study

Antonyms

Find the antonyms (opposites) to these words from the text:

dig up _______________________ easy _______________________

forget ____________________

insensitive ____________________ graceful ____________________

tiny ______________________

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Suffixes – You can add –sion to a base word to change its meaning from a verb to a noun. (Sometimes the ending of the word has to change before adding –sion.) Confuse + sion = confusion. Add –sion to these words:

convert _____________________

admit _____________________

Teac he r

discuss ____________________

Sounds made by animals

extend ____________________

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explode _____________________

Many sounds that animals make are onomatopoeic, which means they sound like the noise they are describing. E.g. “meow” sounds like the sound a cat makes. Write these sound words in sentences: gurgle, grumble and purr.

____________________________________________________________________________________

the text and tick the word which could be used in its place.

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MATRIARCH leader mother LIMB splinter

family

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nose

CEMETERY graveyard

o c . che e r o t r s super

trunk

burial

coffin

HERD horses

group

listen

FLAP clothes

cheer

wave

Across 1. The tusk of an elephant is made of this. 4. The leader of the elephant group. 6. Noises at a level below human hearing. 9. Awkward and bumbling.

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Down 2. Too big. 3. Baby elephant. 5. A group of elephants. 7. Helpers at the birth of an elephant. 8. An elephant’s fifth limb.

Group names A group of elephants is called a herd? What other animals live in herds?

______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________

Theme 6 Elephant Mysteries and Myths 6

Comprehension

Understanding the Text

How many muscles in an elephant’s trunk? __________________________________________________ How do elephants communicate with each other?

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

____________________________________________________________________________________ Why do you think that elephants migrate?

____________________________________________________________________________________ What is a “matriarchal” society?

What animals prey on baby elephants?

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Teac he r

____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

How do elephants greet each other?

____________________________________________________________________________________

True or False

An adult elephant never forgets where to travel.

True

False

Elephants are scared of mice.

True

False

When panicked they always stampede and trample people to death.

True

False

An elephant is clumsy.

True

False

Elephants bury their dead in cemeteries.

True

False

Animal Fun

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weight height diet

habitat

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skin colouring special features

Elephant

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Complete a fact file on yourself, as an example of a human, compared with an elephant:

o c . che e r o t r s super

lifespan Elephant tusks are valuable as ivory which is made into jewellery and ornaments. On a separate piece of paper design a poster to stop people from killing elephants for their tusks. You can include a reward for the capture of poachers. The end of an elephant’s trunk is prehensile, meaning it is able to grasp things. Find some other animals which have a prehensile limb.

Theme 6 Elephant Mysteries and Myths 6

Reflection

Reflection on Animal Survival

Did you know that elephants are good swimmers? They use their trunks like a snorkel to breathe above the water. Why do you think it would be helpful to be able to swim? What other mammals are good at swimming?

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Imagine you are a scientist studying elephants in the wild.

Teac he r

What questions would you like to find out about their behaviour?

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Write down two things you want to know about elephants and how you would go about studying them. E.g. How do elephants greet each other? I could use a camera – elephant cam – to film them.

1. ___________________________________________________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Many animals including the elephant are affected by climate change.

Imagine there was a rise in temperature in Africa. What would happen to the elephant’s environment? What would happen to the elephant? Brainstorm the different results of climate change which will affect animals.

____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

Creative Writing

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Research

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An elephant calf has a great deal to learn from its mother about how to behave, where food is found, and the tracks to take. Just like a human baby, it has to learn how to eat and drink, and how to stay out of danger. It stays with its mother until it is 13 to 14 years old. It has a time of adolescence (just like human teenagers) when it starts to move away from the herd. Write an “Elephant’s Guide to Babycare” for a mother elephant on how to look after her newborn calf and telling her the things she has to teach her calf.

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o c . che e r o t r s super

Research another animal which has some myths surrounding it. E.g. a lemming does not commit suicide by going over a cliff; sloths are not lazy; snake blood does not make you strong. See animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu Research other animals which migrate. Why do animals migrate? How far do animals travel on their migratory path? What theories are there about how animals migrate?

Reading

Read about other animals like the elephant such as the Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling on the computer or in books from the library. Visit www.gutenberg.org for free online books. 35

Theme 7

Survival of the Biggest

Polar bears are titans. That means they are big – really big! The polar bear is so huge you would think that it would be easy to find, but it is so white it is hidden in the snowy landscape. It is amazing that something so big lives in one of the coldest places on the planet. How do polar bears get to be so big yet manage to survive in such a harsh place?

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S *

Teac he r

The male polar bear can grow to be 800 kilograms. He looks like a white, cuddly, furry, over-weight teddy bear. The female is quite a bit smaller – about half the size of her partner. They both have cute little ears and eyes, and a snout for sniffing.

Polar bears are hard to see against the glary, white snow and ice. Why are they so white? Surprise – they are not white! Their hairs are hollow and transparent so that heat and light are caught and travel down to the skin; the skin is actually black. When the polar bear gets wet its hairs stick together and help it keep the water out like a waterproof coat.

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Polar bears are the largest carnivorous mammals on earth. Carnivorous means they prefer to eat meat. Mammal means that they have small babies that the mother feeds with her milk. And polar means they are only found inside the arctic regions at the North Pole.

ones die out. This is called “survival of the fittest”. Bigger, stronger, fatter, whiter polar bears live and grow up to produce more babies than the little piddly ones. Then their genes (that is, the blue print or plan of how they are going to look and grow) are carried on to the next generation of polar bears.

Polar bears can live without eating during the summer months. When the ice over the bays melts they can’t catch their favourite food under the ice. Instead they live off their own blubber. This is called walking hibernation. Only female polar bears build dens in the snow in autumn, where they give birth to one or a litter of cute little cubs in winter. They lower their temperatures slightly and sleep. Then they have to feed their babies while they are asleep but will wake up easily if disturbed.

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All polar bears are nimble, running and leaping across the ice surprisingly fast. Even though they look big and clumsy they are actually very graceful. They stream through the water using their front paws like huge paddles and their back legs like the rudder of a boat.

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Polar bears have to eat lots of meat for dinner to survive the cold. They can smell a breathing hole made in the ice by seals under a metre of snow and from a kilometre away. Sitting near the breathing hole for hours they wait patiently for their dinner to come up for air. Ringed seals are their main diet, but they will also eat walrus, fish, narwhal, birds and some small mammals.

Polar bears have grown so big to help them in the survival stakes. They are white against the snow. They are titans among animals. They throw their weight around and they are winners! It is a case of survival of the biggest.

o c . che e r o t r s super *

The bigger polar bears are, the better they are at winning fights against other animals. In fact they don’t just catch and eat walruses they fight them to the death. This fighting means the strongest bears catch the most prey and so survive the harsh environment. The small, weak 36

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Theme 7

Survival of the Biggest

Fact file on polar bears Scientific name Classification Length

Ursus maritimus (meaning sea bears)

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S Marine mammals

Males are 2.5 metres from nose to tail Females are 1.8 to 2 metres

Colouring

Males are 300 to 800 kilograms Females are 150 to 300 kilograms

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Teac he r

Weight

Fur which appears to be white, yellowish or grey

Special features

A good sense of smell Hollow transparent hairs to catch the warmth of the sun Black skin to absorb heat A layer of blubber under its skin

Habitat

Polar regions inside the Arctic Circle

Predators

Other male polar bears and humans

Prey

Narwhal, fish, seals, birds, walrus and small mammals

w ww Breeding

Lifespan

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Conservation Risk

Kills by fighting to the death Lives alone except for mating and breeding “Walking hibernation” during the summer months when food is scarce Females build a den to have babies in Sleeps while feeding cubs

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Behaviour

Mates during late winter and early spring Has a litter of between one and four cubs but usually two cubs are born in winter in an ice den

o c . che e r o t r s super 25 – 30 years in the wild

Lower risk Polar bears get stuck on ice floes and are threatened by global warming which is melting the polar ice caps

Bibliography: Myers, Phillip. Mammals, An Explore your World Handbook, London: Discovery Books, 2000. Macdonald David, ed. The New Encyclopedia of Mammals, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. May John, and Marten, Michael. The Book of Beasts, New York: Hamlyn Paperbacks, 1982. Internet Sources: www.biosbcc.net/ocean/marinesci/04benthon/arcplrbr.htm animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Ursus_maritimus.html

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Polar-bear.jpg www.bears.org/animals/

Theme 7 Survival of the Biggest 7

Word Study

Word Meanings Write down the meaning of these words from the text: _______________________________________________________________________

titan

_______________________________________________________________________

transparent

_______________________________________________________________________

nimble

_______________________________________________________________________

carnivorous

_______________________________________________________________________

waterproof

_______________________________________________________________________

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

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Teac he r

survival stakes

Suffixes

When you add –tion to the end of a word it changes from a verb to a noun. For example instruct + tion = instruction. Sometimes the spelling has to change slightly. E.g. describe + tion + description. Add –tion to these words:

inject ____________________________________

induct ____________________________________

create ___________________________________

evaluate __________________________________

substitute ________________________________

is called a cub. What are the names of these animals? Choose from these words. •mother •bull •lioness •piglet •calf •father •billy •kid •lion •stallion •boar •cub •mare •cow •foal •sow •baby •nanny

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FATHER

•elephant •goat

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MOTHER

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BABY

o c . che e r o t r s Synonyms and Antonymss –u per •lion

•horse •pig

•human

For each of these words from the text, write down a word which is a synonym (similar too) or an antonym (opposite to): SYNONYM •frozen •survive •predator •baby •titan

ANTONYM

Theme 7 Survival of the Biggest 7

Comprehension

This text is mainly about: a) The life of the polar bear.

b) The animals on the North Pole. c) The hibernation of polar bears.

Understanding the Text

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

What do polar bears eat? _________________________________________________________________ What is the habitat of a polar bear? _________________________________________________________ Why do female polar bears build a den? _____________________________________________________

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Teac he r

How big is the biggest polar bear? __________________________________________________________ How does a polar bear swim? _____________________________________________________________ Why is the skin of a polar bear black? _______________________________________________________

True or False

Polar bears have white skin.

True

False

Polar bears live in trees.

True

In summer some of the polar ice cap melts.

True

Polar bears live in Antarctica.

True

False

All polar bears build dens to hibernate.

True

False

Global warming will affect the habitat of the polar bear.

True

False

Polar bears eat Emperor penguins.

True

False

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Animal Fun

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False

Animals are divided into categories. A polar bear is a mammal. How would you classify these animals?

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•seal •penguin •salmon •humpback whale •albatross •python •dog •lizard •leatherjacket •goanna •trout •shearwater.

FISH

o c . che e r o t r s super REPTILES

Draw a polar bear swimming underwater.

BIRDS

MAMMALS

Draw a cartoon of a polar bear fishing with a fishing line.

Theme 7 Survival of the Biggest 7

Reflection

Reflection on Animal Survival

Write an explanation ofâ&#x20AC;?survival of the fittestâ&#x20AC;? in your own words. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Why do polar bears appear to be white? What advantage does being white give them?

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

____________________________________________________________________________________ Which other animals have camouflage? How does it help them to survive?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Teac he r

Write three sentences about other animals which live on the polar ice caps.

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____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

Write a paragraph describing the difference between predator and prey.

____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

ÂŠ ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons â&#x20AC;˘f orr evi ew pur posesonl yâ&#x20AC;˘

Write an SOS message from a polar bear stuck on an ice floe asking for help with global warming.

Report Writing Create a fact file for your favourite animal using the Animal Diversity website: animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu

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Creative Writing

FACT FILE FOR

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Classification:

Weight:

Special features: Predators:

Length:

o c . che e r o t r s super Colouring:

Habitat:

Prey:

Behaviour:

Breeding:

Lifespan:

Conservation risk:

Research Find out which of the following animals lower their temperature and hibernate: brown bears

Scientific name:

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snakes

humans

monkeys

polar bears

kangaroos

Theme 8

As Green as a Leaf

Deep in the forest lives a creature smaller than your hand and as green as a leaf. It lives in a tree and is not easy to spot because of its greenness. It may be small but that does not mean that it is not important. *

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Teac he r *

match the surrounding vegetation. This is its effective form of camouflage. The back is smooth and it has a broad mottled gold and black band along each side. You cannot see the frog’s ear – it is hidden.

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Perched on a leaf and only four centimetres long, it is as cute as a button. The leaf green tree frog is one of the species of tree frogs and tree frogs make up one half of all the frogs found in forests. *

A forest is a complex ecosystem made up of both living things such as trees and birds, and non-living things such as fallen logs, water and rocks. The living things of the forest interact and have a role to play in the health and growth of the forest. Some living things like trees are huge, while others, like bacteria are so small they are not visible to the naked eye. The leaf green tree frog is just one of the vertebrates, or animals with a backbone, that forms part of the forest web of life.

Special Characteristics

The leaf green tree frog is an excellent swimmer and jumper. It is specially equipped for its habitat by having flattened disks on the end of its toes that allow it to climb and perch on trees.

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Habitat The environment of the leaf green tree frog is temperate rainforest on the east coast of Australia from Gippsland in Victoria in the south to the central coast of Queensland in the north. Surprisingly it also lives in the bushier suburbs of Sydney and Brisbane where the environment is suitable. * * * * * It loves to live near flowing water such as rocky and mountain streams in temperate rainforests and swamps. It is often found on shrubs and low vegetation beside creeks and streamside ponds. It is not usually found near still water. In winter it sleeps or hibernates under logs or rocks.

o c . che e r o t r s super

Its common name is leaf green tree frog, but its scientific name is Litoria phyllochroa.

Appearance As its name implies this tiny frog is the colour of leaves. Not only that, it changes colour from light to dark green and sometimes almost purplish in order to

Theme 8

As Green as a Leaf Threats

Breeding

In the past, logging of the rainforests along the east coast of Australia destroyed much habitat. This was a threat to the survival of the leaf green tree frog. Development and clearing of wet forest and swamps is more of a problem now. Introduced fish such as the trout also affect the stocks of native tree frogs. * * * * * Because of their miniature size the leaf green frogs are very hard to see in your local creek or in the rainforest you visit. But they are still important. They are only one small part to the ecosystem of the temperate rainforest – part of the biodiversity of life on the planet. Let’s keep it that way!

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

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Teac he r

The leaf green tree frog breeds in summer and spring. Males call from rocky riverbanks to attract a mate. The female lays her eggs and they attach to submerged vegetation in streams and ponds. The eggs hatch into tadpoles that are dark brown and have transparent fins flecked with dark brown. The tadpoles actively swim up and down the flowing streams and rivers, clinging to rocks from which they probably feed on surface algae. Tadpoles take 12 weeks to metamorphose or change from the larvae stage to the fully-formed adult frog.

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their food to be fresh – really fresh. So they prefer to capture their prey while it is flying past which they do by flicking out their tongue and bringing it back into their mouth in a fraction of a second.

Cry

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•

Amphibians are a group of animals which spend part of the time on land but they return to the water to breed. They have different forms when they are babies, called larva, than when they are adults. Amphibio means “living a double life”. They are part way between a fish and a reptile.

o c . che e r o t r s super

Males have a distinctive call that they make from streamside vegetation or rocks. The call is in two parts – a long high pitched introductory note or notes followed by a harsh lower pitched note or series of notes that goes something like this: “eeeeeeeek cruk cruk ... eeeeeeeeek eeeeeeek cruk”. Maybe they are saying “Eek things are crook!”

Bibliography (Internet Sources): www.faunanet.gov.au/wos/factfile.cfm?Fact_ID=282 frogsaustralia.net.au/frogs/display.cfm?frog_id=178 www.forest.nsw.gov.au/publication/forest_facts/vertebrates/default.asp

Amphibian Fact

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Diet

Theme 8 As Green as a leaf 8

Word Study

Word Meanings Use your dictionary or work out the meaning of these words from the text:

vegetation

_______________________________________________________________

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S Words – Onomatopoeic

ecosystem

_______________________________________________________________

amphibian

_______________________________________________________________

metamorphose

_______________________________________________________________

biodiversity

_______________________________________________________________

Teac he r

Words which appear to sound like the noise they are describing are called onomatopoeic words. Onomatopoeic words are sometimes called “sounds in nature”. They may be nouns, (objects, people or animals) or verbs, (action words). For example screech sounds like the sound an owl makes; murmur sounds like a soft noise. Cruk, croak and ribbit are words which sound like the noise a frog makes.

Match the animal with the sound it makes:

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•whoo •coo •gobble •whinny •yada-yada •sweet •squeak

bird _______________________

mouse _________________

dove _____________________

owl _______________________

people _________________

horse ____________________

turkey _____________________

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E T A R E P M E T J Q S R M E

B I O D I V E R S I T Y A H T L E A F E N G U N Y V E I F A

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C X H K N G K B Y C R B N R R

Verbs Instead of Jump Bound, leap and hop are much better words to use than jump. Try to collect as many words as you can to describe how an animal moves and put them in a databank:

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Word Search •BIODIVERSITY •FROG •HIBERNATE •LEAF •POND •RAINFOREST •STREAM•TEMPERATE•TREE •VERTEBRATE

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C K Q C A C S W A T E S F O B

H U G C D O K O S R J M O G E

C M S P H T P L N Q F T R D T D G O H W K R A P C B Y E M R

C N L Z D C T E W X D A S V E

D G U I D E P B E W V B T L V

Similes – “As cute as a button” is a simile. When we compare something to something else we can use as or like. Write some similes about these animals:

The horse is as ________________ The monkey is as _______________

as as

_________________________________________ . ______________________________________ .

Theme 8 As Green as a leaf 8

Comprehension

Understanding the Text

What does the word “amphibio” mean? Why do you think amphibians have this name? ____________________________________________________________________________________

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

What is the difference between a fish and an amphibian?

____________________________________________________________________________________ What does a leaf green tree frog eat? ______________________________________________________ What threats are there to the existence of the leaf green tree frog?

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Teac he r

____________________________________________________________________________________

What different colours can a leaf green tree frog change to?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Where does the leaf green tree frog live? What is its favourite habitat?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Complete the Sentences

An endangered animal is at r_________ of dying out.

A baby frog is called a t___________.

A frog is a type of a____________ .

C__________ helps an animal to stay hidden.

False

All frogs live in trees.

True

False

The leaf green tree frog uses its tongue to capture insects.

True

A forest is a complex ecosystem.

True

Frogs do not have a backbone.

True

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Animal Fun

False

o c . che e r o t r s super

Write three things about three different amphibians – a frog, a toad and a salamander.

• ____________________________________

_____________________________________ • ____________________________________ _____________________________________ • ____________________________________ _____________________________________ Draw a leaf green tree frog and create a frog mobile to hang in the classroom.

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True

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Frogs are amphibians.

Draw the lifecycle of a frog.

Theme 8 As Green as a leaf 8

Reflection

Reflection on Animal Survival

Amphibians have evolved over many millions of years. What features do amphibians have which help them to survive? ____________________________________________________________________________________

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

The leaf green tree frog uses camouflage to survive. What other colours could a frog use to be camouflaged in a temperate rainforest?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Teac he r

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Place the animals into the correct group in the table below. •shark •frog •blue-tongue lizard •rosella •toad •koala •kookaburra •monkey •pigeon •water dragon •bream •crocodile •lion •whiting •salamander mammals fish amphibians reptiles birds

People produce a lot of household rubbish which goes to garbage tips and land fill.

What types of rubbish do you throw away in your home? Write down some ideas how the amount of rubbish can be reduced.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Give a definition of adaptation. How has a frog adapted to its environment? (E.g. eggs, food sources, habitat) ____________________________________________________________________________________

Report Writing

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Creative Writing Write a message from a leaf green tree frog begging for help to survive. I am little green frog, smaller than most frogs and that has made me vulnerable. Can you please help me? Let me tell you about my problems …

Write a report about another forest animal similar to this report, using the headings: Name, Appearance, Special Characteristics, Habitat, Breeding, Diet, Cry and Threats.

Research

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Using the Amphibian Species of the World website find out about the effects of pollution on streams and rivers and how that effects the lifecycle of a frog. research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.php

Reading Read stories about frogs such as Tidalick the Frog (a Dreamtime story about a very hungry frog), Frog and Toad (an unusual friendship), and The Wind in the Willows (a classic children’s story with lively characters) from books in the library or online at: www.gutenberg.org 45

Theme 9

Butterfly So Blue

likes the mistletoe plant. Luckily it is born right on top of its favourite food. * * * * *

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This beautiful azure-blue butterfly can’t survive all alone in the bush. She needs others to help her to live and grow, just like you need someone to give you food, shelter, and love. The butterfly depends on a plant, a tree, an ant, and a bird. Without them she would not be able to survive. * * * * *

Along comes the ant. A tiny sugar ant climbs to the top of the eucalyptus tree looking for food. The caterpillar produces a liquid which the ant loves to eat. The ant likes this liquid so much, that it takes care of the little caterpillar like a royal slave. It even keeps away any predators like wasps and flies. * * * * *

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A butterfly with bright blue wings flits through the trees. Her deep blue wings, trimmed with black, shimmer in the sunlight. She makes her home in the open shrub and woodland habitat of Australia. This butterfly is looking around for somewhere to lay her eggs. She is called the Amaryllis Azure Butterfly. * * * * *

The caterpillar eats and eats and eats. It eats so much and grows so fat it bursts out of its skin many times. This is called moulting. * * * * *

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Soon the eggs hatch into larvae. These are yellowish-grey caterpillars. The caterpillar is very fussy about what it eats and it only

a chrysalis. The chrysalis is brownish in colour and two centimetres long – less than one inch. Inside the caterpillar gradually transforms into the beautiful adult butterfly. Finally, it emerges from the chrysalis and flaps its wings to dry them out. The butterfly flutters away looking for some nectar to drink. It does not have far to fly because it senses delicious nectar in the red flowers of the mistletoe. * * * * *

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lay her eggs – on the leaves or near the stems of one of the mistletoe plants like the box or drooping mistletoe. Mistletoe is the plant that people hang over the doorway at Christmas for everyone to kiss under. But mistletoe is not just a bunch of leaves. It’s a semi-parasitic plant. This means it lives off another species for at least some of its food. It clings to the branches of the eucalyptus trees (pronounced u-ka-lip-tis), taking water and food from the tree. * * * * *

Soon the butterfly goes in search of a partner. After they mate, the female flies back to the mistletoe plant to lay her eggs on the leaves. So the cycle begins again. * * * * *

Theme 9

Butterfly So Blue Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the number and variety of organisms – plants, animals, micro-organisms and fungi, in a region. This includes the variations within and between species. The greater the variation there is, the better it is for the development and survival of all species.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

The Amaryllis azure butterfly depends on the lives of a mistletoe plant, a eucalyptus tree, a sugar ant and a mistletoe bird for its survival. There is a very special relationship between all these living things. If something goes wrong or one of the species dies out, then the others are in danger. Because of this interdependence, it is important, too, that there is biodiversity in nature.

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Teac he r

The mistletoe bird is part of this story. It loves the bright berries on the mistletoe plant. The seeds from inside the fruit pass through the bird quickly and land on the branches of the eucalyptus tree, where they stick and sprout into new mistletoe. The bird is important in helping the mistletoe spread new plants over the tops of the eucalyptus trees.

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Now you know the life story of the plant, the tree, the ant, the bird and the butterfly. They depend on each other like you depend on your family and friends. The Amaryllis azure butterfly flying through the trees in the Australian bush is dazzling. Its life is a delicate balance – as delicate as its amazing shimmery blue wings.

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Bibliography: Colfet, D. The Whitsundays Book, Queensland: Windward Productions Pty. Ltd, 1995. Slater, Pat. First Field Guide to Australian Insects and Spiders, Queensland: Steve Parish Publishing Pty. Ltd, 1997. Internet Sources: www-staff.mcs.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/lyca/zosine.html www.forests.qld.gov.au

Theme 9 Butterfly So Blue 9

Word Study

Compound Words Some words are made up of two other words, like butterfly and bushland. Sometimes the new word created is funnier than the original. Join two words from the list to create a new word:

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S Misprints

•some •lady •thumb •news •flower •table •week •rain •star •fish •paper •cloth •nail •drop •where •pot •end •bird

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Teac he r

Underline the mistakes in the passage and write the correct words.

A butterfly with bright blue wings lifts through the trees. Her deep blue kings, rimmed with black, shinner in the sunlight. She makes her home in the rushland of Australia. This butterfly is looking aground for somewhere to lay her eggs. This beautiful azure-blue butterfly can’t survife all alone in the brush. She needs others to help her to love and grew. The butterfly depends on a plant, a tree, an ant, and a bird to survivor.

Suffixes

The suffix –ful means “full of”. It can be added to the end of a word to create a new adjective or describing word. For example: beauty + ful = beautiful (Remember the rule to change the y to an i before adding an ending.) Add –ful to these words: care ________________________

soul ____________________

wonder _____________________

sorrow _____________________

cheer ___________________

Prefixes

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Inter– is a prefix meaning “between” and re– means “again”. So interdependence means “dependence between things” and reconnect means “connect again”. Put inter– or re– in front of these words to create new words:

______ born

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______ galactic

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colour ______________________

Meanings

o c . che e r o t r s super ______ national

______ live

______ gain

______ act

______ new

______ stellar

Work out the meaning of these words or use a dictionary:

moult

_____________________________________________________________________

biodiversity

_____________________________________________________________________

life-cycle

_____________________________________________________________________

parasite

_____________________________________________________________________

interdependence

_____________________________________________________________________

Theme 9 Butterfly So Blue 9

Comprehension

Understanding the Text

Where does the azure butterfly live? _______________________________________________________ What is a semi-parasite?

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____________________________________________________________________________________ What does the caterpillar do to attract the ant? Why?

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How do the seeds of the mistletoe get spread around?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Where does the name of the azure butterfly come from?

____________________________________________________________________________________

What do you think makes the azure butterfly so special?

____________________________________________________________________________________

butterfly

wasp

bird

pupa

mistletoe

larva

egg

nectar

flower

leaf

branch

The Main Idea

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Tick the box opposite the sentence expressing the main idea of the text.

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All living things are interconnected.

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ant

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Butterflies live in trees.

The cycle of life goes in a circle.

On the back of this sheet draw the life cycle of a butterfly.

On a piece of paper write 10 quiz questions about the life cycle of a butterfly from the text. Swap your questions with a partner. How many did you get right out of ten? A butterfly has three pairs of legs, as do most other insects. How many legs do these animals have? human

_________

bird

_________

fox

___________

gorilla

_________

octopus

_________

spider

___________

Create a butterfly mobile to hang up in your classroom.

Theme 9 Butterfly So Blue 9

Reflection

Reflection on Animal Survival

Explain in your own words the meaning of the word “biodiversity”. ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

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The azure butterfly lives in an environment which is “harmonious” – everything gets along well with animals dependent on each other for survival. Why do you think it takes millions of years to create a harmonious environment? ____________________________________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________________________________

Write down as many things as you can think of that are necessary for a butterfly to survive in its natural environment. (Don’t forget to include the things all living beings need, like sunshine and water.)

____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

Imagine a pest was introduced into Australia that eats ants; or that farmers managed to eradicate the mistletoe. What would happen to the azure butterfly? What effect would these events have on the ecosystem of the forest? Think of some events to list below and then write the possible effects.

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Descriptive Writing

EFFECT

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EVENT

Write a description of a butterfly emerging from a cocoon from the point of view of the butterfly.

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Write a narrative story about a butterfly. Give your butterfly a problem. Introduce three more difficulties for the butterfly to overcome. How does your butterfly solve its problems? If you like you can make your story into a picture book to read to younger children.

Research

Research the meaning of these terms on the Internet: “interdependence”, the “balance of nature”, “ecosystems” and “biological diversity” in www.answers.com or Google.

Outdoor Research Visit a small forest or park and count the variety and number of butterflies you find around the flowers.

Theme 10

Panda Trouble

When a baby panda is born it weighs only 125 grams, which is tiny compared to its roly-poly Mum who weighs 90 kilograms. The mother will not put down her newborn cub. The baby is so small that she cradles it in her hand like a doll to keep it safe. She will hold it to her chest and lick its tummy with her tongue. It is born no bigger than a baby kitten but grows to be as big as a gorilla. Imagine poor Mum when she has twins! She has double trouble and, unfortunately, she usually has to leave one baby behind.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Because pandas live in a country with a great many people, land is important for growing food. Much of the panda’s natural habitat has been cleared for growing crops and to be used as firewood. Only a few patches of forest are left where pandas can find suitable food. Their favourite food is bamboo and they spend 10 to 16 hours a day munching on the stalks and roots. They have to eat an enormous amount of bamboo to fill their tummies – 9 to 18 kilograms!

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Teac he r

Giant pandas are in big trouble. Let me tell you all about it. In the past they were hunted for their beautiful black and white fur coats. Their environment was in danger as people destroyed their habitat. In the wild today there are only about 1000 giant pandas left, found in one place in the world – Southern Central China. The trouble is that they are in danger of becoming extinct!

While the baby is so helpless the mother © ReadyEdP unot bl i ca t i o ns does leave it alone. Mum doesn’t eat, living off her stores of fat, just like a •f orr evi ew puhibernating r pos esbear on l y •asleep brown does when

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in his cave. After about 40 or 50 days, when the baby opens its eyes, she will leave it in the “den” to search for bamboo. *

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Pandas live alone most of the time. With many patches of land far apart they have to roam a long way to find a panda of the opposite sex. Females can only have a baby once every three years. All this means that there are fewer opportunities for giant pandas to have a baby in the wild. *

Theme 10

Panda Trouble

Life in a Zoo for a Panda A giant panda’s diet is 99% bamboo, but it will occasionally eat small rats or deer. In zoos they are given bamboo, sugar cane, rice gruel, high fibre biscuits, a few vegetables and fruit.

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A panda in a zoo can live to be 35 years old. No one is sure what the lifespan of a panda is in the wild.

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The panda Mum likes to play with her growing cub – she wrestles and takes a swipe at it; she nibbles and tickles it too. The tiny creature cannot stand on its wobbly feet until it is five months old. After one and a half years of nursing, the baby panda is ready to eat bamboo and trots along behind its mum to the bamboo forest. * * * * * Some humans are trying to boost the population of pandas by raising them in zoos around the world. It is still difficult for them to breed anywhere away from their natural environment. The Chinese government has built new reserves and created more habitats for the pandas. Zoo keepers now use a special milk mixture to feed the babies born in captivity. It is made from human milk formula and puppy formula. This way even two cubs can be fed at one time – Mum feeds one twin and the other is given a bottle. People hope this will help the pandas to breed and to survive. * * * * * Giant pandas are in trouble because they live alone and don’t have many babies. In addition, their forests are being cut down leaving them little to eat. Sadly they are close to extinction. Now, with the breeding programs in zoos, wildlife sanctuaries in China and special milk, pandas will have help with their terrible trouble. * * * * *

A panda eats sitting up – just like a human does. It picks up a stem of bamboo with its paw. Using its powerful jaws and strong teeth the panda crushes the tough bamboo to smithereens.

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See the “panda cam” to watch the pandas live at San Diego Zoo at: www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/ ex_panda_station.html

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Bibliography: Myers, Philip. Mammals, An Explore your World Handbook. London: Discovery Books, 2000. Internet Sources: www.china.org.cn/english/SO-e/18326.htm www.china.org.cn/english/features/panda/37640.htm

www.pandasinternational.org/ www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-giant_panda.html

Theme 10 P anda Trouble 10 Panda

Word Study

Vocabulary Match the animal with its baby. E.g. A baby panda is called a cub. •calf •spiderling •pup •hatchling •fledgling •chick •baby

human ______________________

elephant __________________

eagle _________________

alligator _____________________

spider ____________________

bat ___________________

r o e t s Bo r e p ok meaning: u Look up these words in the dictionary and write their S

penguin _____________________

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breeding

_________________________________________________________________

mammal

_________________________________________________________________

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sanctuary

Crossword

Across 2. Artificial milk 3. Sleep through winter 5. Panda food 6. Shaky or unsteady 7. A safe place for animals 9. Baby panda

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Down 1. Kept in a cage 4. Just born 8. Animals are ______ when there are no more in existence.

Misspellings

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Find the words which are spelt wrongly and correct them:

A panda is a mammel.

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Pandas live in the bamboo forrests of sentral China.

_________________________________

Wildlife reserves are helping the gaint pandas to servive.

_________________________________

The truble is that pandas are in dangar of becomeing extinct.

_________________________________

Baby Names Twins means that two babies are born at the same time. See if you can work out what these words mean:

quadruplets ___________________________________

triplets ________________________________

sextuplets ____________________________________

octuplets ______________________________

quintuplets ___________________________________

Theme 10 P anda Trouble 10 Panda

Comprehension

Understanding the Text

What does it mean to be extinct? ____________________________________________________________________________________

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What do giant pandas eat in the wild?

____________________________________________________________________________________ How much does a giant panda eat each day?

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Where does the giant panda live? __________________________________________________________

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Why does a giant panda mother hold her baby in her hand?

____________________________________________________________________________________

What is happening to the panda’s forest home? Why?

____________________________________________________________________________________

What has been done to help save the giant panda?

____________________________________________________________________________________

True or False

Pandas never have twins.

True

False

The habitat for a giant panda is the icy land of the Arctic Circle.

True

False

Female adult pandas only have a baby every three years.

True

False

Panda cubs are born the size of a gorilla.

True

False

Cross out the word which does not belong:

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twins

egg

triplets

panda

shark

human

trees

rock

sanctuary

reserve

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bamboo zoo

Animal Fun

quadruplets

monkey

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desert

Create a poster to protect giant pandas with a fine for any person who harms or kills a panda.

Why do pandas look so cute? Animals have big eyes compared to the size of their faces so that they look more attractive and appealing to their parents. What would be the advantages for survival for a panda to have big eyes? Classify these animals – fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds or mammals: Tasmanian devil ________________ panda _______________________

parrot __________________

green turtle ___________________ grey nurse shark _______________

salamander ______________

Draw a panda Mum with a baby in her paw.

Draw yourself with big eyes.

Theme 10 P anda Trouble 10 Panda

Reflection

Reflection on Animal Survival

Make a survival game for giant pandas with instructions like this: two steps forward – new milk for babies successful, one step back – fire spreads through the wildlife sanctuary, etc. Give your game a good name.

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Why do giant pandas find it hard to have babies in the wild?

____________________________________________________________________________________ What are the disadvantages and advantages of living alone (instead of living in groups)?

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Teac he r

Pandas are an endangered species. They are affected by things such as changes to their habitat.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons Write a script for “This is Your Life” for a panda. Don’t forget to include things like its •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• home, friends, enemies, lifespan, size, appearance and special characteristics. Creative Writing

Good evening giant panda – this is your life ...

Advertisement Writing

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SOLUTIONS

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Name four things which affect the giant panda’s survival as a species and what can be done to help them.

Write an advertisement telling people to visit a panda sanctuary in China to help to protect and save the giant panda from extinction.

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Which animals are most at risk? Which animals are least at risk? Make a list.

Research other endangered species using: Redlist by the World Conservation Union at www.redlist.org Australian Wildlife Fund www.australianwildlife.org/specieslists.asp

Reading

Read about pandas in sanctuaries or zoos in the library or on the Internet: Enchanted Learning www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/panda/ Smithsonian Institute nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/PandaFacts/default.cfm Panda International www.pandasinternational.org/index.html 55

Answers

The Tiger From Tasmania Theme 1 Word Study (Page 8)

Prefixes •mis/heard •mis/chief •un/born •un/developed •un/bent

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•mis/guided •un/bent •un/wise •un/even •mis/conduct

•mis/use •un/planned •un/tidy •mis/spent •un/happy

BASE

MEANING

ENGLISH WORDS

luna mikros terra magnus

moon small earth great

•lunar, •lunatic •microscope, •micron •terrestrial, •terrain •magnificent, •magnify

Comprehension (Page 14)

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Match Up •Marsupial = pouched animal •Carnivorous = meat eating •Existed = lived •Widespread = far and wide •Exhaustion = tiredness •Hairless = lacking hair Synonyms •TROT •STROLL •MEANDER •HIKE •STRIDE •TODDLE •SAUNTER •AMBLE Word search E R V E O F P C U S N H H S T O M K X N H F L P Q P G T R V K Y H T J A F T B A C I O J B A N D I C O O T R V G T C F Y E P J N T L V G R E O K F O U L MW C F B O D R V X B S Y A O X U T M T P C H V R G X F K E D M D OW C S A P S E N I C A L Y H T V M N D F L OW P Z T W P Q Z

The fishermenn measured the giant sqid and chopped it up for their diner. fishermen, squid, dinner The giant squid mooves through the ocean by spurrting water out of the body. moves, spurting The giant squid is not a mythical animale. animal Jumbled Letters •SMALL •GIANT •COLOSSAL •MIDDLING •MEDIUM •HUGE Latin base words

Understanding the Text Why do giant squids die when brought to the surface? They die because they get weak from lack of oxygen and they suffocate. What does the mouth of a giant squid resemble? The mouth of the giant squid resembles the beak of a cockatoo. Why do humans find it difficult to dive to find the giant squid? Humans cannot dive to great depths because the pressure of the water is too great and the lack of oxygen. What do giant squid eat? Giant squid eat fish, other squid and whales. How do squid move through the water? It moves through the water by spurting water out of its body. True or false The giant squid is a mythical creature. F The Vikings believed a kraken could sink their ships. T A giant squid was found by mermaids. F Fisherman ate the giant squid at Timble Tickle for dinner. T A giant squid has ten tentacles. T A giant squid has an external skeleton. F

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Understanding the Text Which animals does a thylacine look like? It has stripes like a tiger and a head like a dog. What are the various names given to the thylacine? A thylacine is called a Tassie tiger and a pouched wolf. How did the thylacine become extinct? It became extinct because it was hunted to death by farmers and bounty hunters. What is a bounty? Why did the government offer a bounty? A bounty is a reward for the death of something. The government thought that the thylacine was eating too many sheep. What evidence is around today to prove that the thylacine once existed? The evidence is some jerky film footage, some pelts, some black and white photos, some museum specimens, fossils and Aboriginal rock paintings. True or false: Thylacines preyed on bandicoots. T One of the closest living relatives to a thylacine is a cat. F Baby thylacines are very hairy. F Carnivorous means meat eating. T The thylacine is a type of wolf. F

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Match Up •Sucker=an organ specialising in sticking to an object by suction, •Skeleton=bones, •Carnivorous=meat eating, •Mollusc=shell, •Mythological=based on a traditional story without facts to back it up, •Mantle=a muscular structure or organ in molluscs Words spelt incorrectly Mythological creetures like mermiads, kraken and monsters are supposed to live at great depths in the ocean. creatures, mermaids, The gaint squid has ten tentickles, a mantel and a large head with huge eyes. giant, tentacles, mantle

Word Study (Page 18)

Vocabulary A sloth is a quite and sluggish animal. quiet Sloths are huge and hairey. hairy Their ronded heads are small compared to their bodys. rounded, bodies Sloths are the slowist animal on erth. slowest, earth Armadilloos and anteters live on the ground. armadillos, anteaters Sloths are able to eat platns that other animels find toxic. plants, animals Alphabetical order: animal, anteater, armadillo, backbone, creature, lazy, mammal, nutrient, plants, slothful, toxic, vertebrae Antonyms Slothful=energetic, agile=awkward, gripping=relaxing, reaction=action, toxic=non-poisonous Word meanings vertebrae=backbone, able to live=survive, save energy=conserve, plant food=nutrient, chemical reactions in the body=metabolism Unjumble these words: •FACES •NEWBORN •SLOTHFUL •ANCESTOR •FINGERNAILS •CLAWED

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The Beast of Timble Tickle Theme 2 Word Study (Page 13)

Just Hanging Around Theme 3

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Comprehension (Page 9)

Answers

Comprehension (Page 19)

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The Strongest Animal in the World Theme 4

Word Study (Page 23)

Theme 5 Cuddly Koalas Word Study (Page 28)

•wolaba=wallaby •womback=wombat •koola=koala •cocopara=kookaburra Suffixes •Univers/ity •Divers/ity •Commun/ity •Scarc/ity •Local/ity •Abil/ity Nouns The koala is a marsupial. Its habitat is bushland and scrub. Marsupials give birth to live young and they have a pouch. Word search

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Understanding the Text Which animal does the sloth look most like? The sloth looks most like a monkey. How are sloths different from anteaters and armadillos? How are they the same? Sloths are different from anteaters and armadillos because sloths live in trees and are clumsy on the ground. They are the same because they all have very strong backbones. What is metabolism? Metabolism is a series of chemical reactions in which food is used to create energy for bodily functions. Why do sloths try to save energy? Sloths save energy so that they can live on a low-nutrient diet and they don’t have to eat as much food. What is the sloth’s favourite food? The sloth prefers to eat young leaves. How do sloths give birth? Sloths give birth upside down. Why can’t sloths walk easily along the ground? Sloths find it hard to walk on the ground because of their long fingernails.

elephant beetle. What does a rhinoceros beetle eat? A rhinoceros beetle eats leaves, fruit and sap from trees. How does a rhinoceros beetle fight other beetles? A rhinoceros beetle battles using its stiff horn. How many different species of beetles are there in the world? There are 350,000 different species of beetles in the world.

MV D Z E R V SMR T D Z F V D A S Z T AGG J O E Y X H E RMR Y Z E P F N S ROU Y J

AGC S N B D S P V R V UME

F K V R U H E E V N I P E G Y

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B F N A T K I T G KO AWT S P Z YM L R E A H D RG X O Z

SMP E R A D Z L F Y V D S V

WV D E E U C A L Y P T U S Z Animal names animal male tiger tiger cattle bull peafowl peacock

female tigress cow peahen

baby cub calf peachick

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Comparatives and Superlatives tall taller tallest brave braver bravest grand grander grandest fair fairer fairest slow slower slowest Misspellings A rhinoceros beatle is very good at burowing. beetle, burrowing The adult male has shinny green winges. shiny, wings He uses his stiff horne to fight other mails. horn, males He prefers to live in composte in the gardin. compost, garden Some peeple like to keep a rhinoceross as a pet. people, rhinoceros Prefixes •Pre/view •post/operative •pre/plan •post/mortem •Pre/cut •post/natal •post/script •pre/paid Greek base words

Comprehension (Page 29)

Understanding the Text What is the habitat of a koala? The habitat of the koala is the eucalyptus forests and woodlands in South Australia and along the East coast of Australia. What does a koala eat? A koala eats eucalyptus leaves. How is a koala different from a bear? A koala has live babies like a bear and other mammals but its baby crawls into a pouch to grow a bit more before it comes out into the world. What is a home range? A home range is a number of trees that the koala lives in and eats from. What is special about a koala’s paw? A koala has five fingers on each paw; two of them are opposable with the other three to help the koala grip the branches. What sounds do koalas make? Koalas can make bellows, murmurs, grunts, hums and cries. Why is a koala not poisoned by the toxic stuff in eucalyptus leaves? A koala is not poisoned by the toxins in eucalyptus leaves because it is able to detoxify them in its long caecum. True false Koalas spend most of their time up a tree. T A koala drinks lots of water. F The fur of a koala is fluffy and soft. T Koalas like to visit communal areas to “talk” to their neighbours. T

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BASE

MEANING

ENGLISH WORDS

aster Okto (octo) tele thermos

star eight far hot

•Asteroid, •asterisk •Octopus, •octagon •Telephone, •telegram, •television •Thermonuclear, •thermometer

Comprehension (Page 24)

Understanding the Text The main idea of this text is that: b)The rhinoceros beetle is strong compared to its size Why is the rhinoceros beetle in the Guinness Book of Records? The rhinoceros beetle is in the Guinness Book of Records for being the strongest animal in the world because it can lift 850 times its own weight on its back. How many kilograms can a rhinoceros beetle carry? A rhinoceros beetle can carry 42 kilograms. What are the common names given to the rhinoceros beetle? It is also called the unicorn beetle, the Hercules beetle and the

Answers

Multiple Choice A koala is a marsupial. A nocturnal animal is one which is awake at night. Koalas eat eucalyptus leaves. Classification butterfly crawl tiger

Word Study (Page 38)

Word meanings •survival stakes=the chance of survival, •titan=very, very large, •transparent=see through, •nimble=agile or quick, •carnivorous=meat eating, •waterproof=able to keep out water Suffixes •injection, •induction, •creation, •evaluation, •substitution Animal Family names Elephant – bull cow calf Goat – billy nanny kid Lion – lion lioness cub Horse – stallion mare foal Pig – boar sow piglet Human – father mother baby Synonyms and Antonyms •frozen icy hot •survive live die •predator killer prey •baby cub adult •titan huge tiny

Word Study (Page 33)

Antonyms Dig up bury Easy difficult Forget remember Insensitive sensitive Graceful clumsy Tiny huge Suffixes Explosion, Discussion, Extension, Conversion, Admission Crossword ACROSS

1. The tusk of an elephant is made of this = ivory 4. The leader of the elephant group= matriarch 6. Noises at a level below human hearing = infrasound 9. Awkward and bumbling = lumbering DOWN

2. Too big = oversized 3. Baby elephant= calf 5. A group of elephants = clan 7. Helpers at the birth of an elephant = aunties 8. An elephant’s fifth limb = trunk Using context Matriarch=leader, limb=trunk, cemetery=graveyard, herd=group, flap=wave Group names Antelope, buffalo, cow, deer, donkey, gnu, goat, hippopotamus, horse, kangaroo, llama, moose, ox, whale, yak, zebra

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Elephant Mysteries and Myths Theme 6

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Survival of the Biggest Theme 7

Comprehension (Page 39)

Alphabetical Order bear, echidna, elephant, krill, monkey, narwhale, octopus, platypus, polar, seal, shark, walrus, whale True or false Polar Bears have white skin. F Polar Bears live in trees. F In summer some of the polar ice cap melts. T Polar Bears live in Antarctica. F All polar Bears build dens to hibernate. F Global warming will affect the habitat of the polar Bear. T Polar Bears eat Emperor Penguins. F Understanding the Text This text is mainly about: a)The life of the polar bear Comprehension What do polar bears eat? polar bears eat walrus, fish, narwhal, birds and some small mammals. What is the habitat of a polar bear? polar bears live in the polar ice cap of ice and snow, inside the Arctic circle. Why do female polar bears build a den? Female polar bears build a den to have their babies in and to hibernate. How big is the biggest polar bear? The largest polar bear is the male of up to 800 kilograms. How does a polar bear swim? A polar bear swims by using his hands as giant paddles and his feet as a rudder to steer. Why is the skin of a polar bear black? The skin of a polar bear is black to absorb the sunlight to help it warm up. Animal Fun Fish Reptiles Birds Mammals salmon python penguin seal leatherjacket lizard albatross Humpback whale trout goanna shearwater dog

Comprehension (Page 34)

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Understanding the Text How many muscles in an elephant’s trunk? There are 100,000 muscles in an elephant’s trunk. How do elephants communicate with each other? Elephants communicate with each other by infrasound, noises which are at a level that humans can’t hear. Some of their noises are purring, roaring, trumpeting, gurgling and rumbling. Why do you think that elephants migrate? Elephants migrate to get food from different areas. What is a matriarchal society? A matriarchal society is one which has a female as its leader. What animals prey on baby elephants? Lions, hyenas and humans all prey on baby elephants. How do elephants greet each other? Elephants greet each other by shaking trunks to say hello. True or False

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An elephant never forgets where to travel. T Elephants are scared of mice. F When panicked they always stampede and trample people to death. F An elephant is clumsy. F Elephants bury their dead in cemeteries. F

As Green as a Leaf Theme 8 Word Study (Page 43)

Onomatopoeic words •Whoo=owl •Coo=dove •Whinny =horse •Yada-yada=people •Squeak=mouse

•Gobble=turkey •Tweet =bird

Answers

Word search solution E T A R E P M E T J B I O D I V E R S I L E A F E N G U N Y C X H K N G K B Y C C K Q C A C S W A T H U G C D O K O S R C M S P H T P L N Q D G O HW K R A P C C N L Z D C T E WX D G U I D E P B E W

Q T V R E J F B D V

S Y E B S M T Y A B

R A I N F O R E S T

M H F R O G D M V L

aground for somewhere to lay her eggs. This beautiful azure-blue butterfly can’t survife all alone in the brush. She needs others to help her to love and grew. The butterfly depends on a plant, a tree, an ant, and a bird to survivor. Flits, wings, shimmer, bushland, around, survive, bush, live, grow, survive. Suffixes colourful, careful, soulful, wonderful, sorrowful, cheerful Prefixes Reborn, international, relive, regain, intergalactic, interact or react, renew, interstellar

E T A R B E T R E V

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S Comprehension (Page 49)

Comprehension (Page 44)

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Understanding the Text Where does the Azure butterfly live? The Azure butterfly lives in the open shrub and woodland habitat of Australia. What is a semi-parasite? A semi-parasite is a plant which lives off another plant for at least part of its nutrition, instead of making food itself. What does the caterpillar do to attract the ant? Why? The caterpillar excretes a sticky liquid which the ants like to eat. It does this so that the ants will protect the caterpillar from wasps and flies. How do the seeds of the mistletoe get spread around? The mistletoe bird eats the fruit of the mistletoe plants. The seeds pass through its body and they drop many kilometres away. Where does the name of the Azure butterfly come from? Its name comes from the colour of its wings, which are azure blue. What do you think makes the Azure butterfly so special? This butterfly is an integral part of the environment. Many creatures depend on it for survival and it also depends on them. Classification ant/butterfly/wasp/bird, pupa/mistletoe/larva/egg nectar/flower/leaf/branch, The Main Iidea All living things are interconnected. Animal Fun Human=2 Bird=2 Fox=4 Gorilla=2 Octopus=8 Spider=8

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Understanding the Text What does the word ‘amphibio’ mean? Why do you think amphibians have this name? ‘Ampibio’ means “living a double life” because an amphibian lives part of its life out of the water and a different part of its life in the water. It can have lungs and gills at different stages of its life. What is the difference between a fish and an amphibian? A fish has lungs and cannot survive out of water. An amphibian lives part of its life out of water but returns to the water to breed. What does a leaf green tree frog eat? A leaf green tree frog eats almost anything but mostly insects. What threats are there to the existence of the leaf green tree frog? Logging of the rainforests is a threat as is clearing swamps and wet forests along the coast of Australia. Introduced species of fish such as trout also threaten the little frog. What different colours can a leaf green tree frog change to? The leaf green tree frog can change colour from light green to dark green and to almost purple. Where does the leaf green tree frog live? What is its favourite habitat? It lives in the temperate rain forests on the east coast of Australia from Victoria to the central coast of Queensland. Its habitat is the vegetation next to flowing creeks and ponds. Complete the sentences An endangered animal is at risk of dying out. A baby frog is called a tadpole. A frog is a type of amphibian. Camouflage helps an animal to stay hidden. True or false Frogs are amphibians. T All frogs live in trees. F The leaf green tree frog uses its tongue to capture insects. T A forest is a complex ecosystem. T Frogs do not have a backbone. F

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Reflection (Page 45) amphibians frog toad salamander

Panda Trouble Theme 10 Word Study (Page 48)

Match the animal with its baby human=baby elephant=calf eagle=fledgling alligator=hatchling spider=spiderling bat=pup penguin=chick Crossword Across 2. Artificial milk = formula 3. Sleep through winter = hibernate 5. Panda food = bamboo 6. Shaky or unsteady = wobbly 7. A safe place for animals = reserve 9. Baby panda = cub Down 1. Kept locked up, imprisonment = captivity 4. Just born = newborn 8. Disappearance of the species, no more alive = extinct Misspellings Find the words which are spelt wrongly: A panda is a mammel. mammal Pandas live in the bamboo forrests of sentral China. forests, central Wildlife reserves are helping the Gaint Panda to servive. giant, survive The truble is that pandas are in dangar of becomeing extinct. trouble, danger, becoming

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Reflection on Animal Survival

fish whiting bream shark

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birds kookaburra rosella pigeon

mammals koala monkey lion

Butterfly So Blue Theme 9 Word Study (Page 48)

Compound words somewhere, ladybird, thumbnail, newspaper, flowerpot, tablecloth, weekend, raindrop, starfish Misprints A butterfly with bright blue wings lifts through the trees. Her deep blue kings, rimmed with black, shinner in the sunlight. She makes her home in the rushland of Australia. This butterfly is looking

Answers / Bibliography

Baby Names Quadruplets, triplets, sextuplets, octuplets and quintuplets. [Quad=four, quin=five, sex=six, octo=eight]

Comprehension (Page 54)

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The Strongest Animal In the World Imes, R, The Practical Entomologist, US: Simon and Schuster, 1992 Slater, P, First Field Guide to Australian Insects and Spiders, Archerfield Queensland: Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd, 1997 The Guinness World Records, US: Guinness Publishers, 2002 www.naturalworlds.org/scarabaeidae/species/Dynastes_hercules_3.htm animal.discovery.com/fansites/jeffcorwin/carnival/crawler/ rhinobeetle_print.html www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/kkhp/1insects/hercbeetle.html

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Understanding the Text What does it mean to be extinct? To be extinct means that there are no known examples of that species living in the world today. What do giant pandas eat in the wild? Giant pandas in the wild eat mostly bamboo but they will also eat small animals and deer. How much does a giant panda eat each day? A giant panda eats 9 to 18 kilograms of bamboo every day. Where does the giant panda live? The giant panda lives in forests of Southern Central China. Why does a giant panda mum hold her baby in her hand? The mother giant panda holds her baby in her hand because it is so tiny and helpless. What is happening to the panda’s forest home? Why? The panda’s forest home is shrinking due to clearing of forests for firewood and for farming land. What has been done to help save the Giant Panda? Scientists have developed a breeding program in zoos and sanctuaries, and have created special milk formula so that if a mother panda has twins they both can survive. The Chinese government has created sanctuaries where the giant pandas are protected. True or false Pandas never have twins. F The habitat for a giant panda is the icy land of the Arctic Circle. F Female adult pandas only have a baby every three years. T Panda cubs are born the size of a gorilla. F Classifying twins/eggs /triplets/quadruplets, panda/shark/human/monkey bamboo/trees/rocks/leaves, zoo/sanctuary/reserve/desert Animal Fun Tasmanian devil=marsupial , Panda=mammal , Parrot=bird Green turtle=reptile, Grey nurse shar=fish, Salamander=amphibian

Oxford University Press, 2001. May, John and Marten, Michael. The Book of Beasts. New York: Viking Press, 1982. Myers, Philip. Mammals, An Explore your World Handbook. London: Discovery Books, 2000. www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/sloth/index.shtml animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/chordata/mammalia/xenarthra/ megalonychidae.html animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Xenarthra.html

Cuddly Koalas Bailey Jill, Factfile of Mammals – 200 Mammals From Around the World Andromeda Oxford Ltd,1996, MacDonald Dr D, The New Encyclopedia of Mammals, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001 Mammals, An Explore Your World Handbook, Discovery Books, London, 2000 www.savethekoala.com/ www.thekoala.com/koala www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/creature_feature/0008/koalas2.html animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/ Phascolarctos_cinereus.html

The Tiger from Tasmania Bailey Jill, Factfile of Mammals – 200 Mammals From Around the World, Andromeda Oxford Ltd,1996 MacDonald Dr D, The New Encyclopedia of Mammals, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001 May J and Marten M, The Book of Beasts, New York: Viking Press, 1982 Mammals, An Explore Your World Handbook, London: Discovery Books, 2000 www.dpiwe.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/BHAN-53777B?open www.austmus.gov.au/thylacine/02.htm

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The Monster from Timble Tickle Richard Ellis, The Search For The Giant Squid, New York: Lyons Press, 1998 Herman Melville, Moby Dick, USA: Castle Books, 2004 Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Documentary: Chasing Giants: On the Trail of the Giant Squid, Discovery Channel www.cnn.com/WORLD/9710/18/fringe.australia.squid/ www.unmuseum.org/squid.htm seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/OCEAN_PLANET/HTML/squid_links.html www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200509/s1470043.htm www3.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/giant-squid.html Just Hanging Around Bailey, Jill. Factfile of Mammals – 200 Mammals From Around the World. London: Andromeda Oxford Ltd, 1996. Macdonald, David, ed. The New Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford:

Survival of the Biggest Myers, Phillip. Mammals, An Explore your World Handbook, London: Discovery Books, 2000. Macdonald David, ed. The New Encyclopedia of Mammals, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. May John, and Marten, Michael. The Book of Beasts, New York: Hamlyn Paperbacks, 1982. www.bears.org/animals/ www.biosbcc.net/ocean/marinesci/04benthon/arcplrbr.htm animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/ Ursus_maritimus.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Polar-bear.jpg

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Elephant Mysteries and Myths Macdonald David, ed. The New Encyclopedia of Mammals, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Mammals, An Explore Your World Handbook, Discovery Books, London, 2000 elephant.elehost.com/About_Elephants/Family_Structure/ family_structure.html elephant.elehost.com/About_Elephants/Life_Cycles/life_cycles.html elephant.elehost.com/About_Elephants/Life_Cycles/Baby/baby.html www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/azeleph.html a n i m a l d i v e r s i t y. u m m z . u m i c h . e d u / s i t e / a c c o u n t s / i n f o r m a t i o n / Loxodonta_africana.html

As Green as a Leaf www.faunanet.gov.au/wos/factfile.cfm?Fact_ID=282 frogsaustralia.net.au/frogs/display.cfm?frog_id=178 www.forest.nsw.gov.au/publication/forest_facts/vertebrates/default.asp Butterfly So Blue Colfet, D. The Whitsundays Book, Queensland: Windward Productions Pty Ltd, 1995. Slater, Pat. First Field Guide to Australian Insects and Spiders, Queensland: Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd, 1997. www-staff.mcs.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/lyca/zosine.html www.forests.qld.gov.au Panda Trouble Myers, Philip. Mammals, An Explore your World Handbook. London: Discovery Books, 2000. www.china.org.cn/english/SO-e/18326.htm www.pandasinternational.org/ www.china.org.cn/english/features/panda/37640.htm www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-giant_panda.html