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by
Francine C. Coss
warm-blooded
Having blood that stays at about the same temperature no matter what the temperature is of the air or water around the animal. Cats are warm-blooded; snakes are cold-blooded.
cold-blooded
Having blood that is about the same temperature as the air or water around the animal. The blood of such animals is colder in the winter than in summer. Turtles are cold-blooded; dogs are warm-blooded.
| backbone |
mammal
One of a group of warm-blooded animals with a backbone and usually having hair. Mammals feed their young with milk from the mother's breasts. Human beings, cattle, dogs, cats and whales are examples of mammals. Mammals in our classroom: Rabbit (named 'Chew"), two guinea pigs (to be added for an example of reproduction in action!)
bird
One of a group of warm-blooded animals that have a backbone, feathers, two legs, and wings. Birds lay eggs; most birds can fly. Birds in our classroom: Chicks (hatched from eggs).
fish
One of a group of cold-blooded animals with a long backbone that live in water and have gills stead of lungs. Fish are usually covered with scales and have fins for swimming. Some kinds of fish lay eggs in the water; others produce living young. Fish in our classroom: Goldfish (and/or other hardy fish); possibly some pumpkin-seed sunfish from Edgewood Park (local pond).
reptile
One of a group of cold-blooded animals that have backbones and lungs and are usually covered with scales. Snakes, lizards, turtles, alligators and crocodiles are examples of reptiles. Reptiles in our classroom: A visiting snake and a visiting lizard (come on now...we're running out of room!)
In the lessons that follow, the children will re-read the big-book and highlight the 'environment' or 'home' depicted in the book's illustrations. A comparison will be made to the 'home' their personal pets need and the children will have the opportunity to add illustrations to their original pet drawing. A re-telling of 'I Can't Get my (pet) to Move' will occur using only the children's illustrations, compiling a booklet about each child's pet that mimics the text of the original big-book.
Further discussion of pet homes and environmental requirements will follow as chicken eggs are maintained and, eventually, hatched in the classroom. Once the chicks have hatched, the children will make an informed decision regarding the best home for the chicks: the classroom or the farm from which the eggs were taken. The understanding of pet health as it pertains to environment will be determined by the class' overall decision.
Either as a follow-up to the decision to return the chicks to the farm or as a precursor to the decision-making process for the best environment for the chicks (whichever applies), the students will visit the chicken farm from which the eggs were obtained. A juxtaposition of the classroom environment to the farm environment will either reinforce their decision or assist in the decision-making process for the chicks final home.
A class-made big-book will be composed for the chicks entitled, "I Can't Get my Chick to Move." The chosen environment for the newly hatched chicks will be depicted in the illustrations, allowing for closure before completing the chick project. The child-made illustrations will be scanned into a word processing program and printed in color on large sheets of oaktag. The phrases, altered for the chicks from the original big-book, will be printed on each appropriate illustration. "I Can't Get my Chick to Move" and the original book, I Can't Get my Turtle to Move, will be placed in the Listening Library for re-reading by one or more children. In addition, an audio cassette will be recorded for each book.
The final series of lessons involving pets and their homes will revolve around the book, Charlie Anderson which tells of a cat with two homes. The many hours Charlie is permitted to roam the neighborhood will be highlighted, leading into the discussion of pet care. Referring to the children's pet list from earlier lessons and their pet booklets, each child will complete a 'show and tell' project describing their pet, it's environment and it's care. Children not owning pets will select a 'favorite pet' for research and also make a presentation. Information from the presentations will be gathered and 'published' in a class-made "Pet Reference Guide," as well as videotaped for future viewing in the classroom.
A trip to a local pet store will conclude the introduction to pets. During the pet store trip, the children will be given clipboards with pet names and pictures from the familiar, class-made "Pet Reference Guide." Pairs of children will use their clipboard resources in conjunction with the pet store's resources to add details to the pet list. Details from the clipboards will then be added to the "Pet Reference Guide" following the field trip.
Digital photographs of each type of pet found in the pet store will be recorded through the use of an Apple QuickTake 150 digital camera. Color printouts of each digitally photographed pet will be added to the "Pet Reference Guide" along with the information gathered by the students.
Pet reproduction will become the topic of discussion following a class trip to the New Haven Animal Shelter. The plight of homeless pets due to the irresponsible actions of pet owners will be highlighted during the animal shelter visit with information provided by the Animal Control Officer. Care for the animals at the shelter will be covered and video will be taken of the homeless pets in their pens. Death as an option for lack of adoption will be defined as the children count the available pens and the occupied pens and the expense of caring for too many unwanted animals.
Following the animal shelter trip, the students will be asked to determine a means by which the public can be informed of these homeless pets and possibly adopt some of them before they are put down. The class will discuss the methods of communication used today and how we get news. Newspapers, signs/billboards, and television/radio news programs will all be included in the discussion. Strategies for informing the public through newspaper, billboard, radio and TV will be determined and utilized.
Posters will be made with pet facts for display in and around the school, a letter to the editor(s) of the local newspaper(s) will be drafted and delivered, and two PSAs will be recorded for radio and television.
A take off on 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' will be composed in the classroom and will become the main storyline for the second PSA, adding an easy-to-remember rhyme to better promote animal care. Words like those below will reflect the needs/problems of each pet in the PSA.
- Tiarra had a little pup,
- Little pup, little pup.
- Tiarra had a little pup,
- Its coat was dull and gray.
- And everywhere that Tiarra went,
- Tiarra went, Tiarra went.
- Everywhere that Tiarra went,
- The pup would scratch its fleas.
- It followed her to school one day,
- School one day, school one day.
- It followed her to school one day,
- And got sick on the way.
Following the strong words in the 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' style rhymes, health and prevention information will be provided to assist all would-be or current pet owners on the ignorance of Tiarra and those like her. "Having a pet means having a long list of responsibilities as an owner, " will resemble one of the lines of dialog in the PSA. Only the children's comprehension of pet care and pet health will determine the strength of the PSA's message.
- Tiarra had a little pup,
- Little pup, little pup.
- Tiarra had a little pup,
- Until is passed away.
A flyer describing the needs of the animals available at the shelter will be written and/or dictated by the children and distributed to all interested parties using the facts found in the Pet Reference Guide and the HyperStudio stack.
The two PSA's will be added to the HyperStudio Pet Reference Guide stack as video buttons for future viewing in the classroom.
The actions of the two guinea pigs before and (with any luck) after conception and delivery of their young will be recorded daily in a similar fashion to that used for the hatching chicks.
Overpopulation will become the classroom topic following a revised version of Pigs is Pigs. Methods of contraception, including the separation of male and female (abstinence) will be researched and added to the pet list, Pet Reference Guide and the HyperStudio reference stack.
A review of pet care and pet health will occur during a planned visit to the New Haven Central Hospital for Veterinary Medicine. The children will have the opportunity to witness the spaying or neutering a pet during our tour which will reinforce the ease of completing such a procedure on a pet. Pet owner responsibility will be revisited as a topic.
Pros and cons of spaying/neutering will be addressed at length and will be mentioned in an additional PSA also to be produced at Citizens Television as well as linked to the original Pet Reference HyperStudio stack.
"Pet Reference Guide"
| Objective: | To create a "Pet Reference Guide" using class-collected facts and photographs from previous lessons and presentations. |
| Materials: |
Preparation:
Color photographs of a variety of pets - Digital Camera
Computer Color Scanner - Color Printer
Scanning Software hot/cold laminating film scissors laminating machine oak tag/construction paper - glue stick
- book binding machine and spines or hole punch and yarn
copies of Pet Reference Form - marker/crayons
- Fact books and class-made fact charts/diagrams from previous lessons
________ Copy one Pet Reference Form for each photographed image on oak tag, colored construction paper or white 8.5" x 11" copy paper.
- Using a scanner, scan each pet photograph, or view each digital photograph.
- Reduce each image to 2" wide by 2" high (approximately), cropping if necessary.
Save reduced image, name each image for the name of the pet photographed. - Print each pet image, in color, on oak tag, white construction paper or white 8.5" x 11" copy paper.
________ Glue one pet image onto each Pet Reference Form.
| (Glue Pet Reference Form onto oak tag or colored construction paper | if it is copied onto white 8.5" x 11" copy paper). |
____ Hot/Cold laminate each completed Pet Reference Form.
Bind worksheets:
| (Teacher Binding) |
- 1) using a book binding machine with the appropriate length of spine, following manufacturer's instructions,
| (Student Binding) |
________ *Note: Completed forms may be copied and multiple copies of the "Pet Reference Guide" may be published, allowing for one copy per student instead of one classroom copy. Also, the completed forms may be reduced and double-sided on a copy machine to conserve paper, providing each student with a mini-sized version of the bigger classroom copy.
- 2) or using a hole punch, punch 2-4 holes at equal distances into each Pet Reference Form and thread one length of yarn through each hole. Once all of the forms have been punched and threaded, tie the yarn.
Pet Reference Form on following page.
Pet Reference Form
My name is:
This is a picture of my pet.
My pet's name is
My pet is a
My _________________________________ likes to eat
My ________________________________ lives in
F. Coss/Revised98.07
HyperStudio Interactive Pet Reference Guide
Objective: To create an interactive Pet Reference Guide with HyperStudio using class-collected facts and photographs from previous lessons, presentations and the bound copy of the "Pet Reference Guide."
| Materials: |
Color photographs of a variety of pets - Digital Camera
Computer Color Scanner - Color Printer
Scanning Software HyperStudio¨v3.07w Digital Video Camera - copies of Pet Reference Form
Audiovisual In/Out Card in your computer blank VHS Video Tapes - VHS Video Camera
- Fact books and class-made fact charts/diagrams from previous lessons
| Preparation: |
________ Give the button sound, recording the student's voice stating the name of the card, (in example that follows the card is named 'Tiarra's Pet').
Using a scanner, scan each pet photograph, or view each digital photograph. Reduce each image to 2" wide by 2" high (approximately), cropping if necessary. Save reduced image, name each image for the name of the pet photographed. Install, then open HyperStudio and select 'New Stack.' Create a new card for each pet photograph. Create a button using the scanned or digital pet image and place button in the center of the card.
________ Add 6 additional buttons like the ones in the example allowing the user of the HyperStudio stack to go forward or backward in the stack, as well as to other cards showing the type of pet, the food the pet eats and where the pet lives. Give each of these buttons sound using the student's voice reading the purpose of each button (i.e., the forward button's sound would be the student saying "forward" or "next card").
________ To install HyperStudio: Follow install directions with software.
To open HyperStudio: Double Click on the HyperStudio icon or select from 'start up' menu.
To create a new stack: Single Click on the NEW STACK button.
To create a new card: Select NEW CARD. Continue creating cards until each student has a card.
| To place scanned or Select ADD CLIP ART and select digital photograph on the source of the image, (i.e., select a card: | digital camera if the image is in a digital camera that is connected to the computer from which you are working or select disk file for a scanned photo that is on your hard drive or a floppy disk. |
To link a card to Select ADD A BUTTON and select a card or a card to 'Go to Next Card' or 'Go to Another another stack: Stack' and select the specific card or stack.
The HyperStudio Card Sample that follows contains 7 buttons:
Button 1: Tiarra's Pet: Upon clicking on the image of the cat, Tiarra's voice is heard saying, "Tiarra's Pet, Midnight." The card/stack does not change.
Button 2: What type Upon clicking on the image of the paw prints or of pet is it?: on the words to the question, Tiarra's voice is heard saying, "What type of pet is it?" The card changes to a card with facts about cats.
Button 3: What does Upon clicking on the image of the food or on the your pet words to the question, Tiarra's voice is heard eat?: saying, "What does my pet eat?" The card changes to a card with facts about food.
Button 4: Where does Upon clicking on the image of the house or on my pet live?: the words to the question, Tiarra's voice is heard saying, "Where does my pet live?" The card changes to a card with facts about habitat.
Button 5: What does Upon clicking on the image of the child and his my pet like dog or on the words to the question, Tiarra's to do?: voice is heard saying, "What does my pet like to do?" The card changes to a card with information about Tiarra's Pet's favorite activities.
Button 6: Yellow, left Upon clicking on the left-pointing arrow the pointing previous card will replace the current card.
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F. Coss/Revised98.07
Dog Treats
| Objective: | To make home-made dog treats for the dogs at the animal shelter. |
| Materials: |
or
3 jars baby food (meat or vegetable) - microwave
1/2 cup Cream of Wheat - mixing bowl(s)
mixing spoon(s) - waxed paper
paper plate(s) - fork(s)
refrigerator - teaspoon(s)
Preparation: Follow the recipe(s) below for the respective list of ingredients:
3 (2.5 oz.) jars baby food (beef/chicken) - 1/4 cup dry milk powder
- 1/4 cup Wheat germ (cream of wheat can be substituted)
well-greased cookie sheet - conventional oven
mixing bowl(s) - mixing spoon(s)
- wire cooling rack(s)
Never Too Old For Baby Food Cookies
Drop by teaspoon on wax paper covered paper plate, flatten with fork, cover with second paper plate or waxed paper. Microwave on high 4-5 minutes, cool, store in refrigerator.
3 jars baby food, meat/vegetable - 1/2 cup Cream of wheat
or
Baby Food Soft Doggie Cookies
Combine ingredients in bowl and mix well. Roll into small balls and place on well-greased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake in preheated 350źF. oven for 15 minutes until brown. Cool on wire racks and STORE IN REFRIGERATOR. Also freezes well.
- 3 (2 1/2 oz. each) jars of baby food; either beef or chicken
- 1/4 cup dry milk powder
- 1/4 cup wheat germ (cream of wheat can be substituted for wheat germ)
*Chef's note: Definitely something to howl about! Cookies are soft and chewy (good for older pets who have lost a few teeth). And they can be whipped up in no time.
*Note: Please contact your animal control officer before making these treats. They should be approved before distribution.
________ If you group the class in threes, they will be able to create 6 large treats per group.
Brann, Donald R. How to Build Pet Housing. (Briarcliff Manor, NY: Directions Simplified, 1975).
Very helpful for a variety of pet homes.
Illustrates tadpole to frog lifecycle.
Helpful illustrations.
Teacher's Edition of Language Arts program.
Offers biology and habitat information.
Easy to read/understand. Terrific photographs.
Great recipes for classroom cooking activities.
Helpful information in list form.
Kramer, Jack. Pets and Plants in Miniature Gardens: How to Create Woodland, Desert, Bog, or Tropical Settings. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1973).
Wonderful habitat resource, indoor/outdoor.
Reviews procedures and responsibilities needed for animal adoption.
An old tale about guinea pigs and reproduction. Great for math and comparing pigs to guinea pigs.
Wonderful for classroom discussion on habitat and owner responsibility.
Great for use before reading "Pet Show!" by Ezra Jack Keats or for before a class pet show to help those who don't really have pets.
Allows for an educated discussion on keeping wild animals as pets.
Easy projects for creating pet homes.
Cooper, Kay. All about Goldfish as Pets. (New York: Messner, 1976).ĽA book from a series of proper care books also available for reptiles/amphibians.
Offers general information on a variety of common and uncommon pets.Roach, Peter. The Complete Book of Pet Care: Birds, Cats, Fish, Dogs, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters, Horses, Mice, Rabbits, Reptiles. (New York: Howell Book House, 1995).
Information warehouse for all types of 'pet-like' creatures.Weber, William J. Care of Uncommon Pets: Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters, Mice, Rats, Gerbils, Chickens, Ducks, Frogs, Toads and Salamanders, Turtles and Tortoises, Snakes and Lizards, and Budgerigars. (New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1979).
Apple QuickTake 150. Digital Camera. Apple Corporation.
____ĽA camera that takes still, color images without the use of film.
General information and scenarios regarding common pets.
General information about common pets.
Reptile pet facts.
____ĽA software program that allows you to create 'cards' and 'stacks' on a computer, printing the cards/stacks to paper or to video.
Great for comparing that 'cute kitten or puppy' to that 'old cat or dog'.See How Pets Grow. [video recording]. See how they grow. (New York: Sony Wonder, 1995).
Abercrombie, Barbara. Charlie Anderson. (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1989).
____ĽA story about a cat that has two homes.
Easy reading with examples of habitat.
Pet responsibility.
Pet care and responsibility.
Easy reader for common pet.
Favorite character with pet responsibility.
Great for discussing owner responsibility.
Good, easy reading facts.
Easy to read, great pictures. Should be read before visiting a shelter.
Great for research.
Goldreich, Gloria. What Can She Be? A Veterinarian. (New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1972).
Integrates School to Career/School to Work cluster(s).
Should be used if Guinea Pigs are present in classroom.
Should be used if Hamsters are present in classroom.
Great story of a boy without a pet entering a pet show.
Easy reading. Nice introductory book for pets.
Responsibility necessary for the care of pets.
Terrific for discussing types of pets for home/school, etc.
Lists the level of care/responsibility for many types of pets.
Great reference book for pet information project.
Necessary for discussion of animal death.
Reference with great photographs and illustrations.
Fun story but good discussion starter for appropriate animals as pets.
Discusses good habitat and health in addition to practical needs for pets.
Great perspective for students.Cohen, Daniel. Animal Rights: A Handbook for Young Adults. (Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 1993).
Story of a lazy turtle who only moves when its lunchtime.O'Donnell, Elizabeth Lee. I Can't Get my Turtle to Move. (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990).
Practical and impractical pets.Rood, Ronald N. May I Keep this Clam, Mother! It Followed me Home. (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1973).
Silly but interesting pet book.Roy, Ron. What Has Ten Legs and Eats Cornflakes?: A Pet Book. (New York: Clarion Books, 1982).
Discusses habitat and pet care.Sattler, Helen Roney. No Place for a Goat. (New York: Elsevier/Nelson Books, 1981).
Wisbeski, Dorothy Gross. Okee: The Story of an Otter in the House. (New York: Farrar, Straus, 1964).iscusses the process of begging for a pet and the responsibility associated with having a pet.
Contents of 1998 Volume VII | Directory of Volumes | Index | Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute
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