Feathery, Furry, Scaly Friends     An Animal Covering and Motion Web quest for First Graders

Designed by

Karen Rafferty, adapted for HCPS by Andy Jackson & Kim Brantley

Introduction

You know a lot about animals!  You know animals can swim, fly, walk or slither! You are going to learn even more about animals and share what you learn with others. 

The Task

Many people cannot visit the zoo to see the animals in person.  They may live too far away, or they don't have a way to get to the zoo.  

Your job is to make posters of animals that you can see at a zoo.

1. Tell about the covering of that animal.

2. Tell about how that animal moves from place to place.

3. Work with a partner. Both of you must contribute to the project.

You will get your pictures from the Internet. The two web sites we will use are ExZooberance and Efish – The Virtual Aquarium. You will insert the picture into your own Microsoft Word document along with your written description of the animal’s covering and how it moves. You will be able to email a copy of your poster to people who would like to see the animals in your zoo.

The Process

Let's Get Started!

1. First, the head zookeeper will give you a group to work with. It is important that you work well with your partners so that you will have fun and learn a lot too!  You and your partners will be able to conference with each other and the head zookeeper who will help you evaluate your posters. It is important to listen and cooperate with them, too.

2. You are going to look at the list of animals below and choose one animal to report on. Your group must have one animal from each section.

Click on the name of an animal and it will take you to pictures that you can choose from. Some animal names you may know. Others will be a mystery!  Have fun and work together! You have to work together and agree on the animal each partner will do. After you decide on the animal you are going to write about, click on the links to take you to pictures of your animal.  We only need one report per animal. This means that you will need to be the first to request an animal in order to guarantee your animal choice.

Choose the one picture of your animal that you like the best, either print it and glue it to a poster or insert it into a computer document using your animal name as the name of the document. Your head zookeeper will tell you how to save your picture. Have your head zookeeper help you copy the link that you got the picture from. You can put this link in your document in order to give the photographer credit for his/her work on your poster.

Virtual Zoo
They Swim – but they are not fish!

Alligator	Beaver	Blue Whale
Bottle-Nosed Dolphin	California Sea Lion	Crocodile
Dolphin	Harp Seal	Humpback Whale
Killer Whale	Manatee	Minke Whale
Sea Otter	Sea Turtle	Walrus
Whale

Virtual Zoo
They Fly

Bat	Bee-Eater	Bittern
Black Duck	Booby	Coot
Cormorant	Crane	Crowned Pigeon
Duck	Eagle	Egret
Finch	Flamingo	Flycatcher
Gallinule	Goose	Goshawk
Great Blue Heron	Great Horned Owl	Grebe
Green Heron	Gull	Harlequin Duck
Harrier	Hawk	Heron
Hoopoe	Hornbill	Kingfisher
Lovebird	Macaw	Mandarin Duck
Marabou	Moorhen	Owl
Parrot	Pelican	Pigeon
Plover	Red-Tailed Hawk	Robin
Shrike	Snipe	Sparrow Hawk
Spotted Owl	Starling	Stork
Teal	Tern	Thrush
Vulture	Wagtail	Warbler
Weaverbird	Wood Duck	Woodpecker

Virtual Zoo
They Walk

	American Elk	Bison
Black Bear	Black-Footed Ferret	Bobcat
Brown Bear	Buffalo	Camel
Capybara	Caribou	Chameleon
Cheetah	Chimpanzee	Chipmunk
Clouded Leopard	Coyote	Deer
Dycker	Elephant	Fox
Giant Panda	Giraffe	Gorilla
Gray Wolf	Grizzly Bear	Hedgehog
Hippopotamus	Iguana	Impala
Jaguar	Kangaroo	Lemur
Leopard	Lion	Lizard
Lynx	Macaque Monkey	Manguste
Marmot	Mongoose	Monkey
Moose	Mule Deer	Ocelot
Orangutan	Oryx	Ostrich
Polar Bear	Porcupine	Prairie Dog
Puma	Raccoon	Red Fox
Rhinoceros	Serual	Skunk
Squirrel	Tapir	Tiger
Tortoise	Warthog	White-Tailed Deer
Wolf	Zebra

Virtual Aquarium of Virginia
They Swim

Fish

Here you can choose one type of fish that makes Virginia its home.

3. Now you have to do the writing.  You are going to describe the animal covering and describe how the animal moves around.

You will work together with your group to decide what to say.

You will type or write the words for your poster and help your partners decide what to say on their posters. Your head zookeeper will assign another group to help you evaluate your work. You may then add or delete details on your poster.  Don’t forget to put your animal’s name at the top of your poster.

Your head zookeeper will help you edit your writing.

When you and your partners are happy with the way the posters look, contact the head zookeeper about printing out your poster.

4. Present your Animal! Tell all of your friends the name of your animal, about its covering, and how it moves.

After you present your poster, select a friend who will match the covering of your animal with the correct sample from the animal coverings collection box.

Your head zookeeper will help the group decide on an appropriate display. You may want to display the posters in a bound book or you may want to find a place in the hallway for others to enjoy!

Note: If you work quickly, you may have time to choose another animal to describe!