Animal Detective

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Teacher's Guide

Summary of Contents

ACTIVITY ONE - THE CASE OF THE SENSITIVE SNIFFERS

Learning Objective:
Students learn to follow a scent trail.

Contents:
30 Clue cards
6 Mammal pictures (rabbit, raccoon, squirrel, red fox, antelope, bobcat)
Film canister with skunk scent
Film canister with red fox scent

ACTIVITY TWO - THE CASE OF THE CURIOUS CLUES

Learning Objective:
Students will examine evidence of animal life and attempt to identify it.

Contents:
Beaver chewed log
Owl pellets
Antler
Plant galls
Porcupine quills
Snake shed
Set of animal pictures
NatureScope Mammals - Part I

ACTIVITY THREE - THE CASE OF THE TRICKY TRACKS

Learning Objective:
Students learn characteristics to look for when “reading” animal tracks.

Contents:
Set of 52 Nebraska Game and Parks' Project Wild Track Cards
Wildlife Tracks from Nebraska Game and Parks' Project Wild
Plastic animal tracks (5 sets included)

ACTIVITY FOUR - THE CASE OF THE TALKING SKULLS

Learning Objective:
Students will learn to observe and "read" information from skulls as they make clay models of them.

Contents:
Beaver skull
Mink skull
Coyote skull
Shrew skull
Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel skull
Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel study skin
Skull parts posterboard
Mammal food habits posterboard
Animal pictures
Peripheral vision activity sheet (From Exploratorium's Snackbook)
NatureScope Mammals - Part I

ACTIVITY FIVE - THE CASE OF THE NOISY NEIGHBORS

Learning Objective:
Students will learn that animals can be identified by the sounds that they make.

Contents:
1 Pair of noisemakers for each pair of students
1 Deer call
1 Turkey call
Coyote songs tape
2 Predator cards