bats - florida after school alliance

ELEMENTARY UNIT ANIMALS

11DAY

1

AFTER SCHOOL LEARNING™Day 1

Link to Standard:LA.3.1.7.7 Students will compare and contrast elements in two texts.

Objective: Students compare and contrast a bird’s anatomy as shown in the Birds of Prey book and a bat’s anatomy as shown in this text.

Materials Needed:✓ Scary Creatures:

Bats

✓ Scary Creatures: Birds of Prey

✓ white glue

✓ black cardstock or construction paper

✓ metallic markers

✓ chart paper

✓ markers

10 MIN

TODAY IS

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Scary Creatures:

Bats BY DANIEL GILPIN

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▼ BEFORE READINGBEFORE READINGBUILD BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE 1. Ask students to think about myths and facts about bats.

On chart paper, draw a T-chart with one column labeled “Myths” and one column labeled “Facts.” Have pairs of students generate at least two myths and two facts about bats, such as “Myth: Bats are fl ying mice” and “Fact: Bats are mammals.” Have a student from each pair record at least one entry on the T-chart. Students will add to this chart throughout the week, and they will use it for an activity at the end of the week.

2. Introduce the book by displaying the cover. Ask: Does this look like a scary bat? Note that the book is another in the same series about scary animals, like the Birds of Prey book. Some of the elements in this book, such as the “X-Ray Vision” feature, will be the same as in other books in the series.

3. Go through the table of contents and read the headings together. Point out that each chapter title is a question. Why do students think the author used questions as titles?

VOCABULARY REVIEW & PREVIEW 1. Explain key vocabulary. Say: Let’s learn the meanings of a few

important words before we start reading. I’ll read the defi nitions and an example sentence using each word.

rodent (ROW-dint) a small mammal with gnawing teeth, such as a mouse, rat, or squirrel

• Most people want to keep rodents out of their homes.

mammal (MAM-uhl) an animal that feeds on its mother’s milk when it is a baby

• Bats and mice are mammals.

nectar (NECK-tuhr) a sweet, sticky liquid produced by fl owers to attract animals

• Some bats feed on nectar from fl owers.

Week of March 9

AFTER SCHOOL LEARNING™ Day 1

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▼ DURING READING DURING READING PAGES 4–9 1. Read pages 4–5. Compare and contrast bats and other animals. Ask:

• How is a mouse similar to a bat? How is it different? (They are both mammals, but a mouse cannot fl y.)

• How is a butterfl y similar to a bat? How is it different? (A butterfl y has wings like a bat, but a butterfl y is not a mammal.)

2. Read pages 6–7. Discuss the different sizes of bats.

• Have students hold out their index fi nger and imagine the smallest bat, Kitti’s hog-nosed bat, sitting on their fi nger. Explain that this bat is only about an inch long.

• Have students hold out one arm. Explain that North America’s biggest bat, the western mastiff bat, has a wingspan of 22 inches, which is about the length of a person’s arm. That’s pretty big!

3. Read pages 8–9. Ask:

• Let’s compare the wings of a bird with the wings of a bat. What do a bird’s bones support? (muscles from which feathers grow) What does a bat’s bones support? (skin, like the crossed poles of a kite)

10–15MIN

DAY ONE Bats

Book Navigation Tip

Remind students to read the main body text before reading the captions, sidebars, and “Did You Know?” features. Encourage students to hold their books up toward the light when they get to an X-Ray Vision icon so they can see through the page.

Week of March 9


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DAY ONE Bats

▼ AFTER READING AFTER READING CONNECT TO ANATOMY: Bat’s and Bird’s Bones

1. Review how a bird’s bones and a bat’s bones are alike and different. For an “X-ray vision” of a bird’s skeleton, see page 10 of Scary Creatures: Birds of Prey. Have students hold up that page and compare it to page 9 of Scary Creatures: Bats.

2. Tell students they will draw models of the bald eagle skeleton shown on page 10 of Scary Creatures: Birds of Prey and the Natterer’s bat skeleton shown on page 9 of Scary Creatures: Bats.

3. Provide students with two sheets of black letter-size cardstock or construction paper. They will draw their animals’ fragile bones on this paper. First, have them lightly sketch their outline with white crayon, using the book illustrations as reference.

4. Then have them label the bones with a metallic marker.

5. Next, have them give dimension to the drawing by tracing the outline with the white glue. Wait for the glue to dry and display the artwork.

▼ WRAP UPWRAP UPDiscuss what students have read so far about bats. Review the chapter titles and summarize the answers. Add facts to the “Myths and Facts” T-chart. Ask:

• What is a bat? (a fl ying mammal)

• How big are bats? (different sizes, from the size of your fi ngertip to the size of a small fox with wings)

• How do bats fl y? (by fl apping their wings)

Explain: Today we learned what bats are, how big they are, and how they fl y. Tomorrow we will learn what’s inside a bat and what bats eat.

5 MIN

YOU’VE COMPLETED DAY 1!

30–35MIN

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22DAY

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▼ BEFORE READINGBEFORE READINGBUILD BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE 1. Summarize what students have learned so far. Explain: So far,

we’ve learned several facts about bats. Say:

• There are two main types of bats. One eats insects or meat. What does the other type eat? (fruit or nectar)

• Do bats have feathers or skin? (skin)

2. Think aloud to set a purpose for reading. Say: Let’s read on to learn what’s inside a bat, whether bats can walk, and what bats eat.

VOCABULARY REVIEW & PREVIEW 1. Explain: I’m going to read vocabulary words from this

section and give the defi nitions. Then I’ll relate that word to something you already know.

membrane (MEM-brain) a thin, fl exible sheet of material

• Ask: Imagine you just peeled an orange into sections. If you remove the membrane, you’ll be left with just the juicy part of the orange. What other fruit has a membrane? (grapefruit, lemon)

soprano (so-PRAH-no) in singing, the highest-ranging voice

• Ask: Would a soprano most likely be a woman or a man? (woman)

roost (ROOST) a place to rest or sleep

• Ask: Why is rooster a good name for the male chicken? (It is often seen roosting, or resting, on a barn or a fence.)

echolocation (EH-kow-low-KAY-shun) a system of determining where something is based on the time it takes for an echo to return

• Ask: Where might you hear an echo? (in an empty room with no furniture; in a canyon)

Link to Standard:LA.3.1.6.5 Students will relate new vocabulary to familiar words.

Objective: Students will use prior knowledge to understand words such as membrane, soprano, and epaulette.


Bats

✓ blindfold

10 MIN

TODAY IS

____/____/____.

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Scary Creatures:


Week of March 9


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▼ DURING READING DURING READING PAGES 10–17 1. Read pages 10–13. Practice the day’s objective of using prior knowledge

to understand new vocabulary. Ask:

• Have you ever heard the expression “blind as a bat”?

• Is it true that bats are blind? (no)

• So the expression “blind as a bat” is just a myth. Let’s add that to the “Myths and Facts” chart we started yesterday.

• On page 12, we read about a soprano pipistrelle. This bat makes a high-pitched squeak. Why is soprano a good name for this bat? (In a choir, a soprano has the highest singing voice.)

2. Read pages 14–15. Say:

• On page 14, we see an epauletted bat. Do you know what an epaulette is? (a shoulder ornament worn by military offi cers)

• You can’t see it in this picture, but an epauletted bat has large patches of white fur on its shoulders.


• Do insect-eating bats have good hearing? Why? (Yes, because their huge ears amplify sound.)

10–15MIN

DAY TWO Page 2 Bats

Gesture as You Read

Gesturing helps students remember new concepts. Complement your reading with gestures and facial expressions. For example, as you read about canines and molars on page 11, point to your own canines and molars.

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DAY TWO Page 3 Bats

▼ AFTER READING AFTER READING CONNECT TO SCIENCE: Demonstrate Echolocation

1. Explain to students that they are going to play a game that demonstrates how bats use echolocation to fi nd their prey and to avoid obstacles as they fl y. This game is best played in an open area or outdoors.

2. One student is blindfolded as the “bat.” The other students act as either prey (the insects) or obstacles like buildings and trees. For large groups, you may want to divide the class into two to four smaller groups.

3. The “bat” emits a squeak, and the “insects” then bounce back the sound by emitting their own squeak. Obstacles should announce what they are at the same time. The insects may only move in between each of the bat’s “turns.” After the bat has squeaked, the insects have responded, and the bat has had a chance to get closer to them, the insects may move to a new location for the next “turn.” The obstacles should fi nd a location to stand at the beginning of the game and then should not move from their places throughout.

4. The bat listens carefully and moves in the direction of the insects. When the bat tags the squeaking insect, that student is out.

5. Each student should have a chance to act as the bat.

6. After the game, discuss with students the diffi culties in differentiating the obstacles from the prey. Ask students how they think bats are able to tell the difference between the two, such as the fact that insects move and obstacles do not, and that the two refl ect sounds differently.

▼ WRAP UPWRAP UPDiscuss what you have learned about bats. Ask:

• Can bats walk? (The vampire bat can use its wings like another pair of legs, and then it will walk on all fours.)

• What do vampire bats eat? (the blood of animals and people)

• Do bats rely on their eyesight to catch prey at night? (No, they use echolocation.)

Explain: Today we learned about what’s inside a bat, whether bats can walk, and what bats eat. We also learned about echolocation. Tomorrow we will learn about other bat behaviors.

5 MIN


30–35MIN

Week of March 9


DAY

1

AFTER SCHOOL LEARNING™

33▼ BEFORE READINGBEFORE READING

REVIEW THE LEARNING 1. Remind students that so far, they have learned what a bat

is, how big bats are, whether bats fl y or walk, what’s inside a bat, what bats eat, and how bats hunt. Add more facts to the “Myths and Facts” T-chart.

2. Tell students that today they will learn more about bats. Say: Today we will learn why bats hang upside down and whether bats hibernate. We will also fi nd out if vampire bats are a myth or a fact.

VOCABULARY REVIEW & PREVIEW 1. Explain: Here are some important vocabulary words for

this section. I’ll read the defi nitions and give a sentence using each word. Then I’ll ask you a question about the word so you can relate it to something you already know.

hibernate (HI-ber-nayt) to sleep through the winter

• Some bats hibernate in the winter.Ask: What other animals hibernate in the winter? (bears, groundhogs)

colony (KOL-uh-nee) a group of animals living together

• Bats live in colonies.Ask: What other animals live in colonies? (ants, bees, prairie dogs)

regurgitate (ree-GUR-ji-tate) to bring up food from the stomach to the mouth

• Vampire bats regurgitate food for sick bats.Ask: What animals regurgitate food for their babies? (birds)

Link to Standard:LA.3.1.6.2 Students will listen to and discuss familiar and conceptually challenging text.

Objective: Students will listen to new information about bats and relate it to what they already know.


Bats

✓ butcher paper

✓ watercolor paints and brushes

10 MIN

TODAY IS

____/____/____.

Day 3

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Scary Creatures:


Week of March 9


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▼ DURING READINGDURING READINGPAGES 18–23 1. Read pages 18–19. Encourage students to restate conceptually

challenging vocabulary. Ask:

• What is another way to say spectacled ? (“one who wears glasses”)

• How do a bat’s legs help it fl y? (They help hold the bat’s wings open.)


• What is another way to say “the freezing point of water”? (“temperature at which water becomes ice”) What is the freezing temperature on the Fahrenheit scale? (32 degrees)

• What would happen to bats if they did not hibernate in cold weather? Why? (They would starve to death because food is hard to fi nd.)


• Where do vampire bats live? (South and Central America)

• Do vampire bats suck blood? (No, they make a cut and then lap up the blood that fl ows.)

10–15MIN

DAY THREE Page 2 Bats

Day 3

More About Vampire Bats

Vampire bats have fewer teeth than any other bats because they drink their food instead of chewing. They are so careful and quiet when they land on their victims that they can drink blood from an animal for up to thirty minutes without waking it up!

Week of March 9


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▼ AFTER READING AFTER READING CONNECT TO ART: Nighttime Murals

1. Have collaborative groups of students choose a bat species discussed in the book and create a night-scene mural about that bat.

2. Provide each group with a large sheet of butcher paper or poster board. Provide dark watercolor paints (such as black, blue, and brown), white paint, and watercolor brushes.

3. Have students start by wetting the paper so that it is slightly damp. Then have them mix the dark colors on the paper to form a mottled background. It should not be completely black, since they will be adding black shapes on top of it once it has dried.

4. They can add a white or gray moon and some streaks of light throughout the background. When students have painted the entire sheet of paper, let the paper dry.

5. While the paint dries, have students cut out shapes showing their bat and its habitat and favorite foods or prey from black construction paper to add to their night scene. They can cut trees, buildings, a fence, bats, cows, and other things to glue onto the background.

6. Display students’ murals and ask groups to explain which bat its mural is depicting.

▼ WRAP UPWRAP UPHave students summarize what they learned today about bats. Ask:

• Why do bats hang upside down? (Because of the way their legs are positioned, it’s hard for them to fl y from a standing position.)

• Why do some bats hibernate? (Because food is hard to fi nd, and they live off their fat reserves as they sleep.)

• Should we be worried about vampire bats? (No; they feed off the blood of other animals.)

Explain: Today we talked about some behaviors of bats, such as hibernation, hanging upside down, and drinking blood. Tomorrow we will learn if bats can harm us by spreading disease. We’ll also explore more myths. Think about this: Why are bats considered scary?

5 MIN

30–35MIN


DAY THREE Page 3 Bats

Day 3

Week of March 9


44DAY

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▼ BEFORE READINGBEFORE READINGBUILD BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE 1. Remind students that every habitat has scary creatures. Ask:

• This week we learned about scary bats. What makes them scary?

• Does it have anything to do with their nighttime activities?

• Does it relate to their association with vampires?

2. Preview the day’s learning objective. Say: Today we’re going to identify shades of meaning in words that mean almost the same thing. For example, we know that bats fl y. But consider these two ways of conveying that thought:

The bats fl ew into the town.

The bats descended on the town.

• Ask: What is the subtle difference in meaning? (Answers may vary but should include that in the fi rst sentence, the bats are fl ying, and this action has no effect on anyone. They are just traveling through the air. In the second sentence, the bats come down like a heavy curtain. We have a sense that the town is overwhelmed by so many bats. The presence of the bats is a problem.)

VOCABULARY REVIEW & PREVIEW 1. Explain: I’m going to read the vocabulary words from this

section and give the defi nitions. Then I’ll tell you which page that word appears on and ask for volunteers to fi nd and read aloud the sentence containing the word.

epidemic (eh-pih-DEH-mik) a widespread outbreak of a disease

• Vampire bats caused a rabies epidemic in Brazil. p. 24

conservationist (kon-ser-VAY-shun-ist) a person who works to protect wildlife or wild places

• The only people who get bitten by bats are those who work with them, such as scientists and conservationists. p. 24

continent (KON-tih-nent) a very large landmass; there are seven continents: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica

• Bats can be found on every continent except Antarctica. p. 28

Link to Standard:LA.3.1.6.6 Students will identify “shades of meaning” in related words.

Objective: Students will identify the nuances between words that relate to bats, such as descend/fl y, develop/get.


Bats

✓ drawing paper

✓ art supplies, including markers, pencils, and paint

10 MIN

TODAY IS

____/____/____.

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Scary Creatures:


Week of March 9


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▼ DURING READING DURING READING PAGES 24–30 1. Read pages 24–25. Take this opportunity to discuss shades of meaning.

Model how students can identify differences in the words.

• On page 25, it says that mosquitoes transmit malaria. What is the difference between transmitting malaria and carrying malaria? (To transmit a disease means to communicate it, or to transfer a disease to another. To carry a disease means to have the ability to transfer a disease.)

2. Read pages 26–27 and discuss the images. Say: These pictures present the scary side of bats. Ask:

• Where have you seen bats portrayed in a scary way? (Answers will vary, but students may mention Halloween or horror movies.)

• What are some myths that we can add to our “Myths and Facts” T-chart? (Bats get tangled up in women’s hair; bats turn into human vampires; bat bites are painful.)

3. Read pages 28–30 and talk about bats around the world. Ask:

• Of all the bats pictured here, which bat can be found on our continent, North America? (spotted bat)

• Which one can be found in South America? (wrinkled-face bat)

• Which three can be found in Asia? (Kitti’s hog-nosed bat, Indian fl ying fox, hammer-headed bat)

• Let’s summarize some of the facts on page 30 and list them in our “Myths and Facts” T-chart.

10–15MIN

Encourage Questions

As you read, encourage students to ask questions. Pause at key points and share thoughts and questions. Model how to respond to questions. If you don’t know the answer to a student’s question, say, “Hmm, I don’t remember. Let’s fl ip back and see if we can fi nd the answer.”

DAY FOUR Page 2 Bats

Week of March 9


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▼ AFTER READING AFTER READING CONNECT TO ART: Draw a Bat Caricature

1. Tell students that a caricature is a drawing that exaggerates certain physical features. Perhaps they have seen caricatures of famous people or politicians in the newspaper.

2. Many of the bats featured in this book lend themselves to caricature, if only for their unusual names. Together, fl ip through the book and list names of bats: fruit bat, hog-nosed bat, fl ying fox, long-nosed bat, spear-nosed bat, vampire bat, spectacled fl ying fox, horseshoe bat, Australian ghost bat, leaf-nosed bat, hammer-headed bat, wrinkled-face bat.

3. Have students choose a bat with an unusual name. Then have them draw a caricature, exaggerating the feature that the bat is named for. For example, students may draw a fruit bat with the body of a fuzzy kiwi and red wings studded with watermelon seeds. Or a spectacled fl ying fox can sport tiny glasses and a long bushy tail. Tell students to use their imagination!

4. When students are fi nished with their drawings, have others guess what bat is being represented.

▼ WRAP UPWRAP UPAfter discussing the Bat Facts on page 30, allow students to respond. Ask:

• What bat fact did you already know?

• What bat fact surprises you?

Talk about the title of the book, which says that bats are scary. Students may agree that not all of them are scary. Ask:

• Which bats do you think are cute?

• Which are funny-looking?

• What other animals do they resemble?

Explain: Because there are almost 1,000 species of bats in the world, this book only gives a glimpse into the world of this fascinating fl ying mammal. Now that you know a little about bats, you may be curious to fi nd out more. You may even help raise awareness about bats. As with other scary creatures we have learned about, people are afraid of bats. Do you still think bats are to be feared?


DAY FOUR Page 3 Bats

5 MIN

30–35MIN

Week of March 9

DAY FIVE Page x Woodrow Wilson™

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55DAY

1

WRAP-UP DAY ACTIVITIES Continued on next page.WRAP-UP DAY ACTIVITIES Continued on next page.

Objectives: Students will

• create and innovate.

• communicate and collaborate.

• direct their own learning.

• enjoy their own creative process.

Materials Needed:✓ index cards

✓ long jump rope

✓ black craft foam

✓ black feather boas

✓ black beads for eyes

✓ fi shing line or dental fl oss

✓ Internet access

Day 5 Is Wrap-Up Day! These activities are designed to let students take charge of their learning and explore their own creative processes. Choose one or several of the activities below. Set up a table, or “station,” where students can go to take part in each. At the start of the session, explain the choices. Depending on the number of choices and students interested in each, you may need to set time limits and have students take turns at some of the stations.

BAT FOODHave students create images on index cards of foods and prey that bats like to eat, such as mangoes and bugs. Then they can use these cards for a game of memory. They should place all the cards face down. Each student playing the game can pretend to be one species of bat. The fi rst player turns over a card. If it’s a food he or she would eat, the player takes the card out of the game. If it is a food he or she would not eat, the player turns it face down again. The fi rst player to locate fi ve foods that his or her bat would eat is the winner.

FEATHERY BOA BATStudents can make different species of bats from pieces of black feather boa. First, have students choose a bat species from the book that they would like to create and note a few key characteristics, such as wing shape and size. Have students cut the wings out of a piece of black craft foam. Make sure the wings are connected in the center. (This is easy if they cut the wings from a folded piece of craft foam.) Next, give each student a length of feather boa. Have them place a double-sided piece of tape down the center of the wings and tape the boa in place (or use hot glue). Add beady eyes and any other defi ning characteristics. Thread fi shing line to the back, and hang where desired.

BAT MYTHSRefer to the “Myths and Facts” T-chart started earlier in the week. Have students choose a myth and a fact to illustrate in such a way that the myth seems silly. For example, for the myth that bats get tangled in your hair, students can draw a woman with a tall beehive hairdo struggling with a bat that has become entangled. They can also illustrate a corresponding fact, such as the idea that bats’ sense of echolocation helps them avoid obstacles.

Day 5 AFTER SCHOOL LEARNING™

TODAY ISTODAY IS

____/____/____.____/____/____.

Apply All the NEW IDEAS!

Scary Creatures:


Week of March 9

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DAY FIVE Page 2 Bats

WRAP-UP DAY ACTIVITIES Continued from previous page.WRAP-UP DAY ACTIVITIES Continued from previous page.


LITTLE BAT JUMP ROPE SONGStudents can jump rope to this “batty” version of the classic “Teddy Bear” jump rope song. Ideally, this is a song for two turners and one jumper. However, if the rope is long enough and the jumpers skilled enough, two can jump simultaneously. The jumper can jump in or stand in, but in the end, he or she must be able to jump out without touching the rope.

Little bat, little bat, turn around.Little bat, little bat, touch the ground.Little bat, little bat, communicate. (squeak)Little bat, little bat, hibernate. (close eyes)Little bat, little bat, catch your prey.Little bat, little bat, fl y away! (jump out)

After all interested students have jumped to this tune, encourage them to create their own songs about bats to the tune of other jump rope songs they know.

ONLINE ACTIVITIESIf online resources are available, invite students to learn more about bats. Make sure the computer’s sound is turned on before you begin.

YOU’VE COMPLETED SCARY CREATURES: BATS!

1Bats• Go to http://goafterschool.grolier.com.

• Click on the Science Explorations button on the right.

• Scroll over the picture of the bat and click on it to open the “Soar With Bats” page.

• At the bottom of the page, click on Read Article next to the Super Science logo. Print the article and follow instructions to do the “Chip Challenge.”

Week of March 9

bats - florida after school alliance

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