Animals: Hibernation, Estivation, and Migration

Target Curriculum: Science

Target Grade: 2 - 3

SOLs: SCI.2.7  
Time: l hour

Objective:
Goals:
1. The students will be able to understand that animals differ in their survival techniques for hot and cold weather.
2. The students will be able to identify animals that hibernate, estivate, and migrate.
3. The students will work cooperatively with each other.

Objectives:
Cognitive: With 80 percent accuracy, the student will be able to:
1. Verbally name examples of animals that hibernate, estivate, and migrate.
2. Match definitions for the words hibernate, estivate, and migrate.
3. Match animals to the appropriate category in which they belong as it relates to survival during seasonal changes.
4. Respond verbally to questions related to collected data.
5. SOL. 2.7.

Psychomotor:
The student will demonstrate active listening skills.

Affective:
The student will cooperate during group activities.

Purpose:
Hibernation is when some animals go into a deep sleep to survive winter without food. Some mammals, such as brown bears, may awaken on warmer days and feed. Any mammal that remains inactive for many weeks with a body temperature lower than normal may be in hibernation. Examples: Brown bear, rodents, ground squirrel.

Estivation occurs when animals, such as snails, face hot, dry seasons when food and moisture are scarce. Examples: Snales, mud turtle, lungfish, some reptiles such as the Nile crocodile, some types of spiders, and Monarch Butterflies.

Migration occurs among animals, such as birds, when they need to travel to a warmer place to find food. Example: Canada geese.

Materials:
When Winter Comes by Pearl Neuman
Scientist Observation Sheets
Pictures of animals to identify
Cave
Sand
Goggles

Procedure:
Set: Read the book When Winter Comes by Pearl Neuman.

Teacher's Instructions: Discuss the meaning of hibernation, estivation, and migration. Discuss examples. The students will be divided into four groups to practice identifying the animals that normally would hibernate, estivate, or migrate. This will be done by having the students complete a Scientist Study Guide from visiting each work station.

Station 1: Let children peek into cave to find a bear in it (animal that hibernates).
Station 2: Have children dig in a pan of sand with a spoon to find a spider, a crocodile, and a turtle (animals that estivate).
Station 3: Have children look at a picture of Canada geese to identify an animal that migrates.
Station 4: Have children look at a picture of a variety of animals and choose one that hibernates, estivates, and migrates.

Observations:
Students will be able to identify animals that hibernate, estivate, and migrate with 80 percent accuracy, as demonstrated on their Scientist Observation Sheet.

Conclusions:
Have students review the definitions by asking students to share their discoveries at the various work stations. Remind students to include the new words in their journals.

Class Discussion Questions:
Scientist Observation Sheet

Station 1: Name an animal that hibernates.

____________ is cozy in his cave. When the sun comes out, he may awaken from his deep sleep and come out and eat.

Station 2: Name an animal that estivates.

Dig gently in the sand and see if you can find three animals that estivate. Be careful!

___________

___________

___________

Station 3: Name an animal that migrates.

Can you name the animal in the picture that migrates? _________ Why would this animal leave for warmer climate during a long, cold winter?

____________

Station 4: From the variety of animals pictured, choose an example of an animal that

1. hibernates: ___________
It is a true hibernator because at the appropriate season it will reduce its body temperature within a few hours and become dormant. It will sleep during the cold months without food.

2. estivates:__________
Estivation occurs when it is hot, dry seasons. Food and moisture are scarce.

3. migrates:__________
When it is cold and plants stop growing, animals fly south to find food. In the summer, it is hard for these animals to find food and water in the south. The animals fly back to the north to find food and water.