Station 1- Shell-tastic!
Directions
1. Familiarize yourself with the different shells provided,
specifically look at their color, size and shape.
2. Agree on a way to split the shells into two groups, in your science
notebook write the qualifications of the two groups
3. Repeat Step 2 with 3 groups
4. Repeat Step 2 with 4 groups
5. Make sure you write down the qualifications of the groups for
each step!
Questions
1. How difficult was it to make two groups of shells? Two? Three?
Four?
2. What would be the benefits for grouping shells in this way?
3. How difficult would it be to put the shells into 10 groups? (See if
you can!)
Station 2- Let it Snow!
Directions
1. Use the Snowflake Dichotomous Key to identify each lettered
snowflake sample. Start by putting the snowflake letter in the
column that says “Snowflake Letter”.
2. Go to the first part on the Snowflake Dichotomous Key. Read the
two clue questions. Pick the one that best describes your
snowflake and then follow the “go to” directions.
3. Record each question number and letter combination that you
select as you go, under “Questions Answered”. Remember for
each snowflake you identify, you must always start with
part/question one on the dichotomous key.
4. Continue until you have identified the scientific name of the
snowflake. Write the name of the snowflake under “Scientific
Name of the Snowflake”
Station 2—Animal Safari
Directions
1) Log on to the computer (first group only)
2) Open Google Earth and find the search
bar
3) One at a time, type in the exact coordinates for each box. Don’t
forget direction (N, S, E, or W)!
4) Google Earth will take you to that coordinate. Use the tools on
the right hand side of the map to zoom in and discover the
hidden animal.
5) After you have concluded what the animal is, write down your
answers next to the appropriate coordinate.
Questions
1. Did you notice anything different about the habitats each animal
was located in? Explain in the third column.
2. Do all of the animals fall under the same classification? Ex.
Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, Fish
3. Could we classify animals based on where they live? How? As a
group, come up with some examples.
4. Imagine you are sending an alien on a real safari and they’ve never
seen an animal before. How would you tell the alien where to find
an animal? What characteristics would you use to describe that
animal? Remember, they don’t know what an ‘elephant’ is or looks
like. BE SPECIFIC!
Station 4- Survival
Directions
1. Get your animal card from the station and look at the back to
find the population numbers. Take a look to see if you can find
any trends with the numbers.
2. Use the numbers to create a graph that shows the trend of
your animal’s population over time. Don’t forget to label the
two axis with titles. The year should be on the X-axis and the
population number should be on the Y-axis.
3. When you’re done, move on to the questions with a partner!
Questions (Discus with your Group)
*Remember you answers or write them down to share if another group
finishes.
1. Describe what the graph tells you about the population of your
animals.
2. What are some reasons that could explain the changes of your
animals’ population?
3. What characteristics set your animal apart from each other?
How might these differences affect how they survive?
4. Can you pick another animal and explain what characteristics
make it able to live in its environment? If you have time, can you
think of a plant that has special characteristics that help it
survive in its environment? (Example: Cacti have special abilities
to store water longer than other plants so they are able to live in
the desert.)