Bat Behavior Inquiry-based Program
How does measuring behavior help save bats?
Grades 2-12
Pre-Visit Activity for the Classroom
Time: 1-2 hours
Overview: Inquiry-based learning is a great way to teach science and the scientific method! By
taking an active role in collecting data students will stay engaged in their lessons. The purpose of
this activity is to utilize the Inquiry method by observing animal behavior, specifically bats, to
draw conclusions based on their observations. Building hypotheses is an important part of the
Scientific method and will be practiced here. Students will watch and record behaviors from a
video demonstrating bat food preference. The first time with their teacher, again on their own,
and a third time with an OBC educator when they bring live bats to the classroom. This video
will be used to help the students practice inquiry-based science investigation, build science
literacy, and begin to discover what a scientist does when conducting their investigations.
Studying animal behavior helps in the conservation of many species.
Objectives:
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Make observations
Generate questions about bat behavior
Explore books and other information sources
Investigate
Use scientific tools to gather and analyze data
Propose explanations and hypotheses
Communicate results
Meet an expert and live bats, when any remaining questions can be answered
Standards Covered:
Grade 2: 2-LS2-2, 2-LS4-1, W.2.7, W.2.8, 2.MD.D.10
Grade 3: 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4, 3-LS3-2, 3LS4-2, RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3, W.3.2, W.3.8, SL.3.4,
3.MD.B.3
Grade 4: 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2, 4-PS4-2, W.4.1, SL.4.5, MP.4
Grade 5: 5-LS2-1, 5-LS1-1, LS2.A, RI.5.7, W.5.1, SL.5.5, MP.4, MP.5
Middle School: MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-4, MS-LS2-5, MS-L1-4, MS-ESS3-3, MS-ESS3-4, RST.68.1, RST.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.1, WHST.6-8.2, WHST.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.9, SL.8.5, MP.4, 6.P.B.5
High School: HS-LS2-7, HS-LS2-8, HS-LS4-6, HS-LS4-5, RST.9-10.8, RST.11-12.1, RST.1112.7, RST.11-12.8, WHST.9-12.7, MP.2, MP.4, HS.ID.A.1, HSS-IC.B.6, HS-ESS3-4, HS-ESS36
Materials:
 Bat video digital file
 Access to computer, projector, or TV to show class bat video
 2 sheets of construction paper per student
 2 sheets of copy paper or lined paper per student
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Results Graphic Organizer
Hypotheses page
1 copy each of bat behavior and food ethograms per student
Results page
Pens or pencils
Crayons or markers
Background:
Our bats at the Organization for Bat Conservation are all rescues. None of them can be
released back to the wild. Fruit bats eat half their body weight in fruit every day! We feed
our bats a variety of fruits and vegetables.
A BEHAVIOR an action carried out in response to stimuli
ADAPTATIONS are features a living thing has that help them survive. These can
include adaptations for feeding, movement, defense, mating, raising young, surviving
weather conditions, etc.
An ETHOGRAM is a log or table of various behaviors observed in an animal. Scientists
use ethograms to record and study an animal’s behavior.
FORAGING is a search for food.
NATURAL SELECTION is the process where good changes help animals survive
reproduce, passing on those traits to their offspring
A HYPOTHESIS is a possible explanation for how or why something happens. This
should be a simple statement, NOT a prediction of what you expect to happen.
PREPARATION:
1. Have each student create an Investigator’s Journal (See example provided)
To create the journal, each student will need the following;
 two sheets of construction paper (title and decorate)
 observation page (see attached)
 behavior ethogram
 food ethogram
 Results page graphic organizer
~ Document with these items will be attached
Activity:
1. Engagement
 Introduce the activity by discussing adaptations
 Discuss why adapting to your environment is important for survival
 Discuss adaptations students may have observed animals using to eat their food.
For example: birds have different kinds of beaks to eat different foods (For other
examples check out Nat Geo or BBC.). Record in journals.
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2. Exploration – Independent Study
Behavior Investigation: Which food item do the bats eat the most of?
 Divide students into groups.
 Give students a couple of minutes to make predictions in their groups and record
them in their journal. Example: bats will eat mostly figs, bats will eat mostly peppers,
etc.
 Watch the video a second time.
 This time, students should tally their findings on their food ethograms.
 A tally should be recorded in the appropriate row each time a bat chooses a fruit type.
Bats might touch, smell, or lick a fruit item, but let’s define choosing as an actual bite
to stay consistent.
3. Elaboration
 Watch the provided video clip with your students. You will first observe typical
bat behaviors and record them on your behavior ethogram by marking a tally in
the correct row each time that behavior is performed. This worksheet will require
students to follow along with the video and identify different behaviors.
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4. Explanation
Students will now practice turning their observations into questions that they may want to
research, just like scientists! Give students 5 minutes to write down questions they have
after observing bats and their foraging behavior.
Examples:
 What are the bats doing?
 What were they eating?
 What did you notice about the bats’ habitat?
 How were the bats moving?
 What can you tell me about these bats’ appearance and behavior?
 What have you learned from watching this video clip?
 Where do you think this animal lives in the wild?
 How do the bats interact with each other?
Have them answer these questions independently in their journals.
 What do you see?
 What is interesting to you?
 Does this remind you of anything?
 What do you think the bats will do next?
 What have you learned from watching the bats?
 What do you think the bats smell/feel like?
 Why are the bats demonstrating the observed behaviors?
5. Evaluation
An important part of research is assessing and then sharing your findings. By sharing
information, other scientists, students, and the public will better understand the natural world
around us and the role we play in it.
1. Have students, in their groups, summarize their findings in a table, chart, or graph in their
journals. Summarize these results in a written paragraph.
 What food was eaten most often? Least?
 What conclusions have you made based on your observations?
 Was there anything the bats did while eating that was interesting?
 What part of the bats’ natural environment influences the behavior you observed?
 Why is food preference important when studying wild species?
2. Note any unanswered questions to ask your OBC educator’s during their visit.
3. Have a representative from each group share their findings with the class. Which food
item did they discover the bats ate the most of. (Answers: The students should have found
that the bats ate mostly lettuce. They also ate melon, banana, and mango)
OBC Educator Visit:
Schedule a visit with OBC to have one of their educators visit your classroom with several
species of bats to meet. To schedule a Bat Behavior program, call 248-645-3234 and ask for
Dawn.
During this visit our educator will:
1. Present an animal behavior program with live animals displayed
2. Review students’ ethogram results
3. Explore why your students got the results they did
4. Answer any questions left unanswered from Part 1
5. Introduce live bats to the classroom
Post-visit Extension:
1. Data analysis and presentation: For older students, enter data into Excel spreadsheets.
Students could summarize data using very simple excel functions for mean and
distribution. Students could also use the Excel Chart wizard to produce graphs.
2. Students can create an ethogram for their pets at home or a native species.
3. Your class can present their data using posters, written reports, blogs, etc.
As a class, or on their own, students can participate in gathering data for a variety of citizen
science projects.
Here are some resources for citizen science projects the public can participate in to further
conservation research:
 Bat Detective: http://scistarter.com/project/687-Bat%20Detective%20%20
 National Wildlife Federation citizen science project listings:
https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Conservation/Citizen-Science.aspx
 National Geographic citizen science project listings:
http://nationalgeographic.org/idea/citizen-science-projects/
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PBS Kids citizen science project listings: http://pbskids.org/scigirls/citizen-science
Project Noah: http://www.projectnoah.org/ This site provides the opportunity to explore
and document wildlife.
National Geographic Society BioBlitz listings:
http://nationalgeographic.org/projects/bioblitz/ This site lists over 250 BioBlitzes that
take place around the country. Use this website to locate a BioBlitz near you.
iNaturalist: http://www.inaturalist.org/ This site allows the public to record their
observations of wildlife. The findings are then shared with scientific data repositories to
help scientists find and use your data.
iNaturalist Michigan projects:
http://www.inaturalist.org/projects/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=Michigan
Inquiry Resources for Educators:
 Edutopia
http://www.edutopia.org/topic/inquiry-based-learning
 Edudemic
http://www.edudemic.com/inquiry-in-the-classroom/
 Center for Inspired Teaching: Inquiry-based Teaching
http://www.inspiredteaching.org/wp-content/uploads/impact-research-briefs-inquirybased-teaching.pdf
 National Science Foundation: Assessment in the Inquiry Classroom
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf99148/ch_11.htm
 Center for Inquiry Based Learning
http://ciblearning.org/teacher-resources/inquiry-exercises/
Other Resources
Ethograms.org
EthoSearch was created to provide broad access to ethograms, encourage standardized
terminology within ethograms, and encourage use of peer reviewed ethograms by
scientists, zoo and aquarium professionals, students and educators.
Explore.org
A multimedia organization that documents leaders around the world who have devoted
their lives to extraordinary causes. Both educational and inspirational, explore creates a
portal into the soul of humanity by championing the selfless acts of others
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San Diego Zoo Panda Cam
Toledo Zoocams
Smithsonian/National Zoo
Monterey Bay Aquarium Webcams
Group Notes
Questions for the Bat Experts
Results
Behavior
Eating
Licking Fruit
Vocalizations
Grooming
Crawling
Waste Excretion
Stretching
Wings
Flapping
Number of Times Observed
Food Item
Number of Times Eaten
Lettuce
Melon
Fig
Apricot
Pepper
Apple
Banana
Mango
Lettuce
Eating
Melon
Fig
Apricot
Licking Fruit Vocalizations Grooming
Pepper
Apple
Banana
Mango
Crawling
Waste
Excretion
Stretching
Wings
Flapping
Observations
Hypotheses