Live Ohio Animals
60 Minute Life Science Lesson
Classroom Program
Grades: PreK-Kindergarten
TEACHER GUIDE
Live Ohio Animals
Objectives
Description
Students will meet some live Ohio animals
from our Museum collection. Discover the
major characteristics of each type of animal.
Explore the differences among birds,
mammals and reptiles.
 Identify unique characteristics of
mammals, birds and reptiles
 Demonstrate understanding of the
differences between the three groups by
sorting animals based on appearance
 Observe differences between live
animals
 Classify textures of different groups of
animals: soft fur, smooth feathers, scaly
skin
Ohio’s Learning Standards
Prekindergarten: Life Science- Observation of Living Things
 Plants and animals have traits that improve their chances of living in different
environments.
 Plants and animals that live in Ohio interact with one another for food, shelter and
nesting.
Pre-Kindergarten: Inquiry – Science Inquiry and Application
 Make careful observations.
 Engage in simple investigations.
Kindergarten: Life Science - Physical and Behavioral Traits of Living Things
 Living things include anything that is currently alive.
 Living things have specific characteristics and traits.
 Living things grow and reproduce.
 Living things are found almost everywhere in the world.
 There are different kinds in different places.
Kindergarten: Life Science – Observations of Living Things
 Similarities and differences exist among individuals of the same kinds of plants and
animals.
Produced and published by the Education Division
1 Wade Oval Dr., University Circle, Cleveland, OH 44106 7/20/16
Before Your Museum Visit
If this will be your first trip to the Museum for your students, you may want to review the
following:
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What is a Museum?
What is our purpose for visiting The Cleveland Museum of Natural History?
How should we handle objects at the Museum?
Introduce the vocabulary and additional resources provided below.
Vocabulary
adaptation – an alteration that an animal develops to help it survive
biologist – a person who studies plant and animal life
bird – an egg-laying animal with warm blood and feathers
carnivore – an animal that eats meat primarily
feather – the outer covering of birds and some dinosaurs
habitat – the place where an animal lives
herbivore – an animal that feeds primarily on plants
mammal – a warm-blooded animal that has hair or fur and feeds its babies milk
nocturnal – active at night
omnivore – an animal that readily eats both plants and meat
reptile – an animal with scaly skin and lays eggs with soft or leathery shells
Extension Activities
1. Use the outdoor spaces available to you to bring attention to the world of nature outside
your classroom. Take a nature walk and record your observations.
2. Show photos of native Ohio animals and of non-native animals. Name and discuss the
ones children are familiar with and introduce those they may not know.
3. Discuss the basic needs of these animals for food, shelter, and methods of protection.
Some of the examples that the children will view and touch during the program are casts,
as real fossils are often too fragile to touch.
Produced and published by the Education Division
1 Wade Oval Dr., University Circle, Cleveland, OH 44106 7/20/16
Online Resources for Teachers and Students
Click the link below to find additional online resources for teachers and students. These websites
are recommended by our Museum Educators and provide additional content information and
some fun, interactive activities to share with your class.
CMNH Educators regularly review these links for quality. Web addresses often change so please
notify us if any links have issues.
Cleveland Museum of Natural History https://cmnh.org/edlinks
Educator Resource Center (ERC)
Materials for Loan
The Educator Resource Center offers
educator workshops, thematic teaching
kits, animal dioramas, and more for loan to
area teachers.
Contact the ERC at 216-231-2075 for
information on individual or school
membership.
Visit the Museum’s ERC website for more
information on workshops
https://www.cmnh.org/ERC
Hours
o Monday through Friday, 1 to 5 PM
o Wednesday, 1 to 6 PM
o Saturday, 9 AM to 2 PM
If you’re interested in additional resources
be sure to check out the following ERC
materials or browse ERC materials online at
http://cmnh.hosting.l4u.com
Related ERC kits for this topic include:
Native Ohio Plants: Explore Ohio’s native
plants with specimens and field guides.
Students will learn how to identify trees
through leaves, seeds, and twigs that they
encounter every day.
Ohio Animals: This kit is a wonderful
introduction to Ohio animals. It includes
toys, rubbing plates, crafts, posters, big
books, identification cards and over a dozen
puppets to help introduce students to local
Ohio wildlife.
Produced and published by the Education Division
1 Wade Oval Dr., University Circle, Cleveland, OH 44106 7/20/16