Caring about Animals
Learning Booklet
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Created by SPCA (HK) Education Dept. All rights reserved.
Caring about Animals
Learning Booklet
Content
Chapter 1: Animal Kingdom
3
Activity 1
4
Activity 2
4
Activity 3
5-8
Chapter 2: Do You Know Where I Grew Up?
9
Activity 1
9-12
Activity 2
13
Chapter 3: Animal Life Cycles
14
Activity 1
15
Activity 2
16
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Created by SPCA (HK) Education Dept. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1: Animal Kingdom
Objective: To help students understand the different categories to which animals belong.
They should recognise that human beings are not the only members of the animal kingdom
with a right to live on Earth; we share it with a very great number of species on whom we
depend. While animals vary greatly in size and appearance, the most common species can be
roughly classified into six categories: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and
invertebrates.
Mammals are warm-blooded vertebrates.
Amphibians hatch in water from eggs with
Most have hair or fur. The females have
soft shells. Once they develop four limbs
mammary glands which secrete milk
and a backbone they can move onto land
Birds have two legs and a pair of wings
Fish are aquatic animals, meaning they live
which enable them to fly. They are
in water (fresh or sea water). They have fins
vertebrates and lay eggs with hard shells
to swim with and use gills for breathing
Reptiles rely on external sources of heat to
Invertebrates have no backbone with a
maintain body temperature. Their body is
body divided into three parts. They are very
protected by scales or a hard shell
abundant; most insects are invertebrates
Animals can also be also be subdivided into three groups according to how they live:
Wild animal
An animal that lives and reproduces without human care.
Farm animal
An animal that has been domesticated to provide humans with food, labour,
fleece or leather. Humans are responsible for their care and health.
Pet animal
Also known as a companion animal, a pet is an animal that lives with
humans and shares their homes. Humans are responsible for pets’ care and
health.
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Created by SPCA (HK) Education Dept. All rights reserved.
Activity 1
Draw lines to link the animals and their correct animal categories.
●
A. Butterfly
●
Mammals ●
B. Frog
Fish ●
●
C. Cat
Amphibians ●
●
D. Goldfish
Birds ●
●
E. Pig
Invertebrates ●
●
F. Shark
Reptiles ●
●
G. Eagle
H. Sea turtle
●
Activity 2
List the animals featured in Activity 1 in their correct categories.
Wild Animals: _________________________________
Farm Animals: _________________________________
Common Pets: _________________________________
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Activity 3
Form groups of 2 and play the game “Guess What This Animal Is”. The aim of the game is
to improve students’ understanding of different animals.
Instructions:
1. Student A chooses one animal from the pictures below and writes its name on a piece
of paper, covering it carefully so that others cannot read it.
2. Student B then asks no more than 10 questions to try and identify the animal. Student
A can answer only Yes or No. (For example: Is this a farm animal? Does it have a long
tail? Is it a nocturnal animal?)
3. Student B then makes a guess at the animal from the responses of Student A.
4. Once Student B answers correctly, the two students switch roles to guess the identity
of another animal.
5. Within a given time limit, the one who gets the answer by asking the fewest questions
will be the winner.
5
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Dog
Chicken
Dolphin
Lion
Cat
Chinchilla
Kangaroo
Owl
Squirrel
Rabbit
Eagle
Sheep
Butterfly
Brown Bear
Horse
Panda
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Monkey
Seahorse
Pig
Duck
Tiger
Ostrich
Elephant
Wolf
Polar Bear
Spider
Fox
Cheetah
Fly
Shrimp
Sea Turtle
Lizard
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Crab
Cow
Hippo
Jellyfish
Starfish
Whale
Walrus
Ant
Giraffe
Guinea Pig
Snowy Owl
Snake
Shark
Mouse
Seal
Zebra
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Chapter 2: Do You Know Where I Grew Up?
Objective: To help students understand the different habitats that animals live in.
The Earth is made up of different regions with different climates and temperatures. Some
regions are covered with snow all year round and are extremely cold; some are very hot and
suffer from drought; some are thickly forested and are hot and humid; others are simply areas
of grassland; and there are also the oceans, which cover almost 70% of the surface of our
planet.
Geographic location is the main factor which causes the weather to vary in different regions; it
has a direct influence on temperature and rainfall. Places closer to the equator are warmer and
have a higher rainfall. They are home to many more kinds of animal. The further you go from
the equator it becomes colder. Such regions support fewer different animals. What makes the
natural world so amazing is that different ecological environments and habitats nurture
different kinds of species.
Activity 1
Students should choose one habitat from the list below and find as many facts about it as
possible. Once completed, they share and discuss the information with other classmates.
Appropriate information should include:
-
The main features and the climate of the habitat
What kinds of animal live in that habitat (mention at least 3 species)
The characteristics of those animals (appearance, the food they eat, how they move,
etc.)
Attach pictures of the animals or draw them on the scene below (pick at least 3 species)
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i)
Rain Forest
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ii)
Desert
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iii)
Ocean
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Activity 2
Using Ghost Leg (Amidakuji), have students match the animal with its suitable habitat by
drawing its route using different colours. They start at the top and as they reach a transverse
line they must take it.
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Chapter 3: Animal Life Cycles
Objective: To help students understand what is meant by an animal’s life cycle.
Fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles, insects and mammals are all living beings. They each
progress through different stages in their life, from birth and growing up to reproduction,
growing old and eventually the end of life. This sequence is experienced by all of Earth’s
living creatures and is referred to as the animal’s natural life span or life cycle.
Different animals have different life spans. Some live for a very long time; others live for
only a short period. No matter how long their expected life, their appearance, behaviour and
characteristics will change according to each different stage. The very young and very old will
be much weaker when compared with healthy adult animals. It is important for pet owners to
understand this and to care properly for an animal regardless of its age.
While wild animals can grow up and reproduce without human help, pets cannot. They are
totally reliant on human care. Owners must be aware of the changes that take place during a
pet animal’s life and act responsibly. Having a pet is a life-long commitment.
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Activity 1
Students choose one kind of animal and describe its life cycle, as in the example below.
They should then share and explain what they have found with classmates.
Life Cycle of a Frog
0 days
Eggs (spawn)
10-16 weeks
14 days
Tadpole with all
legs
Tadpole
10-12 weeks
5-8 weeks
Tadpole with
hind legs
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Activity 2
After reading the text in chapter 3, answer true or false to the questions below by writing
T or F.
1.
Animals go through different stages in life from birth, growing up and reproduction to
growing old and death.
Answer: _______________
2.
Different animals have similar life spans.
Answer: _______________
3.
Infant and older animals need more care.
Answer: _______________
4.
Wild animals need daily human care.
Answer: _______________
5.
Pet owners are responsible for caring for their pet for its entire life.
Answer: _______________
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Answers
(P.4)
Wild Animals: A, B, F, G, H_
Farm Animals: E________
Common Pets: C, D____
(P.13)
Jelly fish – Ocean
Hippo – Rain forest
Cow – Farm
Cat – Apartment
Zebra – African Savannah
(P.16) 1. T
2. F
3. T
4. F
5. T
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Created by SPCA (HK) Education Dept. All rights reserved.