Pre-Activities Grade 2: Island of Lemurs: Madagascar
In the weeks leading up to the movie…
Grade
2
Curriculum Expectations
Science: Unit: Understanding Life Systems: Growth and
Changes in Animals
2.5 investigate the ways in which a variety of animals adapt
to their environment and/or to changes in their
environment, using various methods
3.3 identify ways in which animals are helpful to, and ways
in which they meet the needs of, living things, including
humans, to explain why humans should protect animals and
the places where they live
3.2 describe an adaptation as a characteristic body part,
shape, or behaviour that helps a plant or animal survive in its
environment
Language Unit: Writing
1.4 sort ideas and information for their writing in a variety of
ways, with support and direction
1.5 identify and order main ideas and supporting details,
using graphic organizers (e.g., a story grammar: characters,
setting, problem, solution; a sequential chart: first, then,
next, finally) and organizational patterns
1.6 determine whether the ideas and information they have
gathered are suitable for the purpose, and gather new
material if necessary
Health
C2.1 use Canada’s Food Guide to assess the nutritional value
of meals (e.g., in terms of food groups and number and size
of servings), and identify food and beverage choices that
enhance healthy growth and development
Activities
Activity 1: What is a Habitat? Adapted from Rainforest Trust “A Habitat Makes a Home”
Students will explore what a habitat is through the document A Habitat Makes a Home and
think about their own habitat and the habitat of rainforest animals to prepare them for the
movie.
Part I: Making Connections
Idea – Connect the concept of a habitat, the environmental features a plant or animal needs
to live, by having students create a map of their “habitat” in the form of their local school
yard or neighborhood.
Materials –
*Art supplies – pencils, crayons, etc.
*A large replica map of their school area
* 8” x 10” map of the area around their school for each student, if possible (printed by
teacher)
Procedure –
1. Students get oriented to their school area or neighborhood through map handouts. Ask
students to discuss important features of their area, experiences and impressions they have
had in them. Introduce the idea of creating a map of your “habitat”, or what things in your
everyday environment you need for food, water, shelter, play etc. What you need to be
happy and thrive.
2. Give each student an individual copy of the map handouts and take them outside. Ask
them to add descriptive information to their map. Emphasize creativity: including sights,
sounds, memories, and personal experiences. Encourage them to include drawings of plants,
animals, rocks. Each child can fill in their map with what is important to them.
3. Back in the classroom use the large replica map of the school area to transfer student’s
individual maps to the larger map. Identify common themes and elements. Use symbols,
markers, drawings and art materials to decorate the map to represent the class “habitat”.
Part II: Reading and Discussion
Idea – Get students to see their space as a multi-layered environment through the story
analogy of a multi-layered rainforest.
Materials
*Book. Welcome to The Green House by Jane Yolen
* If you are not able to locate the book mentioned or any book about the rainforest use the
Rainforest Sounds and Animals Clip on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67QtXZsA2ME
*Art materials: Pencil, pencil crayons, pastels, paints
Procedure –
1. Ask children to close their eyes as you read the book or listen to the sound clip. Encourage
them to listen carefully and reach deep into their imagination to visualize the sights and
sounds of the rainforest.
2. Ask the children to think about the rainforest animals described in the book. What
important parts of the rainforest make up each animal’s individual habitat? Where does
each creature live and what does it need to survive? How are their habitats different or the
same? *These questions may differ if you use the sound clip: Can they identify any of the
sounds? Does anything sound familiar compared to habitats around us? How do they picture
the rainforest if that’s how it sounds? What animals do they imagine live there?
3. Have students create a rainforest picture based on what they might know lives there and
what the sound clip has made them think of—play the sound clip for them as they create
their artwork
Activity 2: What is a Lemur?
In this activity students will compare similarities and differences between different lemur
species and possible adaptations lemurs may have.
1. Show students the map of Madagascar with all the different kinds of lemurs which
live on this island in the Island of Lemurs Educator Guide document—this could be
presented on the smartboard for all students to see or printed in a handout.
2. Brainstorm together what they notice is the same and what is different between the
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different kinds of lemurs. A Venn Diagram could be used to write down the
differences.
Discuss all the similarities they have found. Hopefully one is the long tail all lemurs
seem to have. Discuss what an adaptation is-- a characteristic body part, shape, or
behaviour that helps a plant or animal survive in its environment—ask students if
they can think of any ways humans have adapted over the hundreds of years we
have been around.
Looking at lemurs, are there any body parts or the way they are shaped that makes
them think they have adapted for their environment? In what way?
Ask them to explore their thumbs—in what ways can they move them? Get them to
move their fingers---do their thumbs move differently than their fingers? How?
Explain that their thumbs are called opposable thumbs, not every species has ones.
An opposable thumb allows us to touch each of the fingers on the same hand (ask
them to try this). Ask them if they can think of any animals that do or don’t have
opposable thumbs. Do they think humans/lemurs always had an opposable thumb
or is it an adaptation? Explain.
Ask them to tuck their thumb into their palm (demonstrate how this looks for
them—hiding it from view if you were to look at the back of your own hand) do they
think it would change how they could hold or do certain things?
Do the Appreciate Your Thumbs activity below, this can be adapted in many ways
and could be set up into different centre activities if you choose where students try
doing many activities with no thumbs.
Appreciate Your Thumbs! Adapted from Imax Island of Lemurs Madagascar
Try this activity to see what life would be like without these flexible digits.
Materials:
*Package of toothpicks, stopwatch, masking tape
Procedure:
1. Spread out several dozen toothpicks on a table.
2. Have a teacher if possible time each group member as they pick up all the toothpicks as
fast as they can.
3. Take turns taping each group member’s thumb and index finger together.
4. Time them doing the same toothpick task but with their thumbs now taped.
5. Try doing other normal activities with your thumbs taped. How difficult is it to eat a
snack? Pick up a cup of water? Write your name? Draw or paint a picture? Sort objects?
Think About It:
1. What was each person’s time for picking up toothpicks when using his or her thumb
freely?
2. What was each person’s time for picking up toothpicks with a taped thumb?
3. How big of a difference did the thumb make in manipulating objects?
4. What was it like doing other activities without the use of your opposable thumb?
5. Primates such as lemurs evolved for life in the trees. Talk about how an opposable thumb
would be especially useful in the treetops.
*In the Island of Lemurs Educator Guide document there are reading activities you may
choose to do with your class about Lemurs!
Activity 3: Snack Like a Lemur adapted from (Adapted from thekitchn.com)
Lemurs mainly eat leaves, nuts, flowers, fruits, and seeds. Make these yummy lemurinspired bars to enjoy with your class! Alternatively if a stove is not available at your school
you could send this home as fun activity that students can do with parents. *Nuts can be
omitted for nut-Free schools and classrooms
Have a discussion about the ingredients in the bars. Do they think they are healthy
ingredients? Why or why not? Which ones can the label or put into the right category of
Canada’s Food Groups.
Fruit-and-Nut Bars Makes 12 bars
Ingredients:
* ¼ cup melted coconut oil
* 3 tablespoons peanut butter (or wow butter)
* 3 tablespoons brown rice syrup
* ¼ cup ground flaxseeds
* 1¼ cups applesauce
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 3 cups rolled oats
* ½ cup raisins
* ½ cup dried cranberries
* ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
* ¼ cup sunflower seeds
* ¼ cup chopped chocolate (milk/dark chocolate nut-free if necessary)
* ½ teaspoon cinnamon
* ¼ teaspoon salt
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Teachers preheat oven to 325°F.
Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
Invite students to measure out the ingredients for this step.
In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the melted coconut oil, peanut butter,
and brown rice syrup.
Stir until melted.
Remove from heat and add the ground flaxseeds, applesauce, and vanilla.
Whisk to combine, and let the mixture cool slightly.
In a large bowl, have children combine the oats with the dried fruit, seeds,
chocolate, cinnamon, and salt.
Pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
Press the mixture into the pan, flattening with your hands to create an even surface.
Bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Lift and cut into
squares.
Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Pre-Movie Discussion
*discuss with students that they will be going to see a movie which deals with the topics
they have been investigating in science—in the movie “Island of Lemurs: Madagascar” they
will discover the different lemur species of Madagascar as well as their habitat. They will see
why the rainforest is such an important habitat and why lemurs are so unique.
*Develop a list of different ideas from students when you discuss the following questions,
alternatively you could also make a KWL (know, wonder, learn) chart to discuss the
following and any other ideas they might have—leaving the last column (Learn) blank to fill
in for after the movie:
1) Why do lemurs seem different from other monkey species you know?
2) Why does a rainforest seem like an important habitat?
3) Is the rainforest important to us even though we don’t live there? Why or why not?
4) If all the rainforests were gone do you think it would matter? Why?
5) What do you wonder about the movie? (What will happen, what is unique about lemurs,
why are rainforests important, what is so special about Madagascar?)