Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!! The Magic School Bus is about to take our class on an African Safari! A safari is a journey in search of wild animals in their natural habitat. Africa has many unique and interesting animals that we will be learning about, so fasten your seat belt we are about to take a wonderful journey.
The continent of Africa is the second largest continent on the planet. In order to learn as much as we can the class will be splitting into five groups. Each group will go on a safari in a particular region. The five regions include the rivers, deserts, plains, savannas and rainforests. It is your job to find five or more animals that live in your groups region of Africa.
Part 1- Safari Guidelines
Each group will need to find information on each animal in the following categories: characteristics, lifespan, habitat, diet, breeding and some other fun and interesting facts. Bring back two or more pictures of your animals too! The questions below will help you keep in mind what type of information you should be looking for.
Characteristics:
What does your animal look like?
What is the average weight of your animal?
What is the average height of your animal?
What adaptations do the animal have that help it survive? (camouflage, mimicry)
What is the lifespan of the animal?
Lifespan:
How long is the average life of this animal?
Habitat:
What region does the animal live in?
Diet:
What does the animal eat?
Is there a specific time of day the animal eats?
Does the animal hunt for food?
Is your animal a herbivore, omnivore or carnivore?
Breeding:
How many babies do the female animal have?
How long is the gestation period of the animal?
How do the mother and father care for the newborn animal?
Pictures:
You must have a minimum of two pictures of each animal.
Part 2- Your Safari
Remember each group will be responsible for presenting all five animals in detail. The following is a list of animals each group may expect to see on the safari of their region. Let's get going!
1) Rivers
water snakes, hippopotamus, various reptiles such as the crocodile, ducks, herons, storks, pelicans
2) Deserts
gerbil, jerboa, cape hare, desert hedgehog, dorcas gazelle, dama deer, Nubian wild, baboons, spotted hyena, the common jackal, sand fox, Libyan striped weasel, mongoose, frogs, toads, crocodiles, lizards, chameleons, skinks, cobras
3) Plains
giraffe, oryx, zebra, lion, gazelle, eland, cheetah, elephant, hartebeast, hunting dog, wildabeest
4) Rainforests
antelope, colobus monkey, leopards, genets, dwarf mongoose, ratel, chimpanzee, elephant, kudu, gorilla, elephant shrew, buffalo, bongo
5) Savannas
aardvark, hyena, jackal, serval, warthog, rhinoceros, baboon, impala, spring hare, vervet monkey
Use these links to websites to do your research.
Part 3- PresentationsEach safari region will be required to present their five animals to the class at the end of the safari. You will give an oral presentation sharing the information you have learned about each animal. To go along with your presentation you will be required to create a design project.
The Design Project
Each group will be given a piece of foam board on which you must construct a model of your region. You will include the animals that you have researched and the habitats in which they live.
Below are links to each of the grading rubrics which will be evaluating your work. Be sure to take a look so you know you are on the right track.
Your work throughout this WebQuest will be graded both on a group and individual level as well as on your research and design project.
