Animal Gathering Names

There are different names for different animal gatherings. For example, when animals with hooves (a tough, hard covering on their feet) move in a group it is called a herd. When many fish swim together it is called a school.

Watch the video to learn about the names of other animal gatherings:

Amazing Animal Groups

After watching the video, answer these questions:

1. What is a gathering of birds called?
2. Name 3 kinds of animals whose grouping is called a nest.
3. Name 5 different names for rat gatherings.
4. What animals live in groups called beds?
5. What is a group of prairie dogs and where they live called?

Think of 3 more animals not in the video. Ask an adult to help you research the name of their gatherings.                                                                                                 

        

Insects

Insects are the largest group of animals on Earth. Almost one million species (types) have been identified so far. Insects are invertebrates. They have no backbones. Insects have an outer shell called exoskeletons.

       

Watch the video link below on insects:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKQfJFAHW8Q

After watching the video, answer these questions:

1. Where in the world do insects live?

2. What kind of weather do insects prefer?

3. What are the 3 main sections on an insect's body?

4. How many legs do insects have and where do they attach to the insects body?

5. How do insects breath?

6. What is different about insect eyes?

Draw and label an ant using these words: head, thorax, abdomen.

                       

Animal Classification

We are going to finish out the school year by revisiting our favourite science unit on animals. We learned earlier in the year that animals can be placed into different groupings. We studied 6 groupings: mammals, fish, birds, insects, amphibians, and reptiles. Today we are going to look at how those 6 groupings can be classified, or sorted, into 2 groups. These groups are vertebrates and invertebrates.

vertebrates: animals with spines, or backbones           

invertebrates: animals that do NOT have backbones

Mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, and reptiles are all vertebrates. Insects are invertebrates. Watch the video link below to review the characteristics of 5 of these groups of animals (mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles) and to learn more about vertebrates and invertebrates:

Animal Classification Video

After watching the video, answer these questions:

1. Are most of the animals in the world vertebrates or invertebrates?
2. Which of the 5 animal groups mentioned are cold blooded?
3. What animal groups lay eggs?
4. What is the only animal group that has ears that stick out?

List 5 animals that are invertebrates and 5 animals that are vertebrates. Tomorrow we will have a closer look at insects.

Water Saving Ideas

It's time to design a poster! This will be our last activity for the Air and Water science unit.  We have learned that humans use a lot of water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning each day. Water is used at home, at work, and for fun. There are ways that we can use water wisely without waste. Here are a few ideas:

Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth or scrub your hands. Turn it back on only for rinsing.

Take short showers.

Make sure you have a full load before using the dishwasher.

Turn off the tap tightly after you use it. Small drips waste water.

Design a poster on tips for saving water. Pick one way your family can improve on saving water. Get a large piece of paper. Print in large letters the water saving rule. Add pictures to illustrate how to follow the rule. Make the poster colourful and appealing to catch everyone's eye. Place your poster where it will be seen by all family members. We can all make a difference in using water wisely!

Final School Access

I have just been notified that the board is now offering one last day for student/family access to the school: Thursday, June 18 (9-3 p.m.) for those families who were unable to previously book a time.

Once again, the booking system for scheduling a visit is on the school's website. It is located at the top under the heading Booking Calendar. Go to Wickson 2B for the calendar link. Booking opens today and you have until Wednesday at noon to schedule a time. This will be the FINAL access opportunity for students. 

Experiment: How Much Water Do I Use?

Yesterday we learned that we use a lot of water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. We took a close look at just HOW much water is used for different activities. This weekend, I want you to choose one day to conduct an experiment. Find out how often you use water throughout the day. Use this chart as a guide:

Make your own chart. Print the activities down one side of your paper. Leave a large box beside each activity so you can tally count every time you use water for that activity. Pick a day. Start from the moment you wake up until you are getting back into bed for bedtime. 

What activity do you use water for the most? How often in a day are you using water? What could you do during these activities to help save water?

Use Water Wisely

We use a lot of water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. In fact, people use TOO much water. Look at the chart below for the average water usage for some activities. To compare, a large plastic pop bottle holds 2 litres (or 2 L) of pop. To brush your teeth with the tap left running, it takes about 4 litres (4 L) of water. That would be 2 pop bottles full of water every time you brush your teeth!

Read the "Average Water Usage" chart closely and answer these questions:

What two activities take up the most water?
Would it be better to take a bath or shower?
How many litres of water do you save by turning off the tap while you brush your teeth?
What saves more water: washing the dishes by hand or by the dishwasher?