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Pre-During-Post Visit Resources
Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly

Pre & Post Visit
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Important Terms and Concepts
Activities to Do at School or at Home
Suggested Print and Web Resources
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During Your Visit
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Activities to Do in Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly
Things You Don't Want to Miss
Discussion Questions

Terms: PreK - 2
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• Amphibiana
  a smooth-skinned animal with a backbone (a vertebrate), which usually hatches as an aquatic larva with gills and then transforms into an adult having lungs. Amphibian body temperatures change according to the temperature of their surroundings.
• Basking
  to lie in the sun for warmth, which also helps to remove mites and algae from the body.
• Reptile
  an animal with a backbone (a vertebrate) that has scales, and breathes air using lungs; most lay eggs. Reptile body temperatures change according to the temperature of their surroundings.
• Shedding
  when an animal loses either its scales, skin, or fur, allowing for new growth.
• Webbed feet
  feet that have skin between each toe that improves the animals’ ability to swim in water.

Terms: Grades 3 - 5
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• Amphibian
  an ectothermic, smooth-skinned animal with a backbone (a vertebrate), which usually hatches as an aquatic larva with gills and then transforms into an adult having lungs.
• Basking
  to lie in the sun for warmth, which also helps to remove mites and algae from the body.
• Ectothermic
  an animal that uses outside sources such as shade or the sun to control its body temperature.
• Habitat
  the place a plant or animal lives.
• Jacobson’s organ
  the organ found at the roof of the mouth in some animals, like snakes, that tastes and smells particles in the air and relays them to the brain.
• Mite
  a very small arachnid that is mainly parasitic to animals and plants (lives and feeds on them); it is related to spiders and ticks. Mites can live on reptile skin but are shed when the skin is shed.
• Prehensile tail
  a tail that can grasp, hold, or wrap around an object, such as a branch.
• Reptile
  an animal with a backbone (a vertebrate) that is ectothermic, has scales, and breathes air using lungs; most lay eggs.
• Scutes
  the shed pieces of a turtle’s shell.
• Shedding
  when an animal loses either its scales, skin, or fur, allowing for new growth.

PreK - 2
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Viewing the Wild in Your Classroom
Students will enjoy the experience of watching a live animal over the web to see how it moves, eats, and interacts with its habitat. Click here for complete directions.

The following lesson was taken from Living Landscapes: Teaching in Nature an Interdisciplinary Curriculum Guide . The Museum has limited copies of Living Landscapes that can be provided free of charge. If you are interested email us at education@berkshiremuseum.org.

Camouflage!
Ask the children to work in groups to select two pieces of identical wallpaper. Using one as background, have each child cut several shapes from one sheet and paste them on the other. These should be presented to the class when finished. From a distance, can the class identify how many shapes are pasted on? Which pattern group was most successful in hiding? Why? This will encourage students to look for patterns in nature as animals blend body color and shapes into the background design.

Activities: Grades 3 - 5
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Conservation
Discuss with your students what conservation is and why it is important. Then copy and distribute the Protect the Planet Promise (available at http://nationalzoo.si.edu/education/conservationcentral/). Discuss with your students how each point will help the environment. After they have signed the promise, create a bar graph using all the points of the promise and keep track of how well your class is keeping their promise.

Magic School Bus
Read The Magic School Bus Gets Cold Feet with your class. After you have read it, go over the discussion questions (these can also be done individually by students as a worksheet). Once you have finished with the questions, have your students draw themselves as a reptile. You may also wish to acquaint your students with the term "ectothermic" (see key terms), which is used by scientists rather than "cold-blooded." Click here for discussion questions.

Classroom Lizards
Students can practice their math skills using paper lizards and bugs as a fun way to solve math problems. Click here for complete directions.

Resources: PreK - 2
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Print and Web Materials for PreK - 2 Students

American Museum of Natural History
Activities for all age groups that students can do individually or together as a group. Also includes printable, informative articles. A good resource for educators as well.

Florian, Douglas. Lizards, frogs, and polliwogs. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2001. An interdisciplinary book, which can be used to combine literature and science in your curriculum. Includes poems about individual reptiles and amphibians, such as the tortoise, gecko, komodo dragon, and gila monster. It is also a nice book to use when discussing the difference between amphibians and reptiles.

Lauber, Patricia. Snakes Are Hunters. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1988. A fact-filled storybook about snakes, including the different species of snakes found around the world, how snakes eat, and more. This is a Reading Rainbow Book.

National Wildlife Foundation’s Kidzone
Categories for various age groups from ages 1 and up. Includes games, activities, book reviews, coloring pages, recipes, and lots more. A great resource for parents and educators as well.

Palotta, Jerry. The Yucky Reptile Alphabet Book. Watertown, MA. Charlesbridge Publishing Inc., 1989. Learn the names of reptiles that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Illustrated with bright colored pictures of each reptile.

Watt, Me’lanie. Leon the Chameleon. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2001. Leon the chameleon has a problem, he always seems to be a different color than the other chameleons. He feels lonely because he is different, but this soon changes when he saves the day.

Print and Web Materials for PreK - K Educators

King, F. Wayne. The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1979. Includes information about anatomy, habitats, life cycles, movement, and defense to help the reader identify more than 160 of the most fascinating herpetological species from North America.

MassWildlife's State Reptiles and Amphibians List
A list of the reptiles and amphibians that live in Massachusetts including species that are endangered, threatened, and are considered special concerns. Also includes a large reptile bibliography.

National Geographic
A great website for educators to keep up-to-date on news stories, conservation, and information about animals from around the world. Also includes a U.S. Local Wildlife Guide, crittercam, and an area for related links.

National Wildlife Foundation
Site includes NWF resources and program plans, which include background knowledge for activities, and planning materials for integrating conservation lessons into science, math, language arts, and art classes. Also includes online activities and a store for educators.

Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Includes fact sheets and articles pertaining to individual species, conservation, and nutrition.

Zug, George R., Laurie J. Vitt, Janalee P. Caldwell. Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. 1993. San Diego: Academic Press, 2001. This book features information about evolution and morphology, reproduction, physiological ecology, behavior, population, and taxonomy

Resources: Grades 3 - 5
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Print and Web Materials for Grade 1 - 2 Students

Berger, Melvin, Alan Male and Gilda Berger. Can Snakes Crawl Backwards?: Questions and Answers about Reptiles. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2002. This book gives students fun facts they may not learn elsewhere and still presents basic knowledge about reptiles.

Cole, Joanna. The Magic School Bus Gets Cold Feet: A Book About Warm and Cold Blooded Animals. New York: Scholastic, Inc. 1997.The students on the magic bus turn into reptiles and explore what it means to be cold-blooded.

Holland, Simon. Eye Wonder: Reptiles. New York: DK Publishing, Inc. 2002. Allows children to explore a variety of exotic reptiles through pictures and facts.

National Wildlife Foundation’s Kidzone
Categories for various age groups from ages 1 and up. Includes games, activities, book reviews, coloring pages, recipes, and lots more. A great resource for parents and educators as well.

Philadelphia Zoo
This site provides general reptile information. Students can get a more in-depth view of the Zoo’s featured reptiles, including general information, zoo keeper commentary, and conservation methods. This site also includes a kid’s corner with activities and games.

Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Students can learn about the reptiles at the zoo, facts and pictures help these animals come alive. Students can also view live animals on the Zoo’s web cam.

Print and Web Materials for Grade 1 - 2 Educators

King, F. Wayne. The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1979. Includes information about anatomy, habitats, life cycles, movement, and defense to help the reader identify more than 160 of the most fascinating herpetological species from North America.

MassWildlife's State Reptiles and Amphibians List
A list of the reptiles and amphibians that live in Massachusetts including species that are endangered, threatened, and are considered special concerns. Also includes a large reptile bibliography.

National Geographic
A great website for educators to keep up-to-date on news stories, conservation, and information about animals from around the world. Also includes a U.S. Local Wildlife Guide, crittercam, and an area for related links.

National Wildlife Foundation
Site includes NWF resources and program plans, which include background knowledge for activities, and planning materials for integrating conservation lessons into science, math, language arts, and art classes. Also includes online activities and a store for educators.

Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Includes fact sheets and articles pertaining to individual species, conservation, and nutrition.

Zug, George R., Laurie J. Vitt, Janalee P. Caldwell. Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. 1993. San Diego: Academic Press, 2001. This book features information about evolution and morphology, reproduction, physiological ecology, behavior, population, and taxonomy.

Activities: Pre K - 2
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Reptile Scavenger Hunt
Young adventurers can seek out some of our most exciting reptiles to find the answers to some fun and simple questions. Click here for worksheet.

Activities: Grades 3 - 5
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Reptiles Around the World
Students will learn about different reptiles from around the world while tracking down their geographic locations. Click here for complete directions/worksheet.

Things You Don't Want to Miss
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	Alligator Snapping Turtle The alligator snapping turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in the U.S., weighing up to 200 pounds. This turtle has an incredibly unique tongue that looks like a worm. When it hangs out, the tongue attracts fish that the turtle catches with its very sharp, hooked beak.
	Green Tree Python This python's amazing color provides perfect camouflage in the trees it inhabits. In fact, these snakes are almost never found on the ground. When Green Tree Pythons young are yellow-orange at birth and take almost a year to develop the bright green coloring they are named for.
	Veiled Chameleon The “veil” on this chameleon is a crest that can be up to 2 inches long. Like other chameleons, the veiled chameleon’s eyes can look in two different directions simultaneously, allowing it to track food and watch for predators at the same time. This lizard also changes colors, from a pale brown to a brighter green depending on its mood. They are able to catch insects using their sticky tongues, which can be longer than their bodies.
	Leaf-Tailed Gecko This gecko is unlike any other gecko in the world; its large tail is shaped just like a leaf and its brown and rough appearance almost perfectly resembles tree bark. It also has scales along its body that can be flattened against any surface to provide seamless camouflage. Like many other lizards, the leaf-tailed gecko can lose its tail if a predator grabs it, and then regenerate a new one once it has escaped.
	Water Monitor The water monitor is among the largest lizards in the world and can grow to over 6 feet long. Like snakes, they use their long forked tongues to “smell,” and they are excellent swimmers.
	Asian Cobra The Asian cobra is the snake used by snake charmers. They dance to the movement of the charmer, not the music, because snakes can’t hear. Even though these snakes are incredibly dangerous, they are revered as sacred animals in India.

Discussion Questions
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Here are some questions for teachers, chaperones and students to think about while visiting the exhibit.

• Which reptile would you most like to have as a pet?
• Which one would you least like to have as a pet? Why?
• Did you see or read something that surprised you?
• Which reptile would you like to learn more about?
• If you were going to make a reptile sculpture, which reptile would you choose?
• What sounds did you hear while you were in the exhibit?
• How many different types of reptiles did you see?
• What do you think the most dangerous reptile in the exhibit is?
• What do you think the most beautiful reptile in the exhibit is?
• Which reptile was the most unlike anything you have ever seen?
• Which of these reptiles live in the Berkshires?

The Institute of Museum and Library Services, an independent Federal grant- making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities supports the Berkshire Museum.

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