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Museum Educator-led Programs
Pre & Post Visit Resources
Amazing Reptiles

Grades Prek-K

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Program Description and Frameworks
Program Outline
Key Terms and Concepts
Classroom Activities
Print and Web Resources
Go to Aquarium: Reptiles Gallery Page

Click here for printable version of all resources listed above

Discover reptiles while meeting live turtles, snakes, and lizards. Find out what they feel like, how they eat, and watch how they crawl and slither.

Location: Aquarium
Length: 45 minutes
Grade: PreK - K

Massachusetts Frameworks
Science and Technology/Engineering Strand 2; Standard 1, 2, 3, 6, 8

Science and Technology/Engineering Strand 3; Standard 3

New York Standards
Standard 4 Science The Living Environment 1, 3, 5, 6

Introduction
Students are introduced to the characteristics of reptiles and the five different reptilian groups: turtles, snakes, lizards, crocodilians (alligators and crocodiles), and tuataras.

Reptiles, Dinosaurs, and Birds
A brief discussion emphasizing the understanding that dinosaurs were a distinct group of reptiles and that some scientists believe birds descended from dinosaurs.

Live Animal Live Demonstration
Live animal demonstrations give students the opportunity to see animals up close and to interact with them. The demonstrations explore the unique characteristics of each animal and cover the following topics: protection, shedding and basking, habitat, feeding, senses, special adaptations, and reproduction. The demonstrations include at least one turtle, one snake, and one lizard.

Conclusion
A quick discussion at the end reviewing the characteristics of a reptile and the five reptilian groups.

• The 5 major reptile groups are turtles, snakes, lizards, crocodilians (alligators and crocodiles), and tuataras.
• Reptiles use outside sources such as the sun or shade to control their body temperature. Reptile young are smaller versions of their parents and usually hatch out of eggs. Reptiles have dry, scaly skin, which they shed as they grow.
• Dinosaurs, which are no longer living on the earth, were a distinct group of reptiles. It is believed that birds evolved from dinosaurs.
• There are three types of turtles: turtles, terrapins, and tortoises. Only two will be covered in this program, turtles and tortoises. Turtles usually have webbed feet and live in the water. Tortoises do not have webbed feet and live on land. Reptiles have unique ways of protecting themselves; for example, some lizards can lose their tails, chameleons are well-camouflaged, and turtles have hard shells.
• Reptiles can be found in many different parts of the world.
• Many reptiles do not hear as we do, but instead sense vibrations from the ground.
• Many reptiles are able to smell and taste with their tongues, through a special organ located in the roofs of their mouths called a Jacobson’s organ.

Key Terms Used During the Program
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• Basking
  to lie in the sun for warmth, which also helps to remove mites and algae from the body. Scutes
  the shedded pieces of a turtle’s shell.
• Shedding
  when an animal loses either its scales, skin, or fur, allowing for new growth.
• Webbed feet
  skin between each toe that allows the animal to swim in water.

Reptile Charades
Assign each of your students a reptile: a turtle, snake, lizard, or crocodile. Each of the students will have to have their classmates guess their animal using charades or by answering yes or no questions about their reptile.

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!
Working in groups, ask the children to select two pieces of identical wallpaper. Have each child cut several shapes from one sheet and paste them onto the other sheet. 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 that help animals to blend in with their surroundings.

Use the Berkshire Athenaeum’s on-line catalogue to search for these print resources in Central/Western Massachusetts.Print Materials for Students

Cannon, Janell. Verdi. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1997. Verdi the snake does not want to grow up to be big, green and boring. But will Verdi get into trouble for refusing to become green?

Di Blasi, Lidia and Nu’ria Roca. I am a big snake. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 2002. A story about the reptilian characteristics of snakes, and the habitats where snakes can be found.

George, William T. Box Turtle At Long Pond. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1989. Follow a box turtle on his daily search for food.

Lionni, Leo. A Color of His Own. New York: Random House, 2000. Learn about colors and patterns as this chameleon searches for a color of his own.

Martin-James, Kathleen. Sturdy Turtles. Minneapolis: Learner Publishing Group, 2000. Simply presents facts about turtles, accompanied by photographs of turtles in their habitats.

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 brightly 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 Materials For Educators

Burton , Dr. Maurice and Robert. Encyclopedia of Reptiles, Amphibians & Other Cold-Blooded Animals. Spain: BPC Publishing Ltd., 1984. Includes information about particular species as well as information about amphibian and reptile evolution.

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.

Tyning, Thomas F. Stokes Nature Guides: A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1990. An introduction to the similarities and differences beteen amphibians and reptiles. Includes information about local species such as characteristics, breeding, feeding, and other interesting facts.

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.

Web Materials for Students

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

National Geographic
A great site for students who would like to learn more about specific animals. Includes fun facts, maps, video and audio clips.

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.

The San Antonio Zoo
Click on Kids Safari and read more about the reptiles that live at the San Antonio Zoo. This is also a good source to find information about specific reptiles for research projects.

Web Materials for Educators

eNature.com
This site has many useful tools for studying the native wildlife in your area. Some features include lists of endangered species in each state, field guides with clear images and specific information about each species, and zip code guides that provide identifying images and information about the organisms that live in your neighborhood. Guides are available for reptiles and amphibians, as well as mammals, birds, plants, trees, butterflies, insects, sea shore life, fish, and more.

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.

The University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Animal Diversity Web
This site includes pictures of reptiles, specimens, skulls, sounds, classification, and information about the animals.

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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