Zoo to You

Have fun with this interesting overview of animal classification and find out what makes mammals, reptiles, birds, fish and amphibians different from each other.

GRADE STANDARDS: K-2nd

• Benchmark K.3.1 – Identify similarities and differences between plants and animals
• Benchmark K.4.1 – Identify differences between living and non-living things
• Benchmark 2.4.1 – Explain how plants and animals go through life cycles
• Benchmark K.5.1 – Identify ways in which some offspring are very much like their parents, although not exactly
• Benchmark 1.5.2 – Describe the physical characteristics of living things that enable them to live in their environment

Hawaii is a place like nowhere else on Earth. Meet animals that have crossed entire oceans to find this island paradise. Discover the contributions that the first people have made to Hawaii’s ecosystem, and understand how to help protect the animals that make Hawaii so unique.

GRADE STANDARDS: 1st, 4th, 7th, 8th

• Benchmark SC.1.4.1 – Describe how living things have structures that help them to survive
• Benchmark SC.1.5.1 – Identify ways in which the same kinds of plants and the same kinds of animals differ
• Benchmark SC.1.5.2 – Describe the physical characteristics of living things that enable them to live in their environment
• Benchmark SC.4.3.2 – Describe how an organism’s behavior is determined by its environment
• Benchmark SC.4.5.3 – Describe how different organisms need specific environmental conditions to survive
• Benchmark SS.4.3.1 – Explain the origins and culture of early Hawaiians
• Benchmark SS.4.3.4 – Describe the theories of early migrations from parts of Polynesia to Hawaii, including migration myths and legends
• Benchmark SC.7.5.3 – Explain that small differences between parents and offspring could produce descendants that look very different from their ancestors
• Benchmark SC.7.5.5 – Explain how fossils provide evidence that life and environmental conditions have changed over time
• Benchmark SC.8.5.1 – Describe how changes in the physical environment affect the survival of organisms

Take a trip around the world to visit exotic environments and learn how amazing animals have different adaptations to animals. See how different adaptations can lead to new species, and understand that there are simple things everyone can do to save animals from extinction.

GRADE STANDARDS: K-5th, 7-8th

• Benchmark SC.K.1.1 – Use the senses to make observations
• Benchmark SC.K.5.1 – Identify ways in which some offspring are very much like their parents, although not exactly
• Benchmark SC.1.4.1 – Describe how living things have structures that help them to survive
• Benchmark SC.1.5.1 – Identify ways in which the same kinds of plants and the same kinds of animals differ
• Benchmark SC.1.5.2 – Describe the physical characteristics of living things that enable them to live in their environment
• Benchmark SC.2.4.1 – Explain how plants and animals go through life cycles
• Benchmark SC.2.5.1 – Identify distinct environments and the different kinds of organisms each environment supports
• Benchmark SC.2.8.2 – Identify the limited supply of natural resources and how they can be extended through conservation, reuse, and recycling
• Benchmark SC.3.4.1 – Compare distinct structures of living things that help them to survive
• Benchmark SC.3.5.1 – Describe the relationship between structure and function in organisms
• Benchmark SC.4.3.2 – Describe how an organism’s behavior is determined by its environment
• Benchmark SC.4.5.3 – Describe how different organisms need specific environmental conditions to survive
• Benchmark SC.5.5.1 – Recognize that some traits of living things are inherited and others are learned
• Benchmark SC.7.5.3 – Explain that small differences between parents and offspring could produce descendants that look very different from their ancestors
• Benchmark SC.7.5.4 – Analyze how organisms’ body structures contribute to their ability to survive and reproduce
• Benchmark SC.7.5.6 – Explain why variation(s) in a species’ gene pool contributes to its survival in a constantly changing environment
• Benchmark SC.8.5.1 – Describe how changes in the physical environment affect the survival of organisms

Everyone has to eat. Learn about how animals have bodies designed to eat their favorite foods, and how at the zoo, we make mealtime and playtime one in the same! Through what they eat, all organisms are interconnected, from tiny decomposers, to fearsome predators, and our eating habits can shape the world many ways.

GRADE STANDARDS: K, 3rd-5th, 7th, 8th

• Benchmark SC.K.3.1 – Identify similarities and differences between plants and animals
• Benchmark SC.3.3.1 – Describe how plants depend on animals
• Benchmark SC.3.4.1 – Compare distinct structures of living things that help them to survive
• Benchmark SC.3.5.1 – Describe the relationship between structure and function in organisms
• Benchmark SC.4.3.1 – Explain how simple food chains and food webs can be traced back to plants
• Benchmark SC.4.3.2 – Describe how an organism’s behavior is determined by its environment
• Benchmark SC.5.3.2 – Describe the interdependent relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem in terms of the cycles of matter
• Benchmark SC.5.3.1 – Describe the cycle of energy among producers, consumers, and decomposers
• Benchmark SC.7.3.1 – Explain how energy moves through food webs, including the roles of photosynthesis and cellular respiration
• Benchmark SC.7.3.2 – Explain the interaction and dependence of organisms on one another
• Benchmark SC.8.5.1 – Describe how changes in the physical environment affect the survival of organisms

Program Fee – $125
Max: 45 participants (including teachers, chaperones, aids and parents); maximum of 4 classes
Length of program: 45 minutes
Title I Schools are free