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Hoofin'
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Activity 11:
Population Art
Students create a
mural of five common animals species in their area and learn to
count population size.
Grades:
K-2
Key Objectives:
Students will be able to categorize wildlife into populations
and count wildlife populations
Skills: Counting,
categorizing, creating sentences, cutting, gluing
Duration: One
to three class periods.
Group Size: Small
groups
Setting: Indoors
Materials:
Poster paper, colored construction paper, glue, scissors, animal
silhouettes from photocopies. |
Procedures:
-
 Brainstorm
a list of wildlife species that are common in your area. Write
the wildlife names on a large piece of poster paper.
- Divide the class into
five groups and assign each group one of the five animals from
the list.
- Distribute the construction
paper to each group. Have the students cut out multiple silhouettes
of their animals, anywhere from 5 to 25. You may want to provide
them with photocopies of animals to cut out.
- Have the groups work
on a class mural. Provide them with a large sheet of poster paper.
Have them draw a landscape that is similar to the local landscape.
- Have the students
glue their silhouettes in the appropriate places on the mural.
Once all the animals are glued in place, attach the mural to a
classroom wall.
- Have the class count
the number of individuals in each animal population on the mural.
Tally the results where all the students can see.
- Using the mural, discuss
the term “population”. As the students to describe their population.
Write what the students say onto strips of paper. Attach the sentence
strips to the mural. For example, you might ask, “How many moose
are in the moose population?” and write the answer “Five moose
are in the moose population”.
Extensions:
- Students can discuss
the various habitat needs for each population and then draw their
needs on the mural. For example, squirrels need trees for food
and shelter so the students would draw or cut out pictures of
trees for their squirrel population.
- Students could collect
various materials from the local area and glue them to the mural
(i.e. tundra, grass, rocks, needles).
Discussion Questions:
- Ask the students
if a population can include two or more different kinds of animals?
(Answer: no)
- Can there be more
than one population of one kind of animal? (Answer: yes, for
instance they live in separate areas.)
- Why are some populations
bigger than others? (Answer: limits to resources, predation,
etc.)
Suggested Assessments:
Give the students a worksheet
with pictures or drawings of animals. Ask them to state the size
of each population.
Credit:
Adapted from Population
Posters, Wildlife for the Future - Alaska Wildlife Curriculum,
Teacher’s Guide K-8. Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
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