Lesson Plan

Up Up and Away

Grade Level:: Lower Elementary: Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade
Subject:: Science
Lesson Duration:: 60 Minutes

Objective

After completing this program, kindergarten, first and second grade students will be able to:
1. List 3 differences between bats and birds.
2. List 3 similarities between bats and birds.
3. Explain echolocation and how bats use it to find food.

Background

Bats...what do you think of when you hear that word? There are many stories or myths about bats. They are unique, gentle creatures. Bats are mammals just like us, except they are the only
mammals that can fly. There are more than 1,000 different kinds of bats. They live all around the world except in the coldest and hottest places on the planet. Only one bat actually lives on blood, the vampire bat. All other bats eat either insects (about 70% of bat species) or fruit (30%).

In Sequoia and Kings Canyon and in the Central Valley, bats are the primary hunters of night
flying insects. When night falls and the insects come out, it is dinner time for bats. One bat can eat about 600 insects in an hour or about 3,000 in a night of hunting. Today, we will learn more about these night-time fliers, and we will compare them to birds. We will discuss how bats and birds are the same and how they are different. Let’s start our adventure into the fascinating world of bats with a story.