Teacher Name

Subject Area

Miss. Thompson
Science

Date
Grade

Topic

Evidence and Investigation

Time

Lesson

Animal Tracks

Lesso
n#

General Learner
Outcome(s)
Taken from
Alberta Program
of Studies
Specific Learner
Outcome(s)
Taken from
Alberta Program
of Studies
Learning
Objectives
What do you want
your students to
learn?
Assessment
How will you know
your students
have learned?
Materials
What resources
will you need?

November 18th
4-9
50 Min
7

-68 Apply observation and inference skills to recognize and interpret patterns and to
distinguish a specific pattern from a group of similar patterns.
-69 Apply knowledge of the properties and interactions of materials to the investigation
and identification of a material sample.

1.

Observe a set of tracks and infer the direction and speed of travel

1.

To observe and identify the tracks of deer, mouse, rabbit, magpie, coyote and raccoon

2.

To observe and identify the different strides of animals

-Discussion
-Collecting handout
Index card (if time)
-handout speedy tracks, animal tracks, looking for speedy tracks
-answer key for handout
-index cards
-clock partners (students)
-animal pictures and tracks

Procedure

Introducti
on
15 Min

1. Start with reviewing behavior, what is expected. Go over questions

in self assessment sheet ask students to get out their clock
partner paper
2. Explain to students we will moving on from human footprints and
transitioning into animal tracks and stride
3. Ask students if they can think of any activities on the colony where
know who left what tracks and where they are going might be
useful hunting
4. Have Handout Helpers pass out the Animal track worksheet,
remind students to name and date
5. Have a quick discussion around the handout
Matching
1. Play pictures of tracks and animals on the board (use answer key
as teacher guide)
2. Lead a discussion and have students come up and draw lines
between the animal and the tracks they would create (give out
bravos!)
1. Index Card
2. Give every student an index card ask them to draw one of the
1

Body
15 Min

Closure
10 Min

tracks on the board, have students then pair up with a clock

partner and have a quick discussion each student should come
up with TWO observations and one inference example Rabbit
observed 1. Four legs, back legs are bigger Inference: must be a
rabbit because of the power hind legs
3. Have students clear their desks, and have handout helpers hand
out Different types of animals gates
4. Have a discussion and ask students to think back to last Thursday
and how did their footprints change when they walking vs running
vs jumping
5. Today we will be examining tracks and then recording our
observation and inferring on how that certain animal was travel
base on the tracks.
6. Explain to students animals travel in three main modes
7. Walking: examples coyotes, elk, deer, porcupines, steady left,
right, left right, tells its walking gate.
8. Hoppers: Squirrels, rabbits, hares, mice it is more effective for
thm to propel themselves by leaping forwards, landing then leaping
again, look for powerful hind legs
9. Trotters: Fox, weasel, left and right tracks are not obvious,
impression in the snow appear in a line,
10.
Go over vocab in hand out lopping is Galloping
remind students they you will be collecting this we will do two as
a class then the third one you will do alone (provide some help to
grade fours for last one)
11.
Hand out Looking for speedy tracks answer any possible
questions
12.
Go over question by question with students (use answer key
to lead discussion)
13.
Do at least three then check for time

1. Collect looking at speedy Tracks

2. Complete and collect behavior assessments