Madagascar+Class+Activities

Class Activities
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Class Lemur Scrapbook! (Early Elementary)



1. Begin the lesson by showing students where Madagascar is located on a world map. You can find a map online at http://www.lemurs.us/madagascar.html. Point out that Madagascar is the fourth largest island on Earth and is located in the Indian Ocean about 250 miles off the coast of Africa. 2. Explain to students that Madagascar has been cut off from the rest of the world for 150 million years. As a result, some unique animals have evolved there. One of these is the lemur, a primate <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">that is found only on the island of Madagascar. What’s more, at least 30 different species now <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">live there. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">3. Tell students that they are going to have an opportunity to learn more about the lemurs of <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Madagascar. Working in pairs, students will select a lemur to research and then develop a <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">profile page for a class scrapbook on lemurs. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">4. Before students begin their research, you may want to show them segments 2 and 3 of The Jeff <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Corwin Experience: Madagascar: Island Ecosystem. The video provides a visually interesting and <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">informative introduction to lemurs. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">5. Have each pair select a lemur to research. If possible, try to have each pair select a different <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">lemur. Tell students to include the following information on their profile pages: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> What the lemur is called <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Where the lemur lives on the island <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> What it eats <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Whether it hunts during the day or at night <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Physical features of the lemur <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Its history: how long it’s been on the island, how many are left, and if it is endangered <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">(Each pair of students will create a unique, creative, and informational scrapbook page for the class scrapbook)

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">6. Give students time in class to research their lemur. In addition to the video, the following Web <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">sites have useful information: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> http://www.lemurs.us/madagascar.html <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> http://www.stlzoo.org/wildcareinstitute/lemursinmadagascar.htm <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rodeime/lemurs/leaping.html <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> http://www.zoo.org/educate/fact_sheets/night/dlemur.htm <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> http://goafrica.about.com/library/weekly/aa120700e.htm

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Lesson adapted from: []

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Take a Virtual Tour of Madagascar! (Late Elementary)

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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Take your class on a trip to Madagascar! Virtually of course. The link below provides a virtual tour of Madagascar with the following: Wonders Abound, Leaping Lemurs, Madagascar's Wild Side, and The Malagasy. This tour provides general information for students, as well as video clips, music, and fun facts.

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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Also, have your students visit Madagascar on their own! Using Google Earth the students can explore different regions of Madagascar and view the land, cities, rain forests, and other unique places of the country.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Serve a Traditional Malagasy Meal! <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">(Also fun at home!)

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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">1. As a class, first review the traditional foods eaten by the Malagasy people. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">2. Facilitate a discussion about how they think the Malagasy people eat, where they eat, what they eat with, what they eat on, etc. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">3. As a class research these different questions to find out more about a traditional Malagasy meal. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">4. As a class, identify different foods for the students to research. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">5. Each student will be responsible to find a recipe for a different food element of the meal. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">6. Create a class menu of what will be served at the meal. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">7. Design and create invitations to parents to join the Malagasy class meal. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">8. On the day of the meal, each student will be responsible for bringing in the food or element of the meal that they researched and found a recipe for. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">9. Serve the meal as the Malagasy would. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">10. Turn the classroom into a traditional Malagasy home and play music while the class enjoys their meal!!

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Ideas and recipes from: []