October 2023

SO SCARY?

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Academic Standards

Reading Objective:

Students will be introduced to a lemur from Madagascar called the aye-aye and recognize that while its behavior may seem scary, it is just seeking the food it needs to survive.

Next Generation Science Standards:

K-LS1-1: What animals need to survive

1-LS1: How animals use their external parts to survive and grow

Vocabulary:

wild, grub, poke, hook

Check comprehension and inspire discussion.

 

1. What are the aye-aye’s fingers like?
(Long and skinny)

2. Why does the aye-aye tap its finger on a tree?
(to find grubs)

3. How does the aye-aye make a hole in the tree?
(with its teeth)

4. Why does the aye-aye hunt for grubs?
(to eat them)

 Go online to print or project the Reading Checkpoint.

  • Aye-ayes make strange noises. They scream when they’re mad. They yell “hai-hai” when runningaway. This may be the reason they got the name “aye-aye.”
  • People used to think aye-ayes were dangerous animals that gave people bad luck. But animal doctors who have cared for aye-ayes say they are sweet and gentle!

Materials: Assorted “bony fingers” (see above), “grubs” (see above), cardboard containers or tubes to act as “tree branches,” pencils, copies of the skill sheet

Overview:  Kids test different “bony fingers” (pencils, pens, Popsicle sticks, straws, pipe cleaners, etc.) to extract “grubs” (bits of clay or playdough or soft candy or raisins) from inside a “branch” (TP roll, tissue or cereal box with a hole in the side). Which works best?

Directions:

  1. Before the lesson, set up stations with a cardboard container filled with “grubs” along with “bony finger” tools. Or plan this as a demonstration where kids help.
  2. Start the lesson by reminding kids that aye-ayes poke a bony finger into a tree branch to grab grubs.
  3. Show them your version of a tree branch, and the options for “bony fingers.” Which “finger” do they think will make it easiest to grab a grub? Which will make it hardest? Let them share predictions with a partner.
  4. Test the bony fingers. Which was easiest to grab a grub with? Which was hardest? Students can record results on the skill sheets.
  5. If there’s time, have kids report their results to the class.