KS2 Habitats: Savannah Information and guidance for teachers Contents Lesson plan Plan a route Suggested activities to link with session Things to arrange prior to visit The day of your trip: arriving at the Zoo Your teaching session We have a group of over 30 chimpanzees here at Chester Zoo Grevy’s Zebra can be seen at Chester Zoo

KS2 Habitats: Savannah Lesson content outline Introduction Whole class discussion supported by PowerPoint presentation to define what a habitat is, examples of different types of habitat and how animals and plants are adapted to their specific habitat. Main lesson A close encounter with a live invertebrate discussing adaptations to its habitat. Group discussion to define characteristics of the African savannah and the animals that live there. Group work exploring a range of exciting animal artefacts, tracks and signs to determine which animals have been visiting the waterhole. Whole class construction of a food web followed by group work constructing food webs using the artefacts of the specific African savannah animals. Plenary Whole class discussion supported by PowerPoint presentation about the threats to the savannah and how Chester Zoo is involved in conserving African animals. Back to top One of our Discovery sessions in action!

Plan a route Animals discussed during session Elephant, leopard, hippo, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, hyena, ostrich, meerkat, lion, cheetah, porcupine, vulture, rhino. Animals to visit before session (or after session if at 10.30) If there is time prior to the teaching session it may be beneficial to the students to visit the following animals first. Zebras Straight across from the main entrance, behind the monorail circuit. Think about why these animals have the distinctive stripes and why they might choose to live in herds. Ostriches Opposite the Zebra paddock. Have a close look at their feet if you can- they have just two toes on each foot! How fast do you think these birds can run? Rhinos Located to the right of the main entrance. Have a good look at their horns and feet and see if anyone can spot any Rhino footprints in the paddock. Meerkats Just round the corner from Rhino paddocks. Look out for the Meerkat that is on sentry duty and discuss what it is looking out for and the advantages of living in a group.  Cheetahs Exhibit is visible from the wooden walkway to the left of the Twilight Zone. As you look at the cheetahs think about how they are adapted to run very fast across the savannah. Giraffes Situated over the elephant bridge and to the left, before reaching the Chimp exhibit. Discuss why these animals have such a long neck and what they may eat on the savannah. Can you spot one of our five Jaguars? Click here to download a Zoo Map Continues on next page…. Chester Zoo supports Black Rhino conservation in Kenya

Porcupines Near to Tiger Trail and Marmot Mania, just along from the lion enclosure. Have a good look at the long quills on these animals- what might these help them to do? Griffon Vultures In Europe on the Edge. Look carefully at their long, bare necks and heads and think about what these birds might eat. Some other African animals you can find at Chester Zoo: Warthog Red River Hog Banded Mongoose Okapi African Crowned Crane Gaboon Viper Chimpanzees Congo Buffalo Mandrills Eastern Bongo Rainy day plan – indoor enclosures African Animals: The rhinos, giraffes, and cheetahs all have indoor or sheltered viewing areas, as do the meerkats, chimps, red river hogs and monkeys. Other Animals: Elephants of the Asian Forest has a large themed indoor viewing area, as does Spirit of the Jaguar and Realm of the Red Ape. The Aquarium, Tropical Realm, Islands in Danger and the Twilight Zone are also fully undercover. Please note that in the Twilight Zone all pupils under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a teacher. Arara Picnic Lodge: There is an indoor picnic area located just past Spirit of the Jaguar, adjacent to the canal. One of our young Sumatran Orang-utans born in 2004 Back to top Sheba is our oldest Asian Elephant at over 50 years of age!

Suggested activities to link with session Before Visit Recommended prior learning – useful but not essential Vocabulary – habitat, adaptations, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, wet season, dry season, predator, prey, food chains During Visit Visit the Tsavo Black Rhino Experience and look out for the following displays and interpretation; Model of Rhino head, muzzle and horn Think about what the Rhino uses its pointed lips for, what the horn is made of and how it helps the rhino in the wild. Ranger Camp Look inside the rangers’ tent and learn the importance of understanding animal tracks and signs to work out where the rhinos have been. Look at the footprints on the sign opposite and discuss which footprints you would follow if you were looking for Black Rhino. Carry on round the corner to see if you anyone can spot any other signs of animals, but beware the weeing rhino! Maasai House Visit the Maasai family and find out how their everyday life is different to ours. Press the buttons inside the Rhino house to find out the native names of various African plants and animals- see if pupils can copy them! Why are Rhinos hunted in the wild? Press the buttons inside the rhino house to learn the different opinions on poaching. Look at the pictures of the Zoo Rhinos and see if pupils can work out who’s who in the enclosure. Continues on next page…. Visit the Tropical Realm at Chester Zoo to see our magnificent reptiles

Visit Other Savannah Animals (see list above) Think carefully about where in the savannah these animals might live, what they would eat and whether or not they would have many predators. If so, how might they protect themselves from these animals? Photograph African Animals Encourage pupils to take photos or make sketches of African savannah animals as you walk around the zoo. These can then be used for various activities back in the classroom (see next section). Compare the Savannah to Another Habitat How does the savannah compare with other habitats? Visit some of the Zoo’s themed exhibits such as Realm of the Red Ape, Spirit of the Jaguar, the Aquarium, Islands in Danger, Tropical Realm and Elephants of the Asian Forest to compare the savannah with these habitats. Think about the animals that would live in these areas and how they are adapted to their habitat. Presenter Talks The presenter team do a daily programme of entertaining and informative talks at animal enclosures, some accompanying an animal feed. They are also very happy to answer any questions from visitors. Visit the Zoo website to check out the times and topics of talks. Food Chain Treasure Hunt Each time you encounter an animal from the African savannah, think about what it might eat and theN see if you can find an animal that might eat this one. How long can you make your food chain? Back to top Helping UK wildlife - Harvest mouse re-introduction at Chester Zoo

After Visit What Comes From Africa? Encourage pupils to look in the store cupboard at home and collect food labels from products that may have come from Africa. Discuss how they were produced and how they got here. Make a Poster Think about the threats that the African savannah is facing and then create a poster or leaflet to let people know what is happening. Who Lives in the Savannah? Explain that it’s not just exotic animals that live on the African savannah, people do too! Investigate their lifestyle - what are their homes like, what do they eat, where do they get their food, what do the children learn at school and what do they wear? This may give the opportunity for dressing up, making jewellery, face painting, African dancing and maybe even sampling new cuisine! African Collage UsE the pictures and photos from the visit to create a savannah collage, encouraging pupils to think about where different animals are found i.e. underground, in the trees, around water etc. You could also use these pictures to build a food chain for a wall display. Food Chain Fun Make masks of African animals and use these to create living food chains with pupils! Think about how these food chains are affected by factors such as hunting and habitat destruction. Designer Animal Pupils could invent and draw a new animal designed to live in the savannah, adding notes to show how it is adapted to its habitat. What would it eat, whereabouts would it live and how would it protect itself from predators? Back to top Asoka – Chester Zoo’s male Asiatic Lion

Things to arrange prior to visit Please check details on confirmation letter and if you have any queries call us on Visit the Zoo beforehand to plan your forthcoming trip. To arrange your pre-visit contact us Arrange appropriate number of group leaders and collate contact details. Visit the Zoo website or contact us for more information on the free adult ratios for your school group. Assign pupils to a group leader, ensure pupils and leaders know the running plan for the day, have staff contact details and map of the Zoo (these can be downloaded from the website at Ensure group leaders have a plan for the day including; pupil names, time and location of teaching session (e.g. a copy of the confirmation letter) and where to meet, if necessary, after the session as well as a map of the Zoo. Identification wrist bands are available for 5p each, and can be sent to you in advance. For more information please contact Running plan for the day Time and location of teaching session Time and location to meet for teaching session Time and location to meet for lunch Time to visit Twilight Zone (all pupils under 16 must be accompanied through the Twilight Zone) Time for pupils to visit the gift shop (the shop at the entrance is open all year round, opening times of the other 2 shops vary throughout the year) All pupils under 16 should be accompanied in the gift shops Time and location to meet when leaving the Zoo Back to top Tree frogs are great climbers – just look at their feet! A visitor favourite: ‘Boris’ the chimpanzee

Back to top Sheba is our oldest Asian Elephant at over 50 years of age! The day of your trip: arriving at the Zoo Please help us to make your entrance to the Zoo as smooth as possible. Allow plenty of time to get to and into the Zoo, it can take over 30 minutes to enter the Zoo and reach the Education Centre, particularly at busy times of year. On arrival the group leader only should approach the main gate with the confirmation letter. Pupils and other staff should remain on the coach. This provides an ideal opportunity for another member of staff to run through itinerary for the day with pupils and helpers, to hand out work sheets, information, maps, talk times etc. Once the paperwork has been completed the group leader can collect the group from the coach to be counted into the Zoo by Gate Staff. There are toilets at the main entrance both inside and outside the Zoo. Rainy day plan: indoor enclosures Snakes, insects, birds and other reptiles are in the Tropical Realm. The Tropical Realm is situated near to the Education Centre in the East Zoo. The Twilight Zone contains free flying bats as well as insects, fish and mammals. The Twilight Zone is situated just past Monkeys in the West Zoo. Monkeys, Chimpanzee Breeding Centre and Spirit of the Jaguar all have good indoor viewing. Other enclosures with indoor viewing include; Tsavo Black Rhino Experience, Elephants of the Asian Forests, Realm of the Red Ape, the Aquarium and Islands in Danger.

Your teaching session Sessions are run in 3 classrooms all located in the Education Centre next to the Spirit of the Jaguar exhibit. Please be aware that it can take 30+ minutes to cross the Zoo particularly at busy times of year. On arrival at the Education Centre please wait outside the appropriate room (Cook, Columbus or Cousteau), as stated on your booking confirmation for an Education Officer to greet you. Please don’t block doorways to education classrooms as there may be classes about to leave. Each teaching session will last approximately 50 minutes. There is plenty of open space for lunches outside the Education Centre. On rainy days there is an indoor picnic area (Arara Picnic Lodge) past the Spirit of the Jaguar exhibit. There are toilets opposite the Spirit of the Jaguar house just past the Education Centre. If you are delayed for any reason and may be late for your teaching session please contact , we may be able to help! If you have found this information useful or think there is something that we could add to help your day run smoothly please let us know at Back to top Meeting ‘Beaky’ the quail during a Discovery session