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Standards LinkNATIONAL SCIENCE STANDARD:● ORGANISMS AND ENVIRONMENTS

COVER

•Talk about the colors on the cover. Whatdo students notice about the animal inthis setting? Introduce the science wordcamouflage.Explain that camouflage isa strategy that some animals use forprotection.

•Point out that the weasel in the top rightcorner is the same kind as the one in themain picture. Ask: If the weasel stayedbrown in the winter, could it be usingcamouflage? Do you think the weaseluses camouflage in the summer?

PAGES 2 AND 3

• Have students make predictions. Writethe following question on the board:

What do animals do in the winter? Havestudents brainstorm ideas based onprior knowledge. Then have studentstake a picture walk through the issue.Invite them to add ideas to the list.

• After reading each picture caption, askstudents to closely observe the photos.Have them share connections they’vemade between the text and the pictures,such as, “I see the ladybugs are tuckedtogether. They look cozy.” or “I noticethat there’s ice on the frog.”

• Use the poster-size Bigger Picture topoint out the words hibernate andmigrate.. Model how using context cluescan help them figure out the meaning ofthese words.

PAGE 3: HOW HOT?

•Point to thermometer. Explain that whenthe mercury is high, it means it’s hot,and when it’s low, it means it’s cold.

PAGE 4: THINK BIG!

• Ask: What are some of the changes ani-mals make in the winter? Why? Havestudents cite examples from the issue.

This issue connects to lessons on seasons and animal behavior

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WORDS TO KNOW

ANIMAL WORDS ACTION WORDS

birds feathers freeze move away

bugs frogs grow rest

CHALLENGE WORDS

caribou hibernate migrate

BACKGROUNDBrrr! Students may shiver when theyread this issue of TIME FOR KIDS, butthey will be comforted to find out thatanimals are well suited for survivingcold winters. Students will learn aboutthe adaptation strategies that a variety ofanimals—mammals, birds, insects,amphibians and reptiles—employ.

ADAPTATIONNot all animals rest or escape to warmspots when winter comes. Some stayactive during the cold weather, and theirbodies adapt to the conditions. Many ani-mals grow thicker coats of fur or feathersfor insulation. Ptarmigan (Tar-mih-ghen)and other birds in the grouse family growa fringe along their toes. Ptarmigan canwalk on top of snow because their feetresemble snow shoes!

Some animals not only grow thickercoats, they also grow coats of differentcolors. Weasels, snowshoe rabbits and

Arctic foxes grow white fur in winter.This form of camouflage helps them staysafe from predators and gives them anadvantage as they hunt for their food.

HIBERNATIONBears, garter snakes, raccoons andskunks sleep for weeks at a time, whilebats, groundhogs, ladybugs and frogs canhibernate through the winter. Wintersleepers often gorge on food in the sum-mer and fall in preparation. Then theirheart rates and body temperatures dropto conserve energy. Some frog species,such as the woodfrog, enter a torporstate. They have a special fluid flowing intheir blood that keeps their bodies fromfreezing entirely.

MIGRATIONGeese, whales, caribou and lobsters areamong the many animals that migrateseasonally in order to find food. Caribouand wild reindeer cross the rivers andsnowy lands of Canada and Alaska.

� Most honeybees stayactive in the winter. Thequeen is the only one thattakes a rest.

� Arctic terns make arecord-long migrationeach year. Some travelfrom the North Pole tothe South Pole, then backfrom the South Pole tothe North Pole in spring.

� Field mice build tunnelsunder grass and snow,where they stay warmand safe in the winter.

� White-tailed deer growthick coats of hollow hairin winter that generateand contain heat.

� Carp swim to the bottomof ponds, cover them-selves in mud and sleep.

FAST FACTS

READY FOR WINTER

Teacher’s GuideVOL. 3, NO. 7 ThemeFALL 2002ANIMALS IN WINTER

Go to tfkteachers.com for electronic versions of the guides, lists of standards, special offers and more!

ACTIVITIES

PLAYFUL POETRYSkills: Word families, readingdialogue

Copy this poem onto chartpaper. Read it aloud. Ask stu-dents to identify rhyming words.Reread the poem and ask: Whenis someone speaking? Circlequotation marks and underlinedirect quotes. Invite students toillustrate the poem’s ending. Askthem to imagine what the boy iswearing.

IT’S TIMEIn with a whoosh blew a breeze.Lakes and streams began to freeze.“It’s time,” said the animals in the wild.“Time for what?” asked the curious child.“Time to sleep,” said the ladybug.“Time to move,” said the caribou.“My fur will now turn white,” said the weasel.“My feathers will now grow thick,” said the bird.The animals asked, “What about you?”The boy replied, “I don’t know what to do.”Then, “Aha!” he said and hurried inside.All bundled up, he returned with pride.

—by Nicole Iorio

EARLY READING ACTIVITY

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RESOURCES

BOOKS

GONE AGAIN PTARMIGAN

by Jonathan London (National Geographic,2001) Follow this Arcticbird through encounterswith other animals.Poetic text. Illustrated.

HOME AT LAST

by April Pulley Sayre(Henry Holt, 1998)Many kinds of animalsmigrate. Illustrated.

SNOW PONIES

by Cynthia S. Cotten(Henry Holt, 2001)Old Man Winter releaseshis ponies to start theseason. Picture book.

WEBSITE

yakscorner.com/animal/

hibernation/ Text can beread aloud to share morefacts about animals inwinter. Illustrations also.

Animals: Over, Under, In and OnSkills: Observation, directional words

Give students practice making observations and judging positions ofobjects. Start with the back page of the issue. Ask questions such as “Are thebats in or out of the tree? Is the groundhog over or under the tree?” Copy page3 for students. Students will be asked to read and write directional words insimple, repetitive sentences. Have some fun with directional words: playSimon Says with the class,and emphasize directional words in commands.

Adding the animalsSkills: Story problems, listening

Have students work on solving story problems based on animals they’restudying. You can write up each problem on chart paper or read each aloud tohelp students listen for information. Model writing numerals for the numberwords in the problems. Then call up volunteers to solve the problems on theboard. For high-level students, write up and copy the problems for them towork on independently. Use the following problems as a start.

1. A squirrel has three nuts. It finds two more. How many nuts does it have now?2. Five geese start flying south. Three geese join them. How many geese are there all

together?3. Two groundhogs are sleeping in a burrow. Four snakes slither in to rest. How many ani-

mals are underground in all?4. A bear is resting in its den. It has three cubs over the winter. How many bears are there

all together?

SCIENCE

SCIENCE

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Look at the picture to seewhat some animals do inwinter. Then finish eachsentence with a wordfrom the word box.

USING DIRECTIONALWORDS

Copyright © 2002 TIME FOR KIDS Big Picture Edition. This page may be photocopied for use with students. • Volume 3, No. 7 Theme • Fall 2002

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WHERE ARE THE ANIMALS?

Name

WordBox

inon

overunder

1. The bird is __________________ the tree.

2. The bat is __________________ the tree.

3. The turtle is __________________ the tree.

4. The squirrel is __________________ the tree.

Bonus: Draw three nuts next to the squirrel. Now color the picture!

Name

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COPY AND SEND HOME FOR STUDENTS’ FAMILIES.

Copyright © 2002 TIME FOR KIDS Big Picture Edition. This page may be photocopied for use with students. • Volume 3, No. 7 Theme • Fall 2002

As the weather cools down, you may begetting ready for the winter by taking outwarmer clothes and extra blankets. In thisweek’s issue of TIME FOR KIDS, children learnedabout how animals prepare for winter andsurvive the cold weather.

The story informed children about weaselsthat blend in with snow, ladybugs that

hibernate, frogs that freeze their bodies andsleep, birds that grow thick feathers andcaribou that migrate. They also saw examplesof other animals that blend in, sleep, migrateand store food. Reinforce these concepts byplaying charades. Take turns acting out adifferent animal behavior (such as sleeping orgathering food) and guessing the behavior.Then have your child solve the groundhogmaze below.

The groundhog woke up, and it is hungry! Help it find its food.

HELP THE GROUNDHOG