Answers to Grade 1-3 Questions

General (Based on Grade 1 Understanding Life Systems): Answers

What do the animals featured need to survive? Food, Water, Space, Shelter
What do the babies need survive and grow? Food, Shelter, Water, Parental Care in most cases but not all. Most insects, fish, amphibians and reptiles just lay their eggs and depart leaving the young to fend for themselves. Note: Bees and other colonial insects such as ants, termites and wasps care for their larva.
What are some ways that these animals are alike? All animals breathe, produce waste, move, reproduce, die
What are some ways that these animals are different? There are many answers to this but some possible answer are: different coverings, different body parts, different habitats, different parenting, different food preferences, different ways of moving,
Which animals have feathers? Birds Fur? Mammals, possibly bees although it is not true hair/fur Skin coverings? Frogs, toads Scales? Reptiles, Birds (on legs)
Which animals have 4 legs? Mammals, Amphibians, Reptiles Two legs and wings? Birds More than 4 legs? Insects, spiders and so on. Fins? Fish
Which animals are quiet? Noisy? Almost animals make noise of some sort so this answer will vary depending on whether your students go just by the video or do other research. Birds are most “noisy” in spring. Social animals are nosier than solitary species (see Honey Bees in the Hive). Forest animals are generally quieter than animals living in open areas.
Which animals are colourful? Which are plain? Many birds, especially males are quite colourful. Some insects are also very colourful. Many mammals tend to be monotones. Bold black and white patterns often serve as a warning to other animals. The bold colouration of the monarch butterfly lets predators know that it is not a tasty prey species.
Which animals do you think have a good sense of smell? Most mammals have a good sense of smell as do many species of insects. Some fish, such as salmon also have a very good sense of smell. Most birds, reptiles and amphibians have a poor sense of smell.
Which animals do you think have very good eye sight? Insects see colours better than we do but cannot see as well as us. Predators see motion better than us. In the videos some of the animals shown could be rated as follows: Black bear; fair. Coyote; very good. Red-tailed hawk; excellent. Bumble bee, poor

General (Based on Grade 2 Understanding Life Systems): Answers

Which animals are predators? Black bear, coyote, Red-tailed hawks, Great blue heron, many of the song birds are seasonal predators eating insects in the spring and summer and then switching to seeds in the winter. What proof can you find in the videos to support this? The Great blue heron is seen catching a fish, the Barn swallow has an insect in its mouth.
Which animals eat plants? Black bear, deer, mallard, Canada goose, muskrat. What proof can you find in the videos to support this? The black bear male is eating grass. The deer are feeding in the meadow. The mallard ducks are eating water plants.
How are the babies like their parents? Some animals have babies that look a lot like their parents: black bear and coyote. How are they different from their parents? Most babies look very different from the adults. The spotted fawn. The striped Red-neck grebe chick. The yellow Canada gosling. The Toad’s tadpoles (not yet shown).
Which parents are seen looking after their babies? Black bear, coyote, deer, gnatcatcher, grebe, Canada goose among others.
How is each animal suited for its environment? Their coverings suit their environment (the blackness of the black bear is ideal for hiding the woods). The bird’s feathers allow flight and protect them from the weather. The coyote’s and the deer’s long legs allow it to run. The raccoon’s paws are useful for grabbing food and for climbing trees.
Which baby animals play? Black bear cubs, white-tail fawns and coyote pups are all seen playing.

General (Based on Grade 3 Understanding Life Systems): Answers

How do the animals make use of plants? Nesting material (various birds), food, shelter
What types of plants are seen in the video? Flowers, trees, cattails, lilies, bushes and …
What colours were the flowers seen in the videos? Yellow, pink, white, red, purple and …
What colours seem to attract the insects? Yellow (especially for the bees), white. Remember that these videos were taken at different times. Insects are attracted to flowers by their colours (which they see differently than you and I) but they are also attracted to the flowers for their nectar. Nectar is not always available. As plants bloom they produce the nectar and after pollination the flowers no longer produce nectar and the insects move on to other plants. Thus insects are attracted to different flowering plants at different times of the year.
What benefit do the flowers get from the visiting insects? Flowers store their nectar at the base of the flower. To get to this food source insects must force their way into the flower. During this activity they pick up pollen (the male fertilizing agent). When the insect visits another plant of the same species the some pollen falls off and fertilizes the plants ovules. Not all plants rely on insects to do this but most flowering plants do.
What is the difference between garden plants and wild plants? Garden plants are cultivated by humans. They are selected for their colour, their stamina, their compatibility and so forth. Gardens are usually very organized and planned habitats. Wild plants rely on natural processes and are much more responsive to changes in their habitat. Humans may help some garden plants out by clearing away competitors such as weeds whereas natural communities of plants must compete with other plants for space, food and water.
Which plants were tall? Short? Trees tend to be tall but if you look at a garden there are tall plants and short plants. Cattails in a marsh are tall but lily pads are also tall given that their roots are anchored on the wetland’s bottom. For this question then it is more about observing that in any plant community some plants will “reach for the sky” while others “hug the ground”. These are all adaptations that help the plant survive. It increases the chances of then getting enough nourishment and water to live and reproduce.
Describe plants living in wet habitats? There are three types of plants that live in wet environments; submergent, emergent and floating. Emergent plants rise out of the wetlands and have stiff stalks that support them (e.g. cattails, sedges). Submergent plants live under the water (e.g. “sea weed”, sea grass) and Floating plants have leaves and flowers that float on the surface (e.g. water lilies).
Which plants dominated their environment? The answers to this question will vary. Young naturalists might say “trees” or “grass” where more experienced naturalists might say “white pine trees” or “blue grass”. For primary students forests are dominated by trees, marshes by cattails and meadows by grasses.