Key Stage 1 Carnival of the Animals
Reptiles

Learn about these fascinating and sometimes misunderstood creatures, discover incredible facts, play interactive games and create reptile word clouds. Examine marine iguanas and learn why they are endangered, make reptile models and use the information gained about habitats to create your own vivarium. Create a reptile house and open it to the public!

Session 1 Reptile word clouds

Objectives

Science

  • Identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
  • Describe and compare the structure of a variety of common animals.

Lesson Planning

Identify reptiles and learn what features they have in common. Use the internet to find out fascinating facts and create reptile word clouds.

Teaching Outcomes
To identify and name common reptiles, to describe the appearance of reptiles, to know the shared characteristics of reptiles.

Children will:

  • Identify and name common reptiles.
  • Describe the appearance of reptiles.
  • Learn some shared characteristics of reptiles.

Provided Resources

This session does not need any provided resources.

You Will Need

  • Toy snake, lizard, crocodile and turtle (or images)

Session 2 Marine iguanas

Objectives

Science

  • Describe the basic needs of animals, including humans, for survival.

English

  • Write for different purposes, saying out loud what they are going to write about.

Lesson Planning

Find out that humans and reptiles have basic needs. Discover that some reptiles are endangered, focusing on the marine iguana. Look at pictures from a scientific study and create a leaflet about marine iguanas.

Teaching Outcomes
To write about the basic needs of a marine iguana, know that humans and reptiles have basic needs.
To produce a leaflet about marine iguanas, organising their ideas before they write.

Children will:

  • Write about the basic needs of a marine iguana.
  • Know that humans and reptiles have basic needs.
  • Produce a leaflet about marine iguanas.
  • Organise their ideas before they write.

Provided Resources

  • Welcome to the Galapagos islands!
  • Images of the Galapagos islands
  • Marine iguana fact sheet

You Will Need

  • Baby doll
  • A5 paper

Session 3 Where am I?

Objectives

Science

  • Describe the basic needs of animals, including humans, for survival.

Art and Design

  • Use a range of materials creatively to design and make products.
  • Develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space.

Lesson Planning

Play a game to learn about camouflage. Make reptile models using salt dough and paint them to blend into a patterned background.

Teaching Outcomes
Know that some reptiles use camouflage to hide themselves.

To make model reptiles out of salt dough, Paint their reptiles to match a patterned background.

Children will:

  • Know that some reptiles use camouflage to hide themselves.
  • Make model reptiles out of salt dough.
  • Paint their reptiles to match a patterned background.

Provided Resources

  • Salt dough recipe
  • Salt dough reptiles
  • Where am I?

You Will Need

  • Coloured balls of wool: 2 bright colours and 2 or 3 muted greens and browns
  • A5 pieces of black or white card
  • Double-sided tape
  • Ingredients to make salt dough
  • Mixing bowl
  • Patterned paper: wallpaper or wrapping paper

Session 4 Reptile vivaria

Objectives

Science

  • Identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
  • Identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited.
  • Describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other.

Lesson Planning

Learn about habitats through a fun, interactive game. Use the information gathered to create a group vivarium.

Teaching Outcomes
To identify and name reptiles and features of the habitats they live in.
To work as a group to make a reptile vivarium.

Children will:

  • Understand that reptiles live in habitats.
  • Discuss features of habitats.
  • Identify and name reptiles.
  • Work as a group and make a reptile vivarium.

Provided Resources

  • Creating a vivarium
  • Examples of vivaria
  • Habitat box resources for the Galapagos tortoise, gecko, marine iguana, American alligator, slender-snouted crocodile and python

You Will Need

  • 6 large recycled boxes
  • Real leaves, twigs, flowers and stones
  • Coloured tissue paper
  • Coloured paper
  • String

Session 5 Reptile house open day

Objectives

Science

  • Identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited.
  • Describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other.

English

  • Give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings.

Lesson Planning

Hold a reptile open day to consolidate learning. Use props and share information learned about reptiles.

Teaching Outcomes
To describe their reptile´s habitat.
To talk about reptile´s basic needs.
To share information about reptiles.

Children will:

  • Describe their reptile's habitat.
  • Talk about reptile's basic needs.
  • Share information about reptiles.

Provided Resources

There are no provided resources for this session.

You Will Need

  • Reptile keeper costume items