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The Elephant
(taken from African Wildlife Foundation website)
Physical Characteristics
The African elephant is the largest living land mammal. Of all its specialized features, the
muscular trunk is perhaps the most extraordinary. It serves as a nose, hand, extra foot,
signalling device and tool for gathering food, siphoning water, dusting, and digging. The tusks are
another notable feature of both males and females. Elephants are right or left-tusked, using the
favoured tusk more often, thus shortening it from constant wear. Tusks differ in size, shape and
angle and researchers can use them to identify individuals.
Habitat
Elephants can live in nearly any habitat that has adequate quantities of food and water. Their
ideal habitat consists of plentiful grass and browse.
Diet
Elephants consume about 5% of their body weight and drink 30-50 gallons of water per day.
Young elephants must learn how to draw water up their trunks and pour it into their mouths.
They eat an extremely varied vegetarian diet including grass, leaves, twigs, bark, fruit and seed
pods.
Behaviour
Elephants are gregarious and form small family groups consisting of an older matriarch and
several generations of relatives. These family groups are often visited by mature males, who
check for females in oestrus. Several interrelated family groups may inhabit an area and know
each other well. When they meet at watering holes and feeding places, they greet each other
affectionately.
Smell is the most highly developed sense, but sound deep growling or rumbling noises is the
principle means of communication. Some researchers think that each individual has its signature
growl by which it can be distinguished. Sometimes elephants communicate with an ear-splitting
blast when in danger or alarmed, causing others to form a protective circle around the younger
members of the family group. Elephants make low-frequency calls, many of which, though loud,
are too low for humans to hear. These sounds allow elephants to communicate with one another
at distances of five or six miles.
Usually only one calf is born to a pregnant female. An orphaned calf will usually be adopted by
one of the family's lactating females or suckled by various females. Elephants are very attentive
mothers, and because most elephant behavior has to be learned, they keep their offspring with
them for many years. Tusks erupt at 16 months but do not show externally until 30 months. The
calf suckles with its mouth (the trunk is held over its head); when its tusks are 5 or 6 inches
long, they begin to disturb the mother and she weans it. Once weaned usually at age 4 or 5, the
calf still remains in the maternal group.
Week 1
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individual users.
Y5/6 AF N_F Plan 2 – Weeks 3 - 4
Skim and Scan Text 1
The Lion
(taken from African Wildlife Foundation website)
Physical Characteristics
The lion is a magnificent animal that appears as a symbol of power, courage and nobility
on family crests, coats of arms and national flags in many civilizations. Lions at one time
were found from Greece through the Middle East to northern India, but today only a very
small population remains in India. In the past lions lived in most parts of Africa, but are
now confined to the sub-Saharan region.
Mature male lions are unique among the cat species for the thick mane of brown or black
hair encircling the head and neck. Both male and female lions roar, a sound which can be
heard as far as 8 km away.
Habitat
Lions are found in savannas, grasslands, dense bush and woodlands.
Behaviour
The lion is an exception to the usual solitary existence of most cat species. It has
developed a social system based on teamwork, division of labour and an extended but
closed family unit. The average pride consists of about 15 individuals: 5 to 10 females,
their young, and 2 or 3 territorial males. These are usually brothers or pride mates who
have formed a coalition to protect their females. Because a nursing lioness will come into
heat a few weeks after the loss of cubs, males with newly won prides will often kill
existing cubs, enabling them to sire their own. When resting, lions seem to enjoy good
fellowship with lots of touching, head rubbing, licking and purring.
Litters consist of two or three cubs that weigh about 3 pounds each. Some mothers
carefully nurture the young; others may neglect or abandon them, especially when food
is scarce. Usually two or more females in a pride give birth about the same time, and the
cubs are raised together. A lioness will permit cubs other than her own to suckle,
sometimes enabling a neglected infant to survive. Capable hunters by 2 years of age,
lions become fully grown between 5 and 6 years and normally live about 13 years.
Diet
Cooperative hunting enables lions to take prey as large as buffaloes, rhinos, hippos and
giraffes. However, scavenged food provides more than 50% of their diets—lions will often
take over kills made by other carnivores. Females do 85-90% of the hunting, usually by
setting up an ambush into which they drive the prey. The kill is not shared equally within
a pride, and at times of prey scarcity, high juvenile mortality rates occur, as hungry
females may not even share with their offspring.
Predators and Threats
Lions have long been killed in rituals of bravery, as hunting trophies, and for their
medicinal and magical powers. Habitat loss and conflicts with humans are the lion’s
greatest threat. Currently, AWF has lion conservation research projects in Tanzania and
Botswana. Little is currently known about where lions go outside of national parks, what
they do and what types of threats they face. With a growing human population
surrounding parks, there are an increasing number of encounters with humans.
Week 1
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individual users.
Y5/6 AF N_F Plan 2 – Weeks 3 - 4
Skim and Scan Text 2
The Hyena
(taken from African Wildlife Foundation website)
Physical Characteristics
The hyena (spelled "hyeana" in some parts of the world) is Africa's most common large carnivore.
Over the years hyenas and humans have come into close contact in Africa and, in earlier times, in Asia
and in Europe, often leading to mutual predation. In ancient Egypt hyenas were domesticated,
fattened and eaten, and in turn humans have on occasion become food for hyenas. Reputed to be
cowardly and timid, the hyena can be bold and dangerous, attacking animals and humans.
Female spotted hyenas are dominant over the males and outweigh them by about 3 pounds. It is
difficult to distinguish between the sexes in the field because external female genitalia have a
superficial similarity to those of the male. Why the female hyena developed in this manner is
unknown, but it may have been necessary for them to appear large and strong to protect their young
from males, as hyenas have cannibalistic tendencies.
Habitat
Spotted hyenas are found in grasslands, woodlands, savannas, sub deserts, forest edges and
mountains.
Behaviour
Spotted hyenas are organized into territorial clans of related individuals. The centre of clan activity
is the den, where the cubs are raised and individuals meet. Hyenas mark and patrol their territories
by depositing a strong-smelling substance produced by the anal glands on stalks of grass along the
boundaries. "Latrines," places where members of a clan deposit their droppings, also mark territories.
Hyenas are social animals that communicate with one another through specific calls, postures and
signals.
Hyenas usually bear litters of two to four cubs, which, unlike the other two species, are born with
their eyes open. Cubs begin to eat meat from kills near the den at about 5 months, but they are
suckled for as long as 12 to 18 months, an unusually long time for carnivores. This is probably a
necessity, as most kills are made far from the den, and hyenas, unlike jackals and hunting dogs, do not
bring back food and regurgitate it for their young. At about 1 year, cubs begin to follow their
mothers on their hunting and scavenging forays. Until then, they are left behind at the den with a
babysitting adult.
Diet
The spotted hyena is a skilful hunter but also an opportunistic scavenger. It consumes animals of
various types and sizes, carrion, bones, vegetable matter and other animals' droppings. The powerful
jaws and digestive tract of the hyena allow it to process and obtain nutrients from skin and bones.
The only parts of prey not fully digested are hair, horns and hooves; these are regurgitated in the
form of pellets. The high mineral content of the bones hyenas consume make their droppings a highly
visible, chalky white.
Predators and Threats
Hyenas have long conflicted with human populations. African legends and folklore associate the hyena
with witchcraft and the supernatural. Like many predators, hyenas become targeted when they take
livestock for prey.
Week 1
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individual users.
Y5/6 AF N_F Plan 2 – Weeks 3 - 4
Comparison of Guides
Group names:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Attraction
described
Format
(paper/online)
Useful
features
Presentation
pluses
Week 1
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Y5/6 AF N_F Plan 2 – Weeks 3 - 4
Modes used (text,
image, video, sound)
Possible Features of Guides
(in no particular order)
 Headings
 Subheadings
 Captions
 Photographs
 Map – how to find
 Map/plan of site
 Bullet points
 Facts – about animals, etc
 Present tense
 Third person
 Highlighting of key words
 Variety of fonts – size, style, colour
 Images
 Labels
 Sound
 Video
 Information – opening times, prices, etc.
Week 1
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individual users.
Y5/6 AF N_F Plan 2 – Weeks 3 - 4
Criteria for Guides
Paper guide
Online guide
Guided tour
Intended audience
Purpose of guide
Week 1
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Y5/6 AF N_F Plan 2 – Weeks 3 - 4
Virtual guided tour
QUAD grid – what do you want to find out?
QUestion
Answer
Details
Week 2
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Y5/6 AF N_F Plan 2 – Weeks 3 - 4
Active to Passive Voice
1. The monkey crunched the apple.
2. The girl spotted a hyena.
3. The boy dropped his guide book.
4. The snowfall pleased the polar bears.
5. The elephant uses its trunk to gather food.
6. Sarah likes the local zoo.
7. The hippopotamus splashed the water.
8. The visitors enjoy the safari park.
Week 2
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individual users.
Y5/6 AF N_F Plan 2 – Weeks 3 - 4
BOS Brainstorm, Organise, Spidergram it – What do you already know?
Spidergram
hyenas
elephants
animals
facilities
Safari Park
plan of site
other
attractions
prices, opening
times and dates
Week 2
© Original resource copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y5/6 AF N_F Plan 2 – Weeks 3 - 4
lions