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Learning Science with Curiosity About Moonrats
Discover what smells funkier than a moonrat
Need to get some students stoked for science?
Want to create greater curiosity for learning about science, biology, nature, conservation, and collaboration?
From a 15 minute start, to full lessons and activities to extend the learning, below is your Curiosity-Based Thinking approach to turning a moonrat into learning experience that doesn’t stink.
15 Minute Start
Spark Curiosity: What do you think a “moonrat” looks like and where does it live? Then show a picture of a moonrat to stimulate discussion.
Share the facts: Mention how moonrats are small, nocturnal mammals that live in Southeast Asia, with a unique pungent smell used for defense.
Collaborative Task: Break students into small groups and ask them to come up with a list of 3 adaptations the moonrat might have to survive in its environment. Examples might include nocturnality (active at night), scent for self-defense, and long noses for finding food.
Discussion: After 5 minutes, each group shares their ideas, and you briefly introduce real adaptations.
15-Minute Classroom Lesson #1
“Adaptation Detectives”
Objective: Understand how animals adapt to their environment.
Materials: Pictures of different animals including the moonrat, whiteboard, markers.
Curiosity Hook: “How would you survive if you were a moonrat? What special features would you need?”
Lesson and Activity:
- Begin with a short video or slideshow on the moonrat to introduce it.
- Divide students into small groups, each group gets a different animal picture (including moonrat).
- Ask them to discuss and list the animal’s features and hypothesize their uses (5 minutes).
- Groups present their findings, focusing on how these adaptations help in survival (10 minutes).
- Draw parallels between different animals, emphasizing the moonrat’s unique features.
