Topic: Wildlife of the savannah

Supplementary material for use in lessons in the group of natural sciences (nature, biology, chemistry, geography, physics), additional classes, science clubs. It can serve as a resource for expanding knowledge, preparing students for science competitions.

Target group:

5th‑grade students of elementary school (Geography).

Core curriculum

Grade V Geography

IV. Landscapes of the world: humid equatorial forest and temperate forest, savannah and steppe, hot and ice desert, taiga and tundra, Mediterranean, high altitude Himalayas; zonation and climatological vegetation in the world. Pupil:

3) presents the main features and compares the known landscapes of the world and recognizes them in descriptions, films and illustrations;

4) recognizes plants and animals typical of the landscapes that are known;

General aim of education

Students recognize and name the savannah‑like organisms.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• describe the savanna vegetation;

• discuss the relationship between climatic conditions and savanna vegetation;

• recognize selected species of animals living in the savannah.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers;

• large sheets of paper with a continental outline, glue, scissors, crayons.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

• Before the lesson, the teacher asks pupils to look for colorful plants and online photographs of plants and animals found in the savannah..

Introduction

• The teacher gives the topic, the goals of the lesson in a language understandable for the student, and the criteria of success.

Realization

• The teacher asks students to read the abstract themselves, paying particular attention to the illustrations.

• The teacher asks students to carry out the recommended interactive exercise themselves.

• Teams receive their own work - a map of the world. Each team's task is to make a collage of photos showing the richness of life in the savannah.

• The teacher asks the students to do interactive exercise 3 themselves. Then, asks the students, to what group would the crocodile and alligator belong? After answering, he explains to students (using an interactive illustration) how to distinguish a crocodile from an alligator.

Summary

• The teacher briefly presents the most important issues discussed in class. He answers the additional questions of the proteges and explains all their doubts. Students complete notes.

Homework

• Make at home a note from the lesson using the sketchnoting method.

• Listen to the abstract recording at home. Pay attention to pronunciation, accent and intonation. Learn to pronounce the words learned during the lesson.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Wildlife of the savannah

The climatic conditions of areas where savannah can be found (dry season and rainy season) force the existence of specific vegetation. The largest sufraces are covered by grasses that are well adapted to survive the dry season. Their blades grow near the base, rather than on the tip. This way grass that is picked by animals from above can keep growing. Some species of grass on the savannah (e.g. elephant grass) reach impressive heights of even up to 5 metres.

Shrubs growing on the savannah ofter store water in stem or leaf tissues. Many of them, like aloe or euphorbia, have developed thorns for protection against herbivores. Another way in which they protect themselves against the loss of precious water is the transformation of leaves into dry and hard creations that resemble long pine needles. An example of such shrub (and sometimes tree) is the Australian sheoak.

These trees are sparse on the savannah, as the herds of herbivores trample their seedlings or eat them before they can grow. However, if they do manage to grow, they often reach enormous sizes. Due to the size of their roots, which extend several metres deep and many metres wide, they have the highest potential to draw water from deeper layers. Eventually, however, even these trees run out of water during the dry season. During the rainy season, certain trees on the savannah store water in their trunks, e.g. baobabs. Other, like eucalyptus, produce draught‑resistant leathery leaves that position themselves with the edge towards the sun or have small leaves and long thorns, like acacias. Sometimes, when the draught persists for a long time, trees shed their leave to reduce evaporation.

Grasses that grow rapidly during the rainy season are an enormous food source for animals. That’s why there are large herbivorous mammals on the African savannahs, such as: elephants, rhinoceri, giraffes and buffaloes. Zebras and other species of antelope travel across the savannah in large herds. On the South American savannahs, there are no large herds and no large herbivores. Among ungulates, particular attention is drawn by the pampas deer. In this biome, the vicinity of rivers is populated by the largest critters in the world – capybaras. Other interesting mentions that cannot be found on other continents include anteaters and armadillos. In Australia, the largest animals that inhabit the savannah are kangaroos. In recent years, more and more wild camels brought there by humans are sighted.

Where there are herbivores, there are also numerous predators. In Africa, large carnivores include, among others, lions, leopards and slightly smaller, but incredibly fast cheetahs. Smaller predators include hyenas, jackals and lycaons that hunt in packs or eat scraps left by larger predators. The largest predators on the South American savannah are the jaguar and maned wolf, whereas in Australia it’s the wild dingo.

Large flightless birds, such as African ostriches and their slightly smaller counterparts: nandu in South America and emu in Australia, are typical for the savannah. Large scavenging vulchers can be found everywhere. In Africa, the bird characteristic for the savannah is the marabou stork. The savannahs on all continents are inhabited by many reptiles (especially snakes and lizards) and countless intervertabrates (termites, ants, locusts, spiders).

Savannahs are also inhabited by people who farm the land, breed goats, livestock and horses, and hunt. It’s a perfect place for grazing enormous herds of livestock.

• Vegetation that grows on the savannah mainly includes grasses as well as a small number of shrubs and trees.

• Plants growing on the savannah store water or limit its loss.

• The lack of water during the dry season makes it impossible to increase the number of shrubs and trees on the savannah.

• Thanks to the abundant grass growth during the rainy season, the savannah provides a source of food for the largest herbivores.

• A large population of large herbivores constitutes a food source for large and numerous predators and scavengers.