Giant Panda Teacher Packet - Memphis Zoo

Panda – Bamboo Relay RaceGoal: Students will investigate different factors that affect the giant pandas’ survival.Behavioral Objectives:1) Students will be able to describe a giant pandas habitat2) Students will be able to identify factors that impact a giant panda’s survival.Curriculum Standard Correlations:Grade 3• 2.2 Realize that organisms use their senses to interact with their environment.• 2.3 Examine interrelationships among plants, animals, and their environment.Grade 4• Investigate the relationships among organisms in a specific environment.• Recognize that organisms are able to change their environment.Grade 5• Investigate the relationships among organisms in a specific environment.• Recognize that organisms are able to change their environment.Time:1hourBackground Information:Giant pandas live in the mountain ranges of the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu in WesternChina. They are found in mixed deciduous/evergreen forests with a bamboo/rhododendronunderstory. Giant pandas live almost solely on a bamboo diet. Females give birth to one or twoyoung, but very rarely attempt to raise more than one. Females generally give birth in a rock cave or atree with hollow base. The female leaves the young in the den for short periods during its first four tosix weeks of life. At this time it may be particularly vulnerable to temperature changes and predationby yellow-throated marten, golden cats, snow leopards, or other predators.Materials:Required:• 100 poker chips• 4 hula hoops• 2 orange safety vests• 8 orange safety cones• cotton balls (one for every student)• playing field (30’x 60’)Procedures:Preparation:1) Set up the playing field: Using safety cones, set up boundaries for twoadjacent playing fields: a small area (30’ x 20’) for the giant panda denand a larger area (30’ x 40’) for the forest. Place hula hoops throughoutthe “forest”. The hula hoops represent trees or safe zones. Scatter pokerchips along the edge of the “forest” opposite the den. Poker chipsrepresent food such as bamboo for giant pandas,. See diagram.18