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Winter Residents in IL

Videos

Grades3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8Biology

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Provided by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Open Resource

What it is

  • This video from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources helps students understand how Illinois animals survive the winter.
  • Students are exposed to a number of different animal species and the different options the animals take to survive the winter in Illinois.

Teaching tips

Positives
  • Key vocabulary is defined for students during the video.
  • Students have visual representations of different types of animal species.
Prerequisites
  • Teachers may want to supply students with a graphic organizer containing the key vocabulary discussed during the video.
  • Teachers may want to create skeleton notes for students to fill out during the video with key takeaways.
  • Teachers may want to use visual/picture cards for any of the different animal species discussed in the video for students to refer back to.
Differentiation & Implementation
  • Teachers may want to consider slowing down the playback speed in order for students to take notes and/or define the vocabulary along with the video.
  • The video discusses adaptations that animals make to the cold winter months. In order for students to make a personal connection, teachers may want to brainstorm ways humans also have to adapt to the cold weather. Using a Venn diagram, students can see if they can make any connections between humans and animals in the ways they adapt.
  • To connect the idea of hibernation and migration to climate change, teachers may use the video Sleep Barry for students to better understand the effects of global warming on animals during the winter.

From the scientist review

This video resource details how various species survive Illinois winters. The narration is clear, and pictures and binomial names are shown for each species mentioned. Climate change is not mentioned, but the video is based on sound science and details how species respond to climatic conditions. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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Hosted on multimedia.illinois.gov

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