International Wolf Center
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TARGET AUDIENCE
Grades K - 12

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Explore the world of wolves in your very own classroom! The Wolf Loan Box provides resources for students to conduct inquiry-based learning. Using resources included in the box, students will gain an interdisciplinary picture of the complex issues surrounding wolf survival and will be able to make informed decisions about their role in an ecosystem. The many books and videos spark investigative learning and challenge students of all levels to analyze complex information.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:

  • Identify and describe wolf adaptations
  • Compare and contrast wolf, coyote, and beaver skulls
  • Use field guides to identify animals tracks and scat
  • Explore wolf recovery and management
  • Compare wolf populations in the Midwest, Southwest, Northern Rocky Mountains, and the Arctic
  • Plot radio telemetry data on maps and track wolf packs in northeastern Minnesota

    NATIONAL STANDARDS TO WHICH THIS PROGRAM ALIGNS

    NS.K-4.3 LIFE SCIENCE
    As a result of activities, all students should develop understanding of

  • The characteristics of organisms
  • Life cycles of organisms
  • Organisms and environments

    NS.5-8.3 LIFE SCIENCE
    As a result of their activities, all students should develop understanding of
  • Structure and function in living systems
  • Regulation and behavior
  • Populations and ecosystems
  • Diversity and adaptations of organisms

    NS.K-4.6 and NS.5-8.6 PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES
    As a result of activities, all students should develop understanding of
  • Types of natural resources
  • Changes in environments
  • Populations, resources, and environments

    PROGRAM LENGTH
    2 weeks

    VOCABULARY
  • Species
    		•
  • Species
    		•
  • Subspecies
    		•
  • Population
    		•
  • Adaptation
    		•
  • Herbivore
    		•
  • Carnivore
    		•
  • Omnivore
    		•
  • Predator
    		•
  • Prey
    		•
  • Scavenger
    		•
  • Ecosystem
    		•
  • Habitat
    		•
  • Socialization
    		•
  • Telemetry
    		•
  • Reintroduction
    		•

    SUGGESTED PRE-PROGRAM PREPARATION

  • Discussions of ecosystems, nature's cycles, and habitat needs before the program are very helpful but not required.
  • Brainstorm together or visit www.wolf.org to develop student-generated questions.
  • Explore the International Wolf Center's Gray Wolves, Gray Matter curriculum.

    SUGGESTED POST-PROGRAM FOLLOW UP

  • Sign up for a Group Visit to the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota to learn about wolves and see the ambassador wolves in person and/or join us for an outdoor field trip into wolf country.
  • Sign up for one of our Distance Learning Programs and take a virtual field trip to the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota via two-way videoconferencing.
  • Use International Wolf Center Wolf Logs to visit the ambassador wolves and keep track of their behavior, growth and place in the pack.
  • Visit our Web site to view the ambassador wolves live on our Web Cams.
  • Visit our Web site to find a comprehensive collection of basic, intermediate and advanced wolf information in the Learn section.

    Recommended reading for teachers interested in further environmental education:
    Sharing Nature with Children by Joseph Cornell
    Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv