tasmanian devil - Latter

SCIENCE
YEAR 1
Lesson
11
TASMANIAN DEVIL
Desired Result
The children will understand that mammals as well as other
organisms are grouped in categories based on their characteristics and
specific animals such as marsupials have unique characteristics of their
own.
Principle 1:
Mammals, including human beings, are grouped in categories
based on their characteristics which help them carry out Heavenly
Father’s plan.
Principle 2:
Tasmanian Devils are grouped as marsupials, mammals with
unique characteristics.
Preparation & Materials
Online







1-11a—Handout: Classification of Living Things
1-11b—Link: The Numbat
1-11c—PowerPoint: The Tasmanian Devil
1-11d—Link: Unique Australian Animals
1-11e—Handout: Animal Pictures – Identifying Marsupials
1-11f—Handout: Comparing Marsupials
1-11g –Link: The Tasmanian Devil (and other Australian Animals)
Home
 World map or globe
 15-20 different styles of shoes (not pairs)
Vocabulary
o
taxonomy
Lesson
Attention Activity
We’re going to do an activity called Shoe Taxonomy. We will need several shoes in a
variety of styles.  15-20 shoes should be enough; only one shoe per pair is needed.
To begin, let’s put the shoes in a pile.  Choose one person. ___________, please
group the shoes in any way you like. There is no correct way.  Could be sorted by
color, size, style, etc.

What characteristic did you choose to group the shoes?

Is there another way to group them?
 Do the activity one more time with another child and ask him/her to use a different
characteristic for sorting.

How is this grouping different from the first? (Answers will vary.)

Is there a right or wrong way to group the shoes? (No, as long as the “rules”
for grouping are consistent, any characteristic can be used.)
Principle 1:
Mammals are grouped in categories based on their characteristics.
Research
Scientists like to put things in groups or categories. When a new species is
discovered, scientists will study the characteristics of that species and place it in a
group that already exists, or maybe even start a new group.
Mammals come under the heading of the Animal Kingdom. Within the mammal
group there are more groups.
Let’s look up the word “taxonomy” in the Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary.
TAXON'OMY, noun [Gr. order, and law.] Classification; a term used by a French
author to denote the classification of plants (also refers to animals.)
Scientists have created a very structured and consistent taxonomy or classification
system for organizing animals to make it easier to talk about them. Let’s look at this
handout to see what that orderly structure looks like.  Give each child a copy of
1-11a—Handout: Classification of Living Things.
88
SCIENCE
•
YEAR 1
•
LESSON 11
Reason

Why would scientists categorize or group animals? (Accept any answer.)
Often scientists group animals to find relationships and connections that help us
better understand animals, to organize a complexity of species and make studying
them easier.

In the activity, Shoe Taxonomy, were there several ways to categorize or
organize the shoes?

Did this make the activity easier or more difficult?

Do scientists have an easy or difficult task when it comes to classifying
animals?
In the previous lesson on mammals, we learned that mammals have several common
traits.  Review these traits with the children. If needed, see Lesson 10.

How do you think scientists decide on these characteristics?  Accept all
answers.

Would you add or take away some of these characteristics? Explain your
reasons.  Accept all answers.
Relate
When Jesus was on the earth, he taught his disciples to share the gospel only among
the children of the House of Israel. After he died, the Lord taught Peter something
new. Let’s read a scripture together to see what Peter learned.  Read Acts 10:3435:“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no
respecter of persons…But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness,
is accepted with him.”

What do you think it means that The Lord is “no respecter of persons?” (It
means that we are all his children, regardless of where we live, and He loves
us and we all have the same opportunities to get back to our Heavenly
Father.)

Does the Lord put his children in groups? (Yes, there are the twelve tribes of
Israel and the Gentiles.)

Do we put people in groups? What are some examples? (Yes—families,
primary classes, scout troupes, sport teams, etc.)
We are not grouped because one group is better than the other, but because we have
certain duties to perform or carry out. Sometimes we are grouped for other reasons,
too.

In what ways are humans grouped? (Sometimes we are grouped by age, by
the language we speak, by where we live, and other characteristics)
SCIENCE
•
YEAR 1
•
LESSON 11
89

What are some reasons for putting people into groups? (To make it easier
for them to learn, to create a manageable number of players for a team to
play with other teams, to strengthen skills, to make people feel more
comfortable, to create an identity, etc.)
Let’s see what more we can learn about this in the Bible Dictionary.  Look up
“Abraham, Covenant of.” “Being an heir to the Abrahamic Covenant does not make one
a “chosen person” per se, but does signify that such are chosen to responsibly carry the
gospel to all the peoples of the earth.”
The Lord groups His children to help carry out His plan.

What groups are you a part of? (Family groups, church groups, school
groups, Israelite tribe, etc.)

What responsibilities do you have because you are a part of a group? 
Encourage each child to respond.
Mammals, including human beings, are grouped in categories based on their
characteristics which help them carry out Heavenly Father’s plan.  Write Principle 1
on the board.
Recess/Break
Principle 2:
Tasmanian Devils are grouped as marsupials, mammals with
unique characteristics.
Research
Let’s explore a unique mammal from Australia, the Tasmanian Devil.

What do you already know about this animal? (Allow all children to share
anything they know, even if it’s about the cartoon character, Tazz.)
The Tasmanian Devil is in a group or category called the “marsupials.” Here are
some of the characteristics of a marsupial.
1. Marsupials are mammals, so they are warm-blooded vertebrates with fur or
hair, they bear live young, and the babies drink their mother's milk.
2. Marsupials are mammals which generally have pouches in which they rear
their young.  You may need to describe “pouches” in more detail for young
children.
3. A baby marsupial is called a “joey.” It is extremely small and undeveloped at
birth-- blind, furless, and about the size of a jelly bean. After being born, it
will crawl from the birth canal, driven purely by instinct, across the
mother’s fur and into the pouch. Upon reaching the pouch, it latches onto
90
SCIENCE
•
YEAR 1
•
LESSON 11
a teat found in the pouch which swells in its mouth to prevent it from being
accidentally dislodged during the mother's movements. The joey will not
re-emerge for several months while it finishes developing. After this period,
it begins spending more time outside the pouch learning survival skills,
though it returns to the pouch to sleep and if danger is present.
4. Not all marsupials have pouches. For example, the Numbat has a mere flap
of skin, but in animals where the pouch is absent, the young are still born
undeveloped, and they cling by instinct to the underside of their mother's
belly, still firmly attached to teats which swell in their mouths.  You can
find further information on the Numbat at Science Links 1-11b—Links:
Numbat.

Can you think of any other animals that are marsupials? (Kangaroos, koalas,
possums.)
Now that we know more about marsupials, let’s focus on the Tasmanian Devil. Let’s
look at our globe (or world map) and find out where the Tasmanian Devil lives.
 Locate Australia on the map and the island Tasmania, southwest below the city of
Melbourne.
The island of Tasmania is the natural home to the Tasmanian Devil and the only
place where it can be found in the wild. Tasmania is known for its diverse plant life
and cool temperate climate, just right for this marsupial. Let’s learn more about this
animal by watching a PowerPoint presentation.  View 1-11c—PowerPoint: The
Tasmanian Devil.
Reason and Relate

Why do you think Tasmania is the only place the Tasmanian Devil is found
in the wild? (The geography of the area does not allow for much movement
or transfer of this animal. Tasmania is an island.)

The Tasmanian Devil is the size of a small dog yet has survived well in
Tasmania. Why is this? (Although small, it has developed aggression when
it comes to feeding habits, allowing it to survive in its environment.)

What are some reasons this animal is endangered? (Disease, hit by cars,
fighting among themselves.)

Should citizens and science work to save the Tasmanian Devil population?
Why or why not?  Accept all responses.

Tasmanian Devils are grouped as marsupials, mammals with unique
characteristics.  Write Principle 2 on the board.
SCIENCE
•
YEAR 1
•
LESSON 11
91
Review & Testimony
Let’s review the principles we’ve discovered today.  As directed by the Spirit share
your testimony of the principles you have taught.
Principle 1:
Mammals, including human beings, are grouped in categories
based on their characteristics which help them carry out Heavenly
Father’s plan.
Principle 2:
Tasmanian Devils are grouped as marsupials, mammals with
unique characteristics.
 As directed by the Spirit, share your testimony of the principles you have taught.
Literature
Who remembers what we read in __________ last time?  Allow for a recap.
 Read aloud the book you chose for 15 minutes. Underline for zoology or science
connections with a blue pencil and gospel principles with a purple pencil.
Record
 Choose from the following according to time available and appropriateness for each for
each child. Place recordings in the science notebook behind the previous record pages.
All Children
1. Record the principles learned in this lesson in your notebook.
2. Australia--what a wonderful place! Let’s find out more about this continent
and its unique animals by spending a few minutes on the internet.  Go to
1-11d—Link: Unique Australian Animals.
a. Which of these animals are marsupials?
Younger Children
1. Marsupials Activity
a.  Give each child a copy of 1-11e—Handout: Animal Pictures-Identifying
Marsupials
b. Cut out each animal picture. Place the pictures in one of two columns
on the handout. After I have corrected your work, glue the pictures into
the columns.
c.
92
What are the characteristics of a marsupial? List or name as many as you can.
SCIENCE
•
YEAR 1
•
LESSON 11
Older Children
1. Research another marsupial from the website above, or research one on your
own. Note that North America has a marsupial, the possum.
2. Compare the Tasmanian Devil to your chosen marsupial. Follow the
directions in this handout to write your comparisons in the Venn diagram.
 Give each child a copy of 1-11f—Handout: Comparing Marsupials. Another
excellent research site is through National Geographic, 1-11g –Link: The
Tasmanian Devil (and other Australian Animals).
Optional Teaching Ideas
The following teaching ideas can be used to supplement this lesson.
1. Family Follow-up: Select a time when children's recordings can be shared
with family members, such as mealtime, Family Home Evening, or before
family prayer.
2. Read Wombat Stew by Marcia K. Vaughan together.
3. Add a page to your Mammal PowerPoint using one of the animals studied
today.
SCIENCE
•
YEAR 1
•
LESSON 11
93