The teacher instructs students to mimic the movements of animals in the following sequence: fox, dog, hare, hedgehog.

Figure 1. Fox (Credits: Pexels.com)

Figure 2. Dog (Credits: Pexels.com)

Figure 3. Hare (Credits: Wikipedia)

Figure 4. Hedgehog (Credits: Pixabay)

Close your eyes and imagine you are walking in a forest. Feel a sense of calm and peace wash over you with each step you take. Imagine the sounds and the smells of the forest. 

Students will:

• Know how to discover evidences of animal presence on nature, without seeing them

• know the main characteristics of animal footprints and identify animals through their footprints.

• understand the importance of protecting biodiversity.

Materials

Appendix 1 - Pictures of animals

Appendix 2 - Evidences of the presence of animals on nature

Appendix 3 - Dog footprint

Appendix 4  - Footprint examples

Appendix 5 - Real mammals’ footprints

Digital Game

Equipment

Laptop and projector

Preparation for the lesson

1. During the fieldtrip, remember to ask students to prioritize ethical and sustainable practices, such as minimizing habitat disturbance, respecting wildlife, and leaving no trace. Additionally, consider safety precautions and obtain any necessary permits or permissions before conducting field activities

If we are walking in a forest, how can we recognize the presence of animals without seeing them? Some animals have fear of humans and instinctively hide when they detect human presence. To ascertain the presence of animals in a forest, we can search for signs of their existence, including animal feces, burrows, gnawed food and footprints.

Doing the tasks of this activity, you will be able to identify some animals through their footprints.

5 min

Inquiry-Based learning

Collaborative learning

Sports: walking in a natural environment; practical activity (energizer)

Arts: Drawing animals footprints.

The most part of the tasks of the lesson are comprehensible to most special needs students who have well-preserved cognitive abilities. The lesson does not comprise long written explanations. The role of the special needs teacher or the assistant teacher is to help target group students in case they are not able to cope with some of the tasks or steps.

Animal footprint

Part I | Identifying animals on nature

1. Ask students how we can know that there are animals in nature. The goal is for them to recognize various signs of animal presence, such as animal feces, burrows, nibbled food, regurgitated food or animals’ footprints. Use the figures on appendix 2 to explore with the students some of those evidences.

Part II | Studying the characteristics of a footprint

2. Explore an animal (mammal) footprint with the students, such as the one presented in the next figure.

Figure 5. Dog footprint (Credits: Bento Cavadas)

3.  Ask them to identify the following concepts within the footprint, as illustrated in figure 6 (Appendix 3):

4. Shape (of the animal footprint)

5. Finger

6. Nail

7. Pad

Figure 6. Dog footprint (Credits: Bento Cavadas)

Solutions: (A) Shape; (B) Nail; (C) Finger; (D) Pad. 

4. Next, organize the students in pairs. Instruct them to observe examples of animal footprints, as depicted in Appendix 4. 

Figure 7. Examples of mammal’ footprints (Credits: Bento Cavadas)

Ask them to indicate the animal(s) which footprints have:

1. 4 fingers.

2. 5 fingers.

3. Nails (claws)

4. Pad.

5. Hooves.

Solutions:

1. Fox, wild boar, cat, dog

2. Badger, squirrel, hedgehog, weasel

3. Fox, badger, squirrel, dog, hedgehog, weasel

4. Fox, car, badger, squirrel, dog, hedgehog, weasel

5. Wild boar, Roe deer

20 min

Part III | Identifying real animal footprints

5. Then, students should identify the animal that produced each real footprint represented in Appendix 5, using the animal footprints of Appendix 4

6. Show the following video.

Figure 8. Print screen of the video “Guess the animal by footprints” (Credits: Animal Quiz)

7. Play the game https://wordwall.net/pt/resource/77657912 with the students

15min

Part IV | Looking for animal’ footprints in nature

8. After the previous activities, students are equipped to go to an outdoor environment and look for real animal footprints or other evidence of the presence of animals in nature. 

Prepare a field trip to a natural park with different habitats such as forests, wetlands, grasslands, or coastal areas. Each habitat supports a unique array of plant and animal species. Encourage students to observe and document the diversity of life forms they encounter in each habitat and the footprints they found, using the camera of their smartphones or drawing them. Then, they can use an application to share them with their colleagues, such as Padlet® or similar.  

The field trip is a relevant context to explore the concept of biodiversity and biodiversity protection with your students, and relates this approach with the Sustainable Development Goal 15:  Life on land.

One day field trip

Guided discussion:                                                                                                        

1. How can you identify the presence of animals in nature, without seeing them?

2. What are the main characteristics of an animal footprint?

3. What type of animal footprints are you able to identify now?

4. Why is it important to preserve biodiversity?

10 min

Appendix 1 - Pictures of animals

Appendix 2 - Evidences of the presence of animals on nature

Appendix 3 - Dog footprint

Appendix 4  - Footprint examples

Appendix 5 - Real mammals’ footprints

Digital Game