HOW CAN ANIMALS USE THEIR SENSES TO COMMUNICATE?
This module is currently being field tested and is not available for purchase.
How Can Animal Use Their Senses to Communicate? is part of Smithsonian Science for the Classroom, a curriculum series by the Smithsonian Science Education Center. It is designed to address a bundle of fourth grade life science, physical science, and engineering standards. In this module, students:
- Combine evidence from across multiple sources to support an argument that explains how internal and external substructures of a cat’s eyes, ears, whiskers, and nose help it hunt.
- Develop a system model to show how a songbird uses information from sense receptors and memories to predict if something is edible.
- Carry out an investigation to test whether male fiddler crabs wave more when female crabs are present than when they are absent.
- Develop a model showing the components and interactions of a system that can convert sound to digital form, recognize a pattern in that form, send a digital message, and decode a digital message as part of a solution to decrease illegal logging.
- Use evidence to support an argument about the importance of distinct flash patterns in firefly communication to find a mate.
Below are digital resources that support teaching of this module.
Family Letter
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Before starting How Can Animals Use Their Senses to Communicate?, share the Family Letter with students’ caregivers. Indicate how they should submit responses to the letter.
Pouncing Cat (0:29)
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This video introduces the phenomenon of a cat using its senses to find a mouse hidden in grass.
Cat Smelling (1:01)
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This video shows several examples of cats using their sense of smell.
Songbirds and Firebugs
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This file introduces the phenomenon of hand-raised songbirds that attack firebugs more than wild-caught songbirds.
Songbird (0:43)
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This video shows songbirds.
Firebug (0:42)
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This video shows firebugs.
Human Nervous System
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This file shows illustrations of the human nervous system.
Human and Bird Visual Systems
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This file shows illustrations of the human and bird visual systems.
Fiddler Crabs Waving (0:14)
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This video introduces students to the phenomenon of male fiddler crabs waving.
Male and Female Fiddler Crabs (5:03)
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This video provides an alternative to using live fiddler crabs in the classroom. Students may observe fiddler crabs digitally. This video is also used in Lesson 8.
Fiddler Crab Field Study
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This presentation provides background information about a field study into male fiddler crabs waving and results from the study. The presentation is also used in Lesson 8.
Male Fiddler Crab Alone (5:03)
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This video provides an alternative to using live fiddler crabs in the classroom. Students may observe fiddler crabs digitally and conduct their investigation using this and the Male and Female Fiddler Crabs video.
Rainforest Protector
Play Simulation
This simulation includes images and sounds of the rainforest and creates spectrograms of sounds.
Illegal Logging Problem (5:05)
Beneath The Canopy | 2018 Google Search On Documentary Series featuring RFCx - YouTube
This video describes the illegal logging problem in Alto Rio Guamá. Play the first 1:20 so students see only the problem and not the solution.
Model of Your Solutions
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This file provides directions to develop a model of a rainforest protection solution.
Flashing Fireflies (0:20)
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This video introduces students to the phenomenon of fireflies flashing.
Firefly Flash Pattern 1 (0:14)
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This is one of three videos that show fireflies flash in different patterns.
Firefly Flash Pattern 2 (0:37)
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This is one of three videos that show fireflies flash in different patterns.
Firefly Flash Pattern 3 (0:25)
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This is one of three videos that show fireflies flash in different patterns.
Sample Flash Pattern
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This file shows an example of a visual model for a simplified firefly flash pattern.
Firefly Communication Testing
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This file shows the procedure for testing the flash patterns with physical models.
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