role of a zookeeper.
Year 3 learners will have the opportunity to meet some minibeasts up close, look at some objects that zookeepers use to care for the animals, and investigate what different animals at the zoo eat. They will be able to come up with their own ideas on how to group animals based on their diet, and consider how they would look after an animal at a zoo.
The workshop for years 4, 5 and 6 learners will involve a more in-depth look at the role of the Zookeeper, including how zookeepers look after different animals at the zoo, and the importance of our conservation projects involving endangered species such as Livingstone’s fruit bats, and white-clawed crayfish. Learners will also think about the ‘five freedoms’ involved in animal care, and some of the daily tasks involved in looking after animals.
National Curriculum Links
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Y3: identify that animals, including humans, need the right types and amount of nutrition, and that they cannot make their own food; they get nutrition from what they eat.
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Y3 – Working Scientifically: compare and contrast the diets of different animals (including their pets) and decide ways of grouping them according to what they eat.
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Y4 – Working Scientifically: raising and answering questions based on their observations of animals and what they have found out about other animals that they have researched.
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Y4: recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things.
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All years: pupils should be taught about the range of jobs carried out by people they know, and to understand how they can develop skills to make their own contribution in the future.
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All years: pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through opportunities to meet and talk with people (for example, people who contribute to society through environmental pressure groups or international aid organisations; people who work in the school and the neighbourhood, such as religious leaders, community police officers).
Learning Objective
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To consider the needs of animals and how zookeepers care for them.
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To understand the skills that a zookeeper needs to have, and the important role of zoos in conservation.
Pre-visit Suggestions
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Discuss key vocabulary with pupils e.g diet, nutrition, habitat, environment, tools, skills, conservation.
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Access the Zoo app to look at the map of the zoo, watch live animal webcams and access more information on the animals.
habitats and adaptations
Designed for KS2 learners in year 6, pupils will take a look at some objects related to animals that live in a range of habitats. They will investigate some of the differences between animals in these contrasting habitats and have a guided visit to an animal enclosure to discover how variation in animal offspring over time has led to the development of the animal’s adaptations.
National Curriculum Links
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Y6: identify how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment in different ways and that adaptation may lead to evolution.
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Y6: they should also appreciate that variation in offspring over time can make animals more or less able to survive in particular environments, for example, by exploring how giraffes’ necks got longer, or the development of insulating fur on the arctic fox.
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Y6 - Working scientifically: comparing how some living things are adapted to survive in extreme conditions, for example, cactuses, penguins and camels.
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Y6 – Working Scientifically: they might analyse the advantages and disadvantages of specific adaptations, such as being on two feet rather than four, having a long or a short beak, having gills or lungs, tendrils on climbing plants, brightly coloured and scented flowers.
Learning Objective
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To recognise that there are different types of habitats and that plants and animals have a variety of adaptations to live in these habitats.
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To be able to describe how variation in offspring over time as led to a specific adaptation for an animal at the Zoo.
Pre-visit Suggestions
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Discuss key vocabulary with pupils e.g. habitat, ecosystem, predator, prey, variation, adaptation, and offspring.
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Download the Northumberland Zoo App and look at the map of the zoo, watch the live animal webcams and access more information on the animals.
growth and development.
Year 3 learners will be able to have a close up look at some minibeasts, and investigate how these animals move without an internal skeleton. They will also discover the diets of some different animals at the Zoo, and how these animals could be grouped according to what they eat. Pupils will have the opportunity to have a mini guided tour of the zoo, completing a scavenger hunt activity to look for animals that eat different things.
Learners in year 5 will complete a lifecycle investigation, finding out about the life cycles of different animals at the Zoo, and using this information to think of similarities and differences between life cycles. Pupils will also have the opportunity to conduct an animal behaviour study, replicating the work of famous animal behaviourists such as Jane Goodall.
National Curriculum Links
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Y3 - identify that animals, including humans, need the right types and amount of nutrition, and that they cannot make their own food; they get nutrition from what they eat.
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Y3 - identify that humans and some other animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection and movement.
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Y3 – Working Scientifically: identifying and grouping animals with and without skeletons and observing and comparing their movement.
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Y3 – Working Scientifically: compare and contrast the diets of different animals (including their pets) and decide ways of grouping them according to what they eat.
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Y5 - describe the differences in the life cycles of a mammal, an amphibian, an insect and a bird.
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Y5 - describe the life process of reproduction in some plants and animals.
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Y5 - they should find out about the work of naturalists and animal behaviourists, for example, David Attenborough and Jane Goodall.
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Y5 – Working Scientifically: observing and comparing the life cycles of plants and animals in their local environment with other plants and animals around the world (in the rainforest, in the oceans, in desert areas and in prehistoric times), asking pertinent questions and suggesting reasons for similarities and differences.
Learning Objective
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Y3: To recognise how animal skeletons influence the movement of different animals
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Y3: To be able to name some of the foods that different animals eat at the Zoo, and recognise that animals need special diets to grow and develop healthily.
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Y5: To be able to describe some of the similarities and differences in the life cycles of a mammal, amphibian, insect and bird.
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Y5: To understand why it is important to study animal behaviour and be able to conduct their own animal behaviour study, replicating the work of famous animal behaviourists such as Jane Goodall.
Pre-visit Suggestions
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Discuss key vocabulary (e.g. nutrition, skeleton, diet, life cycle, animal behaviour)
evolution and inheritance.
In this interactive workshop for year 6 learners, pupils will be able to play an active game where they will go on a journey from the beginning of life on Earth, evolving different features to see how living things have changed over time, and what living thing they can become. Pupils will then have the opportunity to have a guided visit to see some of the animals at the Zoo, and learn about the adaptations that these animals have evolved to live in different environments.
National Curriculum Links
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Y6 - recognise that living things have changed over time and that fossils provide information about living things that inhabited the Earth millions of years ago.
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Y6 - identify how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment in different ways and that adaptation may lead to evolution.
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Y6 – Working Scientifically: ask questions and develop a line of enquiry based on observations of the real world, alongside prior knowledge and experience, present reasoned explanations.
Learning Objective
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To name some of the ways that life on Earth has changed over time.
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To describe animal adaptations and discuss the connection between habitats, animal behaviour and animal appearance.
Learning Outcome
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Children will understand the way certain animals have adapted to suit their environment.
Pre-visit Suggestions
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Discuss key vocabulary (predators, prey, survival, characteristics, adaptations, camouflage, mimicry, behaviour).
animal groups & classification.
In this workshop, pupils are invited to look at some of the animals at the zoo close-up in order to learn about which taxonomic group they belong to. They will discover how animals are separated into groups and the difference between vertebrates and invertebrates. Through a mini-guided tour round the Zoo, children will be encouraged to make their own connections between animal classification, and their observations of animal behaviour and appearance.
National Curriculum Links
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Y4: recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways.
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Y4 – Working Scientifically: raising and answering questions based on their observations of animals and what they have found out about other animals that they have researched.
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Y6: describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences, including microorganisms, plants and animals.
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Y6: give reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics
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Y6 – Working Scientifically: research unfamiliar animals and plants from a broad range of other habitats and decide where they belong in the classification system.
Learning Objective
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To describe the differences between animals from different classes.
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To be able to identify and name animals based on descriptions of their appearance and behaviour.
Pre-visit Suggestions
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Discuss key vocabulary (predator, prey, vertebrate, invertebrate, consumer, producer etc.)
conservation.
From top predators like snow leopards, to our tiny harvest mice, learners will discover the different conservation programmes that Northumberland Zoo is involved in. They will learn more about animals from a broad range of habitats through interactive presentations involving the opportunity to look at different animal objects, such as harvest mice nests, white-clawed crayfish exoskeletons, and snow leopard footprints.
National Curriculum Links
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Y4: recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose. dangers to living things. Pupils should explore examples of human impact (both positive and negative) on environments, for example, the positive effects of nature reserves, ecologically planned parks, or garden ponds, and the negative effects of population and development, litter or deforestation.
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Y4: recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways.
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Y4 – Working Scientifically: raising and answering questions based on their observations of animals and what they have found out about other animals that they have researched.
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Y6: describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences, including microorganisms, plants and animals.
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Y6: give reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics
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Y6: research unfamiliar animals and plants from a broad range of other habitats and decide where they belong in the classification system.
Learning Objective
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To understand the impacts of humans on certain animals, and how these impacts are threatening animal populations.
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To name some ways in which Northumberland Zoo is trying to help animals in the wild.
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To be able to recognise some unfamiliar animals and decide how they could be grouped.
Pre-visit Suggestions
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Pupils could look into how the school is addressing issues around the environment;
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Download the Northumberland Zoo App and look at the map of the zoo, watch the live animal webcams and access more information on the animals.
predators & prey.
Recommended for year 4 learners, in this workshop we will investigate some food chains involving different animals at the Zoo, from top predators such as snow leopards, to small prey animals like harvest mice. The workshop will involve an active game and looking at some animal props to understand the characteristics of a top predator. We will also consider the human impact on animal food chains, and what is being done to try and reduce this.
National Curriculum Links
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Y4: construct and interpret a variety of food chains, identifying producers, predators and prey.
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Y4: recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things.
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Y4: pupils should explore examples of human impact (both positive and negative) on environments, for example, the positive effects of nature reserves, ecologically planned parks, or garden ponds, and the negative effects of population and development, litter or deforestation.
Learning Objective
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To know that animals get their food from either plants or other animals.
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To be able to describe some impacts that humans can have on animal food chains.
Pre-visit Suggestions
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Ask the children to do some research on different animals in the zoo, and remind them of key terms such as producer, consumer, predator, prey, environment, and food chain.
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Download the Northumberland Zoo App and look at the map of the zoo, watch the live animal webcams and access more information on the animals.