Vet Detective Activity Book
This book features five hands-on activities designed for 8- to 12-year-olds. Each
activity includes one 30-to 45-minute project and extensions. Activities
can be used in any order. Also included are objectives and learning
outcomes, assessment questions, ideas for a presentation or exhibit and
topics for further investigation.
Table of Contents
Meet Tolani /ACTIVITY ONE
Watch a video about veterinarian Tolani Francisco and explore animal
flight distances.
Learning Outcomes: Youth develop an understanding of the work of a scientist
and of the scientific enterprise.
Bison Behavior /ACTIVITY TWO
Observe bison and learn how to make sense of their behavior.
Learning Outcomes: Youth develop an understanding of animal behavior
and learn to collect and interpret data.
Vital Signs /ACTIVITY THREE
Learn how to take your own vital signs, and then compare them to the
vital signs of other animals.
Learning Outcomes: Youth develop an understanding of animal physiology.
Rumination /ACTIVITY FOUR
Compare animal digestive systems and then experiment with the process
of digesting grass.
Learning Outcomes: Youth develop an understanding of digestion.
Disease Detective /ACTIVITY FIVE
Investigate how the disease brucellosis spreads among different herds
of elk.
Learning Outcomes: Youth develop an understanding of sampling populations
and the causes of disease in animals.
Pulling It All Together
Create a story about a scientist who is a wildlife veterinarian.
Learning Outcomes: Youth draw on what they have learned in the activities
to construct their own understanding of what it means to be a scientist.
New Wonders
Here are some ideas for projects or exhibits.
Learning Outcomes: Youth develop an understanding of science and technology
in society and of science as a human endeavor.
Permission is given
to educators to reproduce these pages for classroom and training purposes
only.