Animal Behavior And Adaptation

NC Standard:  1.05

Activity:  The Ants Come Marching One by One

Question: Do humans and animals have similar basic needs to survive?

Vocabulary: Observation, basic needs

Background: All living things have to share the same environment and require the same basic needs for survival; food, water, shelter and space. This activity illustrates that humans are notr the only species that has survival instincts and needs.

Materials: magnifying glasses, note pad / lab notebook, pencils

Procedures: 
Prior to this activity locate an ant hill or an active population of ants. This may be on the playground of your school, on the sidewalks, around windows or in a flower bed. Knowing ahead of time where ants can be found will eliminate the aimless wandering of your students. Lead them to the area, but, allow them to discover the ants using their observational skills. An inexpensive ant farm can be purchased at most hobby or teacher supply stores and can serve as an individual observation point due to weather concerns.
WARNING - BE SURE that the ants you are going to observe are not FIREANTS as their bite can cause severe allergic reactions in some students!
After you have established the approximate area that your students will be working in determine where you will gather the whole group and draw two parallel lines approximately 24"-30" apart and 20' long. This will be the simulated marching space later in the activity.

Divide students into collaborative working groups of 3 or 4, with at least one student designated as the recorder.
Students should answer the following questions through their field observations and record their answers:

How are the ants taking care of their basic needs?
What basic need do you observe being met?
What types of cooperative behaviors did you observe?
How does that behavior help the ant survive?
How are the ants moving within the observation area?

Remind students that observations should be made without harming or disrupting the ants or their environment.
Bring all the groups together in a central loaction and have them report their observations to the class. To demonstrate how ants use cooperative behavior have students get into two equal lines one behind the other at opposite ends of the pre-drawn lines. The two lines of student "ants" must now simulate ant behavior as they pass each other and march down the path. They must NOT step out of the lines so cooperation is the key and communication must be non-verbal. After all, they are ants. Encourage students to dramatize their observations by using their arms and hands as antennae, gently touching fellow ants as they pass.
Have students describe similarities and differences between the basic needs of the nats and humans. Although different, both species share the same need for food, water, shelter and space.

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Line of Learning:  This line is drawn to provide students with a space to share their experimental learning in words or pictures.
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