SELF-GUIDED ACTIVITIES

Safari Park

GRADES PRE-K to 12

Table of Contents

Teacher Guidelines and Checklist

Chaperone Checklist

Classroom Activities

Pre-K to K Field Trip Activities

Pre-K to K Classroom Activities

Grade 1 Field Trip Activities

Grade 1 Classroom Activities

Grade 2 Field Trip Activities

Grade 2 Classroom Activities

Grade 3 Field Trip Activities

Grade 3 Classroom Activities

Grade 4 Field Trip Activities

Grade 4 Classroom Activities

Grade 5 Field Trip Activities

Grade 5 Classroom Activities

Grades 6 to 12 Field Trip Activities

Grades 6 to 12 Classroom Activities

Grades 6 to 12 Field Trip Activities

Grades 6 to 12 Classroom Activities

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about

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activities

BEFORE YOUR VISIT

Complete the classroom activities.

• These activities align with various grade-speciﬁc Performance Expectations outlined in the

Next Generation Science Standards. They form the educational basis for your visit.

• Remember that prior knowledge gained from the pre-visit, in-classroom activities will facilitate

advanced student learning while participating in activities at the Park.

Arrange for an adequate number of chaperones when making your

reservation.

Additional adults (adults exceeding the ratio noted on your conﬁrmation) will be required to pay a

chaperone admission fee.

Give each chaperone a copy of the Chaperone Checklist, Field Trip

Activities sheet(s), and a Park map.

• Review these items with your chaperones before you leave school.

• If your group is traveling by car, explain the parking procedure to each driver. See details below.

Review behavior expectations with students

• Read the student rules listed on the Chaperone Checklist.

• The Safari Park Education Department reserves the right to suspend schools from ﬁeld trip

visits for one full year, in the event of inappropriate student or chaperone behavior.

Notify the Education Department of any changes.

Any changes to the total group number given at the time of your reservation must be approved by

the Education Department prior to your visit date.

WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE SAFARI PARK

Tell the parking attendant the name of your school to receive

complimentary parking.

Check in at Guest Relations after your entire group has arrived.

• Group members who arrive after check-in will be charged full admission.

• If you want to visit the Petting Kraal, you must schedule the visit when you check in.

• Payment must be made in one lump sum by cash, check, charge, or purchase order.

Thank you!

Dear Teacher:

We’re looking forward to your visit to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Please help us by completing

this short checklist.

More than 100,000 students visit us each year!

We ask all teachers to follow these directions for a visit that’s good for you…

and for the Park.

Arrive on time.

• If you are driving your own vehicle, please be on time so you can enter the Park with your group.

• Chaperones who arrive after the group has checked in will be charged full admission.

Check with your teacher to ﬁnd out if your group has been scheduled for a

Petting Kraal visit.

• Petting Kraal visits for school groups must be scheduled with Guest Relations when the

group checks in.

Pack your lunches in paper bags or small coolers.

• You are permitted to bring food into the Park, but lunches must be in paper bags or small

coolers. Large coolers, those you must carry with two hands, are not permitted in the Park.

• You are responsible for carrying lunch bags or small coolers throughout the Park.

• Use The Grove Picnic Area to eat your lunch.

Make a list of the names of the students in your group.

• Along with their names, add a description of what they are wearing, in case someone gets lost.

• Make sure the students know your name.

Use the Field Trip Activities to keep students involved.

• Review the activities before the ﬁeld trip.

• Lead the activities as you guide students around the Park.

• Encourage the students to ask questions, and then look for their own answers by observing, col-

lecting evidence, making guesses, and expressing opinions.

Review the following Safari Park rules with your group:

• Stay with your chaperone.

• Stay on designated paths.

• Walk instead of run.

• Pick up your trash.

• Respect the animals by being quiet.

• Keep your hands, body, and objects away from animal enclosures.

• Report to Ranger Base if you get separated from your group.

Your most important duty is to keep your students with you at all times.

Dear Chaperone:

Thank you for supervising students on a ﬁeld trip to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Your role is very important

to ensure a fun and safe visit. Please follow these helpful directions on your visit.

GRADES PRE-K TO K

Field Trip

Activities

DEAR CHAPERONE:

Use these activities to add fun and focus as you

guide your student group around the San Diego

Zoo or San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

EXPLORE AND FIND

An exhibit with animals in it.

Where is the food and water in this exhibit?

Where can the animals ﬁnd shelter?

An animal that is eating plants.

What part of the plant is the animal eating?

Which plants do you eat?

An animal that has built a nest with plants.

Is the nest on the ground or above the ground?

Can you think of anything in your home that is made

from parts of a plant?

(Examples: cotton fabric, wood furniture)

An animal home other than a nest.

(Hint: burrow, tunnel, den, hive, etc.)

What did the animal use to build its home?

What other types of animal homes have

you seen today?

An animal that lives in the trees.

How did the animal get into the tree?

What would you like about living in a tree?

An animal that is in the water.

Do you think this animal always

stays in the water?

Can you think of any animals that stay in the

water all the time?

An animal you especially like.

Of all the animals you saw today,

which is your favorite?

Why do you think it’s special?

TRY THIS “I WONDER” CHALLENGE

To survive, do you need the same things that a plant

needs? Do you need the same things that animals

need? As a challenge, name four things that were

the same (all living things need water, shelter, food,

other plants/animals of the same kind). Name four

things that were different (geographic location,

types of shelter, kinds of food, body shape/

movement, defense, etc.)

YOUR MOST IMPORTANT DUTY

IS TO KEEP YOUR STUDENTS WITH

YOU AT ALL TIMES.

• Ask questions to keep students engaged.

• Respond positively to students’ answers

and ideas.

• Encourage students to learn by observing.

Theme

Observing Patterns.

What do plants and animals

need to survive?

OBJECTIVES

• Students will use their observation skills.

• Students will analyze plant and

animal survival needs.

• Students will investigate this Performance

Expectation from the Next Generation Science

Standards: K-LS1-1 Use observations to describe

patterns of what plants and animals (including

humans) need to survive.

PRE-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Tell the students they are going on a week-

long camping trip. Lead the class in creating a

packing list for the trip. Which items on the list

are essential to survival? Animals don’t “pack”

things. What do they do in order to survive?

2. Read Animals in Their Habitats by Debra Castor

and Jeffrey B. Fuerst. Discuss what plants

and animals need to survive. Make a list of

the necessary components of a habitat (food,

water, space, and shelter).

POST-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Ask each student to name the two animals he

or she liked best during his or her visit to the

Zoo or Safari Park. How were the two animals

the same? How were they different?

2. Ask students to name an animal with a beak,

with webbed feet, with sharp teeth, with

large eyes, or with another interesting body

part. How did this body part help the animal

survive? Have students draw posters showing

animals with different kinds of feet, beaks,

ears, eyes, or other body parts. Animals live

in places that have the things they need, so ask

students to complete their drawings with

a surrounding environment.

3. Students learned that animals live in different

habitats. In their habitats, the animals ﬁnd the

food, water, and shelter they need to live. Ask

students what they think might happen if an

animal’s habitat is changed or destroyed.

GRADES PRE-K TO K

Classroom

Activities

Theme

Observing Patterns.

What do plants and animals

need to survive?

GRADE 1

Field Trip

Activities

DEAR CHAPERONE:

Use these activities to add fun and focus as you

guide your student group around the San Diego

Zoo or San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

EXPLORE AND FIND

An adult animal that is very large.

What’s the largest adult animal you have ever seen?

An adult animal that is very small.

What’s the smallest adult animal you

have ever seen?

An exhibit where several animals of the same kind

(species) live together.

How can you tell that all these animals

are the same kind?

If you look closely, you’ll see that the animals

are not exactly alike. How can you tell one

individual from another?

An exhibit with several different kinds of animals.

How many kinds of animals do you see?

In what ways are the species different

from each other?

A young animal that looks like its parents.

In what ways does this animal look like its parents?

How does it look different from its parents?

A young animal that looks different

from its parents.

In what ways does this animal look different

from its parents?

How do you think the youngster’s looks

will change as it grows?

Two plants of the same kind.

How are the plants alike?

How are they different?

TRY THIS “I WONDER” CHALLENGE

Why do you think the Zoo and Safari Park

staff work so hard to take care of the

growing plants and animals?

YOUR MOST IMPORTANT DUTY IS TO

KEEP YOUR STUDENTS WITH YOU AT

ALL TIMES.

• Ask questions to keep students engaged.

• Respond positively to students’

answers and ideas.

• Encourage students to learn by observing.

Theme

Growth and Development.

How are young plants and

animals like their parents?

OBJECTIVES

• Students will use their observation skills.

• Students will investigate this Performance

Expectation from the Next Generation Science

Standards: 1-LS3-1 Make observations to

construct an evidence-based account that

young plants and animals are alike, but not

exactly alike, their parents.

PRE-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Ask for student volunteers to bring in

pictures of themselves when they were babies.

Hold up the pictures one by one and have

the class identify the student in the picture.

Discuss ways students have changed since

they were younger. Do students now look

more like their parents?

2. Collect pictures that show what different

animals look like as youngsters and as adults.

Use sandiegozookids.org and click on

“animals” as a picture resource. Have students

match the adults and young. Display the

pictures on a bulletin board.

3. Find pictures that show how animals look at

different ages. Include pictures of animals that

go through metamorphosis, such as frogs and

butterﬂies. Have students arrange the pictures

from youngest to oldest.

POST-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Read Eric Carle’s book The Very Hungry

Caterpillar to students. Have students make

their own caterpillar or butterﬂy art projects.

Provide art supplies that include recycled

materials such as egg cartons or clean, used foil.

2. Use netting, plants, and caterpillars to

transform a glass container into a butterﬂy

nursery. Choose a local species of caterpillar, so

students can later release the butterﬂies

into their native habitat.

3. Another option is growing mealworms,

available at most pet stores. Use a clean, empty

two-liter soda bottle and ﬁll it with a cup of

plain, whole oats (dry) and a few mealworms.

For moisture, add a small piece of potato or

apple each week. In 10 weeks or less, the worms

will pupate and emerge as beetles.

4. Search the internet for stories about animals

adopting one another, even species different

from their own. Share some of those stories

with your students. How might those babies

grow up to be like its adoptive parent? If a

human adopts a baby, how might that baby

grow up to be like its parents?

GRADE 1

Classroom

Activities

Theme

Growth and Development.

How are young plants and

animals like their parents?

GRADE 2

Field Trip

Activities

DEAR CHAPERONE:

Use these activities to add fun and focus as you

guide your student group around the San Diego

Zoo or San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

EXPLORE AND FIND

An exhibit with more than one kind of animal.

How many different kinds of animals

are in the exhibit?

What are the animals doing?

An exhibit that has both plants and animals.

How are the animals using the plants?

How do you think the plants help the animals?

An aviary with many kinds (species) of birds.

How do the birds share the exhibit space?

How would you describe the birds that stay

closer to the ground?

How would you describe the birds that stay

in the treetops?

An exhibit that looks like a forest.

What animals and plants live here?

An exhibit that looks like a jungle.

What animals and plants live here?

An exhibit that looks like grassland.

What animals and plants live here?

An exhibit that looks like a snowy, cold place.

What animals and plants live here?

An exhibit that looks like a hot desert.

What animals and plants live here?

TRY THIS “I WONDER” CHALLENGE

Some animals can live in only one area in the world,

while other animals live in many places. Why do you

think this happens? What characteristics do some

animals have that help them survive with other

animals in other places?

YOUR MOST IMPORTANT DUTY

IS TO KEEP YOUR STUDENTS WITH

YOU AT ALL TIMES.

• Ask questions to keep students engaged.

• Respond positively to students’

answers and ideas.

• Encourage students to learn by observing.

Theme

Diversity of Life. What

kinds of animals and

plants live together?

GRADE 2

Classroom

Activities

OBJECTIVES

• Students will use their observation skills.

• Students will compare and contrast the plants

and animals they observe.

• Students will investigate this Performance

Expectation from the Next Generation Science

Standards: 2-LS4-1 Make observations of plants

and animals to compare the diversity of life in

different habitats.

PRE-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Collect pictures of different habitats, such

as forest, desert, ocean, lake, tundra, jungle,

or others (old calendar photos work well).

Distribute images to student groups and ask

them to identify the habitat and discuss what

animals might live there. Have student groups

present their views to the class. Are there some

animals that live in multiple habitats? Are there

some that live in one habitat only?

2. Read I See a Kookaburra! Discovering Animal

Habitats Around the World by Steve Jenkins.

Ask students if they can remember more than

one animal from each habitat in the story. Can

they add more animals to that habitat that are

not mentioned in the story?

3. Ask students to ﬁnd pictures of animals that live

together. For example, egrets and Cape buffalo,

clownﬁsh and sea anemones, Arctic foxes

and polar bears. Why do these animals live

together? What happens if one goes away?

POST-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Review the animals that students saw while on

their visit. Make a numbered list of these animals

on the board. For each animal, have students

name the habitat where it lives and suggest

another animal that might live with it, either

from the list or on their own.

2. Divide students into groups and assign a

different habitat to each group. Tell students

to use library resources or the internet to ﬁnd

images of animals within their habitat.

Create a collage of the images. Ask students

to analyze each other’s collages. Which habitat

has the most animals? Which habitat has the

least? Do some habitats support a higher

diversity of species?

Theme

Diversity of Life. What

kinds of animals and

plants live together?

GRADE 3

Field Trip

Activities

DEAR CHAPERONE:

Use these activities to add fun and focus as you

guide your student group around the San Diego

Zoo or San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

EXPLORE AND FIND

A bird with webbed feet.

Is this bird on the ground? In the water? In a tree?

Look for a bird in a tree. Describe its feet.

A bird with a big beak.

Observe the bird. How does it use its beak?

What other sizes and shapes of beaks do you see?

An animal with big ears.

How do you think big ears could be

a helpful adaptation?

Hearing is one of our ﬁve senses. Can you think of

other senses animals use?

An animal with bright colors and another animal

with dull colors.

How might bright colors help an animal survive?

How might dull colors help an animal survive?

An animal with sharp teeth.

What do you think this animal eats? Why?

Run your tongue over your teeth. Do you have any

sharp teeth? What do you eat?

An animal with a tail.

How does this animal use its tail?

What are other ways animals use their tails?

A plant with thorns.

How might thorns help a plant survive?

If you were a plant living in a wild habitat, what

adaptations would you want to have? Why?

TRY THIS “I WONDER” CHALLENGE

Name some adaptations that you have that help

you survive. Now, take away one of those

adaptations. Describe how your life would be

different. What could you do to make up for the

loss of that adaptation?

YOUR MOST IMPORTANT DUTY

IS TO KEEP YOUR STUDENTS WITH

YOU AT ALL TIMES.

• Ask questions to keep students engaged.

• Respond positively to students’

answers and ideas.

• Encourage students to learn by observing.

Theme

Ecosystem Dynamics.

W h y d o s o m e a n i m a l s s u r v i v e

well in a particular habitat

while others do not?

GRADE 3

Classroom

Activities

OBJECTIVES

• Students will use their observation skills.

• Students will give examples of evidence

that speciﬁc animals and plants live in a

particular habitat

• Students will investigate this Performance

Expectation from the Next Generation Science

Standards: 3-LS4-3 Construct an argument

with evidence that in a particular habitat some

organisms can survive well, some survive less

well, and some cannot survive at all.

PRE-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Deﬁne the term adaptation (a characteristic

of a living thing that helps it survive in its

environment). Have students list some physical

and behavioral adaptations of people.

2. Read Anita Ganeri’s book Creature Features to

the students. Ask each student to choose which

animal he or she would most like to be, and

explain why. Have students write and illustrate

stories about the animals they choose.

3. Have students design animals of their own using

recycled materials. Ask students to describe

where their animals live and what physical

features help them survive in their habitats.

After students present to their group or class,

try to group animals together that would live in

similar habitats.

POST-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Ask the students to brainstorm a list of animal

adaptations they saw on their ﬁeld trip. Have

students sort the adaptations into categories

such as adaptations for eating, moving,

and defense. Do animals that have similar

adaptations live in similar habitats?

2. Ask students to think of some adaptations

plants have for survival. Sort the adaptations

into categories such as reproduction, defense,

and water conservation. Do plants that have

similar adaptations live in similar habitats?

Could a desert plant survive in a jungle?

3. Have each student bring an object from home

that represents an animal adaptation. (See the

books Creature Features by Anita Ganeri and

The Robot Zoo by John Kelly for ideas.) As each

student presents the object in class, have the

other students guess which adaptation the item

represents.

4. Discuss how habitats, like animals, can become

endangered. When habitats change, what

happens to the animals? Brainstorm ways

students can help protect local habitats.

Choose an idea from the list and take action!

Theme

Ecosystem Dynamics.

W h y d o s o m e a n i m a l s s u r v i v e

well in a particular habitat

while others do not?

GRADE 4

Field Trip

Activities

DEAR CHAPERONE:

Use these activities to add fun and focus as you

guide your student group around the San Diego

Zoo or San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

EXPLORE AND FIND

An exhibit with an animal that

has a good sense of sight.

How do you know that it has a good sense of sight?

How does the sense of sight help this

animal in its environment?

What other animals have a good sense of sight?

An exhibit with an animal that

has a good sense of hearing.

How do you know that it has a good

sense of hearing?

How does the sense of hearing help this

animal in its environment?

What other animals have a good sense of hearing?

An exhibit with an animal that

has a good sense of taste.

How do you know that it has a good sense of taste?

How does the sense of taste help this

animal in its environment?

What other animals have a good sense of taste?

An exhibit with an animal that

has a good sense of smell.

How do you know that it has a good sense of smell?

How does the sense of smell help

this animal in its environment?

What other animals have a good sense of smell?

An exhibit with an animal that

has a good sense of touch.

How do you know that it has a good sense of touch?

How does the sense of touch help this

animal in its environment?

What other animals have a good sense of touch?

TRY THIS “I WONDER” CHALLENGE

Review the different senses you have that help you

survive. Take away one of those senses. Describe

how your life would be different. What could you do

to make up for the loss of that sense?

YOUR MOST IMPORTANT DUTY

IS TO KEEP YOUR STUDENTS WITH

YOU AT ALL TIMES.

• Ask questions to keep students engaged.

• Respond positively to students’

answers and ideas.

• Encourage students to learn by observing.

Theme

Information Processing.

What senses do animals use

to process information around

them and respond?

GRADE 4

Classroom

Activities

OBJECTIVES

• Students will use their observation skills.

• Students will make connections between how

an animal senses its environment

and how it responds.

• Students will investigate this Performance

Expectation from the Next Generation Science

Standards: 4-LS1-2 Use a model to describe that

animals receive different types of information

through their senses, process the information

in their brain, and respond to the information in

different ways.

PRE-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Have students explore their own ﬁve senses by

experiencing ﬁve stations:

Station 1: a hot, wet towel (touch);

Station 2: sugar on a plate (taste);

Station 3: any noisemaker, like a rattle (hearing);

Station 4: an open bottle of perfume (smell);

Station 5: a paper photo of a dog (sight).

Ask students to rotate through the stations and

use their ﬁve senses to explore the items. If you

only had one sense to identify the item, which

one would you use? Why?

2. Have the class read Animal Senses: How

Animals See, Hear, Taste, Smell, and Feel,

by Pamela Hickman.

3. Ask students what happens when we lose

one of our senses. Have students close their

eyes, and try to “explore” the classroom

from their chairs. What other senses

could they use?

POST-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Write the ﬁve senses on the board. Have

students come to the board to write the name

of an animal they saw at the Zoo or Park and

the animal part that functions as that sense

organ. Analyze the list. Are all ears the same?

Do all animals need to hear the same thing? Are

all eyes the same? All noses?

2. Ask students to use library resources or the

internet to ﬁnd animals with super senses,

such as bats with exceptional hearing, cats

with exceptional night vision, or sharks with

exceptional smell. Why do these animals need

these highly developed senses?

3. Have students create a unique 3-D animal with

super senses. Use clay, art supplies, or recycled

materials. Tell students to create an animal

identiﬁcation card that explains the super sense

and how the animal uses it.

Theme

Information Processing.

What senses do animals use

to process information around

them and respond?

GRADE 5

Field Trip

Activities

EXPLORE AND FIND

A small carnivore (meat eater)

and a large carnivore.

What hunting strategies do you think these two

carnivores use?

How could large size be an advantage? How could

small size be helpful?

A small animal that is prey (eaten by other animals)

and a large animal that is prey.

What adaptations do these animals have that might

help them avoid predators?

If you were a predator, how would you capture the

small animal? What new challenges would you have

trying to catch the large animal?

An herbivore (plant eater) eating plants.

Is this herbivore grazing (eating grasses) or

browsing (eating shrubs and bushes)?

What part of the plant is it eating?

An omnivore (meat and plant eater).

What adaptations does this omnivore

have for feeding?

How does being an omnivore help

an animal survive?

Look for some large trees.

How do plants get their energy to grow?

Can you name some animals that eat plants?

A ﬂower bed or landscaped area with ﬂowers.

Do you see any animals, including insects,

feeding on the ﬂowers?

How do animals help plants?

(Animals spread pollen and seeds.)

TRY THIS “I WONDER” CHALLENGE

If you were a wild animal, would you rather be a

carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore? Why?

How would the world be different without land

carnivores? How would the world be different

without terrestrial plants?

YOUR MOST IMPORTANT DUTY

IS TO KEEP YOUR STUDENTS WITH

YOU AT ALL TIMES.

• Ask questions to keep students engaged.

• Respond positively to students’

answers and ideas.

• Encourage students to learn by observing.

Theme

Interdependent Relationships

in Ecosystems. How does matter

move among plants, animals, and

decomposers within a food web?

OBJECTIVES

• Students will use their observation skills.

• Students will evaluate and connect relationships

between plants, animals, and the environment.

• Students will investigate this Performance

Expectation from the Next Generation Science

Standards: 5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe

the movement of matter among plants, animals,

decomposers, and the environment.

PRE-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Have the class read Gary Larson’s book,

There’s a Hair in my Dirt! A Worm’s Story.

Review the terms primary producer, primary

consumer, and secondary consumer. Also

deﬁne herbivore, carnivore, omnivore,

and decomposer. Ask students about what they

eat, and which term deﬁnes them.

2. Introduce or review the concept of food

webs. Use images of animals from magazines,

calendars, playing cards, or printed from

the internet to construct a food web. Then

ask students to begin at one point in the

web and explain how matter might move

through the system.

POST-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Review the animals your students observed

while at the Zoo or Safari Park. Can you

construct a food web from the animals you

observed? If not, which part(s) are missing? In

a managed care setting, grouping more than

one type of animal together in the same space

requires careful planning. Why is this?

2. Learn about composting and vermiculture.

How does this ﬁt into a food web? (recycling

of nutrients). If your school doesn’t have a

garden and composting bin, set up a mini

system of worm bins in your classroom. Red

worms Eisenia foetida and Lumbricus rubellus

are commonly used. For best results, feed your

worms only raw fruit and vegetable scraps.

3. Have students practice recording data by

creating their own ﬁeld journals. Explore an

outdoor area near the school. Have students

use journals to record observations about

the plants and animals they see. Encourage

students to use maps, diagrams, and drawings

in their journals. Can they identify plant and

animal relationships within their ecosystem and

construct the food web?

GRADE 5

Classroom

Activities

Theme

Interdependent Relationships

in Ecosystems. How does matter

move among plants, animals, and

decomposers within a food web?

SAN DIEGO ZOO GLOBAL is committed to saving species worldwide by uniting our expertise in animal

care and conservation science with our dedication to inspiring passion for nature.

YOUR CHALLENGE

Complete this page by using your observational skills (look at uniforms and equipment, watch activities, etc.)

without talking to Zoo or Safari Park employees.

DIRECTIONS

1. Observe the variety of jobs at the San Diego Zoo or Safari Park. Put a check by the jobs you see people

carrying out during your visit. Circle the jobs in which people work directly with animals.

2. Observe three employees who are doing different jobs. For each job, describe the duties you see being

performed, and list any tools being used. What other duties do you think each job might have? How does

each of these jobs support the conservation efforts of San Diego Zoo Global?

Admissions clerk

Parking lot attendant

Animal trainer

Merchandising sales clerk

Custodian

Researcher

Bus/railway driver

Security ofﬁcer

Food service staff

Tour guide

Gardener

Visitor assistance ofﬁcer

Keeper

Veterinarian

Other:______________________

Job Duties Tools Comments

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GRADE 6 TO 12

Field Trip Activities

Name

OBJECTIVES

• Students will use their observation skills.

• Students will investigate various career paths

within a zoological organization.

PRE-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Have students brainstorm a list of jobs that

interest them. Ask students to guess which of

the jobs might be available at the San Diego

Zoo or Safari Park. Compare the students’ list to

the job titles provided here.

2. Have students brainstorm a list of conservation-

related jobs, thinking beyond the obvious

conservation careers. How could their diverse

job interests (e.g., photography, art, sports) be

used to help conservation?

3. Have students compare their descriptions to

actual job descriptions listed in the following

resources: sandiegozoo.org, www.aza.org,

and Careers Working With Animals by Guy

R. Hodge. Ask each student to write a job

description for a conservation-related position,

listing job responsibilities as well as required

skills, education, and experience.

4. Give one copy of the Field Trip Activities

sheet to each student to complete during

the ﬁeld trip.

POST-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Ask students to share the observations

from their Field Trip Activities sheets.

Which jobs did they observe most frequently?

Which jobs probably have large numbers of

employees? Which jobs probably have fewer

employees? Why?

2. San Diego Zoo Global has a mission: We

are committed to saving species worldwide

by uniting our expertise in animal care and

conservation science with our dedication to

inspiring passion for nature. Under

Background Information (at right) is a list of

positions at the Zoo. How does each person

support the mission?

3. Have students create a slogan and design

a poster or ad campaign promoting

conservation. An example of a slogan might be,

“Conservation: A Job for Everyone.”

4. Have students brainstorm a list of some

conservation projects that could be done at

school, then make a plan and take action!

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Here are some of the different job positions at the

San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park:

GRADE 6 TO 12

Classroom

Activities

Theme

Conservation Careers.

Animal trainer

Animal keeper

Security ofﬁcer

Architect

Merchandising buyer

Researcher

Construction worker

Special events

coordinator

Veterinarian

Chef

Human Resources

representative

Fund-raiser

Tour guide or Safari

guide

Public Relations

coordinator

Admissions attendant

Photographer

Gardener

Curator

Accountant

Administrative assistant

Medical technician

Nutritionist

Mechanic

Computer operator

Librarian

Sales clerk

Graphic illustrator

Bus/railway driver

Sign maker

Ofﬁce manager

Advertising manager

Janitor

Telephone operator

EXHIBIT REPORT CARD

Name of animals in exhibit

EXHIBIT COMPONENT GRADE COMMENT:

Feeders

Water

Shade

Places to hide (privacy)

Places to climb/dig/perch/swim/etc.

Room to exercise

Guest viewing

Guest information

Guest accessibility

Exhibit Rating: Well-designed Needs remodeling

MAP OF THE EXHIBIT

Draw a map of the exhibit.

GRADE 6 TO 12

Field Trip Activities

Name

DIRECTIONS

1. Choose two exhibits to analyze:

one that you think is well-

designed and one that you

think needs remodeling.

2. Fill out an Exhibit Report Card

for each exhibit. Grade each

exhibit component using the

following scale:

A–Excellent B–Good

C–Needs improvement

3. Draw a map of each exhibit

showing the location of

feeders, trees, rocks, water

features, and other physical

elements of the exhibit.

OBJECTIVES

• Students will use their observation skills.

• Students will analyze existing exhibit design and

apply concepts to a new, unique design.

PRE-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Review what animals need to survive—food,

water, and shelter. How might the needs of

animals change when they live in a zoo?

2. Have the class brainstorm a list of factors a zoo

would need to consider when designing an

exhibit. (Refer to the background information

below to help guide students.)

3. Divide the class into chaperone groups and

have students pair up within each group.

Give each pair two copies of the Field Trip

Activity sheet. Student pairs need to work

together to analyze two exhibits while at the

Zoo or Safari Park.

POST-VISIT ACTIVITIES

1. Explain that each group will redesign the

exhibit they rated as “Needs remodeling.” Have

students create their designs based on the

needs of the species in the exhibit, considering

the type of habitat, what the animal eats, and

how it behaves. Is it solitary or social? Nocturnal

or diurnal? Have students use the internet to

learn how their animal lives in the wild, and

any other information that might help them

design an exhibit.

2. Have each group design an enclosure for their

species, developing a scale drawing and a

narrative description of the enclosure. Include

interpretive graphics: animal information that

visitors will read to learn about the animal. Have

student groups present their plans to the class.

3. Either have the groups build scale models of

their enclosures, or have the class construct a

model of an entire zoo. To build an entire zoo,

assign groups of students to build different

portions of the zoo, then combine the scale

models to create one large zoo.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Consider these factors when designing enclosures:

• Location(s) of drinking water and feeding area

• Pool or other water source for bathing,

playing, or cooling off

• Space and structures that enable animals to

climb, run, dig, swim, ﬂy, or exercise

• Areas where animals can perch, rest, nest, or

have privacy from Zoo or Park visitors

• Adequate light for diurnal animals and darkness

for nocturnal animals

• Method for heating or cooling the enclosure

• Barriers between the animals and visitors that

are safe for both

• Safe and efﬁcient ways for keepers to clean the

exhibit

• A positive experience for visitors, in which they

can get a good view of the animals and read

information about them.

GRADE 6 TO 12

Classroom

Activities

Theme

Exhibit Design.

kids.sandiegozoo.org