Alligators and Crocodiles

Objectives:

• Students will be able to describe the physical characteristics of alligators and crocodiles.

• Students will be able to identify the behavioral characteristics of alligators and crocodiles.

• Students will be able to describe the similarities and differences between alligators and crocodiles.

Suggested Grades:

3rd Grade - 4th Grade - 5th Grade

Lesson Procedure:

Print the reading comprehension worksheet passage and questions (see below).

Students should read the passage silently, then answer the questions. Teachers may also use the text as part of a classroom lesson plan.

Lesson Excerpt:

Alligators and crocodiles are large reptiles. They have some things in common and some differences between them. Like all reptiles, both alligators and crocodiles are cold-blooded, meaning that their body temperature changes with the weather. They stay warming by basking in the sun.

Alligators are scaly and have dark hides. They have long, muscular tails and wide snouts. When they are babies, they have bright stripes and yellow splotches that disappear as the alligator gets older. In contrast, crocodiles have pointed triangular snouts with one tooth that sticks out on either side of their mouths. They are a lighter color than alligators - usually greenish or grayish brown.

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