Deer and Antelopes

Objectives:

• Students will be able to describe the physical characteristics of deer and antelopes.

• Students will be able to identify the behavioral characteristics of deer and antelopes.

• Students will be able to distinguish between deer and antelopes.

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:

Deer and antelopes are ruminant mammals. The word ruminant refers to animals that have more than one stomach chamber. These animals chew and digest their food twice. The food that has already been digested once is called cud. Deer and antelopes are vegetarians. They eat grass, twigs, seeds, flowers, tree bark and fruit. Deer and antelopes are quick animals with compact legs so they can move easily in areas that are thick with trees and branches. Since they do not have to hunt prey, they are not especially intelligent animals. However, they do have excellent instincts, and they react to predators by quickly running away at very fast speeds.

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