Raccoons

Objectives:

• Students will be able to describe the physical characteristics of raccoons.

• Students will be able to identify the behavioral characteristics of raccoons.

• Students will be able to describe the relationship between raccoons and humans.

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:

The name raccoon comes from and Indian word that means "one who scratches with his hands." Raccoons are mammals that live in forests throughout North America and Europe. They are omnivores, meaning they eat both meat and plants. Raccoons eat berries, fruit, insects, chickens and small mammals. They often "wash" their food before they eat it! This habit is called dousing, and raccoons do this to wet their food, not necessarily to clean it. It is thought that raccoons douse their food because they don't have enough saliva to moisten it themselves.

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