Rhinoceros

Objectives:

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

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

• Students will be able to explain how rhinos are organized into groups and how they communicate with each other.

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 word rhinoceros means "horned nose," and it is easy to see why rhinos have this name. Rhinos have either one or two horns. Their horns are made of the same material - keratin - as a person's nails and hair. Rhinos use their horns to threaten enemies. They also dig with their horns and can use them to uproot small trees.

There are two types of rhinoceroses, and both are in danger of extinction. The greatest threat to rhinos is people called poachers who kill them for their horns. White rhinos are the bigger of the two types. They are called white rhinos, not because their skin is white but because their lips are white.

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