Zebras

Objectives:

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

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

• Students will be able to explain how zebras 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:

Zebras are a type of wild horse. Of course, zebras can easily be recognized by their black and white stripes. Even though they may all look the same at first, every zebra has a different pattern of stripes. Zebras have excellent eyesight and hearing, and they can run up to 35 miles per hour. They also kick with a powerful force that can injure even lions and hyenas, two of the zebra's predators.

Male zebras are called stallions and females are called mares, just like male and female horses. Also like horses, young zebras are known as foals. Most zebras are white with black stripes, but some are black with white stripes. The stripes are actually designed to protect zebras from predators. It is hard for a predator to pick out a single zebra from a group because of all those wild stripes!

Continued...