Zebra Stripe Activity
Overview
For 16 students. This activity is an introduction to observation skills. It uses zebra stripe patterns and an observation sheet for memory recall.
Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, students will be able
to:
· Describe a method of observation.
· Make an inference how zebra′s use their
stripes.
Important Words
· Observation
· Pattern
· Characteristic
Materials
There are three pages for this activity. Each page has been made
as to fit within the print default settings on most printers.
It's recommended to do a "print preview" before printing the
pages to make sure they will print on one page.
The first page is the observation page. You can access it by clicking: Observation Sheet
The second and third pages are zebra patterns. Each page has eight different patterns and are made so they can be cut to make cards. If possible these pages would turn out better if they were printed on card stock.
Background Information
Information on zebra stripes can be found at: Zebra Stripe Page
Activity:
Ask the students to make a sketch in the observation sheet's square based on a small portion of a zebra stripe pattern card. Once the students have taken notes on their stripes using the observation sheet shuffle the stripe cards. Have them find their card based on their observation. To add a bit of fun and to put the power of good observations to the test have fellow students time how long it takes to find their card. Students will identify their zebra card on the basis of the stripe pattern. You may ask a leading question like the following, "In what way might a zebra foal find its mother among all the zebra mares?".
