4. Bat Watch (lesson plan provided)

• Social Studies/Science
  
• discuss the nocturnal habits of bat and suggest the best ways of viewing bats
  
• ask class to do field observations in their neighbourhood in the evening to note the
• umbers of bats seen and the location viewed (with parental permission of course)
  
• as the information comes in have the students mark the area where the bats were observed on a city map after reporting to the class

Bat Watch

CELs:

• express the purpose and meaning of what they are doing (C)
  
• develop and share their understanding of quantitative information (N)
  
• work and communicate with others as a means of meeting learning goals (IL)

Materials:

• tally sheets
  
• notes to parents
  
• area map

Objectives:
Students will learn that:

• bats emerge at dusk to hunt insects
  
• bats tend to live in the older parts of a settlement
  
• locations can be pinpointed on a map

Procedure:
Set Induction (5 min.)

• ask how many of the class have seen a bat
  
• explain that often bats are around but they go unnoticed because they mainly emerge at dusk to hunt insects and are mistaken for birds if seen

Main Procedure (45 min.)

• explain that over the week everyone will be asked to do field observations at dusk providing they have their parents permission (a note will be sent home to explain)
  
• observations will be recorded on a prepared sheet and the information (location and number) plotted on the area map
  
• explain how to watch for bats - sit in area at dusk, where there are lots of bugs, and watch against the sky or a light for something flying. Parents may wish to drive to a few different locations to observe.
  
• record the information requested on the sheet (see sample provided) and add any other useful observations such as weather, kinds of insects, etc.
  
• ask class if they can think of reasons they might not see any bats e.g. poor weather, no insects flying or no colonies nearby.
  
• demonstrate how information will be plotted on the area map when it comes in
  
• pass out the letters for parents and the observation sheets

Closure (15 min.)

• when all the information has been plotted on the map review the distribution of bats as indicated by field observations relative to the questions stated in the evaluation
  
• Note: the teacher may wish to make observations in areas the class does not live in or recruit other teachers as extra observers

Evaluation:
By selecting students at random, ask the following questions and take note of their answers:

• ask students what time of day it is best for bat watching and what areas are best bets for seeing bats
  
• ask students where bats are found in the area
  
• ask students to find a location on a map