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Module 9:
Montessori Zoology, Botany and
Science
Assignment

By Misbah Amjad
Roll#D14562

Maryam Tariq| D14263 2

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Question 1: Write a note on how to setup indoor and outdoor environment for
introducing zoology and botany.

Presentation-PreparingtheOutdoorEnvironmentforZoology

Materials:

• BirdFeeder

• BirdBath

• BirdHouse

Exercise: This exercise helps to attract wildlife and study it in the outdoor environment,
especiallyforchildrenaged3+years.Childrencanfindgreatjoyinobservingbirds,whichcan be
attracted by establishing a variety of feeders. A bird bath also offers an interesting
opportunitytowatchbirds,however,caremustbetakentokeepitcleanaswellastochange
thewaterdaily.Thedirectressmaywishtosetupsomebirdhouses,preferablywiththe
children’sassistance.Dependingontheenvironment,saltlicksinthewater,andavarietyof
feedotherwisemaybeputouttoattractotherformsofwildlife.Onoutdoortripsandnature walks,
the teacher should look of tracks so that on the stroll, the children may have the
opportunitytostudyinsects,habitatsofdifferentlifeforms;underrocks,leaves,inthebarksof
treesetc.Mostimportantly,thechildrenshouldbeshownhowtobehaveinanoutdoorsetting,
i.e. with respect and care for the environment.

Presentation-PreparingtheIndoorEnvironmentforZoology Material:

• Petcages

• Tanks

• Terrarium

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Exercise:Thisexercisehelpstoencouragethechildren(ideallyaged2+year)toestablish
respectforotherlivingcreatures,aswellastodevelopacaringattitudetowardsanimals,birds
andfishetc.whileobservingthemandattendingtotheirneeds.Animalscanbebroughtinto
theclassroompermanentlyortemporarily,however,itmustbeensuredthatnochildisallergic
toanyoftheanimalsbeingbroughtin.Aproperlivingenvironmentfortheanimalsmustbe
provided.Feedingandcaringforanimalsprovideattractivepracticallifeexercises.Observing
whatandhowtheanimalseatcanalsobeveryinteresting,especiallywhenthechildrenare
directlyengagedinsaidactivities.Thechildrenshouldbeencouragedtoobservehowthe
animal(s)move.Itisimportanttoestablishappropriatewaystohandletheanimalsandany
otherroutineswhichensurethesafetyoftheanimals,aswellasthechildren.Itisveryexciting
towatchalifecycledevelop,i.e.afrogoramealworm.Itisrecommendedthatresourceseasily
availablebeusedintheseexercises.Manypeoplewillbewillingtobringanimalstotheschool.
Inaddition,tripstothezoocanbeveryinformative.Ifateacherchoosestokeepanimalswithin
theclassroom,suitablearrangementsmustbemadefortheircareonweekendsandduring holidays.

Presentation-PreparingtheOutdoorEnvironmentforBotany

Materials:

• Tools fordigging

• ToolsforHoeing

• Tools forPlanting

• Tools forRaking

• Tools forWeeding

• Tools forWatering

• Tools forHarvesting

• Tools forComposting

Exercise:Thisexercisehelpsintroduceactivitieswhichdirectthechild'sattentiontowardplant
life,andraisestheirawarenessofplants,theirneedsandtheirimportancetotheearthandto us. If
possible a teacher should establish a garden in the outdoor environment. This garden
shouldbeaestheticallypleasingaswellasfunctional,wherebychildrencansubsequentlyenjoy

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eating their produce. Children can help prepare the ground by digging, hoeing, and then
planting.Theycanalsomaintainthegardenbyweeding,wateringandeventuallyharvesting
anycrops.Plantsmaybestartedinsideandthenlaterreplantedoutside.Inthefall,rakingisa good
activity. Maintaining a compost helps to promote the idea of not wasting. In addition, planting
can help attract animals and birds as well, allowing the children an opportunity to
observetheanimalsfeeding.Naturewalksmayalsobearrangedwhichemphasiseasensorial
experienceforthechildren.Thechildrenshouldbeencouragedtofindtheirspecimensfromthe
groundsoasnottoharmalivingsample.Ampletimeshouldbetakentoexploreandsharewith the
children the living world around them which will help instil respect and interest in plant life.

Presentation-PreparingtheIndoorEnvironmentforBotany Material:

• Choice ofplants

• Toolsforthecareandmaintenanceofplantsandflowers

• Equipmentformakingproductswithplantsandflowers

Exercise 1 - Everyday Life Activities; Watering, Misting, Removing Dead Leaves/Flowers,

WashingLeaves:Thechoiceofplantsisimportant;considertheamountoflighttheclassroom
receives.Startwithafewplantsandexpandthenumberwithsuccess.Chooseplantswhichare
interestingfordifferentreasons,i.e.,flowering,non-flowering,differentleafshapes,edible,
non-edibleetc.Earlyintheyear,givealessononhowtocareforeachplant.Removingdead
leavesandwashingleavesareinterestingexercises.Youmayalsomakeupacardforeachplant
whichincludesthefollowinginformation:itsname,whereitwasoriginallygrown/camefrom,
itswateringandcareneedsandanyinterestingfactsconcerningtheplant.

Exercise 2 - Rooting, Potting and Repotting, Plant Propagation: Repotting a plant can be a
verynicesmallgroupactivity.Plantpropagationcanbeveryinteresting,i.e.,startwithseedsor
asproutingbulb.Themorewaysofpropagationshowntothechildren,thebetteritisfortheir
understanding. Books on plants provide further information for the children. Encourage
childrentomakeabookletforthemselves;drawingapictureofwhattheydidateachstep.

Exercise 3 - Flower Arranging, Pressing and Mounting Specimens, Making Sachets:

Flowerarrangementisafurtherwaytoboostinterestinplants.Aplantpresscanbemadeof
layersofcardboardandnewspaper.Thechildrencouldmaketheirownpressoryoumayhavea
commercialonetheycanallshare.Thechildrencanidentifythevariousleafshapesandcreate

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booklets.Inaddition,childrencanmakecardsfrommountedpressedflowersandgreenery.
Theycanalsoenjoymakingsachetsofpotpourriwithdriedflowers.

Exercise 4 - Food Preparation: Introduce plants on a sensorial level with an emphasis on

taste.Includefruitsandvegetablesaspartofthesnacktable.Freshjuicesqueezedbyhandis
alwayspopular.Discusswhatpartoftheplantisedible,i.e.,leaf,root,etc.Nutmegorcinnamon
canbegratedandusedincooking,ortakenhome.Plantingafruitorvegetableandtheneating
theproduceisagreatproject.Anherbgardencanprovidemanyactivities.Sproutsarealsofun
togrow,andalsotasty.Inaddition,youmaywishtoexploretheimportanceofsmelltotaste.
Remember, what you are trying to give the children is a total experience with plants.

Theseexerciseshelpintroducethechildrentothecareoflivingplants.Onaninformallevel,
theyintroducetotheuseofplants,ourdependenceonplantsforfood,aswellasaesthetic
reasons.Summarily,theystimulateinterestinplantlifeamongchildren.

Question 2: Explain how the children are introduced to the vertebrates and
invertebrates, five classes of vertebrates and then the body parts of a typical
animal of each class.

Presentation-VertebrateandInvertebrate

Material:

• Vertebral ColumnModel

• SetofpicturesofVertebratesandInvertebrates

• Boxforsortingwithtwocompartments,labeledVertebrateandInvertebrate

Exercise:Thisexercise,preferablycarriedoutforchildrenaged4yearsandup,helpschildren
identifyanimalswith,aswellaswithoutvertebralcolumns.Thedirectressintroducesthespinal
cordtoasmallgroupofchildren,notingthatthebackboneismadeupofmanylittlebones

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calledvertebrae.Inthecentreofthebonesiswhatiscalledthespinalcord.Thesoftdiscsare between
the bones so that they do not rub together. The children are shown where their
backboneisandtheyaremadetofeelit.Theyarealsoshownthemovementofthecolumnand
encouraged to move in different ways. They can be told, "You have a backbone, you are a
vertebrate.Animalswithoutabackbonearecalledinvertebrates".Theyarealsointroducedto the
set of cards and made to identify the animals. They may be helped in sorting out the pictures
into the appropriate categories by prompting their observations. It should also be
emphasisedhowthetailsofthevertebrateanimalsareanextensionoftheirbackbone.When
finished,thechildrencanchecktheirworkbythecodingontheback.Thechildrenmayalsobe
shownskeletalmodelswhichtheyenjoylookingat,inadditiontocardswithskeletonoverlays
foravarietyofanimalexposure.

Five Classes of Vertebrates:

1. Birds:Birdsareanimalsthathavefeathersandthatarebornoutofhard-shelledeggs.
Allbirdshavefeathersandbirdsaretheonlyanimalsthatdo.Thefeathersonabird’s
wingsandtailoverlap.Becausetheyoverlap,thefeatherscatchandholdtheair.This
helpsthebirdtofly,steeritselfandland.
2. Fish:Fisharevertebratesthatliveinwaterandhavegills,scalesandfinsontheirbody.
Therearealotofdifferentfishandmanyofthemlookveryoddindeed.Thereareblind
fish,fishwithnoseslikeelephants,fishthatshootdownpassingbugswithastreamof
waterandevenfishthatcrawlontolandandhopabout!
3. Reptiles:Reptilesareaclassofanimalwithscalyskin.Theyarecoldbloodedandare
bornonland.Snakes,lizards,crocodiles,alligatorsandturtlesallbelongtothereptile
class.
4. Amphibians:Amphibiansareborninthewater.Whentheyareborn,theybreathewith
gillslikeafish.Butwhentheygrowup,theydeveloplungsandcanliveonland.
5. Arthropods:Anyanimalsthathavemorethanfourjointedlegsarearthropods.Insects,
spidersandcrustaceansallbelongtothisclassofanimals.

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Question 3: Prepare the following material and send to your tutor along with
the assignment;

. Four part nomenclature material for the part of a flower.

. Two part classified cards of the common fruits in Pakistan.

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Question 4: Carry out any five science experiments mentioned in thisbook.

Take pictures while working, and send them to your tutors.

1. Siphon

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2. Making a RainGauge

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3. Making an Egg GoSoft

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4. RisingCoin

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5. Sing and FloatExperiment

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