How The Bat Came to Be is part of a compilation entitled Keepers of the Night which provides an integrated approach to teaching the mystery and fascination of the animals, plants, and insects that inhabit the world of night. Through the use of Native North American stories, nighttime artistic and scientific activities, children learn to develop a caring, constructive relationship with nature and the outdoors.
How The Bat Came to Be introduces its theme, nocturnal animals and the night, with a Native American story. The discussion section that follows provides background information and questions about the night and its nocturnal inhabitants. Students participate in a variety of activities that vary from drama to scientific experiments. Each activity provides goals, detailed teaching instructions and a list of required materials.
Night by Light – Students observe and experience the activities of crepuscular and nocturnal animals during their natural behaviour.
Night Walk – Students go on a night time excursion and experience the heightened sensory awareness that comes from being outdoors at night.
Why Animals Don’t Go Bump in the Night – Students put on a puppet show in which nocturnal animals reveal a number of their adaptations for surviving in the night environment.
Dark Detectives – Students travel a familiar route for several nights, stopping, observing and listening along the way. They record their observations and report on the animals they saw and heard.
A section entitled Extending the Experience provides a variety of activities to reinforce and supplement the lessons of the story and activities.
The students learn to:
The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
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Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Poor/Not considered |
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Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
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Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Poor/Not considered |
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Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
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Respects Complexity | Poor/Not considered |
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Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
Acting on Learning | Poor/Not considered |
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Acting on Learning: Learning moves from understanding issues to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community, or for the planet
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Values Education | Poor/Not considered |
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Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
Empathy & Respect for Humans | Good |
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Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.). | ||
Personal Affinity with Earth | Very Good |
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Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
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Locally-Focused Learning | Good |
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Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
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Past, Present & Future | Satisfactory |
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Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. |
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
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Open-Ended Instruction | Good |
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Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
Integrated Learning | Good |
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Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
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Inquiry Learning | Satisfactory |
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Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
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Differentiated Instruction | Good | |
Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
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Experiential Learning | Very Good |
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Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
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Cooperative Learning | Satisfactory |
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Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
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Assessment & Evaluation | Satisfactory |
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Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc. | ||
Peer Teaching | Satisfactory |
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Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
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Case Studies | Poor/Not considered |
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Case Studies: Relevant case studies are included. Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore concepts in an authentic context. | ||
Locus of Control | Good |
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Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue. |