Reptiles/Rattlesnakes

Learning Links: Rattlesnakes—Facilitator Page

 

Concept: Learners will play like they are rattlesnakes that are trying to conserve their venom by only biting (or injecting venom) into things they can eat.

Goals (Not measurable): Learners will get a feel for having to make a fast choice about whether to bite and inject venom. They will understand some of the reasons a rattlesnake may bite something too large to eat, as well as the reasons why a rattler might give a "dry bite" (where they do not inject any venom).

Objectives (Measurable): Learners will be able to explain the times when a rattlesnake is likely to rattle. They will be able to list three things a rattlesnake can eat and three things it might bite, but not eat.

Materials/Supplies needed

• Rattles (any type), one for each learner
• Party toys you can blow into and have unroll, one for each learner

Activity

• This game is a little like "Simon Says", because learners must make fast decisions. Explain to them that each is a rattlesnake. Discuss some of the reasons rattlers rattle or bite (they rattle as a warning, and they bite to kill their prey--but they may also bite if they are surprised suddenly). Explain to the learners that rattlesnakes only have a limited amount of venom. Ask them if it makes sense to inject your venom into something you can't eat. Of course not--that would be wasting a limited resource! This may be one reason people sometimes receive a "dry bite"--a bite where the rattler doesn't inject any venom.
• Tell students that in this activity, they will have to decide quickly whether to bite and inject venom or just rattle. The facilitator will say the name of something that might startle the rattlesnake, and the learners will immediately either shake their rattles or blow their blow toys (simulating a warning or a bite). They should NOT do both at the same time, although realistically, many learners will make that mistake. You may wish to ask students whether a rattlesnake would rattle if there were a mouse nearby. Since the rattlesnake can eat the mouse, it would not want to warn it, so it wouldn't rattle. If the students rattle when they should strike, their prey will get away. If they strike when they should rattle, they waste their venom and may not be able to kill their prey, when it does come.
• Start by saying some of these words (or others you may think of) in any order. You may wish to start slowly, then speed up as the learners get the hang of it.

• Once you have finished the activity, talk to the learners about what happened. Did they always make the right decision? Were there times they were confused? Were some things easier to identify than others? What do they think would happen if a real rattlesnake made the same mistakes they had made? Do they think rattlers really DO make some of these mistakes? When do they think rattlers are most likely to bite something they really didn't want to bite? Are there other things a rattlesnake might do when, for instance, a person is nearby? (They often stay still and quiet, so they are less likely to be noticed and bothered.)

Resources

Standards (Note that these are only some of the possible standards one could cover with this activity. Depending on how each person uses the activity, it may be used to support different standards.)

• Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) - Science

  • Students use critical thinking skills
  • Students use models, recognizing their strengths and weaknesses
  • Students use their senses as tools
  • Students identify components of the natural world
  • Students compare various characteristics and adaptations, realizing that these help species survive in the natural world. They compare adaptations with the ability of an individual to survive in a habitat.
  • Students critique scientific explanations

• National Science Education Standards - Content Standards
  • Unifying Concepts and Processes
  • Form and Function
  • Science as Inquiry
  • Characteristics of organisms
  • Structure and function in living systems
  • Organisms and their environment
  • Diversity and adaptation of organisms
  • Behavior of organisms

Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.