Primates offer a plethora of possible classroom activities due to the fact that they have been thoroughly documented and exhibit highly intelligent behaviors. Darwin's widely accepted theory of evolution outlines how humans are related to primate ancestors; however, teaching evolution can still be considered a touchy subject in some areas, so consult with administrators before conducting such a lesson. There are a number of less volatile subjects for study relating to primates, such as activities focusing on intelligent behavior of primates or the bipedal movement of the ape family.
Exploration of Primates in the Media Activity
For an activity highlighting the sociological aspect of human/primate interactions, prepare a series of short films for your students to watch, highlighting primates in both their natural habitat and primates as they are portrayed in the media of both current and past eras.
Split students into groups of five and brainstorm ideas about what they think are inaccurate parts of the media portrayal versus accurate descriptions of realistic primate behavior in the wild. Ask students to theorize as to why primates are portrayed differently in some media situations. Enhance brainstorming by creating a poster outlining a web diagram of the students' thought process.
Guess and Check Primate Tool Use Activity
A guess and check primate tool use activity is a great way to incorporate video assisted learning with the traditional raise your hand and guess style of classroom learning activity. The teacher will need to prepare a series of video clips outlining footage of primates encountering an obstacle and then either solving with a simple tool or failing to solve the problem.
As the primate encounters each problem, pause the video clip and ask students to theorize how the primate will solve the problem or if it will fail at solving the problem entirely. Play the clip and show the students how the primate deals with the obstacle it has encountered, thus displaying high levels of intelligence.
To bring a biology spin to this lesson, immediately follow up with an explanation of the difference in brain structure between a highly intelligent primate and an animal less skilled at problem solving, such as a lizard, noting that the brain size is proportionally much smaller in lizards than in primates. A computer projector and projection screen setup can be quite helpful in this lesson activity since it will allow the instructor to stream pre-screened Internet-based videos.
Bipedalism vs Other Locomotion Methods Activity
A great activity for younger students that involves getting up out of their school desks is the exploration of bipedalism versus other locomotion methods. Before starting the activity, ask students what they think makes walking better than moving on all fours or moving like a snake, and how the concept relates to an animal's ability to problem solve.
Lay out some gym mats for the students and give them a series of tasks such as moving a ball from one side of the net to the other while moving on all fours, wiggling like a snake and finally walking while carrying the ball in hand. Explain to students that one of the key advantage to bipedalism, or two footed walking, is that it frees up other limbs to carry objects and use complex tools.
Research Citations:
First-School: Monkey Theme Preschool Lesson Plan Printable Activities and Crafts
Discovery Education: The Great Apes
Discovery Education: Apes to Man
International Primatological Society: Educational Resources About Primates on the Web
Daniel Mueller - Dan Mueller is Canadian... how exotic! Give him money he'll write (arguably) interesting things for you! MuellerWordsmithing@gmail.com
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