Lesson video

Hello, everyone!

Welcome to our lesson today.

My name is Ms. Mullins, and I'm really, really excited for all of the learning that we're going to be doing together today.

So let's get started.

In our lesson today, we are going to be gathering information about aye-ayes in preparation for writing a non-chronological report.

Here are the keywords that we will be using throughout our lesson.

Subject-specific vocabulary, research, habitat, adaptations, diet.

Well done, everybody.

Subject-specific vocabulary is vocabulary used when writing about a particular subject.

Research is the detailed study of a subject.

An animal's habitat is where it lives.

Adaptations are special features that animals and plants develop to help them survive where they live.

An animal's diet is the food it eats.

We will be using all of these words throughout today's lesson.

In today's lesson, we are going to be researching aye-ayes for a non-chronological report.

Firstly, we are going to research some general information about aye-ayes.

Then, we are going to be researching aye-ayes habitats.

And finally, we are going to research aye-ayes adaptations.

So, let's get started with researching some general information about aye-ayes.

Aye-ayes belong to the primate family.

Primates are mammals that usually have grasping hands, large brains, and flat faces.

These features set them apart from other mammals.

Primates include humans, gorillas, and lemurs, but there are many more.

Which of these are members of the primate family?

A, humans; B, gorillas, C, mice; D, lemurs.

Well done if you spotted that humans, gorillas, and lemurs all belong to the primate family.

Aye-ayes are types of lemurs.

Lemurs are mammals that belong to the primate family.

There are different types of lemurs.

Here we've got a picture of a ring-tailed lemur.

There are different types of lemurs, but lots of them have these characteristics.

They have fox-like faces, long back legs, and they are types of primates that only live in Madagascar.

True or false, aye-ayes are mammals.

Well done, that is true.

Now justify your answer, either, A, Aye-ayes are mammals.

They are types of lemurs; or B, Aye-ayes are mammals.

They are not types of lemurs.

Well done if you spotted A is the correct answer.

Aye-ayes are mammals.

They are types of lemurs.

This is an aye-aye.

Now, match the animals to their photographs.

One of these photos is a ring-tailed lemur.

The other one is an aye-aye.

Well done.

This is the ring-tailed lemur and this is the aye-aye.

Remember, aye-ayes are types of lemurs.

Aye-ayes are medium-sized, nocturnal creatures.

They are solitary creatures that live alone.

If aye-ayes meet each other, they are often aggressive towards each other.

The scientific name for an aye-aye is Daubentonia Madagascariensis, but we can just call them aye-ayes.

Match the terms to their definitions.

Fantastic.

Nocturnal is an animal that sleeps during the day, but becomes active at night, Daubentonia Madagascariensis is the scientific name for aye-aye, and solitary means alone.

Fantastic work, everyone.

Here are some general facts about aye-ayes.

Aye-ayes are seen as omens of bad luck or even death by some residents in Madagascar.

Some people believe that if an aye-aye points its long middle finger at you, you will be marked for death.

There were once giant aye-ayes.

This now-extinct species of aye-aye weighed between three and five times the weight of the existing aye-aye species.

Males travel up to four kilometers each night to search for a female during mating season.

These are all some general facts about aye-ayes.

Now your task is to read the information text in the additional materials.

Then, write down three examples of subject-specific vocabulary, what does omnivore mean, and what does an aye-aye weigh?

Pause the video while you complete the task.

Okay everyone, let's read through this information text now together.

"The aye-aye, Daubentonia Madagascariensis, is a medium-sized, nocturnal lemur which weighs approximately three kilograms.

This omnivore, meat and plant-eating animal, is a member of the primate family and it is therefore a relative of the ring-tailed lemur, chimpanzee and human.

Aye-ayes have a range of adaptations that enable them to survive in their environment.

" Okay everyone, three examples of subject-specific vocabulary.

There were lots of examples of subject-specific vocabulary in there, but here are some of the words you might have written down.

Nocturnal, lemur, primate, three kilograms, omnivore, ring-tailed lemur, chimpanzee, human, and adaptations.

You might have written down any three of those words.

Number two, what does omnivore mean?

Omnivore means meat and plant-eating animal.

And number three, what does an aye-aye weigh?

An aye-aye weighs three kilograms.

Well done, everybody, for completing that task.

Fantastic work.

Now, we are onto the second part of our lesson, where we will be researching information about aye-ayes' habitat.

Aye-ayes live in Madagascar.

Madagascar is an island that is part of the continent of Africa.

Here, we've got a world map.

This is the continent of Africa.

Here, we've got a different map which shows the continent of Africa, and Madagascar is this island off the coast of it that is shaded in red.

This is where aye-ayes live.

Madagascar is an island that is part of which continent?

A, Europe; B, Asia; C, Africa; D, South America.

Well done, the answer is Africa.

Madagascar is an island that is part of the continent of Africa.

Aye-ayes live in Madagascar's tropical rainforests.

Tropical rainforests are very tall, dense forests that receive lots of rain every year.

They also have warm climates.

They are filled with lots of different plants and animals.

This is called biodiversity.

Which two adjectives most appropriately describe rainforests?

A, warm; B, humid; C, lifeless?

Well done if you spotted that the most appropriate adjectives to describe rainforests are warm and humid.

Great work.

Aye-ayes live high in the trees of rainforests of Eastern Madagascar, safely away from predators.

You can see here on my compass, I've circled E for east.

This is where they build their ball-like nests from twigs and leaves.

Your task is to fill in the missing words.

Use the pictures to help you.

"Aye-ayes inhabit an island called, hmm, which is off the coast of the main continent of, hmm.

These creatures live high up in the trees of the, hmm, rainforests in ball-like nests made of, hmm, and, hmm.

" Pause the video while you do that.

Well done, everybody.

Let's read through the missing words together.

Did you get them all?

"Aye-ayes inhabit an island called Madagascar, which is off the coast of the main continent of Africa.

These creatures live high up in the trees of the tropical rainforests in ball-like nests made of twigs and leaves.

" Brilliant job, everyone.

Well done for having a go at that task.

Fantastic work so far today, everyone.

Now we are onto the third and final section of our lesson.

Now, we are going to be researching information about aye-ayes' adaptations.

Aye-ayes have many different physical adaptations.

Adaptations are special features that animals and plants develop to help them survive where they live.

Let's say this word together, adaptation.

Well done.

If we look closely at the word adaptation, we can see the word adapt in there.

The word adapt means to make something suitable for its purpose.

This helps us to understand the meaning of the word adaptation.

Adaptations refer to how animals bodies are made suitable for their purpose.

Adaptations are often determined by where an animal lives.

Let's take a moment to remind ourselves of the definition of adaptations.

Let's say this together.

Adaptations are special features that animals and plants develop to help them survive where they live.

An important part of survival is being able to eat.

Aye-ayes' diets consist of grubs, nectar, fruit, and nuts.

Which of these are not part of aye-ayes' diets?

A, fruit; B, grubs; C, birds; D, nectar.

Fantastic work, everyone.

Well done if you spotted that birds are not part of aye-ayes' diets, whereas fruit, grubs, and nectar are parts of aye-ayes' diets.

Aye-ayes have many different physical adaptations.

Here's our picture of an aye-aye.

They have got large, bulbous eyes that help this nocturnal creature see in the dark.

If an animal is nocturnal, that means that it is active at night.

So it's really important for these creatures to have excellent vision so that they can see in the dark and hunt at nighttime.

Aye-ayes have got incisor teeth that grow continuously so they never wear down.

The incisor teeth are the two front teeth.

Let's practice saying that word together.

Incisor, your turn.

Well done.

It's really important that the incisor teeth grow throughout the aye-ayes lifetime because it uses its teeth to bite and chew and gnaw through tough materials like shells and tree bark in order to eat food.

If the aye-ayes' teeth were to wear down after one or two years, this would mean the aye-aye would not be able to eat and could starve.

So this is a really, really important adaptation.

The aye-aye also has an extra long and very thin middle finger that it uses to tap on tree trunks and use to scrape grubs out from inside the tree.

It also has hypersensitive, dish-like ears to listen for grubs inside trees trunks.

This is a process called echolocation, where the aye-aye uses its long middle finger to tap on the tree's trunks, and then uses its hypersensitive ears to listen inside.

If there is a loud echo inside the tree, the aye-aye knows that there are no grubs in there.

But, if it can hear grubs inside the tree's trunk, it will use its incisor teeth, it's two front teeth, to chew through the tree bark.

Then when it has made a hole in the tree bark, it will reach inside with its long middle finger to pierce some grubs and scoop them out and eat them.

So all of these adaptations are very important for the aye-ayes survival.

Match each adaptation to its purpose.

Great work, everyone.

The incisor teeth continuously grow throughout their life and are used to gnaw through tree bark and coconut shells.

The ears are hypersensitive and used to listen for grubs inside trees' trunks.

The eyes enable aye-ayes to see in the dark and the middle finger is used to tap on trees' trunks to hear if they have grubs inside.

Also, the middle finger is used to pick grubs out from deep inside the trees' trunks.

Now your final task is to add bullet points into the table to show how each feature is adapted to help the aye-aye survive in its environment.

Pause the video while you do that.

Brilliant work, everybody.

Well done.

Here are my examples.

So in the eye section I wrote that the aye-aye has strong vision to help it see in the dark.

For the ears, I wrote, "Hypersensitive hearing helps it find grubs inside trees.

" For the incisor teeth, I wrote that they are continuously growing teeth that never wear down and that the teeth gnaw away bark from the trees and cuts through coconut shells.

And finally, the long finger taps on trees' bark to hear whether grubs are inside, and it is used to scrape out grubs from inside trees' trunks.

Well done, everybody.

And now that brings us to the end of our lesson where we have been researching aye-ayes for a non-chronological report.

Here is a summary of what we have learned about in our lesson.

It is important to research a subject in preparation for writing a non-chronological report about it.

Aye-ayes are nocturnal, highly-adapted mammals that live in the tropical rainforests of Madagascar, Africa.

Adaptations are special features that plants and animals develop to help them survive in their habitat.

Aye-ayes' adaptations enable them to find and eat food.

Aye-ayes' diets consist of grubs, fruit, nectar, and nuts.

I have been so impressed with your amazing attitude to learning today.

Well done everyone, and I'm looking forward to seeing you again soon.