How Smart are Animals?

How Smart are Animals?

Science Article: Informational Text Characteristics:

• provides factual information, often from scientific studies and experts

• expresses a controlling idea, or main point

• presents information in an engaging way, often with anecdotes, or short stories

• supports conclusions with evidence from multiple sources

Author's Purpose

to communicate information about science topics in a way that nonscientists can understand

Structure

May use a specific organizational pattern, such as classification or definition

Organizational Patterns

The arrangement of information in an article is its structure. Sometimes, the structure follows a specific organizational pattern, or order. The pattern helps to show certain types of relationships among the parts of a topic.

Classification

• Divides a complex topic into smaller classes-categories, or groups

• Signal words: type, kind, first, second, example

Definition

• Shows how the writer views, or defines, a comlex idea, especially one that is open to interpretation or not generally known

• Signal words: is called, refers to, consists of

Multiple Choice

from "Kinds of Cats"

All cats, from jungle cats to house cats, belong to the cat family, Felidae. The Felidae family includes two subfamilies, the Pantherine and Felinae. These subfamilies include approximately thirty-six separate species.

• Classification

• Definition

Details

• The text does not define what a cat is but names the family, Felidae, and the subfamilies, Pantherinae and Felinae.

• The text tells how many species they include.

Multiple Choice

from "Reptiles are Amazing"

The scientific name "reptiles" refers to an animal that has cold blood, lays eggs, and has a body covered with scales or hard parts. Snakes, lizards, and turtles are reptiles.

• Classification

• Definition

Comprehension Strategy: Reread

• Pause at the end of a paragraph, section, or chapter.

• Think about what you have just read.

• State what you've just read in your own words.

• If you cannot remember or do not understand what you read, reread the text again, more slowly this time.

Multiple Choice

If I don't understand what I read, I should just go on to the next section.

• True

• False

Vocabulary

Evaluate

Observing

investigation

phenomenon

interpret

measurable

Evaluate

v. determine the value or condition of someone or something in a careful and thoughtful way

Observing

v. watching carefully

Investigation

n. careful examination of something, especially to discover the truth about it

Phenomenon

n. rare or important fact or event

Interpret

v. explain the meaning of something

Measurable

adj. able to determine size or quantity

Background

• Do animals have emotions?

• Can a monkey have morals?

• Can a dog plan ahead?

How Smart is Smart?

• Eleven year old Andrea was stuck in a snowdrift.

• Villa, the neighbor's dog, heard her cries for help, and went to help her.

• Villa rescued Andrea and led the way back home.

• Villa won the Ken-L Ration Dog Hero of the Year award in 1983 for her bravery, loyalty, and intelligence.

• Scientists had different opinions about whether Villa's behavior showed intelligence or instinct.

Poll

Do you think Villa's behavior exhibited intelligence? Why or why not?

• yes

• no

Multiple Choice

Her feat was truly impressive-understanding that Andrea needed help and performing the tasks necessary to save her. Which word means the same as feat?

• plan

• goal

• accomplishment

• advantage

Do Animals Think?

Read paragraphs 3 and 4. Write the examples of animal behavior mentioned in paragraph 4.

Open Ended

Why do you think the writer included these examples?

Poll

Do you think the actions of these animals show trainability or thinking?

• trainability

• thinking

Clever Hans

Read paragraphs 5-9, and answer these questions.

1. How was Hans trained to solve numerical problems?
2. Did Hans really solve numerical problems?
3. Explain Oskar Pfungst's experiment. What did it prove?
4. What is the "Clever Hans phenomenon"?

Open Ended

If you were a scientist, what animal would you choose to investigate? What experiment would you do to determine intelligence?