Education: Animal Word Play
(Grades 5 to 12)
Many animal group names are based on people's perception of the nature of the animal, like a skulk of foxes. Some animal group names perfectly describe what the group looks like, such as a flamboyance of flamingos. The following is a list of some of the names given to animal groupings.
Click here for more animal group names.
| 1.
Army of frogs |
18.
Family of sardines |
35.
Pod of whales |
Activities
Make slips of paper with one group of animals written on each. Have students randomly choose a paper. Then try some of these interdisciplinary activities.
Subject: Science—a new twist on the animal report
Some of the animals listed are rarely found in groups. Students can research the social behavior of the animal group and describe how living in a group, or going solo, helps that animal survive. After students have completed their research, see if any trends develop. Are most birds social dwellers? Does the diet of the animals determine whether they live in a group? Do all predators live alone?
Subjects: Art, language arts—drawing on the words
Students draw a picture of their chosen group of animals that reflects the word used to describe the group. For example, a hover of jellyfish could be a sci-fi drawing of jellyfish hovering like UFOs. Of course, this requires the student to understand the meaning of the words, so have dictionaries handy.
Subject: Language arts—how about a raucous of cacaws?
Now you give it a try! What else could you call a pack of wolves? How about a group of hyenas? Encourage students to use alliteration. Have a thesaurus available for students to find synonyms for common words.
