Dragon Tale activities
Objectives: The following lessons provide elementary school students with:
- Basic information about the life of a Komodo dragon.
- Activities to learn how Komodo dragons recycle and save energy.
- Activities to teach students ways to recycle and save energy
Grade level: 4 to 6th grade students (ages 9 -12)
Subjects: science, reading, writing, art
Skills: Students will learn about the growth and development of the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard in the world. Students will also acquire information and skills to be good recyclers and energy conservers, like the Komodo dragon.
Learning objectives: Students should be able to explain how Komodo dragons are good recyclers and energy conservers. Students should also be able to share how they too can recycle and save energy.
Vocabulary:
Carrion: Dead and decaying animals
Download PDFs
Materials stored in PDF format can be read and printed with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in.
Links
Education: Curriculum, Activities, and Materials
Dragon Tale activity pages
The lifestyle of the Komodo dragon
Funding for this project was provided by SDG&E and the Colwell Family Fund.
Teacher background
Komodo dragons live only on four southeastern Indonesian Islands. They have the smallest home range of any large predator in the world!
Komodo dragons begin their life in an egg the size of a grapefruit. Their mother will dig numerous ground nests and lay 15 to 30 eggs in only one of the many holes. It is believed they make many ground nests and only lay their eggs in one to trick predators. The Komodo dragon female will sometimes guard her eggs for up to three months and then visit them until they hatch.
Komodo dragons are both scavengers and predators. This gives them many opportunities to eat 60 percent of their body weight, which is what they need to survive. Komodo dragons will eat just about anything, dead or alive! They are the recyclers of the islands. Using their excellent sense of smell they can locate dead animals that are sometimes as far as 6 miles (10 kilometers) away! Komodo dragons also eat less frequently by eating a lot in one sitting. This helps them conserve their own energy by having to hunt less often or search for food.
Fewer than 6,000 Komodo dragons exist in the wild. On the island of Flores, Komodo habitat is shrinking quickly because of the human population. Natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, fires, and hurricanes are also a major threat to Komodo dragons.
Dragon Tale: Lifestyle of the Komodo Dragon classroom materials
Classroom materials page and separate growth chart available in PDF format.
Quick Facts Page (Time: 15 minutes)
This page provides teachers and students with fun facts about Komodo dragons. The Quick Facts are intended to provide students with the information they need to complete the activities in the Dragon Tale materials.
Dragon Puzzle Activity (Time: 20 minutes)
This activity is designed to teach students about the growth, development, and conservation of the Komodo dragon through a crossword puzzle.
Dragon Rhymes Activity (Time: 30 minutes)
This activity is designed to teach students ways they can recycle and save energy like the Komodo dragon. This activity also provides students the opportunity to share their thoughts on how they can recycle and save energy by creating their own limericks.
Growth Chart Activity: (Time: 2 hours)
This activity is designed to teach students about the growth and development of a Komodo dragon. Students also learn about their own growth and development by adding pictures and personal information to their growth chart.
Energy and Recycle Tips (Time: 5-20 minutes a week)
This activity is designed to teach students ways they can recycle and save energy like the Komodo dragon. This activity also provides students the opportunity to share energy and recycle tips with their family.
Resource Guide
This page provides teachers with additional books and Web sites to learn more about Komodo dragons.
