WOLF PACK (Grades 3 -5)

Voyageurs National Park has worked with local educators to develop a wolf education trunk containing six lesson plans and support materials that are available for loan. A brief summary of the lessons are below. Contact the park for more information.

Lesson 1: Wolf Basics

Students will be grouped into “packs” and participate in a game to learn some basic facts about wolves, and the adaptations they have that allow them to live in the wild. (20-30 minutes)

Lesson 2: Winter Food Web

Students will learn about the animals that make up the wolf’s winter food web. They will participate in a role playing game that will help them to better understand the roles of predators, scavengers, and prey. (~20 minutes)

Lesson 3: When Wolves Hunted Caribou

 Students will study the changes in plant and animal communities over the last 200 years. This lesson plan is best used as an extension, where students will develop reading and listening comprehension skills as they learn about the past. Students will also have the opportunity to practice writing and public speaking skills when presenting their findings to others.

Lesson 4: Eight Trips Around the Sun –the Wolf’s Life Cycle

Students will participate in a role playing game of chance that will illustrate the challenges faced by wolves as they move through different stages of life. (~20 minutes)

Lesson 5: Do You Speak Wolf?

Communication in the Pack Through games, puzzles and role playing, students will learn about packs and about how animals within a pack communicate. (~20 minutes)

Lesson 6: The Hunt

Students will learn about how wolves hunt. Specifically they will learn about the dangers of the hunt and how wolves overcome these dangers by working together and using strategies. This is an active game that requires room to run, indoors or out. (~20-30 minutes)