Discuss the use of sign language among humans and between humans and animals. Display materials from organizations such as Friends of Washoe and the Gorilla Foundation, and teach some of the sign language that apes at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute have been taught to use. Turn part of the classroom into a monkey and ape habitat. Let the children design it, based on discussions of habitat and their observations at the zoo. Compare the created habitat to that seen in books and videos or at the zoo.
Children can draw pictures, color clip art and cut out pictures from magazines for illustration.
Have students write or dictate a poem or a paragraph based on research findings. Have students make predictions about elephant populations based on literature obtained from groups that are trying to save the elephant as well as from groups that think legal killing is necessary. Research the ways in which the lives of elephants in circuses and zoos differ from those of their wild cousins. Visit the local zoo and evaluate how well it meets the physical, behavioral and social need of elephants. Have students use maps to chart the ranges of elephants.