Lesson Objectives Students learn the scientific classification for cats, family Felidae within the order Carnivora, meaning meat-eating mammals. Students learn general cat physical attributes and hunting behavior. Students learn how the cheetah's physiology differs from the other big cats. Students learn how the cheetah's body is adapted for running fast. Students learn about the cheetah's hunting behavior and style of killing prey.
Students learn about interactions within cheetah society.
Students learn why cheetahs are threatened with extinction. Students learn about cheetah conservation efforts. Students participate in The Cheetah Chase Challenge, a predator vs. prey race. Students use a mathematical formula to solve for the number of strides and in how many seconds it takes for a cheetah to reach its prey. Students write in their journals about their Cheetah Chase Challenge experience.