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Crocodiles!

Viewing Ideas

Before Watching

1. To encourage students to think about their current knowledge of crocodiles, have them work in small groups to prepare Crocodile Profiles. The profiles should list students' ideas about crocodile classification, habitat, size, appearance, diet, birth, and communication method.

After Watching

1. Have students revisit their Crocodile Profiles. Which details were consistent with the information presented in the program? Which were different? Which of the differences was most surprising, and why? As a class, discuss possible reasons for naive conceptions. What sources had informed students' previous images of crocodiles? How has their attitude toward these animals changed?

2. The program suggests that the crocodile's finely-tuned adaptations enabled it to survive the circumstances that caused the dinosaurs to become extinct. Have students identify examples from the program of crocodiles overcoming challenges in their environment. In which cases do the crocodiles rely on physical adaptations? In which cases is their success related to behavioral adaptations?