Resources for Teachers

Activities with Frogs:
Things to Do, See, Learn

 

Make your own frog recordings!

 

• Heyer, W. R. 1994. "Recording frog calls." Pp. 285-287 in Measuring and Monitoring Biological Diversity: Standard Methods for Amphibians. W. R. Heyer, M. A. Donnelly, R. W. McDiarmid, L. C. Hayek, and M. S. Foster, eds. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution.
• "Recording nature sounds," by Andrew Skeoch (http://business.netcon.net.au/listen/MeetUs6.html). Skeoch details the equipment and techniques he uses to record nature sounds.
• The Library of Natural Sounds at Cornell University (http://www.ornith.cornell.edu/LNS/index.html) includes a lot of sounds, equipment lists, and detailed instructions for various ways to record sounds in the wild.

 

Frogs in the Classroom

 

• Keeping those beasties alive is the first essential step to working with live frogs in the classroom. The Captive Care Index (http://www.herpindex.com/ftcare.html) contains links to Frog & Toad care information on a number of species. The Internet UseNet group rec.pets.herp is a good source for asking questions of fanatic herpetologists.
• Animals in the Classroom: Selection, Care, and Observations by David C. Kramer (1989) has both suggested activities and instructions for habitat-establishment, care, and handling.
  Available in the Learning Studio: QL 58 .K73 1989

 

Activities on the Internet

The Interactive Frog Dissection (http://teach.virginia.edu/go/frog/) is one of the oldest and most famous educational Internet resources. Designed for use by high school biology classes, it includes step-by-step instructions for dissection; many full-color photographs; and online movies. The dissection is one portion of the Whole Frog Project (http://www-itg.lbl.gov/Frog/), which provides other great resources for teacher, student, and researcher use.

 

More Activities At ...

 

 

Activity Books in the Exploratorium Learning Studio Resource Center

 

• Classroom creature culture : algae to anoles : a collection from the columns of Science and children National Science Teachers Association, 1994.
  Available in the Learning Studio: QH 317 .C55 1994
• Janice VanCleave's Animals Janice VanCleave, 1993.
  Available in the Learning Studio: QL 52.6 .V36 1993
• Creepy Crawlies and the Scientific Method Sally Stenhouse Kneidel, 1993.
  Available in the Learning Studio: QL 52.6 .K58 1993
• Science in Special Places Lucia Kemp Henry, 1989.
  Available in the Learning Studio: QL 756 .H46 1989

Search our online catalog (http://hypatia.exploratorium.edu:6611) for more resources.

Learning about Frogs: Science, History, Human Culture, and Current Environmental Issues

 

The Internet

The Internet is an amazing resource for learning about frogs. Searches in Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com/), AltaVista (http://www.altavista.digital.com/, and Excite (http://www.excite.com/) yield numerous resources. Search terms to utilize include: frogs, toads, tadpoles, herpetology, and amphibians. We've also gathered links to some useful and fun frog websites on the Exploratorium Frog Links page (http://www.exploratorium.edu/frogs/links.html).

The Internet is one of the best places to get current information on frog issues, such as the worldwide decline in frog populations, and the rash of malformed frogs. To find out what's happening with frogs in the world today, read FrogLog (http://acs-info.open.ac.uk/info/newsletters/FROGLOG.html), the newsletter of the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force of the World Conservation Union; or check out NARCAM (http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/narcam/), the North American Reporting Center for Amphibian Malformations.

 

The Exploratorium Frogs! Resource

The Exploratorium's Frogs! web-site is a great resource for learning more about frogs and our Frogs! exhibit.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/frogs/

Books in the Exploratorium Learning Studio Resource Center
	Biology of Amphibians William E. Duellman and Linda Trueb, 1994. Available in the Learning Studio: QL 667 .D84 1994 A Natural History of Amphibians Robert C. Stebbins and Nathan W. Cohen, 1997. Available in the Learning Studio: QL 667 .S84 1997 Tracking the Vanishing Frogs: An Ecological Mystery Kathryn Phillips, 1995. Available in the Learning Studio: QL 668 .E2 P53 1995
Search our online catalog for more resources.

Frog Media: Watching & Listening to Frogs & Toads   "Cane Toads: An Unnatural History" Dir. Mark Lewis; about 60 minutes. Screenings at the Exploratorium Saturday 2/20/99 and following Available in the Learning Studio: coming soon

This approximately 1-hour video documentary is a hilarious and educational film about the cane toads of Australia. Introduced in the 40s to control pest populations, this "alien" species is thriving and wreaking ecological havoc. The "toad-cam" and the musical scoring are especially wonderful. Adults and kids 10 and up will love this. Younger kids may not appreciate all the references and humor, but may still get a lot out of the history and science. As with all videos, teachers are recommended to pre-view before showing to an audience.

 

"It's a Frog's Life"

Oxford Scientific Films, 1985; 50 minutes.
Available in the Learning Studio: QL 668 .E2 I8 1985
Explores the nature of the frog's dependence on water and the physiological and reproductive adaptions of frogs that live in deserts, rain forest trees, and swift mountain streams.

 

"Amphibian: Eyewitness Video Series"

BBC Lionheart Television, 1994; 35 minutes.
Available in the Learning Studio: QL 667 .A5 1994
Closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.
Leap into the fascinating world of frogs, toads, and salamanders, and get a close-up look at the amazing variety of colors, shapes, and sizes in the amphibian family.

 

"Reptiles and Amphibians"

National Geographic Society, 1992; 60 minutes.
Available in the Learning Studio: QL 641 .R47x 1992
Closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.
Shows some of the characteristics of various reptiles and amphibians such as the Komodo dragon, Galapagos tortoises, and gigantic dinosaurs, which are shown through an animated diorama.

 

Frogs and Toads in Color and Sound

http://www.naturesound.com/frogs/frogs.html
Lang Elliott created this website, which includes photographs and real-audio clips of many frogs and toads. Even more are available from him on 35mm slide and compact disc.

 

Sounds of North American Frogs

Conceived, Narrated and Documented by Charles M. Bogert.
Smithsonian Folkways, 1958.
Available in the Learning Studio: coming soon
This audio CD, originally released in 1958, presents 57 species of frogs and toads on 92 tracks, digitally remastered. A complete discography is available.

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©1995-99 The Exploratorium/ Science Learning Network

last updated: 4/28/99 lq/rf