Desert Life Sizes


Grade Level: Third - April
Teacher of Lesson: Stacey Perri
Approximate Time: Thirty Minutes





  1. Hang white butcher paper on a large wall or chalkboard.
  2. Create index cards with the plant or animal name on them:
    Size Information:
    barrel cactus: 24 inches tall coyote: 36 inches+12 inch tail
    creosote: 60 inchesjackrabbit: 19inches+4in.tail
    Indian paintbrush: 18 inches kangaroo rat: 4 inches + 5in.tail
    prickly pear: 24 inchesGila monster: 18 inches
    wildflowers: 12 inchesrattlesnake: 24 inches
    yucca: 36 inchestarantula: 4 inches
    vulture: 25 inches
    (Source: Deserts Published by Creative Teaching Press)


  1. By table (3 to 4 students), the students will choose an index card with the plant or animal name printed on it.
  2. The group will estimate the size of the object, and record it on the butcher paper using small x's, and a line connecting the x's.
  3. The students will then use measuring tools to make a true-to-life representation at their tables.
  4. The students will cut out and paste their life-size representations above or next to their estimations.
  5. The class will review the plants and animals on the wall, discussing measurement and how it is different or the same as what the predictions were.
  6. The students will be asked to estimate the sizes of objects that the teacher holds up, such as the cactuses that are in the classroom for experimentation.


Evaluation: Reteaching Strategies and Follow-Up:
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