AN EDUCATOR’S GUIDE TO FROGS K-6 Author: Terra Brie Stewart Koval,
[email protected] Design & Illustrations: Rost Koval,
[email protected], www.mangobonz.150m.com Editor: Neala MacDonald Frogwatch Illustrations: Wallace Edwards, courtesy of the Toronto Zoo This guide has been written by Terra Brie Stewart Koval and designed by Rost Koval through a Science Horizon's Grant with additional support from the Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network Coordinating Office. This teachers guide is free from copyright when used for educational purposes. If reproduced we ask that you credit the author and the Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network Coordination Office. DEAR EDUCATOR, Throughout most of history, people have not regarded reptiles and amphibians with high opinion. In fact the 18th century Swedish botanist and zoologist Carolus Linnaeus, famous for his classification system, presented a very strong example of the prevailing attitude toward reptiles and amphibians: "These foul and loathsome animals are abhorrent because of their cold body, pale colour, cartilaginous skeleton, filthy skin, fierce aspect, calculating eye, offensive smell, harsh voice, squalid habitation, and terrible venom; and so their Creator has not exerted his powers to make more of them." Although this attitude may still be representative of many people’s impressions of snakes, it seems that for the most part, our attitude towards frogs has grown to be a little more civilized—or at least it remains so in our children. Children are fascinated by frogs—and with good reason. They are cute, they are easily caught, they make cool sounds, and they have been found in abundance (although their decline is the whole reason programs like FrogWatch have come into existence).