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Why do frogs say "ribbit"?

Why do frogs say "ribbit"?
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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DISCUSS (1 of 2):

What do you think that sound was?

DISCUSS (2 of 2):

Do you ever hear any sounds at night where you live? What are they?

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DISCUSS:

Why do you think the frogs were making so much noise at night?

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DISCUSS (1 of 2):

How could you figure out which kinds of frogs there were in a pond, without catching them?

DISCUSS (2 of 2):

If you wanted to compare the frogs in two different ponds to find out which pond had more frogs, what could you do?

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Slide Image
Slide Image

habitat


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the place where an animal or plant lives
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lake


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a large area of water with land all around it
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pond


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an area of still water, larger than a puddle, but smaller than a lake
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swamp


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a habitat covered in water and filled with many trees
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rainforest


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a habitat that is usually warm and gets lots of rain
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amphibian


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a type of animal that spends part of its life in water and part on land, such as frogs and toads
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species


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one specific kind of living thing

identify


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to figure out what or who something is
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compare


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to notice what is similar and what is different between things

communicate


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to give and get information
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vibrate


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to move back and forth quickly
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Featured Reviews

“This was almost ZERO prep. I also had one of those "OMG I'M AN AMAZING TEACHER" moments after it. The next day on the playground, the kids lucked into finding a toad. Several tried to catch it, and then one started screaming, "Let's see what sound it makes so we can find out what kind it is." They listened and just kept waiting for the terrified thing to make a noise. :-D Thanks, Mystery Doug and Team, for putting together such an engaging lesson! ”
· Amy · Teacher
“Was so fun. The listening activities were awesome. My kids loved the bullfrog!”
· Lucas · Teacher
“My students were super excited about this Mystery. It lead to further research regarding frogs in our area. We all, myself included, had a lot of fun! Also, the "prep" for the activity was toad-ally easy!!”
· Misty · Teacher
“Students absolutely enjoyed trying to finds ways to describe what frogs sounds like and discriminating between the different sounds. Thank you for incorporating the vocabulary that they need, such as HABITAT. ”
· Karina · Teacher
“My 2nd graders were completely engaged when identifying frog sounds. They found that by writing down a word for each frog sound, they were able to accurately identify frogs at both Oakwood Pond and Swede Lake. Great final video also - really got my students thinking about why one habit was better than the other. They also loved the part on the Amazon Rainforest! Thank you!”
· Juliet · Teacher
“Super fun and simple. Almost zero prep for this one. Also, the optional extra reading, websites, and videos are awesome. I posted links on my Google Classroom for the kids to explore when they were done. I had some very happy and engaged little scientists. ”
· Nora · Teacher
“Kids were engaged and enjoyed listening to the different frog sounds. Some of them were hard at first but once their little ears got used to the sounds they were able to hear the correct sounds the frogs made. Fun, fun, fun and easy to prep! Thanks!!”
· Caroline · Teacher
“The kids loved to hear the "frog-sounds"! The pictures of the frogs in the Amazon were amazing. I loved that you connected the discussion to how the Habitat supports life for the frogs in different areas!”
· Gayle · Teacher
“Amazing! The kids were engage for an entire hour! The videos and audio frog calls were so professional, something I never could have done on my own. Looking forward to the final piece of our Mystery next week. Kids are already excited to build bird houses. ”
· · Teacher
“Love that there was no prep except for the worksheets. My students are begging for more. It fit great with our life systems unit and in Michigan, they all have heard these sounds and now know how to identify them!”
· Kelly · Teacher
“Oh, how I loved this lesson! They are used to thinking about observation with their eyes, and doing a hearing observation intrigued them. From the two adorable extras videos to that amazing link to the sounds of the world, this whole lesson was absolutely perfect for our class. Not only did the frog part captivate them completely, but they were making tremendous connections to other habitats, other animals, current events, and more.”
· Cherie · Teacher
“Listening the the different frog sounds to identify which ones we hear. Think time to turn and talk to a partner. The handout worksheet that accompanies the lesson; this makes it easier for kids to organize their observations and follow along! Thank you.”
· Karen · Teacher
“Students had fun trying to identify sounds of frogs.”
· Tamara · Teacher
“Students AND adults loved trying to guess the different kinds of frogs/toads in the pond challenge.”
· Lisa · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep
This lesson is a case study in biodiversity using the frogs of North America. In the activity, Who's Calling?, students learn to identify frogs by their unique calls and investigate which of two locations has a greater variety of frogs. After listening to recordings of frog calls, students create words that will remind them of the sounds, and then use those words to identify frog sounds in different environments.
Preview activity

I have a Mystery Pack

Who's Calling & Types of Frogs worksheet 1 per student
Who's Calling & Types of Frogs Answer Key teacher-only resource 1 per class
Prep Instructions

We suggest students work in groups of four. Homeschool students can work on their own.

Before you begin, let students know they’ll be listening to the sounds of nature as they do this activity.

Exploration

21 mins

Hands-On Activity

35 mins

Wrap-Up

4 mins

Extend this lesson

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Student slideshow: English | Spanish

Teacher printout: English & Spanish

Unit Reading

Unit Reading

Can a Shark Live Near a Volcano?

In this reading, students learn about the story of how scientists discovered sharks living next to an underwater volcano.

Mini-lessons

Mini-lessons

You can elaborate student learning and engagement with Mystery Science mini-lessons.

If you are in an NGSS state, this mini-lesson supports the DCI LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans

Community

Community

Become a citizen scientist! Learning frog calls is fun—and it’s also a scientific tool. Scientists can tell how healthy a lake or pond is by finding out which frogs live there. And they often do this with the help of “citizen scientists”…like you!

  • Watch this video to find out about citizen scientists.
  • Read about a citizen science project in this article. (Grade 2 reading level)
  • Would you like to help? Use this website to find a project near you, and you can become a citizen scientist, too.

Activity

Activity

Sound Maps

This activity comes from Project Learning Tree (PLT), an environmental education program of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc. Discussion questions are suggested.

Listen carefully. What do you hear around you? Create a Sound Map using this activity, or think about how animals hear.

“Sounds Around” is written with open spaces in mind, but you can make a Sound Map for wherever you live.

Art Project

Art Project

Decorate your room with frogs that have a lot to say!

  • Print out these frog coloring pages.
  • Fill in the word balloon with a real or made-up word to help you remember each frog’s call.
  • Get out your crayons or colored pencils—and create some frogtastic art!

Online Resource

Online Resource

Nature Sound Map

Spin an Earth globe or look on a map to pick any spot on the planet where animals live. Then use the Nature Sound Map to hear the sounds of nature there.

Talk about what you hear:

  • What do you think is making the sound? Many animals or one?
  • Do nearby areas sound the same? If not, how are they different?
  • Listen to the sounds around you. Do you hear those kinds of nature sounds where you live?

Transcripts

Credits
 
Biodiversity Tx Lesson 4: Why do frogs say "ribbit"?

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