Chicago Zoological Society has developed curricula for a wide range of age levels and subjects. Spent some time reviewing our curricula offerings, and find those that are the best fit for you and your class. They all use the animals and resources at Brookfield Zoo to generate an excitement about learning and to inspire an appreciation for the natural world.
Videos
All videos are $10.00
Chicago Wilderness (a perfect companion for the Connections “Local Habitats” talk). In this 15-minute video, you will discover habitats that are more rare than tropical rain forest – right here in the Chicago area!
Return to the Wild (great to pair with the “Species Survival Plan” Connections talk). In this 40-minute video, follow golden lion tamarins Flash and Celia, along with their offspring Melvin, Marty, and Maude, as they family travels from Brookfield Zoo to their native home in Brazil.
Wildlife Prairie Park (pair with the Connections “Local Habitats” talk). Celebrate the rich natural heritage of Illinois in this 8-minute video.
Curriculum Units
All curriculum units contain activities that may be used before and after a zoo visit or as stand alone activities to accompany classroom work. All curriculum units are aligned with Illinois Learning Standards.
Africa - $50.00 Grades 4-6 The perfect curriculum guide to accompany the Connections “Africa” class. Investigate three human cultures surviving in three diverse ecosystems: the rain forest, the savannah, and the desert. Includes overheads, photos, CD ROM, and transparencies.
Animal Families - $35.00 Grades K-1. Use this curriculum guide to accompany the Connections class Critter Coverings I and Critter Coverings II. Learn about how to recognize and categorize animal groups. Includes six study prints of animal families and video.
Behavior Matters (self-led) - $50.00 Grades 7-12. Introduce your students to the science and methods of animal behavior while emphasizing research and conservation.
Creature Features (curriculum unit only – no accompanying class) - $35.00 Grades 2-3. Learn about different animal features and the differences between herbivores, carnivores and omnivores. Includes a CD ROM.
Desert Communities – $35.00 Grades 3-4. This curriculum guide may accompany the Connections class “Desert Communities” or can provide stand-alone activities for your class. Learn what’s so hot about deserts, including how animals use water and beat the heat.
Ecosystems on the Edge (self-led) - $50.00 Grades 6-8. Find out why ecosystem edges- the places where two habitats meet- often teem with a diversity of wildlife. Includes Resource photos and a DVD.
Endangered: Primate Populations/ESS - $50.00 Grades 6-12. This curriculum guide may accompany the Connections class “Primate Populations” or can provide stand-alone activities for your class. Students learn how to make detailed behavior observations—just like researchers studying wild primates. Includes Return of the Wild video. ESS version meets the needs of teachers of inclusion classroom students with visual, auditory, or physical disabilities. ESS version also includes a CD ROM with Word documents, closed caption or descriptive audio accommodations may be requested.
Magnificent Mammals - self-led - $35.00 Grades 4-6. An excellent companion for a visit to the Dolphin show. Get your students to look beyond the obvious to see how a mammal’s body shape and behavior relate to its habitat and lifestyle.
Monkeys in the Middle – Spanish - $35.00 Grades 6-12. This curriculum is key to introducing rain-forest concepts to children who may take such a lush, environmentally important ecosystem for granted. With greater understanding of life in rain forests, the students will be more likely to make life decisions and influence others to save forested areas. Includes a poster and CD. A trip to Brookfield Zoo’s Tropic World is suggested as a follow-up to this unit.
Nature’s Filter (curriculum unit only – no accompanying class) - $50.00 Grades 9-12. Provide your students with the opportunity to run computer simulations of aquatic ecosystems while exploring alternative methods of water-quality maintenance.
Return of the Wolves/ESS – $50.00 Grades 6-8. This curriculum guide may accompany the Connections class “Return of the Wolves” or can provide stand-alone activities for your class. Learn about Mexican gray wolves and discover what is being done to help protect them in the wild. ESS version meets the needs of teachers of inclusion classroom students with visual, auditory, or physical disabilities. ESS version also includes a CD ROM with Word documents.
Secret Life of Dolphins (self-led) - $50.00 Grades 7-12. A robust database with activities offers a comprehensive look at dolphin populations at Brookfield Zoo and in the wild. Includes a poster, 2 books, and a CD ROM. A trip to Brookfield Zoo’s dolphin show is suggested as a follow-up to this unit.
Species Survival Plans - $35.00 Grades 6-8. This curriculum guide may accompany the Connections talks “Tigers” or “Frogs” or can provide stand-alone activities for your class. Learn about which endangered animals zoos help protect and how they do it.
To Save a Species: Designing an Exhibit - $50.00 Grades 4-6. This curriculum is a good companion for the Connections “Behind the Design of Zoo Exhibits” talk Students research and design an animal exhibit for Humboldt penguins using real-world animal facts and information.
To Save a Species: Managing a Captive Population – $50.00 Grades 7-12. This curriculum guide may accompany the Connections class “Species Survival Plans” or can provide stand-alone activities for your class. Students take on the responsibilities of a Species Survival Plan coordinator and use authentic data to understand how scientists address animal conservation issues.
Treasures of the Tropics – $35.00 Grades 3-4. This curriculum is a good companion for the Connections talk “Frogs.” Transport your class to one of the most beautiful and misunderstood places on Earth: the tropical rain forest.
Winter Explorers (curriculum unit only – no accompanying class) - $35.00 Grades 2-3. This curriculum unit emphasizes the problems animals face in winter and how the animals cope with the problems of winter.
Wonders of Our Wetlands/ESS – $50.00 Grades 4-6. This curriculum guide may accompany the Connections class “Wonders of Our Wetlands/ESS” or can provide stand-alone activities for your class. Get your students knee-deep in all the cool things wetlands do, such as control floods, shelter wildlife, purify water, provide recreation, and support human cultures. Includes slides and 2 study prints. ESS version meets the needs of teachers of inclusion classroom students with visual, auditory, or physical disabilities. ESS version also includes a CD ROM with Word documents
Zoo Genetics: Key Aspects of Conservation Biology (self-led) - $50.00 Grade 6-12. Teaching animal genetics can enhance and support curriculum on human genetics as students learn methods and protocols used in the genetic analysis of species in both zoos and the wild.
Activity Sheets
FREE online.
Download
What to Do at Brookfield Zoo activity sheets for Grades Pre-K-12.
Students with Disabilities
Visual Schedule Book – Free to borrow on the day of your visit or $20.00 to purchase. This innovative planning tool, meant for all ages, is designed to assist visitors with communication disorders. The Visual Schedule Book contains photos of all zoo areas. The photos can be manipulated and arranged to create a visual agenda for the day. Printed on cardstock. Call 708-688-8369 for more information.
Assistive Listening Devices – Available to borrow on the day of your visit. Assistive listening devices for use for in-zoo narrated presentations are available for loan in the Administration Building and in the Discovery Center. Call 708-688-8369 for more information.
American Sign Language interpreters are available free of charge for Connections classes by advance request. Call 708-688-8369 for more information. For more information about accessibility at Brookfield Zoo, call 708-688-8369.
To place an order, call 708-688-8367.