Teacher Resource

Life as a Lizard Unit and Role Playing Game: Part 1

Lessons marked with an asterisk (lessons 1.1 and 1.3) are highly recommended as preparation for the Life as a Lizard Game. Learning Materials are available from links in the Support Materials section at the bottom of this page.

*Lesson 1. 1 Introduce the Life as a Lizard Unit

Learning Resource Information

Lesson Steps:

  1. Depending on age level you can do a KWL (What you know, What you want to Know and What you have Learned) chart, have students peruse books on lizards, and if possible check out some lizard information on the internet and lizard multimedia.
  2. Tell the students that they will be playing Lizards, their Predators and their Prey in a fun role playing game. Tell students that like all good actors they will need to research their roles before they go on stage. Either pass out the Lizard, Predator and Prey Species List or write the names on the board for the students to copy.
  3. Ask students to begin a Lizard Watch noting where they see lizards around their home and neighborhoods and to keep a record of this in their science notebooks. They should also draw and write about their observations.
Lesson 1.2 Lizard Behavior: Mini Field Trip and Practicing Role Playing

Learning Resource Information

Lesson Steps:

  1. Go on a mini-school field trip to look for lizards and write down the behaviors that are seen.
  2. Review the Sonoran Desert Lizard Behavior List, and ask students to determine how each behavior will be acted out (e.g. decide how to depict aggressive and "running" away behavior that is appropriate for the classroom). Practice acting out the behaviors as a class.
*Lesson 1.3. Life as a Lizard Glossary Words

Learning Resource Information

Lesson Steps:

  1. Pass out glossary words and go over them as a class.
  2. Using the Life as A Lizard Glossary Words students play Key Word fun "Memory."
  3. Each student makes two different decks of cards, one set will have a keyword on one side of each card, the other set will have a definition of a keyword on one side of each card.  Though each group of players will use only one set of each deck of cards it is important to have each student make their own deck so they will become familiar with the vocabulary words.
  4. It at your discretion whether the students may use their list of vocabulary words and definitions while they play.  You may want to let them start with it, but as they become familiar with the definitions you may want to have them play several rounds without their list of words.
  5. Students complete the Life as a Lizard Glossary word worksheet and write accompanying story.

Support Materials

Return to the Life as a Lizard Unit Home Page

Learning Information

About This Page
Collection: Arizona Partners in Reptile and Amphibian Conservation, AZ PARC http://www.reptilesofaz.com/ Primary Author: Craig Ivanyi, Herpetology Curator of the Sonoran Desert Museum and AZ PARC Education Working Group Coordinator. Additional Authors and AZ PARC Education Working Group Members: Cori Dolan, Lisa Schwartz, Kat Wilson, Cristina Jones, Dave Prival, Dennis Caldwell and Taylor Edwards. Special thanks to the teachers who piloted the lessons and gave invaluable feedback: Kristen Trejos, Angela Bonine and Karen Bradley.

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Lisa Schwartz at

All Rights Reserved.

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