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    Animal Nature Study by Various Animal Nature Study by Various    

Lesson 36: The Snail

Performer: LibriVox - Jennifer Dorr


'The Lazy Snail' from Among the Meadow People by Clara Dillingham Pierson

In the lower part of the meadow, where the grass grew tall and tender, there lived a fine and sturdy young Snail; that is to say, a fine-looking Snail. His shell was a beautiful soft gray, and its curves were regular and perfect. His body was soft and moist, and just what a Snail's body should be. Of course, when it came to travelling, he could not go fast, for none of his family are rapid travellers, still, if he had been plucky and patient, he might have seen much of the meadow, and perhaps some of the world outside. His friends and neighbors often told him that he ought to start out on a little journey to see the sights, but he would always answer, "Oh, it is too hard work!"

There was nobody who liked stories of meadow life better than this same Snail, and he would often stop some friendly Cricket or Snake to ask for the news. After they had told him, they would say, "Why, don't you ever get out to see these things for yourself?" and he would give a little sigh and answer, "It is too far to go."

"But you needn't go the whole distance in one day," his visitor would say, "only a little at a time."

"Yes, and then I would have to keep starting on again every little while," the Snail would reply. "What of that?" said the visitor; "you would have plenty of resting spells, when you could lie in the shade of a tall weed and enjoy yourself."

"Well, what is the use?" the Snail would say. "I can't enjoy resting if I know I've got to go to work again," and he would sigh once more.

So there he lived, eating and sleeping, and wishing he could see the world, and meet the people in the upper part of the meadow, but just so lazy that he wouldn't start out to find them.

He never thought that the Butterflies and Beetles might not like it to have him keep calling to them and making them tell him the news. Oh, no indeed! If he wanted them to do anything for him, he asked them quickly enough, and they, being happy, good-natured people, would always do as he asked them to.

There came a day, though, when he asked too much. The Grasshoppers had been telling him about some very delicious new plants that grew a little distance away, and the Snail wanted some very badly. "Can't you bring me some?" he said. "There are so many of you, and you have such good, strong legs. I should think you might each bring me a small piece in your mouths, and then I should have a fine dinner of it."

The Grasshoppers didn't say anything then, but when they were so far away that he could not hear them, they said to each other, "If the Snail wants the food so much, he might better go for it. We have other things to do," and they hopped off on their own business.

The Snail sat there, and wondered and wondered that they did not come. He kept thinking how he would like some of the new food for dinner, but there it ended. He didn't want it enough to get it for himself.

The Grasshoppers told all their friends about the Snail's request, and everybody thought, "Such a lazy, good-for-nothing fellow deserves to be left quite alone." So it happened that for a very long time nobody went near the Snail.

The weather grew hotter and hotter. The clouds, which blew across the sky, kept their rain until they were well past the meadow, and so it happened that the river grew shallower and shallower, and the sunshine dried the tiny pools and rivulets which kept the lower meadow damp. The grass began to turn brown and dry, and, all in all, it was trying weather for Snails.

One day, a Butterfly called some of her friends together, and told them that she had seen the Snail lying in his old place, looking thin and hungry. "The grass is all dried around him," she said; "I believe he is starving, and too lazy to go nearer the river, where there is still good food for him."

They all talked it over together, and some of them said it was of no use to help a Snail who was too lazy to do anything for himself. Others said, "Well, he is too weak to help himself now, at all events, and we might help him this once." And that is exactly what they did. The Butterflies and the Mosquitoes flew ahead to find the best place to put the Snail, and all the Grasshoppers, and Beetles, and other strong crawling creatures took turns in rolling the Snail down toward the river.

They left him where the green things were fresh and tender, and he grew strong and plump once more. It is even said that he was not so lazy afterward, but one cannot tell whether to believe it or not, for everybody knows that when people let themselves grow up lazy, as he did, it is almost impossible for them to get over it when they want to. One thing is sure: the meadow people who helped him were happier and better for doing a kind thing, no matter what became of the Snail.

    Animal Nature Study by Various Animal Nature Study by Various    

Lesson 36: The Snail

Performer: LibriVox - Jennifer Dorr

Directions

Study the lesson for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read the story.
  • Review the animal synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Learn the concepts.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Study the review questions.

Synopsis

This lesson introduces snails, which are in a new group of animals called mollusks. In addition to snails, the mollusk group includes marine animals such as clams, scallops, oysters, octopuses, and squid. Snails hatch from soft-shelled eggs that are the size of peas. Baby snails hatch already possessing shells with single spirals. As the babies grow, they add layer after layer to the opening rims of their shells, adding on additional spirals. Snails are best known for carrying these houses with them wherever they go and for their slow pace of travel. Each snail travels using their single foot, which secretes an adhesive substance that helps them cling, even when upside-down. This substance leaves a shining trail of ooze behind the snail. Snails have two stalks on their heads, each bearing an eye. These eye stalks are retractable and can be extended around corners or over edges. In the event of danger, the snail can pull its eyes inward for protection. Below the eyes are two feelers which are also retractable. The snail breathes through an opening called a breathing pore. The snail opens and closes the breathing pore to suck air into the shell, where it bathes the snail's lung and is forced out again. Snails have a set of brown upper teeth for chewing and a round tongue. Most land snails are herbivores, eating vegetation such as leaves, vegetables, and fruits. A few species of snail are omnivores or carnivores. Snails live on average two to three years, but some larger species can live for up to ten years.

Vocabulary

Marine: Of, found in, or produced by the sea.
Retractable: Able to be drawn back or back in.
Feelers: An animal organ such as an antenna or palp that is used for testing things by touch or for searching for food.
Stalk: A slender support or stem of something.
Adhesive: Able to stick fast to a surface or object; sticky.
Secrete: Produce and discharge a substance.
Spiral: Something winding in a continuous and gradually widening (or tightening) curve.

Concepts

Did you know snails hibernate during cold winter months?

Facts about snails hibernation:

  1. Snails bury themselves beneath objects.
  2. Snails secrete multiple mucus doors to close their shell openings.
  3. Snails leave only a tiny opening in their door to allow air to enter.
  4. Upon prolonged attack, snails will also withdraw into their shells and secrete mucus doors across their shell openings.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Narrate the Story

  • After reading or listening to the story, narrate the story events aloud using your own words.

Activity 2: Watch the Video

  • Watch the slow but steady progress of a snail.
  • Identify its shell, foot, head, eye stalks, and feelers.

Activity 3: Classify the Animal

  • Snails are animals, invertebrates, and mollusks.
  • Trace which categories snails fit into on the classification chart.

Activity 4: Sketch Clockwise and Counterclockwise Spirals

  • Snails have shells that spiral both clockwise and counter-clockwise.
  • Sketch and label both types of spirals, as shown below.
  • Clockwise:
  • Counter-clockwise:

Activity 5: Recite a Poem

Little Diogenes bearing your tub, wither away so gay,

With your eyes on stalks, and a foot that walks, tell me this I pray!

Is it an honest snail you seek that makes you go so slow,

And over the edges of all things peek? Have you found him, I want to know,

Or do you go slow because you know, your house is near and tight?

And there is no hurry and surely no worry lest you stay out late at night.

Activity 6: Color and Label a Snail   

  • Click the crayon above. Complete page 74 of 'Science Field Book for Second Grade.'

Activity 7: Take a Nature Walk

Take a nature walk, locate a snail or other animal to observe, gather data and notes, and use that information to create a field book entry. You may wish to take a pencil and a small notebook to jot down sketches and observations. If you can't find a snail, you might make a sketch based on the video in Activity 2.

Before you take the nature walk, review:

  • The field book template you'll later complete on page 75 of 'Science Field Book for Second Grade.'
  • The suggested list of observations below.

Behavioral observations include:

  • How does the snail move?
  • How does the snail eat?
  • What does the snail eat?
  • How does the snail sense the world?

Habitat observations include:

  • Does the animal live in a forest, a field, a town, or near water?
  • In what type of climate does the animal live (e.g. temperate, tropical, arid, arctic)?
  • In what type of house does the animal live?

Appearance observations include:

  • What colors are the shell and body?
  • How many feet does it have?
  • How many feelers does it have?

Activity 8: Complete a Field Book Entry   

  • Click the crayon above. After your nature walk, complete page 75 of 'Science Field Book for Second Grade.'

Review

Question 1

How do snails use their shells?
1 / 10

Answer 1

Snails use their shells for protection in times of danger, dry spells, and cold winters.
1 / 10

Question 2

You see a snail with only one spiral. Is it a young snail or an old snail?
2 / 10

Answer 2

Snails are born with a single spiral and grow more as they age. It is a young snail.
2 / 10

Question 3

How do snails breathe?
3 / 10

Answer 3

Snails open and close their breathing pores to draw air into its shell. Snails bathe their lung in the air and then expel the air from the shell.
3 / 10

Question 4

What do snails like to eat?
4 / 10

Answer 4

Snails like to eat leaves, vegetables, and fruit.
4 / 10

Question 5

How many feet does each snail have?
5 / 10

Answer 5

Each snail has only a single foot.
5 / 10

Question 6

How do snails cling to surfaces?
6 / 10

Answer 6

Snails secrete a sticky substance from their feet to help them cling.
6 / 10

Question 7

Describe what snails leave behind as they move over a surface.
7 / 10

Answer 7

Snails leave a shiny, clear trail of mucus behind themselves.
7 / 10

Question 8

How do snails protect their eyes in times of danger?
8 / 10

Answer 8

Snails retract their eye stalks in time of danger.
8 / 10

Question 9

How do snails protect themselves from drying out in times of danger?
9 / 10

Answer 9

Snails secrete a mucus barrier over its opening to protect themselves in times of danger.
9 / 10

Question 10

How do snails prepare themselves for hibernation?
10 / 10

Answer 10

Snails bury themselves beneath objects and secrete multiple mucus doors to close their shell openings.
10 / 10

  1. How do snails use their shells? Snails use their shells for protection in times of danger, dry spells, and cold winters.
  2. You see a snail with only one spiral. Is it a young snail or an old snail? Snails are born with a single spiral and grow more as they age. It is a young snail.
  3. How do snails breathe? Snails open and close their breathing pores to draw air into its shell. Snails bathe their lung in the air and then expel the air from the shell.
  4. What do snails like to eat? Snails like to eat leaves, vegetables, and fruit.
  5. How many feet does each snail have? Each snail has only a single foot.
  6. How do snails cling to surfaces? Snails secrete a sticky substance from their feet to help them cling.
  7. Describe what snails leave behind as they move over a surface. Snails leave a shiny, clear trail of mucus behind themselves.
  8. How do snails protect their eyes in times of danger? Snails retract their eye stalks in time of danger.
  9. How do snails protect themselves from drying out in times of danger? Snails secrete a mucus barrier over its opening to protect themselves in times of danger.
  10. How do snails prepare themselves for hibernation? Snails bury themselves beneath objects and secrete multiple mucus doors to close their shell openings.

References

  1. Comstock, Anna Botsford. Handbook of nature-study (Twenty-fourth edition). Ithaca, New York Comstock Publishing Company, Inc, 1911.
  2. 'List of edible molluscs.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

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