Hippos in the Wild: A Unit Study for Young Learners

The hippopotamus, or hippo, well-known for their extremely large stature, can often be found grazing the grasslands in Africa on cool nights. Hippos primarily live in lakes, rivers and swamps in groups called pods, where they spend most of their days cooling off in the mud or submerged in freshwater. While they are renowned for their massive size, hippos can surprisingly run very quickly on land, which aids in staying safe in their habitats.

In our five-day comprehensive unit plan on Africa’s river giants, students will discover more about what makes hippos mammals, their physical characteristics, herbivorous diets, where they live, and obstacles they may face in their habitats. The standards aligned unit study combines reading, writing, and science into a cross-curricular adventure through engaging daily lesson plans and activities. Included are five-days of lesson plans for teachers, vocabulary activities, comprehension questions, graphic organizers, writing prompts and more!