Lesson+Plan

=__**Animal Adaptations **__=




 * Subject**: Science
 * Grade Level** : 3rd
 * Duration** : Five (5) 50 Minute Class Periods


 * Overview**: At this time, most students are still forming a basic understanding of the diverse animals in our world. They are beginning to realize that animals (other than those in our households) must learn on their own how to survive in their environments. This in-depth lesson plan is designed to introduce and enhance students' knowledge of animal adaptations in the 3rd grade. Through the use of technology, it incorporates several different activities and assignments in order for 3rd graders to thoroughly understand key concepts that explain how such animals are able to eat, sleep, and protect themselves. Consequently, the procedures enable the students to discuss, compare, and analyze various adaptations.

Similarly, the students will be able to do the following:
 * Objectives**: Third grade science students (//audience//) will be able to recognize and recall at least 75-80% (//degree//) of animal adaptations (//behavior//) when asked to identify such vocabulary at the conclusion of the lesson (//condition//).
 * Explain that animals are //adapted// to the conditions of the environments or habitats in which they live
 * Define a wide variety of vocabulary terms that directly relate to the animal adaptations learned
 * Give examples of adaptations that help animals survive in their environment
 * Develop and ask questions about animals based on their structural and behavioral traits in order to accurately predict how they will live, eat, behave, protect themselves, and ultimately survive in the wild
 * Create an animal that will survive in a certain environment based on their knowledge of adaptations
 * Show that they are capable of navigating through the internet in order to gather needed information
 * Compare and contrast different adaptations during activities and final assessment

**Materials Needed**: - Computers with internet access are mandatory for using this lesson plan. This is a complete technology-integrated lesson plan and cannot be used unless the students are provided with computers and an internet source. - Printers are optional. Some students may find it necessary to print out certain assignments in order to write down their answers before submitting them over the internet. Also, if teachers plan on using the word search activity, students would need to print out the Word documents in order to complete them. - Microsoft Word Software needs to be on the computers so that students can open up the assignments and the test form. - Encyclopedias are optional. They may be used to research animal adaptations more in-depth. - The Britannica Online Dictionary for Kids is needed in order to complete the vocabulary assignment (Day One). - The English dictionary for ESL students only applies to those who have ESL students in their class.
 * Computers with internet access
 * Printer
 * Microsoft Word Software
 * Encyclopedia (Britannica Online Encyclopedia)
 * Dictionary (Britannica Online Dictionary for Kids)
 * English dictionary for ESL students (if applicable)

**Activities and Procedures**: (//Day One - Introduction)// Begin by introducing the topic to the students (e.g. Did you ever wonder why giraffes have such long necks and elephants have such big ears?). Start off by explaining how natural selection and adaptation came about. Present a short video on Charles Darwin, the scientist and founder of the concepts. Have the students upload and fill out the Animal Adaptations Vocabulary Form (Word document). Then, provide them with a vocabulary word search and the answer key to get them thinking about the vocabulary terms. (//Day Two)// This is when you want to provide the majority of the notes to the students. Teach the two forms of adaptation animals can have: structural and behavioral. Give lots of examples for both types of adaptations in simple, bullet-list form. Include lots of pictures. Have the students come up with five different (ones that have not been mentioned yet) examples for both types of adaptations (ten examples total). Tell the students to include the type of animal, what the adaptation(s) are for that animal, and why those characteristics are considered adaptations. Include all three steps in each of the examples. (//Day Three)// Start the third day off with some videos to freshen the students' memory on the two different kinds of adaptations. There is a video from Animal Planet showing its top 10 animal adaptations. The other video is on camouflage and how different animals use this adaptation to blend in with their environments (both of these videos can be found on the 'Teacher Resources' page of this Wiki). Ask the students if they noticed any new adaptations that had not been covered yet. Any familiar ones? Design a graphic organizer (resource for making this can be found on the resources page as well) to enhance the students' understanding of the concepts. Have the students participate in a scavenger hunt to integrate technology into the lesson plan as well as furthering their understanding of the material. (//Day Four)// Have the students participate in a 50 minute long (the duration of the class period) assignment where they will need to show their originality and creativity. Have them choose one of the four provided environments to create an imaginary animal. The purpose of this activity is for students to reflect on the adaptations they have learned thus far to come up with an animal that uses a combination of adaptations (both physical and behavioral) in order to survive and reproduce in the given environment. Have the students complete this assignment by providing a paragraph or two that briefly describes their animals. Tell them to include their physical features, how they will eat/drink, keep cool/warm, protect themselves from predators, where they will sleep, and how they will care for their young. //(Day 5 - Testing)// The last day of the week is when you want to test your students on what they have learned about animal adaptations throughout the week. I provided my students with a short video to review the concepts before taking the test, but this is optional.

**Assessment**: Students will be assessed in several ways throughout the duration of the lesson plan. At the end of the week, they will be given a test that covers all of the topics (20 multiple choice questions). Besides the test, students may earn the following grades:
 * A (90-100%) - Students go above and beyond what is asked of them. It is obvious that they read all of the notes carefully before starting the assignments. They provide thorough definitions, follow instructions, and are creative and original with their work.
 * B (80-89%) - Students follow the directions. However, they may have skimmed over the notes before starting the assignments because they left out a few details. Definitions could have been more in-depth. They could have been more creative with their assignments.
 * C (70-79%) - Students did not seem to follow directions. They also did not seem to read any of the notes or watch the videos. They provided basic definitions and were not creative or original with their work. Their work contained grammar errors and was presented in a sloppy manner.
 * D (60-69%) - Students did not follow directions at all. Their work included several grammatical errors and careless mistakes. They failed to submit some of their assignments.
 * F (59% and below) - Students did not participate in this lesson.


 * * ** //Modification//: Some modifications will need to be made for those classrooms that include ESL students. Some changes may include shorter assignments, longer periods of time to work on the assignments/tests, and additional supplementary materials.


 * Evaluation/Revision - It is vital to make sure that this lesson plan meets the teachers' objectives and that the technology used within the lesson proves to be worthwhile. Revision may need to take place if an adequate amount of time is not provided for the students to complete the assignments. As the conclusion of the lesson plan, it is a good idea to ask the students to reflect on their learning experiences. Ask them what they enjoyed the most about the lesson, what they liked least about the lesson, etc. Depending on their responses, revision may or may not need to take place to increase the overall effectiveness of this lesson plan on animal adaptations.

**Standards** :

//Sunshine State Standards//:

1. SC.3.L.15.1 " Classify animals into major groups (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, arthropods, vertebrates, and invertebrates, those having live births and those which lay eggs) according to their physical characteristics and behaviors." 2. SC.3.L.17.1 " Describe how animals and plants respond to changing seasons."

//National Educational Technology Standards//:

3. Research and Information Fluency Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students: a. plan strategies to guide inquiry. b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks. d. process data and report results.