Theme Animals- Lesson 4

 Level Grade 4

Essential Question How do animals adapt to their environment?

Objectives

Students will investigate how animals adapt to their environment.

Learning Standards

Standard 5.7
All Students Will Investigate The Diversity Of Life

Standard 3.5

All students will view, understand, and use nontextual visual information.

 Time 3 one-hour sessions

Procedure

  1. Start the lesson by writing arctic and desert on the board. Have students review different features of each habitat and list them on the board. Ask students to name animals that live in that area. Analyze and discuss why an animal from the desert could not live in the arctic, and begin lead in to lesson on animal survival and adaptations.

Students will work in groups to investigate adaptations with the experiment, How Feathers and Fur Protect Animals from the Cold, by Janice VanCleave. Students write observations and responses in science journal. See experiment

  1. Students will work in pairs to research and discover the different types of adaptations. They will use the following sites to guide them in their discovery. A graphic organizer may be needed, depending on your students’ experiences with research.

http://www.students.dsu.edu/birkela/Science/animal_adaptations.htm

http://www.richmond.edu/academics/a&s/education/projects/webunits/adaptations/home.htm

 

When the research is done, brainstorm animals that have those types of adaptations. This can be developed into a game.

  1. Watch video "Habitats", from Sunburst Communications, Inc. 1999. Discussion and completion of "Analyze the Adaptation" worksheet. See worksheet
  2. As an assessment, have students’ complete worksheet 17, "Adaptations", from The Education Center Inc. 1998.

Materials

Experiment from Play and Find Out About Nature by Janice VanCleave, Computers with Internet, Habitats video and worksheet from Sunburst, assessment from Education Center