Title – Animal Adaptation

By – Kristie Rubino

Primary Subject – Science

Secondary Subjects -

Grade Level – grade 3

Problem-based lesson

NYS Standard: Students will demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary for understanding and applying scientific concepts and principles, and also acquire the ability to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary for interdisciplinary problem solving.

Objectives:

Cognitive:

Students will pretend that they are ‘Mowgli’ from the story “The Jungle Book” and they have to adapt to different groups of animals in order to survive in the jungle.

Affective/Social:

Students will need to work with their group to investigate and research the animal group assigned to them and generate a probable solution to the given problem.

Psychomotor:

Using classroom resources and materials, give students the opportunity to create a ‘livable’ environment or habitat for their assigned animal.

Content:

Definitions of vocabulary words and definitions (provided by teacher)


First initial encyclopedia resource (provided by teacher)


Assigned animal per group: lions, elephants, monkeys, and pythons


Information resource list for each animal, generated by students, (planning sheet provided)

Vocabulary: (Definitions listed separately)

Elephant, habitat, climate, adaptation, monkey, environment, weather, lion, python, characteristic, behavior

Task Analysis:

Listen critically to interpret and evaluate information


Listen responsively to stories and other texts read aloud


Ask and answer relevant questions and make contributions in small

and large group discussions


Use vocabulary words to describe clearly ideas, feelings, and experiences


Clarify and support spoken messages using appropriate props such as objects, pictures, or charts


Retell a spoken message by summarizing or clarifying

Instructional Aides and Resources:

Overhead projector


Pre-made Information and research worksheet (Note from LessonPlansPage.com: This lesson uses a worksheet that is not included. You may be able to create your own version of the worksheet, do without the worksheet, or contact the author at the e-mail address at the bottom of this lesson plan to request a copy.)


First encyclopedia resource


Vocabulary list and definitions

Student modifications:

Students will be working in small groups so the workload will be divided up. (Teacher can and will assist in role choosing)

Set/Focusing event:

Has anyone ever seen the way a monkey swings and climbs high in the trees? What characteristics does a monkey have that make them able to do this? Can you do this? Why not?

Has anyone ever seen the way an elephant swings its trunk? What do you think an elephant uses its trunk for? What do we have instead of a trunk that the elephant does not but serves the same purpose?

Has anyone ever seen a python, or any snake? What does the python do to its food before it eats it? Is there anything we squeeze in order to eat it? (Example, fresh squeezed orange juice)

Has anyone ever seen a lion? What type of animal is similar to a lion? We keep them as pets? What is the difference between a lion and a cat? What does a lion have that a cat does not?

Bridge:

We talked about the different kinds of animals and they adapt to their environments but how do we adapt to ours? Has anyone ever lived in a warm place and then moved to a cold place or lived in a cold place and moved to a warm place? What did you have to do differently? Well what if you were told that you were going to go and live in the jungle, but you weren’t going to live in a house? You were going to live with a group of lions? How would you solve this problem?

Implementation:

Direct students to the research chart (created by the teacher) example:

Animal Adaptation

Knowledge: What we already know. What do we need to know more about to help us with our problem? How can we find the information that we need? Lets review what we have learned.

Introduce the problem that you want the students to solve.

PROBLEM:

If you were forced to live in the jungle like Mowgli from the story “The Jungle Book” you would need to make some changes. You will have to research animal behavior and describe what you would need to do in order to adapt to the group to survive in the jungle. You will need to know what foods you will eat, how you will protect yourself, and where you will live. In order to do this, you will need to research one of the following animals within a small group.

a.Lions

b.Monkeys

c.Pythons

d.Elephants

I will be assigning you a ‘research group’ and within this group you will research all aspects of the animal from where it lives (on a world map) to what it eats, and how you would live there if you had to. (Separate individual adaptation research worksheet prepared by the teacher)

Practice:

Group work

Charts

Questions:

1.What do we already know about animal adaptation and their environments?

2.What more do we need to know in order to begin to solve the problem discussed in the implementation?

3.What are the aspects of the animal’s environment that are different from our own?

4.What are some examples you have experienced in change of environment? (Example, did you move from a warmer place to a colder place? What did you have to do differently?)

Formative check:

Students can reflect on their research when asked to share a new fact they learned with the large group of students

Students are asking questions and reflecting on information stated in class

Closure:

1.(Group discussion) How did they like it? What didn’t they like about it?

2.(Group discussion) What did they learn?

3.Invite each student to talk about the completion of their individual adaptation research worksheet and share their drawing with the class

4.Have a class party and make some fun foods representing those they would have eaten if they were to adapt to another environment

Extending Activity:

Have a science fair so that the students can out in their dioramas along with their illustrated reports. Invite parents to come in.

Evaluation:

The students will each fill out a teacher made progress report about how they feel they did while working in a small group and how they fell their peers contributed.

Reflective Practice:

Was the problem selected developmentally appropriate and relevant for the students? Was the balance of the teacher student direction appropriate? What do I need to remember as they work on this project? What would I change for next time?

E-Mail

Kristie Rubino

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