Ages: 7-12
General Theme: Animal Adaptations
Time: 5 class periods, 45-60 minutes each
Materials
Objectives: To demonstrate how physical and behavioral adaptations allow animals to survive specific conditions, and to understand basic animal survival strategies.
Class Period 1: Behavioral Survival Strategies
1. Refer to the Symbols pages in the Mammals Field Guide, Vol. 1 and introduce the behavioral survival strategies.
Nocturnal/Diurnal/Crepuscular: Animals are active during specific times to best meet their survival needs.
Herbivore/Omnivore/Carnivore: Animals' feeding behaviors determine much of their behavior.
Predator/Prey/Scavenger: Animals' roles in the food chain determine whether they hunt, or protect themselves.
Hibernate/Migrate/Adapt: Winter survival strategies are essential during times when food is in short supply.
2. After previewing the symbols, allow students to complete the Behavioral Survival Strategies worksheet.
3. Discuss student findings, either in small groups or as an entire class.
Class Period 2: Physical Adaptations
Class Period 3: Plan Your Own Creature
Ask students to start thinking about a creature they want to invent. To accurately design an animal, they must first plan out its behaviors, then need to add physical adaptations that allow those behaviors to succeed.
Each student should complete the Plan Your Own Creature worksheet.
Class Period 4: Build Your Own Creature
Each student should build their own creature using any variety of resources available to the class. The most simple could be using clay or ...., or could be as elaborate as a paper machet character which will take several days to construct. Additional materials might include paints, googly eyes, and a huge variety of detail materials for added fun.
Class Period 5: Present Your Character
Each student should present their character by describing the following:
Character's Name
Nocturnal/diurnal/crepuscular
Herbivore/omnivore/carnivore
Predator/prey/scavenger
Migrate/hibernate/adapt to winter
Describe at least two physical adaptations that allow the behaviors to succeed.
General Theme: Animal Adaptations
Time: 5 class periods, 45-60 minutes each
Materials
Objectives: To demonstrate how physical and behavioral adaptations allow animals to survive specific conditions, and to understand basic animal survival strategies.
Class Period 1: Behavioral Survival Strategies
1. Refer to the Symbols pages in the Mammals Field Guide, Vol. 1 and introduce the behavioral survival strategies.
Nocturnal/Diurnal/Crepuscular: Animals are active during specific times to best meet their survival needs.
Herbivore/Omnivore/Carnivore: Animals' feeding behaviors determine much of their behavior.
Predator/Prey/Scavenger: Animals' roles in the food chain determine whether they hunt, or protect themselves.
Hibernate/Migrate/Adapt: Winter survival strategies are essential during times when food is in short supply.
2. After previewing the symbols, allow students to complete the Behavioral Survival Strategies worksheet.
3. Discuss student findings, either in small groups or as an entire class.
Class Period 2: Physical Adaptations
- Present the definition: Physical Adaptation: Any body part that allows an animal to survive a specific condition.
- Watch the Adaptation Slide Show or any other introduction to physical adaptations.
- Have students use the Mammals Field Guide, Vol. 1 to answer the Physical Adaptation Scavenger Hunt worksheet.
- Discuss student findings in small groups or as a class.
- Ask students to identify other physical adaptations (giraffe's long neck for reaching food, polar bear's white coat,...)
Class Period 3: Plan Your Own Creature
Ask students to start thinking about a creature they want to invent. To accurately design an animal, they must first plan out its behaviors, then need to add physical adaptations that allow those behaviors to succeed.
Each student should complete the Plan Your Own Creature worksheet.
Class Period 4: Build Your Own Creature
Each student should build their own creature using any variety of resources available to the class. The most simple could be using clay or ...., or could be as elaborate as a paper machet character which will take several days to construct. Additional materials might include paints, googly eyes, and a huge variety of detail materials for added fun.
Class Period 5: Present Your Character
Each student should present their character by describing the following:
Character's Name
Nocturnal/diurnal/crepuscular
Herbivore/omnivore/carnivore
Predator/prey/scavenger
Migrate/hibernate/adapt to winter
Describe at least two physical adaptations that allow the behaviors to succeed.