Schenectady City
  School District

108 Education Drive
Schenectady, NY  12303
518.370.8100

 

   Cincinnati Zoo
Animal Adaptations
Grades 3 - 8
 

Students learn about physical and behavioral characteristics that help animals survive in their habitats.

Students will be able to identify adaptations of certain animals, given clues for observation.  They will also consider an animal's needs for the environment in which it lives and invent workable adaptations for survival.  Students will need to have a working understanding of what the vocabulary word adaptation means.

 

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Provider Contact
 Ken Freeman
513-475-6130

This integration plan was used by a Grade 6 English/Science Teacher & an English Teacher from Schalmont Middle School.

English Language Arts -
Standard 3
Students will read, write, listen and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.

Mathematics, Science & Technology
Standard 4
Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
Time Required:

Planning - 3 - 5 Hours

Pre Lessons and Activities - 1 Hour

Implementation - 2 Hours

Post Lessons and Activities - 2 Weeks of 45-Minute Class Periods (1 per day)

Assessment - 3 Hours

Logistical Planning:

The class will visit a website created by the National Park Service titled "Our Wild Neighbors" http://www.NPS.org  as well as links on animal adaptations.  Together the students will answer questions as asked on the interactive website and make collective decision as a group.  The students will then be asked to conduct a group discussion and produce a chart based on the answers they generated in their group based on the five animals that were introduced on the website.  The project includes written activities as well as oral discussions, therefore, students of all ability levels have the potential to succeed with this lesson.

Techniques and Tools
The techniques will include a completed project by each student that nvolves the creation of a fictional animal and the identification of the necessary adaptation for survival in it's environment.  The tools to document student progress include a rubric checklist.  This will be to assess the students' understanding of adaptations.