Stage 3

1. Students will complete a graffiti for animal behavior. In the four corners of the
room will be posters with the titles in the middle. The titles are food-gathering
methods, methods of rearing young, shelter, and how animal defend themselves.
Students will be in groups and as a group they will have one minute to come up
with as many examples as they can think of. Each group will visit each poster, but
examples may not be repeated. H
2. Tell students that we are starting our adaptations unit, but before we dive into
adaptations we have to go over a few concepts. Part of the unit is animal
behaviors, which are methods of food gathering, methods of rearing young,
shelter, and how animals defend themselves. These behaviors can be identified as
a learned or instinct behavior. It is important that we understand the difference
between these behaviors in order to move forward to learning about adaptations.
W
3. Show students the BrainPOP video about behavior (learned and instinct). Students
will complete a short worksheet with the video. E
4. Go over the students graffiti they created and discuss they examples they created.
Ask students if they examples are learned or instinct behaviors. E
5. As a class we will complete a Venn diagram distinguishing learned and instinct
behaviors along with specific examples. The examples will be methods for food
gathering, methods for rearing young, shelter, and how animals defend
themselves. E
6. For homework students will respond to the question What are examples of learned
and instinctive behaviors that humans have? R
7. Students will have a mini quiz about animal behavior. E
8. Show students Adaptation song video about the camel. Ask students if they know
any other adaptations not mentioned in the video. H
9. Introduce the main concept of the unit adaptations to the students. Tell the
students we are going to be learning about adaptations, including physical
adaptations, behavioral adaptations, camouflage, mimicry, migration, hibernation,
learned behaviors, extinct behaviors. Then go over the three performance tasks
students will have to complete within the unit. Discuss with students the essential
questions of the unit and why they are important. W
10. As a class create a KWL chart about adaptations. W
11. Introduce behavioral and physical adaptations and discuss what each is and how
the adaptations are different. E
12. Using the adaptation index on the Exploring Nature website students will research
the physical and behavioral adaptations of their choice (the website will by on the
class Portaportal). This activity will be done in the computer lab. Students will
then create a small brochure or pamphlet about their animal and its adaptations
based off of the information that they learned. Students can create their brochure
and pamphlet on the computer. E, T
13. Students will share their brochure or pamphlet in small groups. While in the small
groups students should be discussing the question what would happen if these

animals did not have their specific adaptations? Students should also be talking
about what adaptations are behavioral and what adaptations are physical. As a
class will discuss this question and get each groups input. I will collect all of the
students brochures/pamphlet and place them in our class library so students can
go back and read their classmates work throughout the unit. E
14. For an exit activity students will do fist to five about how they feel about
behavioral and physical adaptations. R
15. Show students a series of 10 pictures that illustrate examples of animals having
the adaptation camouflage. Ask the students for each picture to look very
carefully for the animal because it is hidden in their surroundings. H
16. Ask students if it was difficult to find or see the animals? Tell the students that
this demonstrated a specific type physical adaptation. In our unit we will be
learning about two specific types of physical adaptations camouflage and
mimicry. There are also behavioral adaptations that animals can have, such as,
migration, hibernation, and dormancy. W
17. Next students will complete a Jigsaw activity. Students will be divided into five
groups each student in the group will be given on kind of adaptation (camouflage,
mimicry, hibernation, dormancy, or migration). Each group will research the
adaptation they have been given using the classroom adaptation books from the
library and the websites from our class Portaportal. Groups must write a definition
for each adaptation and come up with five examples of each. Students will then
share what they learned to the rest of the group. Students will be given a graphic
organizer for this activity. E, T
18. Students will write two new vocabulary words and draw a picture. R
19. A continuation of camouflage and mimicry students will complete a lab activity.
For camouflage students will take newspaper and glue another section of
newspaper on top of the original piece of newspaper. Students will then switch
with their partner to see if their partner can find where they glued the piece of
newspaper down. The mimicry part of the lab will be students will be given
cheez-it crackers some of the crackers have be sprinkled in lemonade powder and
lemon juice. Other crackers are just normal cheez-it crackers. Students do not
know which cracker they are tasting until they actually eat the crackers. Students
will complete a series of questions after the lab with a partner. E
20. Coming back together as a class we will discuss the questions from the lab and
also add to our original KWL chart. E
21. Before leaving class students must write a response to the question would you
want yourself as a partner? E-2
22. Students will do a word sort game for physical and behavioral adaptations where
they have to sort examples into the two categories. E
23. Students will complete a menu activity. They must do the main course and make a
adaptations foldable. Students must also complete two side dish activities, which
involve a WebQuest, video, creating a song, making a skit, writing a story, or
creating a graphic organizer. Students also have the option of dessert activities. E,
T
24. Homework students should review their foldable and other activities for their type
of adaptations quiz. E

25. Quiz on types of adaptations (camouflage, mimicry, migration, hibernation, and

dormancy). E
26. Based on quiz results go over information that was unclear for students. R
27. Performance Task 1: Students will take over the role of a zoologist who has to
report about a new species that they recently discovered. Students will create their
own animal, which must have at least one behavioral or physical adaptation.
Students must be able to explain how the animals adaptation(s) help the animal
survive in the rainforest. Students will crate a video presentation about he new
species and write a well-written script. (Students already have the technology
skills to create video) E, T
28. Students will reflect on their video and create gems and opportunities on for their
final product. E2
29. Students will answer they question how did todays lesson connect to previous
lessons? R
30. Add information and understandings onto the class KWL chart for adaptations. E
31. Introduce habitats to students. Explain to students that for the next two PBEs
students need to know what a habitat is and the different types of habitats. W
32. Create a new KWL chart for habitats as a class. W
33. Students will complete a WebQuest on the different types of habitats, which is
found on the class Portaportal. Students will be working in the computer lab for
this activity and have a worksheet that goes along with the WebQuest. Students
can work with a partner for this activity. E, T
34. Add to the class KWL chart for habitats. E
35. For an exit activity students will do fist to five about how they feel about habitats.
R
36. Performance task 2: Students are taking on the role of a zookeeper. As a
zookeeper each student must create an ideal habitat for an animal that either has a
behavioral or physical adaptation. Students must answer the question how is the
animals adaptation made for its specific habitat. Students will create a poster with
pictures and vivid descriptions of the zoo habitat and present their work to the
National Zoo Board in order to convince the board to use this specific habitat for
the animal. E, T
37. Each student will share his or her poster with a partner. After seeing their partners
poster the students must tell their partner what learned from their poster. R
38. For an exit ticket students will respond to the question what would I do differently
next time if I were to complete this project again. E2
39. Teach students about how write a good magazine article. Provide examples. E
40. Performance task 2: Students will take on the role of magazine writer. Students
will create a magazine spread for a specific habitat. In the article students will
write about how animals interact with one another in each habitat. Students must
discuss how one animals adaptations affect other animals. E, T
41. Students will respond to the question what did I do to hinder my learning? What
did I do to help my learning? E2
42. Students will make a word splash for habitats and adaptations. R
43.
Students will reflect on the essential questions from the unit and do a think
pair share. R