Animal Adaptation Exploration

Last week, we learned all about what animal adaptations are and how animals survive. With the knowledge you have now about what those different adaptation terms mean, this week you and your group will become an explorer and expert about a specific animal and how they adapt to their environment! During the course this week, you and your group will become animal explorers! You will become experts about a specific animal depending on which one I assign to your group. Good luck, and happy exploring!

You and your group are going to explore and research an animal by using multiple websites, movies, images, articles, games, that I will provide. Each group will have a role to complete your Animal Exploration Guide. After that is completed each group will plan and create either a Prezi, Slideshow, poster, interview, or skit to share to the class what you learned about how your animal adapts to it’s environment. Each explorer in the group will have the guide sheet but will only have to fill out their role and then at the end you will work together to create your final product. 

 

Roles:

Explorer 1: This explorer will research what their animal eats and where or how it finds its food.

Explorer 2: What area of the world can you find your animal? Which habitat (forest, tundra, jungle, arctic, Desert, etc.) do they live in?

Explorer 3: What traits does the animal have that helps it adapt and survive in its environment (climate, predators, finding food)?

Find as much information, even if they are fun facts you want to share with the class! Think outside the box- What if this animal didn’t have this trait what would happen? How could this animal become instinct?

 

The animal you are researching will be decided through picking a slip of paper out of a hat!

Step 1: Review

As a whole class we will watch a video to help refresh the meanings of the terms we learned last week. Everyone has their notes and activities from last week to help you throughout your exploration, but I want to be able to answer any confusion or unanswered questions by watching this video as a whole class. I put this link on here so that you can go back and watch it whenever you want.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY4NNxka_to

 

Now that we all have an understanding of the adaptation terms, lets become explorers!

 

Step 2: Groups and Roles

I will assign groups of three and each group will pull a slip out paper out of a hat which will be the animal you will become an explorer on. The choices of animals are: Chameleon, brown bear, polar bear, crab, and camel. You will then decide within your groups which explorer you would like to be.

 

You will each receive a copy of the explorer guide sheet depending on which one you are (1, 2, or 3). I will also link the documents on here just in case you lose it.

 

Step 3: Research

 

Each student will be responsible to fill out their explorer sheet. Once those are completed you will work together with the information you found to create your project.

 

Next I have provided links to videos, images, articles, activities, and games for each of your animals which you will use to complete your guide sheet.

 

Chameleon Group:

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/chameleon.html

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZuxerppygM

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrmZeXf7ScU

 

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/chameleon/#chameleon-sleepy.jpg

 

http://www.coolkidfacts.com/chameleon-facts-for-kids/

 

Brown Bear:

http://phanimaladaptations.weebly.com/brown-bears.html

 

http://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-brown-bears/

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkbXLdeZ9W8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-3snCVlrJ8

 

Polar Bear:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHC1GENAfro

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--xEE7K67Xo

 

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/polar-bear/#polar-bear-cub-on-mom.jpg

 

http://www.kidzone.ws/sg/polarbear/polar_bear.htm

 

Crab:

 

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/crab.html

 

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/blue-crab/

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7THNZkfGqmU

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-Ab0e7BtYk

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB74swq2LlI

 

Camel:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX8VQIJVpTg

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZzCLEDR7Mo

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WViUUMClAUQ

 

http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/adaptations/camels.htm

 

http://www.abc.net.au/creaturefeatures/facts/camels.htm

 

Games:

http://interactivesites.weebly.com/animal-adaptations.html

 

http://schoolmediainteractive.com/view/object/interactive/F8583B4F33BC26EEBD7FE41BB739DA04/77348666B1485FD3312DA771A13F6101

 

http://www.wartgames.com/themes/animals/adaptations.html

 

https://sqworl.com/cllzlh

 

More exploring for all animals:

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/

 

http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Category.aspx?CategoryID=2855

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrqCRgN_7Ho

 

Step 4: Group sharing/ planning

After your research is completed you will come together as a group and share your findings with each other. This is also where you will begin planning your presentations! All explorers and scientists share their research with the community which is exactly what you will be doing with the class! You can be as creative as you want with this either through a PowerPoint, Prezi, or Poster. It’s completely up to your group. You can also make it from the animal’s perspective, or just you as the explorer. Once your group has an idea about your presentations, you will come to me so I can approve it and make sure you are on the right track! As long as you have the components of the rubric completed, you can be as creative as you want. It’s up to your group!

I recommend your research be finished by half the class on Wednesday. You can then work on your projects the rest of Wednesday and all of Thursday. We will present on Friday!

 

Step 5: Presentation Day! You will share all your research and hard work with the class so we can all learn about different animals and how they adapt to their environment. I am very excited for all of your Presentations!

*If at least two people in your group dress up like scientists, I will give your group 3 extra credit points!*

 

*Good Luck and Have Fun!*

 

 

 

 

 

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Qualified 3	Exemplary 4
Completion of Exploration Research Guide	Shows little or no work on the Exploration Research	Shows some work but not all sections are filled in and are not detailed.	All sections are completed but are not detailed enough.	All sections are completed and fully detailed.
Group Participation	The student did not work on his or her group assignment and did not participate in the group project	The student either did work on his or her group project or worked on his or her group assignment- but not both	The student worked on the group project and their group assignment.	The student worked on the group project and their group assignment and was respectful and helpful to others in the group
Group Project	The group project did not contain what the animal eats, looks like, where it lives and what its adaptations are, the presentation was not clear and lacked creativity.	The group project contained some of what the animal eats, looks like, where it lives and what its adaptations are, the presentation was somewhat clear and somewhat creative.	The group project contained what the animal eats, looks like, where it lives and what its adaptations are, was sufficiently clear and creative.	The group project contained what the animal eats, looks like, where it lives and what its adaptations are, was very clear and very creative.
Score