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Animal Adaptations Lesson Plan

This lesson plan outlines an 80-minute lesson for 3rd grade students about animal adaptations. Students will learn about structural, behavioral, and life cycle adaptations through centers that involve sorting pictures, a simulated "bird beak" activity, reading a book, and creating their own imaginary animal. The lesson incorporates direct instruction, cooperative learning, and inquiry-based learning. Formative assessment includes a closure activity where students self-assess their understanding and the teacher provides small group support. Accommodations support diverse learners through multi-modal instruction and materials.

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913 views5 pages

Animal Adaptations Lesson Plan

This lesson plan outlines an 80-minute lesson for 3rd grade students about animal adaptations. Students will learn about structural, behavioral, and life cycle adaptations through centers that involve sorting pictures, a simulated "bird beak" activity, reading a book, and creating their own imaginary animal. The lesson incorporates direct instruction, cooperative learning, and inquiry-based learning. Formative assessment includes a closure activity where students self-assess their understanding and the teacher provides small group support. Accommodations support diverse learners through multi-modal instruction and materials.

Uploaded by

api-450175685
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

UNLV/Department of Teaching & Learning

Elementary Lesson Plan

UNLV Student: Brenda Contreras (PSMT) Name: Amanda Mack


Lesson Plan Title: Adaptations Lesson Plan Topic: Animal Adaptations
Date: 03-02-23 Estimated Time: 80 minutes
Grade Level: 3rd Grade School Site: Doral Academy Saddle

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

1. State Standard(s):
● 4-LS1-1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes-Construct an
argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to
support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
● 4-LS1-2 From Molecules to Organisms: Structure and Processes-Use a model to
describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process
the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways.

2. Teaching Model(s):
● Direct Instruction
● Cooperative Learning
● Inquiry-Based Learning

3. Objective(s): ( 1 minute)
● Students will be able to identify and describe various animal adaptations (structural and
behavioral) used for survival in the environment with 100% accuracy.
● Students will be able to create their own animal and write about adaptations that help it
survive in its environment.

Lemov Strategies:
● Technique #19- Double Plan: As you plan your lesson, plan what your students will be
doing at each point in class.
● Technique #25- At Bats: Because succeeding once or twice at a skill won’t bring
mastery, give your students lots of practice mastering knowledge and skills.

4. Materials and Technology Resources


● Colored Pencils
● Markers
● Pencil
● Paper
● Animal Adaptations for Kids, Learn about physical, life cycle, and behavioral adap…
● Animal Adaptations Content Pages
● Animal Pictures for Sorting Activities
● Beans/rice/gummy worms
● Different Bird “Beaks” (tweezers, scissors, spoon, clothespin)
● Animal Adaptations Posters
● White Board
● Projector
● Computers
● Poster Board
● Animal Adaptations (center recording book)
● What Do You Do With A Tail like This? | Read Aloud for Kids | Grade K Journeys …
● Animal Adaptations Bingo

5. Instructional Procedures:
a. Motivation/Engagement: (2 minutes)
● Ask students to close their eyes and imagine they were in the North Pole. It's
super cold, below 30 degrees fahrenheit. What would you do to survive?
● Students will have a discussion with their partner.
● Ask students if they know what adaptations means.
(Adaptations- a change or the process of change by which an organism or species
becomes better suited to its environment)
● Teacher will tell students: Today we will be learning about animal adaptations, so
basically ways in which animals survive in their environment.

b. Developmental Activities or Learning Experiences: (10 minutes)


I. Review:
● Teacher will play the video
Animal Adaptations for Kids, Learn about physical, life cycle, and b…
● Teacher will go over key vocabulary:
-Adaptation: a special feature or action that helps animals live and
survive in certain places or habitats.
-Structural Adaptation: (physical adaptation) A physical part of an
animal that helps it survive.
(example: body structure, hair, shape, claws, feet, color (camouflage) and
other body parts.)
-Behavioral Adaptation: Something an animal does to help it survive.
(example: hibernation, movement, interactions, sounds)
-Life Cycle Adaptation: A process an animal goes through to help it
survive. How an organism grows and develops.
(example: frogs, they start as eggs, then tadpoles and finally it becomes a
frog. The Butterfly, egg, caterpillar, pupa, and butterfly.)
-Migration: when an animal travels to a different place to survive, usually
during the winter.
-Hibernation: when an animal sleeps to survive during the winter season.

● Teacher will ask students the following questions…

- What does adaptation mean?


-How do adaptations help animals?
-What are the three types of animal adaptations?
-What is a structural adaptation? Give me an example.
-What is structural adaptation? Give me an example.
-What is a life cycle adaptation? Give me an example.
-What is something you do that helps you adapt?
-What do you call a period of deep sleep that occurs in some animals when
temperatures are cold?

● Teacher will show students Animal Adaptations Content Pages/pictures


and go over the different types of adaptations mentioned in the video.

II. Presenting New Content (60 minutes)


● Teacher will explain each center to the class and what is expected in each.
● Center#1- Life Cycle, Behavioral, or Structural Adaptation?
Instructions: Students will sort the animal pictures based on their type of
adaptation. Are they life cycle, behavioral, or structural? After students
have sorted the pictures, they will list the animals on the corresponding
page in their Animal Adaptations (center recording book).
● Center#2- Hibernate or Migrate?
● Instructions: Students will sort the animal pictures based on their type of
adaptation. Do the animals hibernate or migrate? After students have
sorted the pictures, they will list the animals on the corresponding page in
their Animal Adaptations (center recording book).
● Center#3- Bird Beak Activity-
Instructions: This is a teacher led activity. Students will be given different
tools (tweezers, clothespin, spoon, and scissors) each representing
different bird beaks. In the middle of the table there will be different bird
food (gummy worms, seeds, Swedish fish, nectar/water). Ask students to
make predictions about which beak they think will work best for each food
type. The teacher will set a timer for each student (30 seconds). Students
will use each tool to pick up different food items using only one hand.
Students will record their data on the corresponding page in their Animal
Adaptations (center recording book).
● Center #4- Museum Walk
Instructions: All around the classroom students will find different animal
facts. Ask students to walk around, read and explore as if they were at a
museum. Then, they will do the corresponding activity in their Animal
Adaptations (center recording book). For the activity students pick three
different animals to sketch and explain their adaptations.
● Center#5- What do you do with a tail like this?
Instructions: Students will listen to a read aloud of the book, “What do you
do with a tail like this?” by: Steve Jenkins & Robin Page. Next, students
will pick four animals from the book and write about their adaptations or
features in the corresponding page of their Animal Adaptations (center
recording book).
● Center#6- Create your Own Animal and its Adaptations
Instructions: Students will find the corresponding page in their Animal
Adaptations (center recording book). Students will create their own
animal. They must come up with a name for the animal and list its
adaptations. Remind students to think about adaptations that help their
animal survive in its environment. Are they structural, life cycle, or
behavioral adaptations? Allow them to be creative!

III. Checking for Understanding (Guided Practice) (5 minutes)


● Teacher and students will create a poster board/anchor chart about
adaptations as a class.
● The poster will include the three different types of adaptations, what they
mean and examples.

c. Closure: (3 minutes)
● Teacher will hand out sticky notes to students.
● Teacher will ask students to write about what they learned in the sticky note.
● Teacher will ask students to write 1, 2, or 3 depending on how confident they feel about
what they have learned. 1= Need more practice, 2= I feel okay, and 3= I got this!
● Teacher will work with those students who need more practice in a small group.

d. Extension and Contingency:


● Extension: If time allows, teacher and students can play Animal Adaptations Bingo.
● Contingency: If short on time, the teacher can omit the Animal Adaptations poster
board/anchor chart and instead ask students to define the term adaptations and the three
types with examples.

6. Accommodations, Modifications and Differentiations for Diverse Learners:


● Accommodations: Instruction will be presented in multiple ways. There will be videos,
images, powerpoint, and graphic organizers for visual learners. For auditory learners I
will give verbal instructions. Students will also be able to learn content from a read-aloud
and participate in discussions. The Animal Adaptations (center recording book) is great
for students who learn best by reading and writing. For kinesthetic learning students will
be able to work hands-on in various centers.
● Modifications: The quiz is modified for students based on their abilities. One quiz is
matching and multiple choice and the other is fill in the blank and short answer questions.
● Differentiation: The main content and centers will be the same for all students. Students
will be in groups based on their abilities. There will be tiered activity packets for students
depending on the student or groups readiness or instructional needs. If needed, I will meet
with small groups to re-teach and provide strategies for those students that need extra
practice. I will also work with advanced students to challenge and expand their thinking.

7. Assessment and Evaluation of Learning:


a. Formative: For the formative assessment, I will observe students during centers and
their responses in their Animal Adaptations (center recording book). I will also use the
sticky note to understand what they have learned and whether they need more practice.
b. Summative: For the summative assessment, I will use the Animal Adaptations Quiz to
determine if the students know what adaptation means and if they know the three
different types of adaptations.

8. Homework Assignment: (optional) Students can create a model of the animal they created to
share with the class.

9. Reflection: N/A

Common questions

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The lesson plan incorporates student participation by engaging students with questions about survival in cold environments and through partner discussions. Activities include sorting pictures, using tools to mimic bird beaks feeding, and creative tasks like designing an animal with specific adaptations. There's also a 'Museum Walk' where students explore animal facts and an interactive read-aloud session, all aimed at promoting engagement and understanding .

The lesson plan balances direct instruction with inquiry-based learning by initially presenting structured content through key vocabulary and video sessions before transitioning to student-led activities such as the animal sorting tasks and bird beak predictions. This approach allows students to acquire foundational knowledge and then explore concepts through guided discovery and hands-on learning experiences .

The "Museum Walk" is effective in the lesson plan because it provides an interactive learning experience where students can explore animal facts independently. By sketching and explaining adaptations after the walk, students enhance their understanding through both visual and written synthesis of information, which can deepen comprehension and retention of knowledge about adaptations .

"Animal Adaptations Bingo" serves as an engaging extension activity that reinforces the material learned while providing a fun and interactive learning environment. It consolidates students' knowledge by prompting recall in a dynamic format that encourages participation and can enhance retention through gamification of the educational content .

The lesson plan uses Lemov strategies such as "Double Plan," which involves planning student activities at each point of the lesson to ensure continuous engagement, and "At Bats," which provides students multiple opportunities to practice and master their skills through repeated activities like sorting and the bird beak activity .

The lesson plan fosters creative thinking by involving students in activities where they create their own animals and hypothesize about its necessary adaptations for survival. This requires applying their knowledge of adaptations in innovative ways, considering environmental factors, and creatively naming and describing the hypothetical creature .

The lesson plan employs both formative and summative assessments to gauge student understanding. Formative assessment occurs through observations of student activity in centers and analyzing their responses in the Animal Adaptations recording book. Students also provide self-assessment through sticky notes indicating confidence levels. Summatively, an Animal Adaptations Quiz tests comprehension of adaptations and their types .

Technology, such as videos and projectors, augments the teaching of animal adaptations by providing visual and auditory stimuli that can enhance conceptual understanding. Videos, for instance, animate concepts that might be abstract in text form, making them more accessible and engaging, thereby supporting diverse learning styles .

The lesson plan accommodates diverse learners by presenting instructional material in various formats such as videos, images, and graphic organizers for visual learners, and verbal instructions for auditory learners. Kinesthetic learners can engage through hands-on activities at different centers. Differentiation is also practiced through tiered activity packets and modified quizzes to meet the abilities and readiness of students, with further support through small group sessions as needed .

The three types of animal adaptations described are structural, behavioral, and life cycle adaptations. Structural adaptations involve a physical part of an animal that helps it survive, like body structure, hair, claws, and camouflage. Behavioral adaptations are actions animals take to survive, such as hibernation and migration. Life cycle adaptations are processes an animal undergoes to survive through different stages of life, like metamorphosis in butterflies .

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