Teachers Guide: Make certain to include all of the specific sections outlined below.

a) Introduction and Overview This unit was created to help students to understand how animals adapt in different environments. The activities are developed in order to show how to identify these adaptations and remember the different characteristics of environments that affect animals. b) Standards: 1. Next Generation Science Standards addressed in the unit Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increasesome individuals probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.

MS-LS44.

2.

Common core standards that app ! to !our unit

c) "earnin# Ob$ectives %or the &nit: Students will be able to identify animals who have developed adaptations in order to survive. Students will be able to identify what environments animals are meant to live in. Students will be able to write about various animals and how they survive due to adaptations. Students will be able to analyze and interpret data in order to show patterns and variations of traits existing in a group of similar organisms. Pull from the curriculum design document you completed during Class . !ou will want to include specific learning ob"ectives with each of the activity descriptions included below in # and $. d% &$'( based learning ob"ectives )aim for level % that cut across your unit activities. !ou might have learning ob"ectives that address all * areas of the &$'( standards or you might have only for the appropriate area that is focused in your unit. !ou can also include specific &$'( learning ob"ectives for each of the specific activities

e) Teacher bac'#round in%ormation(an! #enera in%ormation that !ou thin' a teacher mi#ht need) inc ude re%erences that mi#ht be use%u . I wou d inc ude an overview para#raph*s) describin# the unit *in #enera terms). +ere) te the t!pe o% unit structure *prob em) pro$ect) earnin# c!c e) and provide an overview o% what students do(thin' o% this as se in# the unit (two %u para#raphs This unit will develop a depth of understanding in the way animals survive in the wild. +ecause students have such a limited exposure to this in most cases it is important for us to try and explain the various ways that animals adapt to their environment. $n order to do this you can use this unit of engaging and exciting activities that help students to gather information and understand it,s importance. Students will be confronted with the problem of placing animals into environments where they can thrive because of certain -ualities they possess. This will then cause them to look into what animals need to survive in certain climates and gain understanding of how animals change in order to accommodate these places. +y sorting through what animals live where students will start to develop a sense as to what they need to survive. %) ,ssessment %or the unit: - ease inc ude an assessment *rubric) %or the -resentin# Team .indin#s *the %ina activit! o% the unit) and then a description o% how !ou wi assess student earnin# *%ormative and summative) across a o% the activities. -rovide speci%ic examp es o% each. /ou wi want to inc ude !our reasonin# %or wh! !ou have the assessment activities as !ou do. This part wi be no ess than 0 %u para#raphs1122 pa#es doub e spaced. #) ,dvance prep: an! materia s needed %or !our activities or specia arran#ements. h) Group activit! description: *each activit! shou d be described in 2 para#raphs) !ou wi want to have science and 3"" earnin# ob$ectives %or each activit!) critica 4uestions that !ou mi#ht as' or have as part o% the unit) description o% how !ou mi#ht assess the students meetin# the speci%ic earnin# #oa s o% the activit!) 1. 5e4uired activities *inc ude at east 2)

. a. #ow is color used by living things/ 0 Students will learn that color is important to many living things by looking at pictures and classifying them according to bright and drab colors. They will find that for many species of animals the

female is not as brightly colored as the male1 and some males use bright colors to attract females. 2ther animals use color as camouflage1 in order to protect themselves by resembling their natural surroundings. Students will need to identify some animals that use this method in order to survive. 2ther animals use color to warn others that they are dangerous 3 poisonous frogs and snakes for example. 4 5ach group of students will be assigned a category of animals that use color to adapt in one of these ways. Then1 they must create a poster with either hand drawn and colored pictures or printed pictures. They can find this information from internet searches or texts in the classroom. Some examples might include6 birds1 fish1 insects1 deer1 rabbits1 snakes1 and frogs. $ntegrated pieces6 reading1 language arts. Skills6 observing1 inferring1 classifying1 predicting1 communicating1 comparing and contrasting1 researching. 0 7 b. 5ating adaptations 8 Students will rotate between stations with various household utensils to try to find some that resemble the mouthparts of animals in the pictures. $dentify which animals have teeth and which swallow their food whole. &hy might this be/ 'o certain animals have mouths that enable them to eat a certain kind of food/ 2. Optiona activities *inc ude at east 0)

a. Communication adaptations 5ach set of students will be given a note card with a different challenge to their communication 3 i.e. can,t see1 can,t talk1 can,t write. Students will need to come up with a way to communicate with their group if they have these limitations. Students can only use their bodies 3 as animals would. $n this way students will learn how animals have to communicate in a certain way based on where they live and what they can do. 9uestioning should be aimed towards asking about what struggles students had when coming up with their communication techni-ue. Students should also be able to answer -uestions about what kinds of animals have these limitations and how they communicate. b. #ow do Seasons (ffect (nimal (daptations/ $n their groups students should research an animal assigned to them that changes due to the season changes. (nimals might include6 birds1 bears1 s-uirrels1 arctic fox1 arctic hare1 caribou Then1 students should present where their animal lives and how it adapts to that climate. They must have a picture of the animal1 an illustration of how it adapts1 and a picture of them in their

environment. $n order to show that they all understand the concepts they each must present a different point about the animal. c. #ow do (nimals Move/ $n this lesson students will work in a group to try and understand how animal movements can serve as a way to survive in their environment. Students should compare animals in the same climate in order to see patterns in the ways the animals move. They should notice things like their feet1 fins1 wings1 claws1 scales etc. Students should put the animals into a graphic organizer in order to show how each animal is related. $n this way they show commonalities between adaptations and environments. d. +ook Pro"ect Students can pick from books like1 :&hat 'o !ou 'o &ith ( Tail ;ike This< and :#ot1 #otter1 #ottest< and must write a short summary of what they learned in the text. Then they need to add to it. They must think of 4 animals on their own that were not in the book that might belong there. Students should be evaluated on how well they summarize the book 3 it should not be full sentences from the book1 rather their own words. They must do the 4 animals complete with illustrations and texts that go with the book. i) Individua activities *each activit! shou d be described in 2 para#raphs) !ou wi want to have science and 3"" earnin# ob$ectives %or each activit!) critica 4uestions that !ou mi#ht as' or have as part o% the unit) description o% how !ou mi#ht assess the students meetin# the speci%ic earnin# #oa s o% the activit!). 0. =e-uired activities )include at least 4% a. Create (n (daptations >lipbook Students will pick an animal from a list displayed in the room. Then they will need to fold a piece of paper so that the four corners meet in the middle. ?ext they must write 0@4 words on the outside of each flap that describes an adaptation that animal has. 2n the inside of the flap students need to have reasoning behind the adaptation. 2n the s-uare section inside students need to have a colored picture of their animal. b. http6AAwww.mbgnet.netAsetsAindex.htm Students should go to the website above and pick one of the climates to study. Then they need to create some representation of that environment and the animals that live there. This could be a

diorama1 picture1 poster1 paper1 or anything that is teacher approved. $n this pro"ect students need to prove that they have learned about some part of the environment in which different animals live and what adaptations those animals have. 2. Optiona activities *inc ude at east 0)

a. (nimal (daptation Bame Students should visit the following website6 http6AAwww.planet@science.comAcategoriesAunder@ 00sAgamesA4.0.A.CAmission@adaptation.aspx &here they must capture photos of various animals that belong in the habit and know what adaptations they have to survive in that climate. $n this way students are tested on what animals live where and then they understand the adaptations for those sorts of environments. This game is engaging and exciting while being educational. $n order to complete the level students must capture all the animals and name their adaptations from a multiple choice section. b. (nimal 5nvironment Bame Students should visit the following website6 http6AAwww.ecokids.caAPD+AecoEinfoAtopicsAclimateAadaptationsAindex.cf m 2n the site students must identify different parts of animals that have adapted based on their food needs. This timed game will help students to see what animals need what while asking them to play a game is a great way to engage them in learning. This helps students to see how these animals survive as opposed to others. c. 'isney (daptations This is a fun one that kids always have fun withF They need to think of different 'isney heroesAprincessesAcharacters that have some sort of adaptation. >or example6 #ercules is super strong because he has to save the town. #e gets this adaptation from his father Geus because he,s a god. 2r6 +aloo in the Hungle +ook uses his claws in order to pick prickly pears because they would poke his paw. #e needs to do this in order to eat the fruit because it is covered in spikes but the inside is delicious. Students need to come up with at least 0. characters who have adaptations. They need to fill in a chart showing the name of the character1 what the adaptation is1 and why they have this adaptation.

d. (nimal (daptations &anted Poster The students are employed to make a wanted poster of a desert or arctic animal. The poster needs to include the animal,s name1 where it lives and the adaptations it has to live in its environment. Poster must include all of the above information. Picture must be in color and correct. 2ne activity )either group or individual% needs to include a graphic organizer 2ne activity )either group or individual% needs to include beforeAduringAafter reading activities Multiple activities should include technology@@ either in@class technology or virtual simulations. "% Presenting Team >indings6 This last re-uired activity is the culminating activity of the unit. #ere students present and make meaning out of the previous activities and data collected. Students need to address andAor answer the Challenge of the Dnit. k% Paragraph describing your S$2P instruction practices and strategies used throughout the unit. !ou should also include possible modifications for special needs students. This will be I* full paragraphs. =efer to your inclass activities from the week of 2ctober 4J and your assignment K l% Paragraph describing your literacy instructional practices and linking them to the scientific practices found throughout the unit. !ou should also include possible modifications for special needs students. This will be I* full paragraphs. Make certain to reference graphic organizers and beforeAduringAafter reading strategies.