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Lesson Plan Design

Subject: Language Arts
Candidates Name:

Grade: 4th

Lesson Topic:

Victoria Garcia

Site Supervisor: Mary Masulis

Animal Adaptations
ID #

022997112

NU Supervisor: Maureen Renard

Date: _____November 16th, 2015________________________________

1. Introduction: (Identify Grade Level K12 Academic Content Standard(s), rationale, focus learner,
create bridges from past learning, behavior expectations).

In the English Language Arts Content Standards

for California Public Schools in Kindergarten.
LS.4.3 Living organisms depend on one
another and on their environment for
survival. As a basis for understanding this
concept:
b. Students know that in any particular
environment, some kinds of plants and
animals survive well, some survive less
well, and some cannot survive at all.
Prior Learning: Students already have a basis
knowledge of ecosystems and the things that make
up an ecosystem.

Rationale:
The listed standards are appropriate
for this 4th grade lesson about
adaptations.
Students should be able to
distinguish between living and
nonliving things, identify
ecosystems, and discuss changes in
ecosystems.
Students should stay quiet and
focused so their peers are able to
complete their assignment.

Focus Learner/Behavioral Expectations: Students

are expected to stay relatively quiet while working.
The noise level may be a bit louder than normal
due to the activity.
2. Learner Outcome(s)/Objective(s): (What will students learn from this lesson? How will you
measure mastery of the outcome?)

Purpose:
Students will understand and identify the
adaptations animals make to survive their
environments. Students will demonstrate their
knowledge of adaptations by creating an animal
suited for a chosen environment.
Mastery:
Mastery of comprehension will be measured
through teacher observation throughout class

Rationale:

The understanding of animal

adaptations is a critical component
of knowing how ecosystems
function.

discussion and completion of adaptation art

project.
3. Pre-assessment Activity: (Determine students abilities to achieve the learner outcome and
prescribe instruction accordingly. Consider: linguistic background, academic language abilities,
content knowledge, cultural and health considerations, interests and aspirations, physical
development, social development, emotional development. )

1. Linguistic Background:
There are no ELL students. All students are
English speaking.

Rationale:

It is crucial to take the background

of the class into consideration when
planning a lesson.

2. Academic Language Abilities and Skills:

About 60% of the students are at grade level.
3. Content Knowledge:
Students are expected to have success based on
their prior knowledge literal and nonliteral
meanings.
4. Physical, Social, Emotional:
This class is very social but some of them have had
trouble with their peers. This class seems to be
very emotional.
5. Socioeconomic Considerations:
Most students are from a middle class
socioeconomic background.
6. Cultural Considerations:
Students come from a primarily English speaking
community.
7. Health Considerations & Attendance:
No health considerations for any of the students in
the class. Student attendance is very good.

The class background knowledge

will help prepare them for this
assignment.
Two students in particular had an
issue last week and as a result one
of the students is not allowed to be
friends with the other. I have
noticed tension between the two in
the classroom especially when
groups are involved.
The class has a strong desire to
achieve and loves, art, music and
singing. The animal art project will
keep them excited about learning
the content and allow them to
demonstrate their creativity.

8. Interests, Motivations, & Extra Curricular:

Developmentally appropriate interests. Strong
desire for academic achievement. Enjoy music,
singing, and art.
The pre-assessment activity includes an
introduction to the lesson for today. The teacher
will ask the students what the climate has been
lately. They will answer cold. The teacher will say
that when something adapts it means they change

Relating the concept of adaptations

to their everyday lives will help
them gain a deeper understanding of
the material. It will put the concept
into perspective and bridge the

something about their appearance, behavior or

surrounds to make it easier to survive. The teacher
will ask the class what people do to adapt to the
cold winter weather? Students will share ideas
such as use blankets, wear warm clothes, use the
heater, etc. The teacher will tell the class that
animals also have to adapt to their habitats in order
to survive.

content to real life experiences.

4. Differentiation, Adaptation & Accommodation Strategies: (Based on the pre-assessments, modify

Learning Activities based on learner characteristics to meet the needs of ELL & special needs
students, highly achieving students and low achieving students)

Modifications for all ELL:

-Modifications for ELL students are not necessary
for this class.
Modifications for High Achieving Students:
-High achieving students may choose to research a
real animal and its adaptations to share with the
class
-Use more than 2 adaptations when creating their
animal
-Called on during whole class instruction to model
-Assisted with struggling students
Modifications for Low Achieving Students:
-Pair with high achieving students
-Give guided questions to help students determine
adaptations to think about when creating their
animal
-Provide more time to complete art activity
-Only need to use 1 of each type of adaptation
when creating their animal

Rationale:

There are no ELLs in this class.

Allowing high achieving students
the opportunity to research real
animals will further their
understanding of adaptations. Using
more than 2 adaptations will
exercise their creative thinking
skills and assess their knowledge of
adaptations.
Giving low achieving students more
time to complete the assignment
will help them stay focused and be
able to work on their project longer.
Giving them guided questions will
help them come up with appropriate
adaptations and guide their
thinking.

5. Resources: (Identify materials needed for this lesson accounting for varying degrees of skill level)

Pre-assessment Activity:
No materials needed
Explicit
Smart Board
Smart Board Science Text
Science Textbooks

Rationale:

Using a variety of resources such as

technology, art, worksheets, and
textbooks appeals to multiple
intelligences and will help reach a
variety of students and keep the
lesson engaging.

Pencils
Copies of environments for art project
Crayons/Markets/Colored Pencils
Animal Adaptation Creation Worksheet
6. Learning Activities: Explicit Teacher Instruction - (Explain, model, demonstrate, check for
understanding)

The teacher will identify the objectives for the

class. She will tell the students that they will be
talking about animal adaptations and will have the
opportunity to create their own animal with
adaptations suited to an environment.

Rationale:

First, the teacher will tell students that there are

two ways animals adapt to their environment. One
is changing the way the look. This is a physical
adaptation. Some examples of a physical
adaptation are a giraffes long neck that helps him
eat the leaves off of a tree or a whales blubber that
keeps him warm in the cold ocean. The teacher
will ask the class if they can think of any other
physical animal adaptations.

Introducing students to the

vocabulary that will be discussed in
the chapter will give students a
better understanding of the reading
once we start it.

Next, the teacher will tell the class that the other
way that animals adapt to their environment is
behavioral. In this type of adaptation animals
change how they act. An example of a behavioral
adaptation is bears hibernating in the winter. The
teacher will ask the class if they can think of any
other behavioral animal adaptations (some
examples include opossums playing dead, birds
migrating, chipmunks collecting and storing food
for winter).
Check for Understanding:

Student responses for physical and behavioral

adaptations

Learning objectives should be given

to students to guide them through
the assignment and inform them of
the expectations.

Allowing students to demonstrate

their knowledge helps the teacher
determine whether or not they
understand the material.
Modeling is an important step in
any lesson plan. Giving examples of
adaptations will help activate
student knowledge of this concept
and provide direction on what is
expected of them.

It is important to check for

understanding before moving on to
independent practice to ensure that
students are ready to continue.

7. Learning Activities: Guided Practice/ Collaborative Practice (Check for understanding and
provide feedback and re-teaching)

Collaborative Practice:
Students will turn to page 44 in their California
Science textbooks. The teacher will bring up the

Rationale:

Reading the textbook is a part of the

required curriculum for science. It
will help solidify information

electronic version on the Smart Board. Students

will take turn reading the text from Lesson 4
Adaptations. The first section in the lesson is
entitled What is an adaptation? After the reading,
the teacher will ask the students the Quick Check
Questions and write the answers on the Smart
Board.
The next section is entitled What Are Some
Adaptations in a Desert? Again, the Quick Check
questions will be completed whole group.
The final section of the chapter is What Are
Adaptations in the Artic and in Oceans? The final
Quick Check is la Venn Diagram comparing artic
and oceans animal adaptations.
Guided Practice:
Low achieving students and special education
students will receive one on one assistance as
needed and will be pulled to complete the project
during a later ELA block or study hall if necessary.
Check for Understanding:
Teacher observation and Quick Check responses

previously discussed and will go

into more detail about animal
adaptations.
This class enjoys participating.
Having students volunteer to read
aloud gets them actively involved in
the lesson and strengthens speaking
and reading skills.
Working in a smaller setting with
will give individualized attention to
students who need more help as
well as more time to complete the
project. The small group leader will
also reteach information if
necessary.
The Quick Checks help the teacher
get an idea of who understands the
material and who doesnt. This will
determine whether or not the
concepts need to be reviewed or
discussed further or if the class is
ready to move on to independent
practice.

8. Independent Practice: (Provide practice that supports the learning outcome. Note: Independent
activities are assigned assuming that students understand the concept well enough to work on their
own.)

The teacher will tell students they now have the

opportunity to create an animal that has adapted
perfectly for its environment. The teacher will give
students a list of environments to choose from and
an animal adaptation creation worksheet.
The teacher will tell the class they are going to
pretend we have discovered several new planets.
The students will have a list of the planets and a
description of each one. As you explore this planet,
you come across an animal you have never seen
before and notice it has adapted to survive this
planet. On your Animal Adaptation Creation

Rationale:
Students need to be able to
demonstrate that they have an
understanding of adaptations and
complete their worksheet with
minimal guidance. This worksheet
will give students a chance to
explore animal adaptations and use
their creative thinking skills.

worksheet, you will give the animal a name and

discuss its adaptions. You will then draw a picture
of the animal and the environment in which it
lives.
When creating your animal, consider its size,
shelter, defense mechanisms, diet, how it gets food
and water, and how it keeps warm or cool.
Students will work on their animal adaptation
creations independently.
Check for Understanding:
Teacher observations and student worksheets.
9. Assessment and Evaluation: (Describe how you will assess and/or evaluate the students learning.
Describe differentiating assessment strategies you will use for ELL, special needs students, highly
achieving students and low achieving students.)

Formative:
Informal assessment will be utilized. Teacher will
observe as students work individually and as a
class.

Rationale:
Students need to be able to
demonstrate their understanding of
adaptations. We will be working on
art projects that reinforce this
knowledge. Teacher observation is
the most suitable form of
assessment.

10. Closure: (Describe how students will reflect on what they have learned.)

Students will have the chance to share animal

adaptations with the class.

Rationale:
This class loves to share their work
with one another. Allowing them to
share with their peers encourages
public speaking and confidence
building as well as pride in their
work.

11. Lesson Reflection/Assessment: (Collect student learning data to determine: What went well?
What needs to be changed? Were learning outcomes met? What activities will you add, change,
modify in the future? What can be done to follow up on the learning from this lesson? Who needs
additional help? Who needs enrichment or higher level work?)

Revised: 4/22/10
Note: An electronic copy of the Lesson Plan Design may be found on the Nu-Fast website:
http://www.nu-fast.com . Links: Browse Folders - SOE TED TED 629 Student Resources Unit 4