Animal Adaptations: Introduction and Gophers

Elements of the Lesson Evidence that Documents the Elements

I. Standard ELA
​Common Core State Standards ● RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text,
Or Essential Elements referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
● RI.1.7 Use information gained from illustrations and the words in a text to
demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g. where, when, why, and how
key events occur).
● RI.3.9 Compare and contrast the most important points and key details
presented in two texts on the same topic.
● RF.3.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support
comprehension.

Science
● 3-LS2-1 Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help
members survive.
● 3-LS4-3 Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat
some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot
survive at all.
● 3-LS3-2 Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be
influenced by the environment.
● L.OL.03.42 Classify animals on the basis of observable characteristics.

II. Objectives/Targets and I can statements Throughout the Week

​What am I going to teach? ● I can identify animal adaptations.
What will the students be able to do at the end of the ● I can describe the habitat of an animal.
lesson? ● I can engage in collaborative discussions about articles and books with my
What formative assessments are used to inform instruction? peers.
What challenges might students encounter?
Day 1
 ● I can demonstrate prior knowledge of how animals survive in nature by
verbally presenting the information to the class for a KWL chart.
● I can verbally ask inquiry-based questions related to animal adaptations
and habitats.

Day 2
● I can verbally ask inquiry-based questions related to gophers.
● I can choral read an article about gophers with my class.
● I can practice fluency and accuracy for comprehension by reading with my
partner.

Day 3
● I can demonstrate listening skills during a read aloud about gophers by
answering guided questions.

At the end of the lessons, the students will be able to predict, use reading
strategies to help with comprehension, demonstrate research skills, and will be
able to verbally explain the physical and behavioral adaptations of gophers. They
will also be able to work together as a team at an appropriate and successful
level.

Formative Assessment Strategies that will be used to inform instruction are

teacher-students observations by the teacher walking around the classroom
during Independent Work, KWL Charts, comprehension questions, and vocabulary
reviews.

The challenges that students might encounter are technical difficulties, answering
higher level questions, student motivation, student attention, and teamwork.

III. Lesson Management: Focus and Organization Positive Strategies/Techniques/Tools

​What positive strategies, techniques and tools will you see? ● Review Prior Knowledge (KWL Chart)
What ideas for on task, active and focused student ● Progress Monitoring
behavior? ● Specific Praise/Positive Reinforcement
● Visual guides for vocabulary
 ● Think-Pair-Share
● Turn-and-Talk

Student Behavior
● Answering teacher questions
● Asking their own questions
● Completing all Guided, Partner, and Independent Work
● Appropriately working as a team/group

IV. Introduction: Creating Excitement and Focus for the
Lesson Target
​What will you do to generate interest?
How will you access prior knowledge?
What will you practice/review?
Generate Interest
Day 1​: The teacher will put up a large KWL chart onto the board and will ask the
students, “How do animals survive in nature?”
Day 2​: The teacher will review the large KWL chart and will ask, “What is a
gopher? How do gophers survive in nature?”
Day 3​: The teacher will review the KWL chart and vocabulary with the students by
doing a Turn-and-Talk.

Prior Knowledge
Day 1: ​Students will express their prior knowledge through a KWL chart.
Day 2​: KWL Chart and vocabulary will be reviewed.
Day 3​: KWL Chart and vocabulary will be reviewed.

Practice/Review
● Vocab Reviews
● KWL Chart
● Choral Reading before partner reading

V. Input: Setting up the Lesson for Student Success Vocabulary

● Adaptations
Task analysis: ● Physical Adaptations
● What information does the learner need? If needed, ● Behavioral Adaptations
how will it be provided?
● Mammals
● What are the step-by-step procedures of the lesson?
● Rodents
How is the lesson scaffolded?
 Bloom’s Taxonomy *​Webb’s Depth of Knowledge ● Habitat
- Remembering ​- Recall ● Burrows
- Understanding ​ - Skills/Concept ● Prey
- Applying ​- Strategic Thinking ● Predators
- Analyzing - Extended Thinking ● Pouches
- Evaluating ● Gnaw
- Creating – generating new ideas
Task Analysis
Accommodations: Differentiating to meet students’ needs Day 1
● Remediation/Intervention
1. The teacher will put a large piece of paper on the whiteboard that says,
● Extension/enrichment “Animal Adaptations: What we know, want to know, and have learned.”
Methods, Materials and Integrated Technology 2. The teacher will tell the students that Adaptations are special things that
● Instructional techniques animals have and do in order to survive in the wild.
● Engagement strategies 3. The teacher will ask students to Think about what some examples of
● Materials and Integrated Technology list adaptations animals could have. They will then do a Think-Pair-Share.
4. The teacher will write down things that students know about animal
adaptations (if students do not come up with any examples, the teacher
will provide an example or two in order to help the students).
5. The teacher will then ask the students what they want to learn about
animal adaptations or how animals survive in nature.
6. The teacher will write down questions that the students have under the
“W” on the KWL Chart.
7. The teacher will also add the vocabulary word “Adaptation” to the Vocab
Board.

Day 2
1. The teacher and students will review the KWL chart and Vocab Board.
2. The teacher will then ask students to raise their hands if they know what a
gopher is, or if they have ever heard the word “gopher” before.
3. If students do have prior knowledge of gophers, the teacher will add what
they know about gophers under the “K” in the KWL chart.
4. The teacher will then ask students what they want to learn about Gophers
and will add these questions under the “W” in the KWL chart.
 5. The teacher will then pass out the teacher-made Gopher article,
explaining that they are going to be learning about Gophers the next
couple days to find out their adaptations.
6. The teacher and students will choral read the article.
7. The students will partner read the article (partner 1 reads one paragraph,
partner 2 will read the next paragraph…)
8. The teacher and students will discuss what they learned about gophers,
adding this information to the KWL chart.
9. The teacher will then ask students about the bolded words in the article,
adding these words to the Vocab Board (with pictures?).

Day 3
1. The teacher and students will review the KWL chart and Vocab Board.
2. The teacher will ask students to Turn-and-Talk to their partners about
what they had learned yesterday about gophers.
3. The teacher will then ask students if any of their questions had been
answered under the “W.” If anything new had been learned/answered,
the information will be added under the “L” on the KWL chart.
4. The teacher will then read-aloud ​Backyard Wildlife: Gophers​ by
Bellwether Media, Inc.
5. While reading, the teacher will stop to ask CFU Questions.
6. After reading, the teacher will ask students to do a Think-Pair-Share about
what they had learned about gophers from the book. These will be added
to the “L” on the KWL Chart.
7. The teacher will also point out the bolded words in the book, adding them
to the Vocab Board.

Accommodations/Extensions
● Some students may need longer wait time after teacher questions.
● Some students may need more 1-on-1 teacher guidance during partner
reading.
● Students will be welcome to read ​Backyard Wildlife: Gophers​ by
Bellwether Media, Inc, individually during independent reading.

VI. Modeling: I Do
​SHOW/TELL (Visual/Verbal Input)
HOW/WHAT (Questioning and Redirecting)
VII. Checking for Understanding
Samples of questions to be asked
Ways in which students will respond and be engaged
Formative assessment strategies to be implemented
● If time permits, students can compare and contrast the information in the
article and the book in their notebooks.
Methods, Materials, and Integrated Technology
● KWL Chart (large paper)
● Science Vocab Board
● Teacher-Made Gopher article
● Backyard Wildlife: Gophers​ by Bellwether Media, Inc
Day 1
1. The teacher will put a large piece of paper on the whiteboard that says,
“Animal Adaptations: What we know, want to know, and have learned.”
2. The teacher will tell the students that Adaptations are special things that
animals have and do in order to survive in the wild.
3. The teacher will also add the vocabulary word “Adaptation” to the Vocab
Board.
Day 2
1. The teacher will pass out the teacher-made Gopher article, explaining that
they are going to be learning about Gophers the next couple days to find
out their adaptations.
Day 3
1. The teacher will then read-aloud ​Backyard Wildlife: Gophers​ by
Bellwether Media, Inc.
2. While reading, the teacher will stop to ask CFU Questions.
3. The teacher will also point out the bolded words in the book, adding them
to the Vocab Board.
Day 1
● “What are some ways that animals survive in nature?”
● “What are different types of habitats that animals live in?”
● “What more do we want to know about animal adaptations and
habitats?”

VII. Guided Practice: We Do
​What do the teacher and student do together?
How will a gradual release of responsibility be
accomplished?
Day 2
● “What is a physical adaptation?”
● “What is a behavioral adaptation?”
● “What are some physical adaptations of a gopher?”
● “What are some behavioral adaptations of a gopher?”
Day 3
● “What are rodents? What other animals are rodents?”
● “What does predator mean? What would this make a gopher?”
Students will be involved by answering questions, Choral Reading, partner
reading, Turn-and-Talks/Think-Pair-Shares, participating in the Independent
Practices, and asking inquiry-based questions. They will also be engaged through
vocabulary, group work, and adding to the KWL chart.
Formative Assessment Strategies that will be used to inform instruction are
teacher-students observations by the teacher walking around the classroom
during Independent Work, KWL Charts, comprehension questions, and vocabulary
reviews.
Day 1
1. The teacher will ask students to Think about what some examples of
adaptations animals could have. They will then do a Think-Pair-Share.
2. The teacher will write down things that students know about animal
adaptations (if students do not come up with any examples, the teacher
will provide an example or two in order to help the students).
3. The teacher will then ask the students what they want to learn about
animal adaptations or how animals survive in nature.
4. The teacher will write down questions that the students have under the
“W” on the KWL Chart.
Day 2
1. The teacher and students will review the KWL chart and Vocab Board.
 2. The teacher will then ask students to raise their hands if they know what a
gopher is, or if they have ever heard the word “gopher” before.
3. If students do have prior knowledge of gophers, the teacher will add what
they know about gophers under the “K” in the KWL chart.
4. The teacher will then ask students what they want to learn about Gophers
and will add these questions under the “W” in the KWL chart.
5. The teacher and students will choral read the teacher-made gopher
article.
6. The teacher and students will discuss what they learned about gophers,
adding this information to the KWL chart.
7. The teacher will then ask students about the bolded words in the article,
adding these words to the Vocab Board.

Day 3
1. The teacher and students will review the KWL chart and Vocab Board.
2. The teacher will ask students if any of their questions had been answered
under the “W.” If anything new had been learned/answered, the
information will be added under the “L” on the KWL chart.
3. After reading, the teacher will ask students to do a Think-Pair-Share about
what they had learned about gophers from the book. These will be added
to the “L” on the KWL Chart.

IX. Collaborative (You Do Together) and/or Independent Day 1

Practice (You Do) 1. Students will participate in Turn-and-Talk and Think-Pair-Share.
​What practices will be demonstrated/modeled?
Day 2
1. Students will partner read the article (partner 1 reads one paragraph,
partner 2 will read the next paragraph…)

Day 3
1. Students will Turn-and-Talk to their partners about what they had learned
previously about gophers.
X. Closure
​How will the ‘I can’ statement(s) be reviewed?
How will students be involved?
What connections to future learning will occur?
XI. Assessment
​What evidence supports that the objective(s) were met?
What do my students know, understand and are able to do?
What formative assessments will be used to inform
instruction?
The “I Can” statements will be reviewed at the end of each lesson and at the end
of the week through classroom discussions and additions to the KWL and
Vocabulary charts about what the students have learned about animal
adaptations and gophers.
Students will be involved by answering questions, Choral Reading, partner
reading, Turn-and-Talks/Think-Pair-Shares, participating in the Independent
Practices, and asking inquiry-based questions. They will also be engaged through
vocabulary, group work, and adding to the KWL chart.
Connections to future learning will occur by providing students with basic
knowledge in order to continue the Animal Adaptations Unit with Sugar Gliders,
where students will compare and contrast Gophers and Sugar Gliders. They will
also complete a research project on an animal of their choice.
Completed KWL chart and Vocabulary Board are evidence that supports the
objectives were met.
At the end of the lessons, the students will be able to predict, use reading
strategies to help with comprehension, demonstrate research skills, and will be
able to verbally explain the physical and behavioral adaptations of gophers. They
will also be able to work together as a team at an appropriate and successful
level.
Formative Assessment Strategies that will be used to inform instruction are
teacher-students observations by the teacher walking around the classroom
during Independent Work, KWL Charts, comprehension questions, and vocabulary
reviews.
(Edited by Elementary Team, 2014)
Revised July 2016
(Revised 9/17)