Lesson Plan: ‘Who Would Win?’ Animal Adaptations

Students will utilize resources from experts/online/books about North Carolinian animals and create their own “Who Would Win?” book/Google Slides/Brochure, independently or in pairs. Students will focus on researching the adaptations of North Carolinian animals they choose to compare. This will be shared with a community audience, who will provide constructive feedback and provide a reference for future field trips to explore the animals and their adaptations in a local habitat.

AuthorsGrade LevelSubject/CourseDuration
Sarah Anna Tronic, Laura J. McDougal, Shanlee Meyers4thScience, ELAMondays and Tuesdays
for 45 minutes5-6 Weeks

 

Standards

4.L.1 Understand the effects of environmental changes, adaptations and behaviors that enable animals (including humans) to survive in changing habitats

ELA W.4.2 Write informative /explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas
and information clearly.

Research W.4.5 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

Driving Question

How will you assess North Carolinian animals’ strengths and weaknesses as they compete with other animals in the same habitat?

Entry Event

Activation of Prior Knowledge

Learning Lab: Animal Adaptation graphic organizer in pairs; students can use their computers to verify behavioral or structural adaptations

Student Experiment

Learning Lab: Bird Beak Experiment/Exploration: How do different bird beak adaptations affect a bird’s ability to catch and eat its food?

Public Product

Students will create a comparison of two student-chosen North Carolinian Animals and their adaptations, with a choice of creating a book, Google Slides, or brochure.

Resources and Materials

Formative Assessment 1

Students will read a “Who Would Win?” text and identify the text feature comparisons by utilizing evidence, and providing explanations of why one adaptation is more prevalent than another in a particular habitat.

Content and skills to be assessed from the standards

4.L.1 Understand the effects of environmental changes, adaptations and behaviors that enable animals (including humans) to survive in changing habitats

  • Animal Comparison Graphic Organizers
  • Analyzing Text features to understand the content of the text
  • Evidence From the Text

Formative Assessment 2

Choose two different animals from two separate “Who Would Win?” books that students read and compare/contrast those two animals. Justify who would win.

Content and skills to be assessed from the standards

4.L.1 Understand the effects of environmental changes, adaptations and behaviors that enable animals (including humans) to survive in changing habitats

ELA W.4.2 Write informative /explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Written Justifications of why one animal’s adaptations are more suited for the habitat than another may be.

Formative Assessment 3

Pose a written justification for who would win against your two animals and share in a Critical Friends Protocol

Check Student Task Log for research.

Content and skills to be assessed from the standards

4.L.1 Understand the effects of environmental changes, adaptations and behaviors that enable animals (including humans) to survive in changing habitats

ELA W.4.2 Write informative /explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

  • Peer Feedback (Communication and Collaboration) for improved product.
  • Tracking Work in Task Log to meet the expectations within the Rubric.

Summative Assessment

Revised Final Product of animal research and Presentation to Stakeholders

Content and skills to be assessed from the standards

Research W.4.5 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

  • Communicate
  • Collaborate
  • Critical Thinking
  • Creativity

Project Calendar: Day 1-Day 10

Day 1
  • Pre-assessment on adaptations and
    text features
  • Introduce rubric and task log
Day 2Activity 1 for Checkpoint 1

  • Activate prior knowledge of animal adaptations
  • Learning Lab: Animal Adaptation graphic organizer in pairs; students can use their
    computers to verify behavioral or structural adaptations
Day 3Activity 2 for Checkpoint 2

Day 4Activity 3 for Checkpoint 1

  • Learning Lab: The Most Amazing Shark Ever! Students will read the “Who Would
    Win?” Ultimate Shark Rumble and focus on adaptation facts in the graphic organizer
Day 5Checkpoint 1

  • Students will read a “Who Would Win?” text and identify the text feature comparisons by
    utilizing evidence, and providing explanations of why one adaptation is more prevalent than another in a particular habitat.
  • Animal Adaptations Vocabulary; Have students choose two words they aren’t very
    familiar with and define, find a synonym, write a sentence, and draw a sketch. Students are expected to utilize their specific vocabulary concepts in their own comparisons to meet mastery of those concepts.
Day 6Activity 1 for Checkpoint 2

  • Learning Lab: T-Rex vs. Velociraptor Adaptations and justification; text feature analysis
Day 7Activity 2 for Checkpoint 2

  • Learning Lab: Polar Bear vs. Grizzly Bear Adaptations and Justification; text feature
    analysis
Day 8Activity 3 for Checkpoint 2

  • Learning Lab: Killer Whale Vs. Great White Shark Adaptations and justification; text feature analysis
Day 9Activity 4 for Checkpoint 2

  • Learning Lab: Lion Vs. Tiger Adaptations and justification; text feature analysis
Day 10Checkpoint 2

  • Choose two different animals from two separate “Who Would Win?” books that we read this week and compare/contrast those two animals.
  • Justify who would win.

Project Calendar: Day 11-Day 21

Day 11Activity 1 for Checkpoint 3

Learning Lab: Students will participate in a text feature scavenger hunt in a “Who Would
Win?’ text of their choice.

Day 12Activity 2 for Checkpoint 3

Learning Lab: Students will complete a webquest around North Carolinian Animals and
choose two to research for their final product

Day 13Activity 3 for Checkpoint 3

Learning Lab: Students will research Animal #1 and complete graphic organizers to
organize their thoughts.

Day 14Activity 4 for Checkpoint 3

Learning Lab: Students will research Animal #2 and complete graphic organizers to
organize their thoughts.

Day 15Checkpoint 3

  • Justify who would win against your two animals and share in a Critical Friends Protocol
  • Check Student Task Log
Day 16Activity 1 for Checkpoint 4

Student Work: Students begin final product; choice of brochure, digital slides or physical
book

Day 17Activity 2 for Checkpoint 4

Student Work: Continue With Final Product

Day 18Activity 3 for Checkpoint 4

Student Work: Continue With Final Product

Day 19Activity 4 for Checkpoint 4

Day 20Activity 5 for Checkpoint 4

  • Student Work: Edit and Revise Final Product
  • Practice Presentation of Final Product
Day 21Checkpoint 4

  • Present to Stakeholders
  • Discuss and implement feedback from Stakeholders

Notes

  1. Check with students for grouping. Although independent work is accepted, group/pair work is encouraged.
  2. In the planning stage, students will collect their information using graphic organizers, provided in packet form. Let students know that graphic organizers are a tool, and don’t limit our brainstorming/thought process. If there is an item on the graphic organizer that doesn’t resonate with their project, students
    have the opportunity to change it to another feature or remove it entirely.