Adaptation Creature Creation Addison Swenson, Cora Glass, Alexander Young: Lesson for 3rd-5th graders: Green and Health Schools Focus Areas: Environmental & Sustainability Education Possible Subject areas addressed: Science, Environmental Education, Literacy Essential Questions 1. Why do some animals live in places that others do not? 2. Why do some species survive and others become extinct? 3. How are animal adaptations specific to different environments? 4. What types of animals have adapted to the wetlands, forest, and grassland of Wisconsin and what are those animal s physical adaptations? Learning Outcomes 1. Students will be able to explain why and how animals have adapted over time to live in so many environments. 2. Students will create a creature showing adaptations suitable to its environment. 3. Students will be able to compare and contrast the adaptations of animals and use this to describe how animals survive in their environments. 4. Students will be able to explain why adaptations are specific to the different environments. 5. Students will be able to give examples of animals that are adapted to Wisconsin ecosystems 6. Students will be able to describe an animal s physical adaptations. Materials and Resources: Various crafting materials for the build an animal activity (see activity for suggestions). Rubber Gloves, Ear muffs, A warm coat and a rain coat, a paddle for a canoe, tongue depressors, swimming flippers, a un inflated balloon. PowerPoint for lesson 2. Standards Common Core Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.C Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.D Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion. Wisconsin EE Model Academic Standards for Environmental Education A.4.2 Collect information, make predictions, and offer explanations about questions asked (see: SC Inquiry) B.4.4 List the components of an ecosystem,* including the qualities of a healthy habitat* (see SC Life and Environmental Science) B.4.6 Cite examples of how different organisms adapt to their habitat Next Gen Science Standards
Background Animals survive in their environments thanks to adaptation. Adaptations are changes that help an animal survive in their environment. These changes are passed down from one generation of animals to the next. Eventually adaptations become a common part of what makes an animal a member of a species (Rutledge et al., 2011). Adaptations can be both behavioral and structural (UCMP, 2017). Animals adapt to pressures placed on them by their environment. Animals live in a wide variety of environments, so there are many adaptations used by animals to survive. Adaptive Radiation is when an organism acquires an adaptation that makes it a new species! For example, an individual bird might have a strong beak that allows it to crack nuts easier than others of the same species. This bird will be better at getting food in that area than the other birds. Eventually the only birds that live in that area will be birds with strong beaks. This is called natural selection. Think of natural selection like this: There are some neon yellow frogs and some brown frogs. The frogs live in an environment that is muddy and covered in dead leaves. The neon yellow frogs are easy for predators to pick out of the mud. Because the neon yellow frogs get eaten more often, the brown frogs survive and reproduce making more brown frogs. Eventually the only frogs found in the area will be brown frogs. The yellow frogs become extinct. Adaptations can allow some animals to be better than others at living in an environment (UCMP, 2017). Adaptations allow animals to avoid extinction by acquiring new traits based on their changing environments. Animals must adapt to survive. If they cannot adapt quickly enough, they die off and become extinct. An animal is extinct when there are no more animals like it that can reproduce make more of its species (PBS, 2001). In this lesson, we will focus on structural adaptations and how they allow animals to survive in their environments. The goal of
this lesson is to have students understand the adaptations of animals and how they allow animals to survive in diverse habitats. Sources: Rutledge, K., McDaniel, M., Boudreau, D., Ramroop T., Teng, S., Sprout, E., Costa, H., Hall H., Hunt J. (2011) Adaptation. Retrieved from www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/adaptation/ Description: A description of structural versus behavioral adaptations. UCMP. (2017) Adaptation. Retrieved from evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/copyright.php Description : Explains variation and natural selection. PBS. (2001) Frequently Asked Questions About Evolution. Retrieved From http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/faq/cat03.html Description: Explains natural selection s role in extinction and speciation.
Lesson One: What are Adaptations? Before Activity: Explain what, structural adaptations are and explain that they are used to help the animal survive. Introduce the basic principles behind adaptation and how natural selection will select in favor of organisms with adaptations that help improve their odds of survival. Activity: Beaver Dress up This activity will help students understand adaptations by having one of them dress up as an animal using props such as flippers to explain how each feature helps the animal survive. Any creature could be used for this exercise, though it is recommended to use an animal that is recognizable to the students. When an organism is selected, bring pre-made props to the site that can be used for the dress up. Supplies: Rubber Gloves, Ear muffs, A warm coat and a rain coat, a paddle for a canoe, tongue depressors, swimming flippers, a un inflated balloon, swimming goggles Example Activity: Beaver Adaptation Dress up game. Materials for a Beaver : Rubber Gloves: Front feet, used for grabbing. Ear muffs: Beavers are able to close their ears when diving. Warm coat: Fur coat that keeps them warm. Rain coat: Fur coat and oil that keeps them dry. Canoe paddle: Tail for swimming and steering when swimming. Swimming flippers: Represent a beaver s webbed back feet to improve their swimming. Swimming goggles: Nictitating membrane that closes over eyes when diving Tongue depressors: Placed in mouth like beaver teeth, beavers sharp strong teeth that help them to grab and pull wood through water build dams and eat their favorite food, aspen wood! Un-inflated balloon: Represents the lung capacity of a beaver when diving, have the student blow up the balloon. During the activity: engage students about what the parts might represent on a beaver, let them guess what they think certain parts might be, or how a beaver would use them. Assessment & Closure: Ask students to reflect on how the adaptations the chosen animal for the activity has and how it helps it survive. Follow by asking the class to look for other examples of adaptations in other animals. Explain how natural selection can lead to change over time by selecting for traits that are most beneficial to the animal s survival, give the example of the beetles from the background. Then, follow up with how natural selection can lead species that can t adapt to their environment to go extinct. Differentiation: The dress up animal can be changed according to common animals in the area that the lesson is being taught to help students relate to the topic. For example, in Florida a dolphin could be substituted. If teaching in a class that is visually impaired the dress up
items along with a beaver pelt and a stuffed animal beaver could be passed around and described. The students could guess where on a beaver the items would go. If teaching for a class that would not want to volunteer to dress up, or not be able to dress up, the educator can dress themselves or an assistant. Ask students to reflect Lesson Two: How do adaptations help animals live in different environments? Before Activity: Review Ecosystems and Habitat requirements. Ecosystems are tangled webs of interwoven resources and animals. An animal s environment has a great impact on that animal as the animal depends on it for food, water, and shelter. Go over the components of a healthy habitat with the students such as adequate food, water, and shelter as well as environmental aspects such as weather, temperature, and location. Each ecosystem has its set of challenges that animals must adapt to in order to survive. Adaptations are specific to environments. Describe adaptations that animals have that are specific to a certain habitat. For this lesson, three common Wisconsin habitats were chosen: prairie, forest, and wetland. Pow: Have you ever seen a penguin in your backyard? Ask why not- Let the students discuss why penguins don t they live there. Explain that penguins are adapted to a different Ecosystem Activity: Ecosystem Specific Adaptations A PowerPoint activity were students will look at images of animals from different environments. Instructors can use this PowerPoint as a visual aid for students while teaching about adaptations. By doing this, students will be able to physically see these adaptations on the animal and understand how these adaptations help them survive. Instructors can also use this PowerPoint as a template to make their own PowerPoint to fit their specific needs. Procedure Before showing the animals bring up a slide with a picture of the habitat being discussed. Next bring up a full body picture of an animal that lives in the habitat being described and ask students what adaptations they see on the animal. Choose two or three adaptations from each animal to discuss and show a close up picture of the adaptation. Have students guess what the animal uses it for. After this show students close up pictures of adaptations of animals that live in the same habitats discussed and ask students in which habitat they think the animal lives based on the adaptation it has. Supplies: PowerPoint* (See differentiation). The images on the PowerPoint should include one full body picture of the animal, and pictures highlighting adaptations being discussed. For the Prairie: Animals that are adapted to prairies need to deal with lack of cover, so they are low to the ground, and often come in brown and grey colors. Three examples include badgers, rattle snakes, and prairie chickens. Badgers claws help them to dig dens and defend themselves. Their fur helps protect them from predators because it is loose enough to help them turn around if grabbed, and fight back. Rattle Snakes have pits on their faces near their nostrils that help them to smell their food. Rattle snakes use their tongues to flick scents up into their pit organs. Rattle snake s rattles warn others that they got too close and to back off! Prairie chicken feathers help them to blend into their environment. Males orange air sacs help them to attract mates.
For the Forest: Animals that are adapted to forest need trees to survive. Forest animals use trees for food sources, to live in, or for cover. Woodpeckers beaks help them to bore holes into trees for food and to make cavities for nests. Their feet help them to cling onto trees. Black bears have curved claws that aid them in climbing trees and ripping into logs for food. Their forward facing eyes help them to spot prey. Porcupines have quills all over their body that help them to protect themselves from predators. They have claws that help them to climb trees and dig for food in the undergrowth. For the Wetland: Animals that are adapted for wetland need to be able to live in or on water. They are adapted to live in the water like the leopard frog or to live on the water like the beaver and common loon. Beavers have long, flat tails that help them to swim, and to communicate with other beavers. Their teeth help them to get at food and aid in building their dams. Common loon beaks aid them in hunting by helping them catch slippery fish and their sleek body shape helps them to dive. Leopard frogs legs and webbed feet help them to travel and swim. Their long sticky tongues help them to grab prey. Extra animal slides suggestions: Prairie: A close up of the feet of a prairie mole. Prairie moles use their long claws to dig in the dirt in search of tasty worms. Forest: A close up picture of the feet of a squirrel. Squirrel s claws and long toes help them to cling to bark and climb up trees. Wetland: A close up of a red-eared slider s shell. Red-eared slider s shells protect them from predators that might want to eat them. Assessment & Closure: Have students discuss if these animals can live in each other s habitats, why or why not. To Expand on this o To assess learning ask what would happen if the forest was cut down? What if the wetland was drained? What if a forest grew in the grassland? Differentiation: The ecosystems can be adapted to environments familiar to the students, if this lesson was being taught in New Mexico, a desert ecosystem could be used. If this lesson was being taught in the city, relate ecosystems to areas such as parks, or backyards. If teaching in a city, you could even include insects in the lesson or talk about common backyard animals in the area. * If PowerPoint is not available pictures of animals and close ups of their adaptations, or even stuffed animals/puppets can be used.
Lesson Three: What adaptations do animals need to survive? Before Activity: review habitat specific adaptations and environments. Pow: It would be a good idea to have an example animal to show the students before this craft and give a quick (1-2 minute) presentation on the animal. Activity: Creature Creation Students create an animal in 3-D individually or in groups depending on class size, groups of 3 to 5 recommended. Let the student pick one of the three biomes: forest, wetland, or grassland to create their own unique creature. Students must be able to give a reason for any adaptation they add to the animal. For example, a prey species might have eyes on the side of its head and spines to deter predators and a predator may have forward facing eyes and long claws to grab prey. 20 minutes for creature creation 10 minutes for presentations recommended. Supplies: Students will use a variety of materials to create their animal. Label these items with the bodily adaptation they would correspond to. For example: Air dry clay (body) Googly eyes (eyes) Feathers (feathers) Cotton balls (fur) Toothpicks (claws, horns, teeth) Pipe cleaners (tails) Sequins, colored gems or beads, (scales) You could also use clay tools with texture stamps This might get messy, so make sure to set out newspaper or work in a room that is easy to clean up. You may also want to go over safety with supplies like toothpicks (don t poke your friends). Assessment & Closure: Students give a quick presentation on their animal for the class. Students should name the animal and describe its habitat. Students should reflect on how adaptations allow their animals to survive in their environments. To assess student learning, students should describe how their animal survives and what adaptations it possesses to survive in its environment. To expand on this To further assess learning, ask the students why their animal would not survive in a different habitat, open this to discussion. The presentations could be longer given more time. Differentiation: Instead of using materials like clay, animals could be drawn, written about or even verbally described by students. If described or written by students, instructors should look for key concepts from the students like adaptations that allow their animal to survive, ask students to describe what adaptations their animals have that allow them to survive in their chosen environment when others would not be able to.