Science Matters
Blubber Gloves: It’s All About Insulation
Instill the concept of adaptation with the help of Blubber Gloves—ziplock bags, shortening, and duct tape. Scholars discuss how animals and plants keep warm in polar regions, record their predictions, and try on their Blubber Gloves to...
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Disguise! Disguise!
Third graders explore how some animals disguise or camouflage themselves as a form of protection.
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Catch Me if You Can
Third graders investigate behavioral and physical adaptations, such as camouflage, that allow animals to respond to life needs.
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Adaptable Animals
Pupils examine the types of adaptations that animals use to survive. They research the animals and report their findings to the class.
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Hide and Seek
Students explore animal characteristics by creating a poster presentation in class. For this animal habitat lesson, students visit the local zoo and identify which habitats certain animals are most comfortable in. Students answer study...
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Animal Hide and Seek
Students read about animal camouflage. In this animal adaptation lesson, students read short texts about ways in which animals hide or transform to escape their prey. Students explore animal classifications and determine ways to hide in...
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Adaptations
Students are able to describe protective adaptations of animals. They are able to categorize the animals based on their protective adaptations. Students discuss adaptations of animals. They are explained that an adaptation helps an...
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Wildlife
The centerpiece of this lesson plan is a predator-prey simulation in which colored paperclips represent different species of animals camouflaged against a colored background. Relevant follow-up questions are provided. The activity is...
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Insects and Camouflage
Students create an insect that can be camouflaged in its habitat. They study how camouflage can help insects survive.
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Octopus Challenge
For this octopus facts worksheet, students respond to 10 multiple choice questions that require them to exhibit what they know about octopus.
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Starfish Challenge
In this starfish activity worksheet, students respond to 10 multiple choice questions that require them to exhibit the knowledge they have regarding starfish.
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Cloze Passage: Animal Survival
Combine your lessons on animals and context clues with this cloze procedure. Fifth graders fill in the fifteen missing words in the passage to help identify their reading level. There is no word bank provided, so you could create one for...
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Who Lives with Mallard?
Learners color a picture of the habitat featuring mallard and other creatures, some of whom might be camouflaged or half-hidden. They discuss other forms of animal adaptation.
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Follow a Fish
Students choose a fish from anywhere within the Ocean Center. They observe it for a given time, recording its behavior. Students comprehend the concept that living things have individual characteristics that enable them to live in their...
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Mariposas
Students examine how animals use camouflage for survival. In this investigative lesson students define vocabulary words and see how it is the environment that controls which adaptations will help in survival.
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Animal Adaptations
Animal adaptations, such as camouflage, are high-interest topics that are easily integrated into both reading and math curriculum.
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Create a New Animal
Students understand what physical adaptations are and how they help an animal to survive. For this adaptations lesson, students research four animals and then make an original animal that has adaptations to make them survive.
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Animal Adaptations
Young scholars use items from boxes to dress up classmates as animals adapted to a given environment.
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Dull Duck, Dashing Duck
Students examine the different colors and patterns found on animals bodies, specifically birds. Through discussion, students discover the use of the colors and patterns for protection from predators and the advantages while hunting prey,...
American Museum of Natural History
What's This? Staying Safe
Amaze the class with the creative adaptations species employ to trick predators. An online interactive lesson introduces learners to six different species with unique adaptations. Each species highlights a different adaptation and its...
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How to Tame a Field Trip to the Zoo
Keep your pupils focused on field trip learning objectives with before, during, and after activities.
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Who Eats Whom in the Salt Marsh?
Seventh graders complete a virtual online salt marsh tour. In groups, they observe and identify the various types of animals found in the marsh. After categorizing the animals, they create a food web based on the animals role in the...
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Structural and Behavioral Adaptations
Students participate in a role playing lab that allows students to experience how different beak adaptations play a role in the type of food the animal can eat, therefore playing a role in the survival of the species.
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What's All the Buzz About
Students participate in a game of charades to examine different animal behaviors. After reading an article, they discuss why bees waggle and how that behavior applies to humans. They research the behaviors of an animal of interest to...