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Animals Dotted Tracing Activity
In this tracing learning exercise, students trace 3 words related to animals: adapt, camouflage and habitat. A reference web site is included for additional activities.
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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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Hide and Seek
Students examine animals that use camouflage and discuss why they use it. They create drawing of an imaginary animal that uses camouflage to hide in the classroom and identify the adaptations that would allow it to hide effectively.
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Finding Caterpillars
Students examine how animals protect themselves from predators and camouflage themselves. They participate in a simulation in which they locate red and green yarn "caterpillars," organize their data, and generate a bar graph using...
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Biodiversity in Illinois-Pond Habitats
Second graders construct a pond habitat in the classroom using a small swimming pool partially filled with water, real cattails, a tree log adjoining, and plastic animal life appropriate to a pond setting. They examine the frog in detail...
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Awesome Adaptations!
Second graders explore biology by researching animal characteristics. In this adaptation lesson, 2nd graders identify the history of several animals and research the changes that have occurred to their anatomy over thousands of years....
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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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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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Where in the Wild?
Students investigate the purpose of animals' ability to camouflage. In this animal science lesson, students read the text Where in the Wild? and identify animals that are predators and prey. Students discuss how camouflage is necessary...
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Spiders Catch Prey
Students see that spiders catch and eat their prey and are also caught and eaten by their enemies. They sort the pictures into animals that spiders eat, those they do not eat, and those that are spiders.
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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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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
Students use items from boxes to dress up classmates as animals adapted to a given environment.
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The Great Jellybean Hunt
Students model natural selection by acting as predators of jellybeans. In this evolution lesson, students use plastic utensils to pick up jellybeans. They use different colors of backgrounds to demonstrate the effects of camouflage and...
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Seaworthy Presentations
First graders research ocean animals and plants on the web. In this ocean habitat lesson, 1st graders prepare a multimedia presentation. Students will work on their presentations in pairs and every group should have its own animals or...
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Camouflage in Animal Habitats
Students investigate how animals in an ecosystem interact with a nonliving environment through camouflage. They work in cooperative groups to "go fishing" and record how many of each color of fish they "catch." After entering data on a...
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Coqui Frog Camouflage
Students investigate the concept of the coqui frog of Puerto Rico. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Students explain in oral or written form some of the characteristics to that identify the frog. The lesson includes...
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Trout Are Made of Trees Crayon Mural
Students recognize that for a trout habitat to be ideal, several components must be present. In this trout instructional activity, students explore what makes a healthy stream. Students create paintings for a mural of a trout habitat....
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The Great Jellybean Hunt
Learners explore natural selection and its influence on the populations to fine tune traits and characteristics. The acquisition of traits developed out of need is examined through a game played in class.
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Dull Duck, Dashing Duck
Learners learn about animal camouflage. In this animal adaptations lesson, students discuss the patterns and adaptations animals use to help them survive, discuss the uses of camouflage, visit a local wetland if possible, and design...
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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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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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Mimics Survive -- Camouflaged Reptiles
Students examine mimicry as a survival strategy in repiles. They examine examples of the Mexican milksnake and the coralsnake in attempt to distinguish the differences in them. They discuss other species that use mimicry.