Desert Plant and Animal Adaptations

Grade Four - Science/Social Studies

Science:  S1a; S2a; S2b; S2c; S5c; S5f; S7c
English Language Arts:  E1a; E1c; E2a; E3b; 
Applied Learning:  A3a
Chariho Technology Standards: 3.2, 3.8

How are plants and animals suited to their environment?
How can we show our understanding of how plants and animals are suited to the desert environment?

Task 1:  Assess Prior Knowledge
The students will be given approximately five minutes to individually brainstorm general plant and animals adaptations that they already know about.  The class will use these as a starting point to develop a KWL chart specific to desert plants and animals.
V/L; Intra; V/S
Standards Addressed:  S2a; E3b

 
Task 2:  Vocabulary
The students will be given a list of approximately 20 words.  The class will read and discuss Chapters 2 & 3 in the Harcourt Brace Unit A series.  Play Vocabulary Bingo.  V/L 
Standards Addressed:  S2a

Task 3:  Food Chain/Food Webs

     a. The students will learn about the links in a simple food chain.  They will learn that plants and animals are linked in a predator/prey relationship.  The students will make chains out of  strips of construction paper.  To these, they will add the pictures representing the links of a simple food chain (i.e. sun, green grass, mouse, fox).  The class will discuss the dependence of animals on their food source and what would happen if a part of the food chain disappears or becomes scarce. 
Intra; B/K; V/S; Na 
Standards Addressed:  S2a; S2c

     b. The class will be divided into two groups.  Each student will be given a large index card with the name and picture of a desert animal or plant.  One student will be designated as the sun.  The student representing the sun will be given a ball of string.  The student will hold onto the end of the string and pass the ball to a plant (producer).  The student representing the plant will hold onto the string and pass the ball to another student representing a predator (consumer) that would eat that plant.  That student (prey) would hold onto the string and pass the ball to another student representing its predator.  The remaining students would be added to the food web through discussion and connecting to the string.  The string connecting two parts of the web will be cut and discussion take place about the effect on other parts of that web.  This will continue until all parts of the web have been removed.  B/K; V/S; Inter; Na 
Standards Addressed:  S2a; S2c

     c. The teacher will read Everybody's Somebody's Lunch by Cherie Mason to the class. 
V/L;  Intra; V/S; Na; 
Standards Addressed:  S2a; S2c

     d.  The students will watch the video, Bill Nye the Science Guy: Food Web 
V/S;  M/R; V/L; Intra; Na 
Standards Addressed: S2a; S2b; S2c

Assessment:  The students will be able to complete the sheet labeled "Connected Food Chains."  See binder for this sheet

Task 4:  What are adaptations?

     The students will be familiar with the vocabulary from Chapters Two and Three from the Harcourt Brace Unit A series. 
V/L; Intra; Inter; L/M 

     a.  They should have a basic understanding of what adaptations are.
     b.  The students will be given copies of Wonders of the Desert by Louis Sabin and an activity sheet.  As they read the book (alone, partners, or as a group), they will be looking for animals and plants and their adaptations and recording their data on the activity sheet. 
V/L; L/M
Standards Addressed:  E1a; E1c; S2a; S2c; S5c
Assessment:  The students will be able to name four desert animals and two desert plants and write an explanation about their adaptations.
    c.  Replitracks:  The students will use the Replitracks kit to explore various animal feet adaptations.  These resin castings allow students to examine close-up the differences in feet and how these adaptations help with their survival.  The students will rotate through 18 stations and attempt to match the animal with the casting. 
B/K; Inter; Na 
Standards Addressed:  S2a; S2b

Task 5:  Movement
     a.   Seeds on the Move:  The students will gather different types of seeds.  Using various activities such as floating in a cup of water, the students will discover whether each seed can float, travels through the air, or sticks to your clothing. 
Na; B/K
Standards Addressed:  S2a; S2c

     b.  The students will listen to the song How Do the Seeds of Plants Travel?
M/R
Standards Addressed:  S2a

     c.  Animals on the Move:  The class will be provided with pictures of animal and insects that migrate.  They will discuss determine how these animals migrate (fly walk or swim) and the reasons for migration (bighorn sheep, monarch butterflies, warblers, etc.)
Standards Addresses:  S1a, S2a

Task 6:  Adaptations
     a.  Why Waxy?  The students will discover why some desert plants have waxy leaves.  Wet two paper towels.  Roll one paper towel  (cigar-like) and place rubber bands on each end.  Roll up the other paper towel with the wax paper on the outside and place rubber bands on each end.  Put both towels near a window or heat source.  The students will make predictions as to what will happen to the paper towel over time.  Check after four hours or next day.  The paper towel with the wax paper should stay wet longer, demonstrating to the students that waxy covered leaves on desert plants help it to retain more water. 
Standards Addressed:  S2a

     b.  On to the Desert:
Small groups will play this domino like game based on survival in the desert.  The cards can also be used to gather information during their research of a specific desert plant or animal.  This game can be used by students during center time. 
Na; B/K; Intra
Standards Addressed:  S2a

     c.  Desert Bingo: 
The class will play Desert Bingo.  Each student is given a card with six pictures of desert animals.  The teacher reads a clue describing an animal.  There are six clues for each.  If a student has a picture of the animal on their card, they cover it with a bingo marker.  First one to cover all six pictures wins. 
Intra; V/S; V/L
Standards Addressed:  S2a

Task 7:  Research/Data Collection (How to)
     The teacher will read Joanne Gise's A Picture Book of Desert Animals as a model for the Extended Piece of Work.  This will help the students have a clearer understanding of what is expected of them in their illustrations and what kind of information to be looking for during their research. 
     The classroom teacher will model the gathering of information and recording onto a graphic organizer.   Given a copy of a specific desert plant or animal, the class will help the teacher to read the information.  The teacher will use that information to fill out a graphic organizer to be used in the writing of a paragraph.  The students will apply this method to their research and writing for the Extended Piece of Work. 
Inter, V/L, L/M
Standards Addressed: E1c

Task 8:  Choose from a list, students collect data/information through research. 
     Choosing from  a list of desert plants and animals, the students will collect data/information through research from books, cd rom, Internet sites, reference books, etc.  The focus of their research is to be on what adaptations the plant or animal has that helps it to survive in the desert.  V/L; 
Standards Addressed:  S5c, S5f, E1c, A3a

Task 9:  The Art teacher will share with students various drawing techniques to refine their illustrations.  V/S 

Task 10:  Write paragraph, draw illustration 
     The teacher will establish/review guidelines for a complete paragraph. It will require several class periods to accomplish Tasks 8 through 10.  Once the rough draft has been approved by the teacher, the student will utilize an AlphaSmart to type the paragraph in order to upload into their PowerPoint slide. 
V/L; V/S; Intra
Standards Addressed:  E1c, E2a, A2c, 

Using a graphic organizer, the students will record information gathered during their research of a specific desert plant or animal adaptation.  The students will use various sources of information, including, but not limited to, encyclopedias, magazines, non-fiction books, Internet sources, software such as Encyclopedia of Nature, to construct a portion of a classroom book.  Their portion must inform the reader of the individual adaptations of the plant or animal they chose.  The student will describe in a paragraph as well as illustrate the adaptation within their individual habitat.  Using available software, such as PowerPoint or Flip Album, the illustrations and the descriptions will be compiled into a class e-book, which can be downloaded to create a book.  Extended Piece Sign
Standards Addresses:  S2a, S2c, E1c
Chariho Technology Standards Addressed: 3.2, 3.8

M.I. Extension - Any Strength Intelligences - Individual or small Group M.I. Project Contract:  Students will formulate a research question with regard to this unit topic.  He/She will work alone or in a small group to develop a class presentation of what they have learned about their topic.  Their research must be presented through three or more methods. (i.e. charts; graphs; oral reports; multi-media; dramatic role play, etc.).

CULMINATING ACTIVITY:

The students will share the book with their Book Pals or present their portion of the PowerPoint to another class in order to explain and share their knowledge of plant or animal adaptations.
Standards Addresses:  S7c

Extended Piece Rubric:
     In order to meet the standard, the paragraph must inform the reader of the adaptation(s) and should be a summary of the research recorded on their graphic organizer.  The illustration  must contain the correct habitat, predator or prey, accurate physical characteristics, and environmental conditions. Rubric

Kits:

Replitracks Sampler - Museum Products

Harcourt Science - Life Science. (2000). Harcourt, Inc.  Orlando, FL. 

Jerry Palotta - Dory Story
Bobby Kalman - How Do Animals Adapt?
Bobby Kalman - What Are Food Chains and Webs?
Patricia Lauber - Who Eats What?
Cherie Mason - Everybody's Somebody's Lunch
Michel Barre - How Animals Protect Themselves
Susan Baker - Keeping Warm
David Burnie - Animals: How They Work
Lucy Baker - Life in the Deserts
Joanne Gise - A Picture Book of Desert Animals (model for Extended Piece of Work)

Bill Nye the Science Guy - Food Web

Eduscapes- 4 2 eXplore - Animal Tracks
http://eduscapes.com/42explore/animaltracks.htm

Harcourt Science - Fun with Food Webs
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/food/food_menu.html

Harcourt Science - Exploring Deserts
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/exploring_ecosystems/desert.html

Dirtmeister's Animal Report - Animal Adaptations
http://teacher.scholastic.com/dirtrep/animal/tguide.htm

Oakland Zoo Animals, A to Z - Favorite Zoo Animals
http://www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/atoz.html

Earth Floor - How Environment Influences Adaptations
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/adapt.html

Desert Plant and Animal Adaptations
http://www.earlham.edu/~biol/desert/adapt.htm

Animal Adaptations
http://www.k12.nf.ca/shag/animals-home.htm

Animals on Defense - Animal Adaptations
http://www.richmond.edu/~ed344/webunits/adaptations/home.htm

Animal Adaptations - Region Boxes
http://www.accessexcellence.com/atg/data/released/0542-BehmLisa/description.html

Utah Education Network - Animal Adaptations
Animal Adaptations - http://www.uen.org/utahlink/activities/view_activity.cgi?activity_id=4750
Animal Defense - http://www.uen.org/utahlink/activities/view_activity.cgi?activity_id=3803

Franklin Institute - Design an Animal
http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/orient1.html

Franklin Institute - Animal Migration 
http://www.fi.edu/qa96/spotlight4/spotlight4.html

Amazing Animals by DK Multimedia
Encyclopedia of Nature 2.0 by DK Multimedia
Animals in the World by Sunburst