Unit Plan Title: Animal Habitats & Adaptations
Developed By: Pamela Gunner Grade Level: Third Length of Unit: Three weeks
Standard: What standards will provide the focus for this unit? Choose one core content and one educational technology.
Science – Life Science: 3.L.3.1 – Students are able to describe how species depend on one another and the environment for survival
Technology – Communication Processes: 3.CP.1.1 – Participate within a group to produce digital output for a given assignment
Technology – Communication Tools: 3.CT.2.1 and 3.CT.2.2 – Use a word processor to develop a product & develop documents in design applications
Essential Questions: What essential questions will focus this unit?
How do animals and their habitats work together to coexist? What adaptations do animals use to help them survive in their environment? How can we use technology to learn more about animal habitats and adaptations and share our learning?
Academic Vocabulary: List the key terms students will need to know in order to understand the content.
Science terms: Habitat, adaptation, biome, ecosystem, desert, wetland, rainforest, tundra, taiga, grassland, deciduous, coniferous; Technology terms: wikispace, blog, upload
Learning Targets: What are the knowledge, reasoning, skill, and product targets unpacked from the standard or benchmark?
Students will be able to describe how various species depend on one another and their environment for survival. Students will utilize a variety of technology skills to demonstrate their understanding of this and share it with the other students in the class.
Page 1

Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy
Create Evaluate Analyze Apply Understand Remember
Content (nouns)
What topics do students need to know?
Students will need to know that all living things depend upon one another to survive.
Students will also need to know that animals make certain adaptations to help them survive.
Students should already be familiar with using the Internet and Edmodo for class discussions.
Skill
(verbs)
What should students be able to do to process and retain the knowledge?
Students will need to share their understanding with their classmates in a variety of ways and be able to answer questions and contribute to the discussion on our classroom blog using Edmodo.
Assessments
What could students do or create to demonstrate their understanding?

Complete a K-W-L Chart to begin discussion and assess knowledge.

Make a concept map of each habitat using Bubbl.us

Read books that are environmentally connected.

Participate in discussion and share discoveries, understandings, and questions with class using
Edmodo.

Register with Ed’s Amazon
Adventure, read his blog entries and view his video footage, and ask him questions about his journey.
 Design an interactive poster using Glogster to share with the class.
 Create a Wordle picture using a story about their habitat.

Produce a slideshow about a particular animal to share with the class using
Animoto.

Practice understanding using the Quizlet flashcards.

Join in the Webquest.

Make a word puzzle for students to complete using the vocabulary list.

Construct an art activity of students’ choice.

View videos of various animals and their habitats.
Page 2

Planning the Learning Experiences: What learning experiences will equip students to demonstrate the targeted learnings?
In other words, what instructional strategies can be used to facilitate students’ ability to successfully complete the assessments?
Learning Cycle
Where: How will you let participants know the expected outcomes/purpose of the work?
*Modeling, Rubrics, Questioning, Discussion
Hook: How will you engage participants?
*How do animals and their habitats work together to coexist? What adaptations to animals use to survive in their environments?
Explore: What activities will provide experiences and explorations to equip participants for completing the final performances?
*View videos of animals & habitats.
*Webquest: Walk in the Woods
*Follow Ed Stafford’s journey across the Amazon
Rainforest.
Reflect: In what ways will participants be encouraged to dig deeper through feedback and self-assessment?
*Thoughtful discussion & questioning on Edmodo
*Concept mapping
*Quizlet flash cards
*Vocabulary puzzles
Exhibit: How will participants show their level of understanding? Evaluate their strengths and challenges?
*Concept map using Bubbl.us
*Glogster posters
*Animoto slide shows
*Wordle word pictures
*Diorama, mobile, or terrarium
Tech Integration
*Animal Habitats &
Adaptations Wikispace
*Edmodo
* Discovery Education &
Teacher Tube
*Bubbl.us
*Walking the Rainforest- journey with Ed Stafford
*Glogster
*Animoto
*Quizlet
*Walk in the Woods
Webquest
Reading Strategies (KWL Charts, Concept
Maps, Paragraph Outlines, etc.)
Before
*K-W-L Chart
*Bubbl.us concept map
During
*Reading books that have strong environmental themes
*Discussion & blogging on Edmodo and on
Walking the Rainforest with Ed Stafford
*Wordle word pictures
*Quizlet flashcards
*Vocabulary word puzzles
After
*Final discussion blog on Edmodo & uploading of any documents to share with class
21 st Century Skills: Information, Media and
Technology Skills
Information Literacy
Access and Evaluate Information
Use and Manage Information
Media Literacy
Analyze Media & Create Media Products
ICT Literacy (Information,
Communications, and Technology Literacy
Apply Technology Effectively
Lessons/Activities: Use this space to describe sequence of learning activities, materials/resources needed, time frames, etc.
Students will access the Animal Habitats & Adaptations Wikispace & Edmodo to participate in this unit.
Throughout the unit, they will be able to get all activities and links needed to successfully complete the unit and they will need to access Edmodo daily in order to respond to the classroom blog & discussion question(s).
This unit will require three weeks to complete and will consist of in-class work and Internet use to participate in blogging and discussion with the class. There will be a number of excellent available videos to view as well as a Webquest to participate in. The literacy choices will all be focused on the theme of the unit as will the writing activities. The culminating activity will demonstrate the students’ understanding of Animal Habitats and Adaptations. Students will design a variety of technology-based creations to share with the class, as well as an art-related creation.
Page 3

Modifications: In what ways will the learning experiences be differentiated to meet student needs?
Far Below Standard Approaching Standard Meeting Standard Exceeding Standard
Student recognizes that there are different habitats, but cannot differentiate between them or identify their characteristics
Student recognizes the different habitats and can explain their characteristics as well as some of the adaptations that animals need to survive in them
Student recognizes different habitats and can explain their characteristics as well as the adaptations that animals need to survive
Student recognizes all of the different habitats and can explain and describe their specific characteristics and can also explain the adaptations that animals use to survive and how the habitat and animal work together to survive
Page 4