5th grades
Project: transdisciplinary theme:
Due 10/14/2011
How the world works.
Central idea: Living things have features that help them survive in their environment
In September we are beginning a short-term exploration of animal adaptations.
Part of our work includes reading articles, viewing videos and visiting websites that
provide us with information about animals, their adaptations, and their natural
habitats.
 Students will find information about the characteristics of a specific Biome,
including the various animals and plants that live there.
 Students will identify adaptations the animals and plants developed to help
them survive in their Biome.
 Students will create at least one imaginary plant and animal that has the
adaptations to survive in the Biome. The group will create a poster, a power
point or a model that shows their imaginary plant and animal and describes
the adaptations they have to survive in the assigned Biome. They will present
to the class.(in French)
.Investigate the Facts
When people hear the word adapt, one of the first things that comes to mind is
"fitting in." People always have to adapt or change to different situations or places.
For animals, including people, adaptation is often a matter of life or death! If they
don't adapt in certain ways to their surroundings, they will not survive. Humans
even use technology to adapt. Think of the space suits used by astronauts to
control their temperature and for breathing so they can adapt and survive space
travel.
Technology may be okay for humans to use, but for the rest of the animals in the
world, adaptation means having certain body parts or behaviors that allow the
animals to survive and thrive in their environments.
Animal Adaptations Observation Sheet
1. Select an animal that interests you:
5th grades
Due 10/14/2011
2. What special adaptations does the animal have to help him succeed in its
environment? (How his physical part is suitable to that habitat to help him live,
feed, and protect himself against other animals and weather,
3. Are the adaptations a physical part of the animal? Or, are the adaptations more
of a behavior that the animal uses?
4. If this animal didn't have these adaptations, what problems might it face?
5. Do other animals in this environment have similar adaptations? Which animals?
Use for each question any appropriate image to illustrate your finding.
Read
Sample
Reports
Sample Report
Kids around the country are getting the dirt on animal
adaptations. Check out some examples of what they've found.
How do their findings compare to yours?
Squirrel
The squirrel has claws to climb trees and to grasp things, the squirrel has teeth to crack
open nuts, and whenever a person tries to catch a squirrel, the squirrel scampers up a tree.
The adaptations of my animal are physical and behavior because claws and teeth are physical
and scampering up a tree is a part of behavior to the squirrel. If the squirrel didn't have
claws, the squirrel couldn't climb trees, crack open nuts or grasp things, and if the squirrel
didn't have teeth the squirrel couldn't eat. The squirrel might face problems like being
caught by other animals, and people would catch squirrels and kill them and then the
squirrels might become endangered or extinct. Yes, the beaver has similar adaptations to
the squirrel
http://www.uen.org/utahlink/activities/view_activity.cgi?activity_id=4
750
5th grades
Due 10/14/2011