Animal Adaptation Lesson

Audience: 5th grade

Number of students: 30
Time frame: Class 503 8:00 - 9:10 and 9:55 - 10:30 (90 minutes)
Class 502 10:30 - 11:55 (85 minutes)
Class 501 12:50 - 2:20 (90 minutes)
Objective: for the students to learn different animal adaptations and how
adaptations help animals survive in their habitats.
Materials:
[ ] Turtle Shell
[ ] Porcupine Quills
[ ] 6 different animal pelts
[ ] Raptor Talons
[ ] Owl Wings/Owl Mount/Owl Wing demonstration/owl pellet
[ ] Beak Demonstration/6 bowls/6 spoons/6 tongs/beans/pasta/little
beads
[ ] Big post it note paper (at least 18 sheets)
[ ] Adaptation/Habitat cards
[ ] Pictures of camouflage
[ ] Printed Scavenger Hunts
[ ] Printed directions for Create a Creature
[ ] Optional: Recycled Materials to create a creature
[ ] Optional: Live Animals
Outline
Introduction (10 minutes)
What is a nature center, nametags, topic of the day: Animal
Adaptations
Animal Adaptation Lesson (20 minutes)
Talk about what habitats are and how animal adaptations help them
survive in them. Give examples of adaptations, and then hand out some
different animal parts and have kids talk about what the part is and how it
is an adaptation. Make sure to talk about behavioral and physical
adaptations.

Additional Awesomeness: bring in different animals to show and talk

about their adaptations.
Additional Awesomeness: time permitted; bird beak activity
Create a Creature Lesson (40 minutes)
Hand out cards and poster paper and pass out crayons, markers,
coloring pencils etc. Have students come up with a creature living in its
special habitat and how the adaptations help them survive in their habitat.
Additional Awesomeness: Provide recycled materials and have students
create a creature using those materials.
Animal Scavenger Hunt (20 minutes)
Go on a hike around the school looking for animal adaptations.