EdTPA Indirect Instruction Lesson Plan Template

Animal Adaptations

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Central Focus/Big Idea: Animals Adaptations

Subject of this lesson: Animals and their habitats

Grade Level: Fourth Grade

NC Essential Standard(s): 4.L.1 Understand the effects of environmental changes, adaptations and
behaviors that enable animals (including humans) to survive in changing habitats.

Next Generation Science Standard(s): 4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have
internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

21st Century Skills: Communication Students are having to write and record their findings in a
variety of different ways. Students are preparing and interpreting a variety of methods and demonstrations
and having to record what they observe. Collaboration Students are working together in groups to
accomplish a larger goal. Students must work with others both in a small setting and a larger setting.
Information Literacy Students are reading and observing a variety of different resources. Students are
able to locate information through different resources and turn that information into knowledge. Students
are also comparing their findings to other information they are being presented with.

Academic Language Demand

Language Function: In the table below highlight the one most important language function for
your lesson. Explain why you chose this.

Analyze Argue Categorize Compare/contrast Describe Explain

Interpret Predict Question Retell Summarize

Analyze best describes this lesson because students have to analyze different animals and their habitats.
Students are having to discover different vocabulary words related to animals and their adaptations.

Scientific Vocabulary: Adaptations, Mammal, Herbivore, Molar, Carnivore, Canine Tooth,

Prehensile Tail, Blubber, Marine, Frigid, Buoyancy, Hibernation, Species, Scavenger, Prey,
Carcass, Predator, Exoskeleton, Antenna, Proboscis, Stinger, Beak, Talon, Camouflage, Mimicry.

Instructional Objective: 4.L.1 Understand the effects of environmental changes, adaptations and
behaviors that enable animals (including humans) to survive in changing habitats. I am going to expect
students to learn about different habitats and the animals that inhabit those places. I will also expect
students to learn about different adaptations animals have for these different habitats. The students will be
provided with questions at each station
Performance Students will complete a mini quiz after the lesson has been taught.

Conditions Independently

Criteria Students should have a total of 6 out of 8 questions correct.

Prior Knowledge (student): Students should already know a little bit about animals and how different
animals live in different environments. Students should also know a basis for the term environment and a
variety of different environments.

Content Knowledge (teacher): Teachers should know what animal adaptations are and how animals
meet their needs based on a response to information they receive within their environment. Teachers
should also know what kind of animals live in each type of environment and why.

Accommodations for special needs (individual and/or small group): To accommodate students with
special needs, the teacher will make sure that they fully understand the topic of the lesson as well as let
them experience more hands on findings and work together with a partner. To further accommodate, for
activities that require reading the teacher will pull those students aside and work on the activity as a
group. Students with accommodations will also be placed in a certain group when doing group work in
rotations.

Materials and Technology requirements: Smartboard/Projector for showing video. Chrome books
for station 2 in the explanation phase of the lesson.

Total Estimated Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Source of lesson: Colleague

Safety considerations: To ensure safety within this lesson I will give directions before allowing
students to begin with their work. When rotating stations students will walk and in an orderly fashion. For
the station that requires water, each student will have their own cup, straw, and sponge.
 Content and Strategies (Procedure)

Engage:

Oh Deer Game To begin this lesson I will take the students outside to a large field. I will then line the
students up in a straight side-by-side line where all of the students are facing the teacher. I will then give
the students instructions on how the game will work. The instructions are: I will divide you into half.
Half of you will be considered deer. The other half of you will be the resources. I will then pause and ask
the students what are the three resources that animals need in order to survive. I will then tell the
students that the resources will consist of food, water, and shelter. With this being said I will then tell the
students that everyone who is a resource will either be assigned a card that states food, water, or shelter
and will stand still in the field as a resource with their card facing forward so it can be seen by the deer.
The people who are the deer will be placed in a line and each handed a car that says what resource they
are LOOKING for. Each deer will have a card that is labeled water, food, or shelter. When I say so all
of the deer will turn around and I will pass out the cards to each student. Once you have your card and I
give you the go ahead, the deer will then turn around and WALK to someone who is a resource that has
the same card as you do. Once you have tagged that person the resource you have tagged will walk back
to the line with you. That resource you have tagged now becomes a deer like you. If you are a deer and
cannot find a resource in the field with the same card as you then you cannot meet your needs and you die
and become a resource. I will play this through several times with the students and after each round stop
and ask the students what they observed during that round such as the amount of resources or the number
of deer and why. I will then take the students back inside for the rest of the lesson.

Explore:

I will start off by playing a video for the students on animal adaptations. After the video has played I will
then bring the class to a class discussion about the different types of things that were displayed throughout
the video.

Questions: What is an environment? What is an adaptation? What factors determine how an animal adapts
to its environment? What do you know about animals who live in very hot climates? What do you know
about animals who live in very cold climates?

Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDSFlRunlrU

*If the video does not work or the internet is not available, the teacher should present these questions to
the class directly. The teacher should watch the video ahead of time and know all the aspects of things
that were touched on. The teacher should then present this to the class explaining each question in detail
for the students to understand*
Explanation:

To structure student learning from the exploration section the teacher will then set up six stations and
divide the students into groups of four. The teacher will then explain the directions of each station before
allowing the students to begin working. Each station will have a card board piece of paper that has
directions, questions to answer in daybooks, and what station they are at. The students must complete the
activity and answer each question at each station. Each station will last 8 minutes. Below are the stations
with a description of what is happening in each.

Station 1:
This station has two items of business. First is the Sorting Game and the other is Piercing.

Sorting Game

Lay the tiles out on the table for each type of insect mouth.

Sort the types of insects by the type of mouth they have.

Choose 2 and describe why this adaptation helps them eat their food.

Piercing

Use the pipettes to soak up the colored water from the container.

1. How does the needle like mouth allow a mosquito to get its food?
2. Can you think of any other insects that have a needle like mouth?

Station 2:
Can You Find Me?

Use the website provided and create either a predator or prey and see if you can hide it in the chosen
habitat.

Answer the following questions:

1. Are these adaptations examples of structural or behavioral adaptations?

2. Why do animals use camouflage?
3. What other animals can you think of that use camouflage?

This station focuses on using technology and working with technology to find predators and prey
throughout a fun game like learning website.
Station 3:
Vocabulary Match

Use the cards to match the vocabulary words to their definitions. Write any new words and definitions
in your journal. Use your time wisely. If you have time, play a memory game.

Station 4:
Siphoning

Use a clean straw to suck up water from a clean cup.

1. Which vocabulary word are we demonstrating?

2. How does this help a butterfly eat nectar?
3. Can you think of any other insects with this type of mouth?

Sponging

Use your materials to explore how this type of mouth works.

1. Why does the sponging mouth work for a fly?

2. What do you think a fly eats?

Station 5:
Photo Cards

Look at each animal on the cards provided. Read the questions and answers aloud with your group.
Make a list in your journal of each animal and its adaptations for survival. Identify each adaptation as
either structural or behavioral. Your table may look like the following:

Animal Adaptations Structural or Behavioral?

 Station 6:
Adaptation Sorting

Use the mats to identify adaptations each of these animals has for survival in its habitat. Answer the
following questions after completing the task:

1. Name each animal and identify its most useful adaptation. (Which adaptation is most critical
for survival in your opinion?)
2. Why are each of these animals most suited for the habitat in which they live?

To structure sharing from exploration I will bring the class back together after each station has been
completed. I will then address each station by asking students what they learned/wrote at each of the six
stations. I will facilitate the discussion by providing students with a variety of correct answers if the
concepts have not been met fully.

Elaborate: Animal Adaptations Quiz To elaborate on what was learned throughout the explanation
phase of this lesson students will be seated in their desks and told to take out a pencil and clear their desk
of any other materials. I will then explain ALL of the directions to students and that when they have
completed the assignment they are to turn it into the green basket and begin working on any unfinished
materials such as iReady assignments. [Quiz provided below]

Evaluate: To assess students learning throughout this lesson I, the teacher, will collect the Animal
Adaptations Quiz for a grade. To check for accuracy students will get one point for each correct answer
and zero points for any incomplete or incorrect answers that are provided. Students must receive a 6 out
of 8 total points in order to have mastery of this standard. The teacher will also ask a variety of questions
to the students throughout the explanation phase to evaluate learning.

Formative The teacher will go around the room and ask each student questions regarding the station that
they are currently in. The teacher will ask questions that the student should have gathered throughout the
lesson.

Summative The teacher will collect the assessment Animal Adaptations Quiz for a grade. The
students should receive a total of 6 out of 8 points to master the standard.

Assessment Results of all objectives/skills: After completion of the lesson and collecting all
assessments the results showed that 20 out of the 24 students received mastery of this lesson.

Reflection on lesson:

CT signature/confirmation: _________________________________ Date: ________________

Resources:

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDSFlRunlrU

Animal Adaptations Quiz: