Overview

This project, aimed at 5th grade students, investigates how animals adapt to live in their environments. However, in order to add a freshness and a new level of critical thinking to this topic, the project goes beyond simple information gathering and reporting on animals by asking students to imagine what sort of animals might live on other worlds. 

Unit 1 Overview 

The project begins by introducing students to the topic of animal adaptations through the viewing of a DVD titled "Animal Adaptations." Students then use a selection of resources, provided to them in pathfinder format, to answer questions on an animal adaptations worksheet. This worksheet asks students a number of questions about specific animals and their particular adaptations.

Students then choose one animal to investigate more in-depth, using the Primary Search Database to find information on their animal's environment and adaptations.

Unit 2 Overview

In the second unit of this project, students are asked to investigate planets in the solar system, again using a pathfinder of resources in order to investigate the environmental conditions on these planets. This unit is less guided than the previous unit, in that students may also use the Primary Search Database, or any of the print resources in the library, in order to expand their knowledge. They may report on any of the planets in the solar system, including any of the moons. For those students who might have difficulty choosing a planet to study, a list of "easy" planets that would work well for this inquiry will be provided. Those students interested in a challenge may study a planet or moon of their choice.

Students will need to note the environment of this planet or moon, the temperature conditions, and other conditions, like is there a hard surface, is this a gas world, is it a world with a liquid layer under its crusty or hard surface. (Such as Europa's possible salty ocean under its icy surface) They should also note whether there is water or ice on this world, and if not, what sort of liquids or solids are there? Does this planet have an atmosphere, and what kind of atmosphere is it?

Students must record this information, and also record where they found it. Students will share this information with the class.

 Unit 3 Overview

This unit starts out by having the teacher read two short short stories to the class. The first, titled "Space Divers," is about the discovery of grazing "space cows" in an asteriod belt, as well as the discovery of a new species of animals that "dives" into space to feed on the droppings of these spacey cows. 

The second short story, titled "Treasures," tells a tale of an alien mother who suddenly finds her younglings are missing, and who must go and search for them. This story is told from the first person point of view of the alien mother, and highlights her reactions to her environment as she hunts for her children.

Both stories, by Annette Griessman (insert shameless plug here), are published in "The Tales of the Wonder Zone" anthology books, edited by Julie E. Czerneda.

After the short stories are read, students are asked to imagine what kind of creature, plant, or alien animal that might inhabit the planet or moon they investigated. They first should make a list of what types of creature this is, and its form or characteristics. Does it breath oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane, or does it breath something else? What might it eat? Where might it sleep? Students should go at this with the idea that, while their creature is imaginary, and most likely cannot exist as they describe, they should still consider how an animal might have adapted to live on this world. 

Once they have decided the characteristics of their creature, then the writing part of this unit begins. 

Students will, at this point, write an "Alien Diary," with three daily entries of their alien's life. The event their alien is recording in his or her diary? The arrival of a ship from Earth. Students can imagine what their creature might think of these strange visitors, and they can also imagine how visitors from Earth might interfere with their eating/sleeping/hunting habits. 

Unit Details

Details of each unit are listed separately, and how this project meets state education and information literacy standards is also noted separately. Worksheets, lists, and pathfinders are linked to each unit. The contributions of the teacher and the librarian are noted in each unit.