Writing about Sandy Shore Critter Adaptations

Lesson at a glance: This activity is a reflection after students have visited the beach. Students will write about an animal and what adaptations they observed.

Goal: Students will be able to identify some common adaptations that animals use to survive on Oregon sandy beaches.

Oregon Content Standards:

Science

2.1 Structure and Function: Living and non-living things vary throughout the natural world.

2.1L.1 Compare and contrast characteristics and behaviors of plants and animals and the environments where they live.

2.3 Scientific Inquiry: Scientific inquiry is a process used to explore the natural world using evidence from observations.

2.3S.3 Make, describe, and compare observations, and organize recorded data.

Other Content Areas

Writing

Ocean Literacy: Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts

5. The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems.

5.d. Ocean biology provides many unique examples of life cycles, adaptations and important relationships among organisms (symbiosis, predator-prey dynamics and energy transfer) that do not occur on land.

Materials:

• Paper and pencils
• Written where all students can see:

I saw a _____________ and it held on to _____________ by its _____________.

It ate _______________with its __________________.

It protected itself from __________________by _________________.

It hid itself from ______________________ by _____________________.

Estimated Time: ½ hour

Activity:

1. Ask students to fill in the blanks for one organism they saw on their field trip.

2. Take pictures of tide pool organisms to help students remember.

3. Compare the adaptations of each of their animals.

Extensions:

1. Have students expand upon their writing by including other adaptations.

2. Have students write a fictional story about how their tide pool creature spends its day.

3. Have students do an oral presentation of their animal’s adaptations to their group or the class.