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Smart Parts (thumbs up motion), Smart Moves (run fast motion)
Or, in song, "Adapt, Adaptation, changes in the body to fit a location"
Either way . . .
Adaptations are smart part (structures) and smart moves (behaviors) that help an organism survive and reproduce in an environment.
And . . .
Adaptations lead to natural selection.
Part 1: Introduction to Adaptation
Read the Adaptations Reading from the Populations and Ecosystems book (pp. 42-45).
Based on the reading, answer questions on the Adaptations Textbook Reading sheet.
Part 2: Identifying Adaptations Movie
Watch the "How Do Animals Do That?" movie (~1 hour). Run 1/2 of the movie one day, 1/2 the next.
During the movie, complete the "How Do Animals Do That?" assignment sheet.
Part 3: Identifying Adaptations Book
Make a table like this in your journal. Read "The World's Strangest Animals" and fill in the table.
Identifying Adaptations
For a bonus, read the other "World's Strangest Animals" and this 2019 article on "the blob" and extend + fill in the table.
Part 4: Brainstorm a Bird
An adaptation helps an organism survive in an environment so it can reproduce.
You are going to create a bird and the environment to which it is adapted.
For inspiration, watch the bird beak adaptations movie (10 minutes).
Objective:
Design an environment and a new species of bird with its adaptations. To do this:
Use a text structures graphic organizer to draft three different sentence types and three different paragraph types.
Then write a 4-paragraph description of how the bird's adaptations help it survive in its environment.
Then draw in color the environment and your bird with adaptations labeled.
To do this, follow the procedure below and use your own Google Docs in classroom.google.com.
Materials:
Brainstorm a Bird Text Structures draft page
Brainstorm a Bird paragraphs (individual copies are in Google Classroom)
Colored pencils or markers
Procedure:
As a class, we will brainstorm a variety of bird adaptations and discuss how these adaptations increase the bird's survival.
As a class, we will brainstorm adjectives to describe different environments.
Think about where you would like your bird to live (its environment) and what adaptations will help your bird survive in the environment you choose.
Watch the Text Structures PowerPoint.
Complete the Brainstorm a Bird written page (your copy in Google Classroom)
Do a color drawing of the environment and bird and label 2+ adaptations.
View this completed sample to help with the writing.
See other creative samples to help with inspiration.
Grading:
This may be graded based on our "on time" skill rubric using these guidelines:
4 - End of day on the 2nd day working on project (Tue., 3/17)
3.5 - End of day on the 3rd day working on project (Thu., 3/19)
3 - End of day on the 4th day working on project (Fri., 3/20)
2.5 - End of day on the 5th day working on project (Mon., 3/23)
2 - End of day two weeks later (Fri., 3/27)
1.5 End of day three weeks later (Fri., 4/3)
1 - End of day any day later
To be accepted, all three parts below must be complete per included instructions.
Color drawing complete with environment, bird, and 2+ labeled adaptations
Pacing Guide for 4/4:
Complete procedure steps 1-4 in class on day 1 (see "Procedure" above).
Complete step 5 as homework on day 1.
Complete steps 6-8 in class on day 2.
Part 5: Mimicry Challenge
Mimicry - Structural Adaptation
Monarch butterflies are poisonous. Viceroy butterflies are not. Read this for more on butterfly mimicry.
Mimicry - Behavioral Adaptation
Fish school up and in so doing can mimic a large fish, which helps them survive.
Mimicry Challenge:
Students stand in a circle, shoulder to shoulder.
One student leaves the circle and looks away, while the person is gone, the rest of the students subtly decide on one person to be "it,"
The person who is "it" starts a repetitive motion (tapping knees, patting head, etc) and all other students in the circle do the same motion.
Then the absent person returns to the center of the circle.
The person who is "it" tries to guess who is "it."
Debrief Questions:
How did it feel to be a follower?
How did it feel to be a leader ("it")?
How did it feel to be an outsider?
What is a real-life example of a time when it is smart to mimic or just fit in?
What is an example of a time when it is not a good idea to mimic or just fit in?
Part 6: Adaptation Auction
Who's the fastest talker in the world? Well, that's the auctioneer.
An adaptation auction is fun, and it highlights how adaptations are crucial to species success.
Auction Guidelines:
Brainstorm a list (~20 is good) of animal adaptations such as scales, gills, fur, nocturnal/night vision, carnivore, wings, lays eggs, etc.
Students groups of 2-4 decide on a treasurer, who's in charge of their bank account, an auction bidder, and someone who's keeping track of what adaptations they've won and are going for (this goes to auction bidder if only 2 people).
The goal of the auction is for each team to 'buy' adaptations to build a creature.
The way the auction is run is the facilitator (usually the teacher) gives time before for the teams to look at the whole list and pick the adaptations they'll want and discuss their financial strategy.
Each group starts with $1000 and has to bid in increments of $50.
Then we go through starting at the top and auction each adaptation off.
Only the bidder is allowed to raise their hand; but whoever bids is held to it. The highest bidder wins that adaptation. Make sure you don't bid money you don't have.
[Its fun to keep 1-3 as 'mystery' adaptations, and then depending on the group and how cooperative they've been either reward them with something really cool that isn't already on the list (poisonous skin! Eight eyes!) or something ridiculous that the students may laugh at (musk! evisceration aka exploding guts! Scent glands on your feet!).]
At the end of the game, teams do the following on a piece of paper:
Name the organism,
draw the organism and its environment, and
describe the animal's adaptations.
Then partner teams up and 'battle' their animals by asking "who would survive better in a ______ecosystem" and discuss.
Debrief Questions (answer on the piece of paper with the organism):
What adaptations do humans have and how are those crucial for survival?
How quickly do you think animals in the real world evolve their adaptations?
How might climate change affect adaptations?
How do genetics play a role in adaptation development?
Adaptation Extension 1: Adaptation Essay
Write two paragraphs following these guidelines.
Adaptation Extension 2: Adaptation Game - Echo Location
Prepare for and run the Bat and Moth Echo Location game.
Come up with and have students answer debrief questions for the game. In your debrief questions, include at least one question from each of Costa's three levels (Costa's 3 Levels - AVID Costa).
Adaptation Extension 3: Adaptation Game - Camouflage
Prepare for and run the Camouflage game.
Come up with and have students answer debrief questions for the game. In your debrief questions, include at least one question from each of Costa's three levels (Costa's 3 Levels - AVID Costa).
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