Animal Adaptations - Lakeshore Learning...Animal Adaptations 1st–2nd Grade Objective • Explore...

5
Animal Adaptations 1st–2nd Grade Objective • Explore the relationship between a bird’s beak and its ability to find food and survive. Materials Needed • “Awesome Adaptations” and “A Beak for Every Job” information cards • “Why Do Birds Have Different Beaks?” activity card • Easy-Grip Safety Tweezers - Set of 12 [EE607] • Spoons • Super-Safe Eyedroppers - Set of 12 [LA446] • Plastic fish and plastic worms (or other small objects to represent fish and worms) • Plastic tray • Water Products with item numbers are available at LakeshoreLearning.com. Introduction 1. Ask students, “Have you ever wondered why a turtle has a hard shell? Or why a chameleon can change colors to match its surroundings?” 2. Explain that these are two examples of animal adaptations, or ways that animals change in order to survive in their environment. Procedure 1. Tell students that you are going to learn about a variety of animal adaptations and how they help animals survive and thrive. 2. Give each student a copy of each information card and read “Awesome Adaptations” aloud as students follow along. (You can also invite student volunteers to take turns reading the paragraphs aloud.) 3. Ask the following questions to allow students to reflect on the passage: • What are some ways that animals keep from being eaten by other animals? • How is camouflage helpful for certain animals? 4. Read “A Beak for Every Job” and ask students the following questions: • Can you describe the different beaks mentioned in the passage? • How are the different types of beaks useful to the different birds? What purposes do they serve? Guided Practice 1. Tell students that, as a follow-up to reading “A Beak for Every Job,” they are going to conduct an experiment to determine what kind of beak is best for a particular purpose. 2. Divide the class into small groups of three or four students. Give each group a plastic tray with a small amount of water, a spoon, a pair of tweezers, an eyedropper, and some plastic worms and fish. ©Lakeshore www.lakeshorelearning.com

Transcript of Animal Adaptations - Lakeshore Learning...Animal Adaptations 1st–2nd Grade Objective • Explore...

Page 1: Animal Adaptations - Lakeshore Learning...Animal Adaptations 1st–2nd Grade Objective • Explore the relationship between a bird’s beak and its ability to find food and survive.

Animal Adaptations1st–2nd GradeObjective

• Exploretherelationshipbetweenabird’sbeakanditsabilitytofindfoodandsurvive.

Materials Needed• “AwesomeAdaptations”and“ABeakforEveryJob”

informationcards• “WhyDoBirdsHaveDifferentBeaks?”activitycard• Easy-GripSafetyTweezers-Setof12[EE607]• Spoons• Super-SafeEyedroppers-Setof12[LA446]• Plasticfishandplasticworms(orothersmallobjectsto

representfishandworms)• Plastictray• WaterProducts with item numbers are available at LakeshoreLearning.com.

Introduction

1. Askstudents,“Haveyoueverwonderedwhyaturtlehasahardshell?Orwhyachameleoncanchangecolorstomatchitssurroundings?”

2.Explainthatthesearetwoexamplesofanimaladaptations,orwaysthatanimalschangeinordertosurviveintheirenvironment.

Procedure1. Tellstudentsthatyouaregoingtolearnaboutavarietyofanimaladaptationsandhowtheyhelpanimals

surviveandthrive.

2.Giveeachstudentacopyofeachinformationcardandread“AwesomeAdaptations”aloudasstudentsfollowalong.(Youcanalsoinvitestudentvolunteerstotaketurnsreadingtheparagraphsaloud.)

3.Askthefollowingquestionstoallowstudentstoreflectonthepassage:

•Whataresomewaysthatanimalskeepfrombeingeatenbyotheranimals?

•Howiscamouflagehelpfulforcertainanimals?

4.Read“ABeakforEveryJob”andaskstudentsthefollowingquestions:

•Canyoudescribethedifferentbeaksmentionedinthepassage?

•Howarethedifferenttypesofbeaksusefultothedifferentbirds?Whatpurposesdotheyserve?

Guided Practice

1. Tellstudentsthat,asafollow-uptoreading“ABeakforEveryJob,”theyaregoingtoconductanexperimenttodeterminewhatkindofbeakisbestforaparticularpurpose.

2.Dividetheclassintosmallgroupsofthreeorfourstudents.Giveeachgroupaplastictraywithasmallamountofwater,aspoon,apairoftweezers,aneyedropper,andsomeplasticwormsandfish.

©Lakeshore www.lakeshorelearning.com

Page 2: Animal Adaptations - Lakeshore Learning...Animal Adaptations 1st–2nd Grade Objective • Explore the relationship between a bird’s beak and its ability to find food and survive.

3.Explainthatthetweezersrepresentalong,sharpbeakusedfordiggingandsearchingthroughmud;theeyedropperrepresentsalong,thinbeakusedforsippingflowernectar;andthespoonrepresentsabucket-likebeakusedforscoopingupfish.

4.Giveeachstudentacopyoftheactivitycard.

5.Encouragestudentstoworkwithintheirgroupsandtaketurnsfollowingtheinstructionsontheactivitycardasyoureadeachstepaloud.

6.Instructstudentstorecordtheirobservationsinthechart.

7.Invitestudentstoshareanddiscusswhattheylearnedbyconductingtheexperiment.

©Lakeshore www.lakeshorelearning.com

Page 3: Animal Adaptations - Lakeshore Learning...Animal Adaptations 1st–2nd Grade Objective • Explore the relationship between a bird’s beak and its ability to find food and survive.

Itisn’teasytobeananimal.Youhavetofindthingstoeat.Atthesametime,otheranimalsmightwanttoeatyou! Animalshavemanywaystosolvethisproblem.Someanimalsaresobigthatotheranimalscannothurtthem.Otheranimalsrunsofastthattheirenemiescannotcatchthem.Animalsmayprotectthemselves

withsharpspinesorhardshells.Ortheymayusecamouflagetohide.Camouflageiscolors,patterns,andshapesthatmakeananimalhardtosee. Solutionsthatworkinoneplacemightnotworkinanotherplace.Animalsmustchangetosuittheplacewheretheylive.Thisiscalledadaptation.

Information Card

Awesome Adaptations

How Not to Be Eaten

Page 4: Animal Adaptations - Lakeshore Learning...Animal Adaptations 1st–2nd Grade Objective • Explore the relationship between a bird’s beak and its ability to find food and survive.

Animalsadapttoprotectthemselvesfromenemies.Theyalsoadapttogetthefoodthatisfoundwheretheylive. Forbirds,gettingfoodmeanshavingtherightkindofbeak.Somebirdsneedbeakslikebucketstoscoopupwaterandfish.Hummingbirdssticktheirlong,thinbeaksintoflowers

tosiponnectar.Otherbirdsneedlong,sharpbeaksthatcanprobethemudforworms. Therearemanydifferentkindsofbeaks.Eachonedoesitsjobwell.Scientistscantellwhatbirdseatjustbylookingattheirbeaks!

Information Card

A Beak for Every Job

How Birds Get Food

Page 5: Animal Adaptations - Lakeshore Learning...Animal Adaptations 1st–2nd Grade Objective • Explore the relationship between a bird’s beak and its ability to find food and survive.

Wh

y D

o B

ird

s H

ave

Dif

fere

nt

Bea

ks?

Too

lW

hat

kind

of

bird

bea

kis

thi

s to

ol li

ke?

Wou

ld a

bir

d us

e th

is t

ype

of b

eak

to p

ick

up w

orm

s,fi

sh, o

r ne

ctar

?

Nam

eYo

u w

ill n

eed:

twee

zers

, spo

on, e

yedr

oppe

r,pl

asti

c w

orm

s, p

last

ic f

ish,

pl

asti

c tr

ay, w

ater

spoo

n

twee

zers

eyed

ropp

er

Thin

k of

a b

ird

that

you

hav

e se

en o

r re

ad a

bout

. H

ow d

oes

it u

se it

s be

ak

to g

et f

ood?

Wri

te a

bout

it o

n a

shee

t of

pap

er.

Try

Th

is!

Do

this

:1.

Pla

ce a

sm

all a

mou

nt o

f

wat

er in

the

pla

stic

tra

y.

Pr

eten

d th

e w

ater

is n

ecta

r

from

a f

low

er.

2. I

mag

ine

the

twee

zers

,

eyed

ropp

er, a

nd s

poon

are

diff

eren

t ty

pes

of b

ird

beak

s.

U

se t

hem

to

pick

up

the

pl

asti

c w

orm

s, p

last

ic f

ish,

and

wat

er.

3. C

ompl

ete

the

char

t.

Ty

pes

of

Bea

ks

Ty

pes

of

Bea

ks sc

oopi

ng b

eak

prob

ing

beak

sipp

ing

beak

Act

ivit

y Ca

rd