Amazing Animal Adaptations

Congruency table

New York State Alignment

Instructional Level: Elementary/Beginning Level

Grade Level:  Fourth Grade

NYS Standards/Performance Indicators correctly and completely referenced and replicated from Congruency Table:
New York State Math, Science and Technology (MST) Standard 4 – Science – The Physical Setting

Key Idea 3 – Individual organisms and species change over time.

 

Performance Indicator

Performance Indicators:
4.3.1 – Describe how the structures of plants and animals complement the environment of the plant or animal.
4.3.1a – Each animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival and reproduction.
4.3.1a.1 – wings, legs or fins enable some animals to seek shelter and escape predators
4.3.1a.2 – the mouth, including teeth, jaws and tongue, enables some animals to eat and drink
4.3.1a.3 – eyes, nose, ears, tongue, and skin of some animals enable to animals to sense their surroundings
4.3.1a.4 – claws, shells, spines, feathers, fur, scales, and color of body covering enable some animals to protect themselves from predators and other environmental conditions, or enable them to obtain food.
4.3.1.a.5 – some animals have parts that are used to produce sounds and smells to help the animal meet its needs
4.3.1.a.6 – the characteristics of some animals change as seasonal conditions change

Common Core Standards – English Language Arts
SL.4.4 - Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

 

Instructional Task	Learning Objectives	Student Work	Assessment Tools
Students observe how animals’ behavior and  physical structures are used for growth, reproduction and survival by interacting during a power point presentation (using ONfinity system) – Whole Class     Students listen, observe and ask questions during a presentation by a reptile expert. – Whole Class       Students create and present a project to report their understanding of animal adaptations (projects address a variety of learning styles). – Individual  Students complete the post- test with parallel questions.	Students accurately identify traits, functions, characteristics and structures that help animals grow, reproduce and survive.               Students discuss purpose of animal adaptation and its relationship to the survival of a species.       Students observe the physical characteristics of live animals as presented by an expert. Students ask questions to gather additional information about animal adaptations.   Students demonstrate knowledge of animal adaptation through the creation and presentation of a project.   Students demonstrate their knowledge at the conclusion of the learning experience.	Adaptation Pre-test                             Discussion                 Student observation and questions                 Adaptation Project                 Adaptation Post- test	Pre-test Percent Score                           Anecdotal records                 Observation with anecdotal notes                   Adaptation Project Rubric               Post-test percent score   Analysis of pre-test and post-test scores.