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Lesson Plan
Pace University

Grade 6-8 Living Things

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What characterizes a living thing? Scholars explore the concept during a differentiated instruction unit on living things. They perform lab experiments to determine how animals adapt to stimuli, watch videos and learn about...
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Lesson Plan
American Physiological Society

Sticky Adaptations A Lesson on Natural Selection

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Now you see it, now you don't! The stick bug exhibits the ability to disappear into a wooded environment. Why does this adaptation manifest in some species, but not in others? Life science students explore animal adaptations in nature...
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Unit Plan
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Curated OER

Artificial Selection

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The second lesson in the series begins with a starter activity discussing wild versus domesticated animals. Then, scholars play a card game, with optional variations, to emphasize artificial selection. Next, they attend a field trip to a...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Planning Writing: Bullfrog Information Paragraph

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Lesson ten in this unit for the book Bullfrogs at Magnolia Circle, prepares third graders to begin writing an informational paragraph about the adaptations of bullfrogs. First, young writers work either independently or in pairs to...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Mid-Unit Assessment: Close Reading of Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle: Bullfrog Life Cycle

For Teachers 3rd Standards
The sixth lesson plan in this Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle unit assesses your third graders' ability to read and understand informational text. The included assessment asks learners to take notes about the main idea and supporting details...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Continued Close Reading of Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle: Text-Dependent Questions and Vivid Words and Phrases

For Teachers 3rd Standards
As 3rd graders continue reading Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle, they focus on the concepts of predator and prey in the fifth lesson plan of this unit. Scholars further develop their ability to answer questions using evidence from the text...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Reading Closely to Expand Understanding of Adaptations

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Third graders work to determine the main idea, recall key details, and answer questions using an informational text on the topic of animal adaptations. Using the non-fiction text "Staying Alive: Animal Adaptations" (provided) the teacher...
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Unit Plan
New York City Department of Education

Grade 3 Literacy in Science: Animal Adaptations

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Third graders research and study animal adaptations and then use their findings to write narratives that include scientific criterion. This lesson is all about literacy and science! The lesson is completely designed for addressing Common...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Feeding Frenzy

For Teachers 3rd
Young biologists take a look at the myriad of ways that animals increase their chances of surviving in the wild. The adaptations help animals hide, hunt, and attract a mate. This instructional activity specifically explores how insect...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Games on Echolocation

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Get a little batty with life science! This fun simulation game replicates how bats use echolocation to hunt moths in their native Hawaiian habitat. After creating blind folds and discussing some basic principles of echolocation, students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Invent an Animal

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Young scholars recognize how animal adaptations help animals survive in their environment.  In this characteristics lesson plan, students create an original animal that can adapt to a specific habitat. Young scholars create a model of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can You Adapt?

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Using the Montana State Quarter, learners engage in activities designed to help increase their understanding about how animals must change their social and physical behaviors in order to adapt to their environment. Excellent worksheets...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Brain Zoo

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Who doesn't love a day at the zoo? Use an observation and inference lab to get young anatomists to recognize similarities between mammalian species based on brain structures. You provide the brains; this lesson provides set-up...
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

What's This? Life at the Limits

For Students 6th - 12th
There are some amazing ways species evolve to survive. From large ears to sneezing salt, learners read about these interesting adaptations in an interactive lesson. Great to supplement an in-class lesson, it also works well as a remote...
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

What's This? Breathing

For Students 6th - 12th
Crazy fact: Some animals can survive months without oxygen. An online resource describes some unique ways animals collect oxygen and even live without it for an extended time. Learners read about these special animals and use pop-up...
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

What's This? Staying Safe

For Students 6th - 12th
Amaze the class with the creative adaptations species employ to trick predators. An online interactive lesson introduces learners to six different species with unique adaptations. Each species highlights a different adaptation and its...
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Ocean Creature Feature

For Students 6th - 12th
From coloring to hard protective shells, ocean creatures have adaptation features that help them survive. An eight-question online quiz highlights different ocean animals and their unique characteristics. The resource then offers pop-up...
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Lesson Plan
Aquarium of the Pacific

Ocean Drifters

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Take a drift in the ocean. Class members watch a video on plankton, the drifters of the ocean. Scholars find out about the different types of plankton and sea jellies. To add a little variety, they use the aquarium webcams to study sea...
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Lesson Plan
Aquarium of the Pacific

Kelp Forest Habitat

For Teachers 6th - 8th
What forest is in the ocean? The class watches a video that introduces the kelp forest and the parts of kelp. Learners dive into the ocean and see what different species live near the canopy, the midwater, and the bottom of the kelp...
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Lesson Plan
Aquarium of the Pacific

Amazing Adaptations

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
We can all adapt. Classmates watch a video about the adaptations of sea horses that allow them to eat and move. They then watch penguins on webcams to see what adaptations help the penguins find food, move, and avoid predators. Finally,...
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Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Migration, Adaptation, and Changing Climates

For Teachers 5th - 6th
People adjust to their environments without even thinking about it—even if it's simply throwing on a sweatshirt. Lead the class in a discussion about the adjustments people make in their daily lives as an introduction to adaptations,...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Life in the Cold: Climate Challenges

For Teachers K - 8th
What does it take to make it in the Arctic? Learners examine the cold weather adaptations of a polar bear that help it survive. With everyday objects, they model these characteristics as they become make-shift polar bears. Modeling helps...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Investigating Bat Adaptations

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Bats may look the same, but are actually very different. Some bats eat meat and others fruit, while some have bright colors and others are dark colors. Learners examine the differences, view them as adaptations, and then play a game to...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Prairie Chicken Pageant

For Teachers K - 8th
Diminishing habitats is a real concern that is threatening endangered species. Learners examine these concerns by studying the prairie chicken. Groups get a card with characteristics and threats to the species that they turn into skits.