Help young scholars see the important role camouflage plays in the survival of animals with a fun science lesson. Starting with an outdoor activity, children take on the role of hungry birds as they search for worms represented by different colored pieces of yarn. The results of the activity are graphed in order to demonstrate how certain colors were easier to find than others. Students then explore three different types of camouflage - disruptive coloration, concealing coloration, and disguise - by creating collages using wrapping paper, construction paper, and materials collected from nature. This hands-on lesson would fit perfectly in an elementary science unit on ecosystems and animal adaptions.

Concepts

camouflage, data collection, graphs, graphing data, graphing

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Additional Tags

camouflage, animal adaptation, disruptive coloration, disguise, concealing coloration, collecting data, graphing data, science

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Pros

• Includes an extension activity for investigating the relationship between predators and prey
• Offers teaching tips for adapting the lesson to meet the learning needs of all children
• An assessment and scoring rubric are included for monitoring student learning
• Provides a suggestion for a service learning project that builds on students' knowledge of camouflage

Cons

• Lesson requires the teacher to provide students with a variety of arts and crafts materials
• Images of animals are necessary to support children with learning about the different types of camouflage

Common Core

2.MD.D.10 3.MD.B.3 MP4 MP6