Michelle Wetzel, LMS

Topic:

Habitats- Animal Adaptations

Rationale:

Our world is full of many different habitats that vary in temperature, light, precipitation, and other features. The communities of animals that live in each habitat have adapted to survive in that particular environment, continuing their life on Earth. Students will be able to identify how an animal depends on their physical environment to meet their basic needs for food, shelter, water, and space and how their adaptations allow them to survive.

In this Science unit, fourth graders create habitats for dwarf African frogs, millipedes, and fiddler crabs. Building habitats for these creatures allows them to understand the role of habitat in fulfilling the animal’s basic needs. Students observe and record behavior and characteristics throughout the unit.  This adaptation research project allows them to build upon the curriculum content to include other animals around the world.

Standards Information

Standards/ Anchors: http://www.pdesas.org/Standard/Views#109|775

Pennsylvania State Standards- Science

3.1.4.A2: Describe the different resources that plants and animals need to live.

3.1.4.A5: Describe common functions living things share to help them function in a specific environment.

3.1.4.C2: Describe plant and animal adaptations that are important to survival.                                                                                                                      

3.1.4.C4:

·        Distinguish between scientific fact and opinion.

·        Ask questions about objects, organisms, and events.

·        Understand that all scientific investigations involve asking and answering questions and comparing the answer with what is already known.

·        Plan and conduct a simple investigation and understand that different questions require different kinds of investigations.

·        Use simple equipment (tools and other technologies) to gather data and understand that this allows scientists to collect more information than relying only on their senses to gather information.

·        Use data/evidence to construct explanations and understand that scientists develop explanations based on their evidence and compare them with their current scientific knowledge.

·        Communicate procedures and explanations giving priority to evidence and understanding that scientists make their results public, describe their investigations so they can be reproduced, and review and ask questions about the work of other scientists.

4.1.4.A: Explain how living things are dependent upon other living and nonliving things for survival. 

Explain what happens to an organism when its food supply, access to water, shelter or space (niche / habitat) is changed.

Pennsylvania State Standards: Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening

1.2  Reading, Analyzing, and Interpreting Text

1.6 Speaking and Listening

1.8 Research

1.9 Information, Communication, and Technology Literacy

Assessment Anchors

S4.B.2.1 Identify and explain how adaptations help organisms to survive.

S4.B.2.1.1 Identify characteristics for plant and animal survival in different environments (e.g., wetland, tundra, desert, prairie, deep ocean, forest).

S4.B.2.1.2 Explain how specific adaptations can help a living organism survive (e.g., protective coloration, mimicry, leaf sizes and shapes, ability to catch or retain water).

Information Literacy Standards

Standard 1: The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.

Standard 2:  The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently.

Standard 3: The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively.

Standard 4: The student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests.

Standard 9: The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.

Goal, Role, Audience, Situation

Goal: What is the purpose, challenge, or problem?

The students will choose an animal to research in partnerships. Their challenge is to locate appropriate resources, access the information that they need, and present their findings to their classmates. The goal is to educate their classmates on a specific animal’s basic needs, resources that it needs to live, and functions that allow it to live in its particular habitat.

Role:  What real-world role will the school librarian assume?

The school librarian will assume the role of a researcher. Print and online resources, technology skills, and the research process will be presented and enforces throughout the project.

What real world role will the students assume?

Students will assume the role of a researcher. Using The Big6 Research Process, students will work together to choose an animal and find information on how it survives in its distinct habitat.

Audience:  For whom is the school librarian working?

The school librarian is working for the students, ensuring that they are utilizing their resources appropriately and technology and research skills effectively.

For whom are the students working?

Students are working to expand their content knowledge, as well as technology and research experience.

Situation:  What is the context?

Students have created three different habitats during their Science unit: a marsh for fiddler crabs, a terrarium for millipedes, and an aquarium for dwarf African frogs. Using information gleaned from this unit, students have the opportunity to expand their knowledge by performing research on an animal of their choice and presenting their information via PowerPoint to their classmates. Therefore, all students will benefit from hearing each other’s findings.

What is the context? How is the learning applied in the real world?

Connections to their current Science unit will be made. Animals of all shapes and sizes live in many types of habitats, from deserts to tundra to rainforests or oceans. Learning about survival in a variety of environments is a part of living in our world. Sharing our findings expands what we know and how we understand the interconnectivity is necessary for life to continue on earth.

Product/Performance With Evaluation Criteria

Students will be able to conduct thorough research, sharing information on the animal’s habitat and characteristics that enable it to survive in its environment. Students will identify different resources that their animal needs to live, describe adaptations that are important for its survival, and make connections regarding its dependencies upon living and nonliving elements of the environment for survival. These findings will be communicated through a PowerPoint presentation.

Assessment:

Formative: Observation

Students will be monitored as they research and use resources. Observations will be made as students use The Big6 Research Process to guide their project, as students use technology as resources and presentation tools, and as students locate information using a variety of print and online resources.

Summative: Rubrics (PowerPoint/Content & Planning)

Students will be evaluated on the planning, execution, and completion of their research, their PowerPoint presentation, and their Speaking and Listening skills using a rubric and comments.

Activities and Materials

Materials needed:

Technology: laptops, SmartBoard, projector, Microsoft PowerPoint, selected websites, OPAC

Print: Books from the library, Science textbook and Unit resources

Handouts: Collaborative Planning Document, The Big6 Research Process, Student Recording Sheet and Bibliography, PowerPoint Tips and Tools

Websites:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/

http://www.amnh.org/ology/index.php?channel=biodiversity

http://www.mbgnet.net/

http://pbskids.org/krattscreatures/flash.shtml

Activities:

1. Librarian will instruct students over several class periods on: The Big6 Research Process, Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation features, Print and Online resources, and other Information Literacy skills that relate to the previously mentioned standards.

2. Students will locate and use resources to choose an animal, using background information from the Science unit and personal preferences.

3. Students will research and record information on the animal’s habitat and characteristics that enable it to survive in such an environment.

4. Students will identify different resources that their animal needs to live, describe adaptations that are important for its survival, and make connections regarding its dependencies upon living and nonliving elements of the environment for survival.

5. Students will synthesize their research into a PowerPoint presentation.

6. Students will share and discuss their findings with classmates using the PowerPoint as a presentation tool.

RubiStar

Rubric Made Using:

RubiStar ( http://rubistar.4teachers.org)

CATEGORY

4

3

2

1

Ideas/Research Questions

Researchers independently identify at least 4 reasonable, insightful, creative ideas/questions to pursue when doing the research.

Researchers independently identify at least 4 reasonable ideas/questions to pursue when doing the research.

Researchers identify, with some adult help, at least 4 reasonable ideas/questions to pursue when doing the research.

Researchers identify, with considerable adult help, 4 reasonable ideas/questions to pursue when doing the research.

Quality of Sources

Researchers independently locate at least 2 reliable, interesting information sources for EACH of their ideas or questions.

Researchers independently locate at least 2 reliable information sources for EACH of their ideas or questions.

Researchers, with some adult help, locate at least 2 reliable information sources for EACH of their ideas or questions.

Researchers, with extensive adult help, locate at least 2 reliable information sources for EACH of their ideas or questions.

Group Timeline

Group independently develops a reasonable, complete timeline describing when different parts of the work (e.g.,planning, research, first draft, final draft) will be done. All students in group can independently describe the high points of the timeline.

Group independently develops a timeline describing when most parts of the work will be done. All students in group can independently describe the high points of the timeline.

Group independently develops a timeline describing when most parts of the work will be done. Most students can independently describe the high points of the timeline.

Group needs adult help to develop a timeline AND/OR several students in the group cannot independently describe the high points of the timeline.

Plan for Organizing Information

Students have developed a clear plan for organizing the information as it is gathered and in the final research product. All students can independently explain the planned organization of the research findings.

Students have developed a clear plan for organizing the information in the final research product. All students can independently explain this plan.

Students have developed a clear plan for organizing the information as it is gathered. All students can independently explain most of this plan.

Students have no clear plan for organizing the information AND/OR students in the group cannot explain their organizational plan.

Delegation of Responsibility

Each student in the group can clearly explain what information is needed by the group, what information s/he is responsible for locating, and when the information is needed.

Each student in the group can clearly explain what information s/he is responsible for locating.

Each student in the group can, with minimal prompting from peers, clearly explain what information s/he is responsible for locating.

One or more students in the group cannot clearly explain what information they are responsible for locating.

RubiStar

Rubric Made Using:

RubiStar ( http://rubistar.4teachers.org )

CATEGORY

4

3

2

1

Content - Accuracy

All content throughout the presentation is accurate. There are no factual errors.

Most of the content is accurate but there is one piece of information that might be inaccurate.

The content is generally accurate, but one piece of information is clearly flawed or inaccurate.

Content is typically confusing or contains more than one factual error.

Text - Font Choice & Formatting

Font formats (e.g., color, bold, italic) have been carefully planned to enhance readability and content.

Font formats have been carefully planned to enhance readability.

Font formatting has been carefully planned to complement the content. It may be a little hard to read.

Font formatting makes it very difficult to read the material.

Sequencing of Information

Information is organized in a clear, logical way. It is easy to anticipate the type of material that might be on the next card.

Most information is organized in a clear, logical way. One card or item of information seems out of place.

Some information is logically sequenced. An occasional card or item of information seems out of place.

There is no clear plan for the organization of information.

Cooperation

Group delegates tasks and shares responsibility effectively all of the time.

Group delegates tasks and shares responsibility effectively most of the time.

Group delegates tasks and shares responsibility effectively some of the time.

Group often is not effective in delegating tasks and/or sharing responsibility.

Originality

Presentation shows considerable originality and inventiveness. The content and ideas are presented in a unique and interesting way.

Presentation shows some originality and inventiveness. The content and ideas are presented in an interesting way.

Presentation shows an attempt at originality and inventiveness on 1-2 cards.

Presentation is a rehash of other people's ideas and/or graphics and shows very little attempt at original thought.