Adaptations: Living in a Changing World By: Suzanne Massey, Laurie Skrobola, Kim Loye

Unit Summary  Students will learn about the relationship between a changing environment and an animal’s need to adapt to that change and then use this information to complete tasks. Students will create an imaginary animal, and then design and build a model of its habitat, while showing at least three adaptations that will enable its survival in that constructed habitat. Students will use Glogster to present projects to the class. Students in small groups will then complete a Venn diagram to show relationships between their animals.

Curriculum-Framing Questions Essential Question  How do I adapt to the changes in the world around me? Unit Questions  What affects living things? Content Questions  What is adaptation?  How do animals meet their needs by using behaviors in response to information received from the environment?

Adaptations Project This project will help my students develop 21 st century skills by:  Collaborating with peers through Web 2.0 tools  Analyzing data about animal habitats and drawing conclusions to answer unit questions  Solving problems and making decisions about their animal and its adaptations  Communicating ideas with others through a Glogster presentation

Goals for the Unit  To gather information about what students already know and what they want to know about an animal’s adaptation  Extend knowledge through research and then using higher order thinking skills in order to create a unique animal  Use technology to communicate ideas with others

Helpful Resources  Intel Intel  Animal Ark Animal Ark  Build Your Own Caterpillar Build Your Own Caterpillar