1. Crayfish
3rd Grade

2. Day 1

3. Focus question: What is an ecosystem?

4. organism - any living thing
Vocabulary
ecosystem – all the living and nonliving things that interact in a specific area
community – all of the living things in an ecosystem
organism - any living thing

8. What do the pictures have in common?
They’re all ecosystems!

9. Day 2

10. Focus question: What do animals need to grow and survive?

11. Vocabulary molts - to shed an outer shell in order to grow
endanger - at risk of becoming extinct

12. Reading – Structures of Life
Pages 38 – 41

13. What do crayfish need to survive?

14. Page 41, #1-4
Structures that help crayfish move in their environments are
____________________.
2. Structures that help crayfish get food in their environments are
__________________.
3. Structures and behaviors crayfish use to protect and defend themselves
are ________________.
4. Structures and behaviors that allow crayfish to raise offspring are
___________________.

15. Day 3

16. Review: What is an ecosystem?

17. Focus question: What are the structures of a crayfish?

18. Vocabulary
crustaceans - a group of mostly aquatic animals with hard, flexible shells
behaviors - the actions of an animal in response to its environment
carapace - a hard outer shell that covers the main part of the body of an animal

19. Vocabulary pincers - an animal’s claw used for grasping
antenna - the thin feeler on the head of an animal like a crayfish, an isopod, or an insect
swimmerets - a small, soft leg under the tail of a crayfish

20. Reading – Structures of Life
Pages

21. How do we treat crayfish?
Brainstorm: How do we behave around crayfish? How do we treat them?
How to pick up a crayfish:

22. Day 4

23. Focus question: What are the structures of a crayfish?

24. Vocabulary
predators - an animal that hunts and catches other animals for food
appendages - legs and mouth parts

27. Male crayfish

28. Female crayfish

29. Eggs underneath tail

30. Day 5

31. thorax
abdomen
eye
swimmerets
short antenna
tail
legs
pincer
long antenna

32. Review: What are the structures of a crayfish?

33. Focus question: What are the functions of the structures of a crayfish?

34. Reading – Structures of Life
Pages

35. Day 6

36. Review: What are the functions of the structures of a crayfish?

37. Focus question: What are the structures of a male and female crayfish?
Pg. 35 in textbook*

38. Male Crayfish
Shorter swimmerets
Bigger pincers
Narrower tails

39. Female Crayfish
Longer swimmerets
Smaller pincers
Wider tails
Egg pore

40. Study for your quiz tomorrow! thorax abdomen eye swimmerets
short antenna
tail
Study for your quiz
tomorrow!
legs
pincer
long antenna

41. Day 7

42. Review: What are the structures of a male and female crayfish?

43. Focus question: What do we need to do to control a crayfish environment?

44. Day 8

45. Review: What do we need to do to control a crayfish environment?

46. Focus question: Why do crayfish behave the way they do?

47. Vocabulary to its environment
behavior - the actions of an animal in response
to its environment
structure - any identifiable part of an organism

48. Day 9

49. Review: Why do crayfish behave the way they do?

50. Focus question: Why do animals have adaptations?

51. Video
All About Animal Adaptations (FOSSweb – look under Resources by Investigation)

52. Day 10

53. Focus question: What adaptations do crayfish have?
Adaptation video
Crayfish Adaptation Prezi
Turn and talk about structures.

54. In your notebooks…
Observe your crayfish in their large environment and in their small basins. Answer the questions in your notebook:
How do the crayfish adapt their behaviors when they are in their large environment all together?
2. How do their behaviors adapt to being in the small basins?

55. Day 11

56. Review: What adaptations do crayfish have?

57. Focus question: How do adaptations help animals survive well?

58. Read pgs. 42-44 Questions: What is an adaptation?
What are some adaptations crayfish have for survival in their environment?
What are some adaptations organisms have for movement in their environment?
What are some adaptations organisms have for getting food in their environment?

59. Day 12

60. Review: What adaptations do crayfish have?

61. Focus question: How do adaptations help animals survive well?

62. Read pgs
Questions:
What are some adaptations organisms have for protecting themselves in their environment?
What are some adaptations organisms have for successfully producing offspring?

63. Day 13

64. Review: How do adaptations help animals survive well?

65. Focus question: What adaptations do different organisms have for movement, getting food, protection, and caring for young?

66. How did the reading from the past two days apply to crayfish?
Think about…
What structures do they have that help them survive?
What structures help them reproduce?
What structures help them grow?

67. Vocabulary muscle - tissue that can contract and produce movement
proboscis - a long, straw-like mouth
camouflage - an adaptation that allows an organism to blend into its environment
reproduce - to have offspring

68. Day 14

69. Review: What are structural and behavioral adaptations we found in our Habitat Cards yesterday?

70. Focus question: What adaptations do different organisms have for movement, getting food, protection, and caring for young?