Developing Assessments Based on NJ Standards
Science: Animal Adaptations
Grades: Elementary and Middle
Teacher Page
| Overview | Student | Teacher| Assessment Steps |
| Preparation
and Materials | Special
Education Modifications | Real
Life Applications | Preparation and Materials 1. Ask students to name some animals that live in very cold environments (such as polar bears, killer whales, walruses). How are they able to survive in these cold temperatures? (thick fur, blubber). Introduce the concept of an adaptation. 2. On each card, teacher writes one animal adaptation
such as antennae, fangs, tusks, feathers, six legs, shell, etc. For
example:
3. Each team then receives four or five cards, each with a different adaptation. 4. Teams are then challenged to name and design, on paper and using various materials, one animal which displays all of the assigned adaptations. 5. Teams should consider the following questions: 6. Teams present their animals to the class. Special Education - Modifications Visually Impaired: Use large print, Braille or use glue to create raised lines for vocabulary word cards; label all materials with one of the abode methods; allow students to use a tape recorder to record observations/responses. Hearing Impaired: Have an adaptation handout with all adaptations listed for students to use. Have all teams act out their animal's lifestyle rather than simply talking about it. Use "pass the microphone" technique to ensure that only one student in the group is speaking at a time. Motorically Impaired: Prepare materials packet for each team rather than keeping materials in front of the room. Use materials which are easily manipulated (i.e., soft clay, large glue bottles, etc....). Learning Disabled: Create adaptation picture cards (either by drawing adaptation or using pictures from magazines) to help students learn vocabulary. Hand out adaptation vocabulary list in advance of the lesson. Hand out vocabulary list to entire class and review after each team has time to discuss their assigned adaptations. Emotionally Disturbed: Begin with one or two adaptations per team. Allow for groups of two students during hands-on part of activity to minimize distraction. If student is uncooperative, assign role as "observer" and allow student to monitor behaviors of teammates - then allow teammates to "observe" student's behavior - Praise for good cooperation! Real Life Application: 1. Are your pets adapted to certain environments? For example, how is a cat adapted to nocturnal (nighttime) living? How are fish adapted to water? 2. How are you adapted to your environment? How do you adapt when your environment changes? 3. What adaptations do you rely on to survive? How would you survive if you no longer had those adaptations? Closure: How are animals adapted to specific environments, such as the ocean, desert, forest, etc...? Are the adaptations random? Assessment: Teams write stories about their animal's lifestyle. Rubric: Develop a rubric using the standards and CPI as suggested below.
Math: Many animal names are "mathematical" and refer to an adaptation.... what do these "math" names mean?: a) Octopus b) Centipede c) Millipede d) Lobsters and shrimp are in a group called "decapods"... How many legs do they have? e) Clams and oysters are called "bivalves"... What does "value" mean? Geography: Create a class map showing the distributions
of the following animals (use books, encyclopedia, atlas,
or Internet for research): Language Arts: The animals they create can be used for writing stories or poems. From math and geography, they can use the animals and countries for vocabulary words. The class can put it all together to create a class animal adaptation multi-resource book. |
