ALEX | Alabama Learning Exchange

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?

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This lesson provided by:

Author:	Ginger Boyd
System:	Geneva County
School:	Samson Middle School
The event this resource created for:	ASTA

General Lesson Information

Lesson Plan ID:	34525
Title:	What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
Overview/Annotation:	In this lesson, students will explore animal adaptations for a variety of animals. Students will select one adaptation and create a wanted poster describing the specific adaptation for that animal and how it functions to help the animal survive, grow, behave, or reproduce. This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.

Associated Standards and Objectives

Content Standard(s):

Science
SC2015 (2015)
Grade: 4

9 ) Examine evidence to support an argument that the internal and external structures of plants (e.g., thorns, leaves, stems, roots, colored petals, xylem, phloem) and animals (e.g., heart, stomach, lung, brain, skin) function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

NAEP Framework

NAEP Statement::
L4.4: When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce; others die or move to new locations.

Unpacked Content

Scientific And Engineering Practices:

Engage in Argument from Evidence

Crosscutting Concepts: Systems and System Models; Structure and Function

Disciplinary Core Idea: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Evidence Of Student Attainment:

Students:

Argue from evidence to support that the internal and external structures of plants function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
Argue from evidence to support that the internal and external structures of animals function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Teacher Vocabulary:

argue
articulate
evidence
internal
external
structure
survival
function
behavior
reproduction

Knowledge:

Students know:

Internal and External structures serve specific functions within plants and animals.
The functions of internal and external structures can support survival, growth, behavior and/or reproduction in plants and animals.
Different structures work together as part of a system to support survival, growth, behavior, and/or reproduction.

Skills:

Students are able to:

Articulate an explanation from evidence explaining how the internal and external structures of plants and animals function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
Determine the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence collected, including whether or not it supports a claim about the role of internal and external structures of plants and animals in supporting survival, growth, behavior, and/or reproduction.
Use reasoning to connect the relevant and appropriate evidence to support an argument about the function of the internal and external structures of plants and animals.

Understanding:

Students understand that:

Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.

AMSTI Resources:

AMSTI Module:
Animal Studies

Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards

AAS Standard:
SCI.AAS.4.9- Identify basic parts of plants and animals.

Local/National Standards:

Primary Learning Objective(s):

After completing this activity, students should be able to do the following:

1) identify special adaptations for a variety of animals.

2) create a wanted poster describing a specific animal adaptation and how it functions.

Additional Learning Objective(s):

Preparation Information

Total Duration:	31 to 60 Minutes
Materials and Resources:	What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?, a picture book by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page Animal Adaptations graphic organizer (see Attachments) Wanted Poster (see Attachments) Grading rubric for Wanted Poster (see Attachments)
Technology Resources Needed:	The teacher will need access to a computer and projector, in order to show the video. Students will need access to the internet to complete the research in the lesson.
Background/Preparation:	For Teacher: The teacher must be knowledgeable about the following: Adaptations are features that help organisms survive. These features develop from generation to generation. Adaptations can be external or internal and they happen naturally. Some examples of external adaptations are fins, fur, legs, necks, a bright color, a trunk, or shells. Examples of an internal adaptation are gills in fish and hollow bones in birds. For Students: This is an introductory lesson. No prior knowledge is needed.

Procedures/Activities:

Engage: Introduce the topic of adaptations by asking the students if they have ever tried to kill a cockroach that seemed invincible?

Allow students a few minutes to discuss experiences. Then explain that cockroaches can sometimes be hard to kill. Discuss the experiment the Myth Busters team conducted to determine whether or not cockroaches could survive underwater.

Ask the students to predict what they think will happen to the cockroaches and write their predictions in their science journals.

Show the video "Drowning Cockroaches" to the students to see if the cockroaches were able to survive underwater.

Discuss how the ability to survive underwater is an animal adaptation the cockroaches possess which helps them to survive in their environment.

Explore: Pass out the Animal Adaptations graphic organizer. Read What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? aloud to the students. Ask the students to listen as you read aloud for any animal adaptations in the book and write them in the graphic organizer.

Explain: After reading the book, students will pick one animal adaptation, research it, and create a wanted poster to describe the adaptation and how it functions to support the animals growth, behavior, survival, or reproduction. Wanted posters should include: the animal's name, their physical description, where they are usually located (live), and the adaptation including its function. All Wanted Posters will be posted on the class bulletin board for display.

Assessment

Assessment Strategies

This lesson will be assessed based on the rubric for the Wanted Poster (see Attachments).

Acceleration:	Students can put together a scrapbook containing multiple animals grouping them based on similar adaptations.
Intervention:	Students who need extra support may be assigned to a partner who is sensitive to the needs of that student.

View the Special Education resources for instructional guidance in providing modifications and adaptations for students with significant cognitive disabilities who qualify for the Alabama Alternate Assessment.

ALEX Lesson Plan

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?