Submitted by:​ Brittany Bruney, Benjamin Marshall, Mishalle Bryeans, Daniela Moya  

Grade Level:​ 3rd ​Subject/Topic: ​Geography-Adaptations and Modifications of Environments

Geography: Adaptations and Modifications of Environments

Rationale​:   Materials/Equipment:  
Identify human adaptations and modifications of a given environment. Cardstock in 5 different colors 
Popsicle sticks in 5 different colors for 5 different groups 
(5 colors; 5 groups) 
Environments recording sheet 
Powerpoint Presentation 
Computers/technology 
Posters 
Craft supplies/Art supplies 
Survivor Writing prompt creative writing enrichment 
TEKS/ELPS Achieved:    Accommodations:​(what YOU do to modify your lesson) 
Social studies: 3.4B​ Identify and compare how people in different 1. Depending on the child’s specific needs, the lessonn 
communities adapt to or modify the physical environments in which will be modified as stated in their IEP’s, 504, and 
they live such as deserts, mountains, wetlands, and plains. at risk. 
Technology Research and information fluency​ The student acquires 2. For the students who have a hard time 
and evaluates digital content. 3-5.3.A The student is expected to: use communicating in English those students can 
various search strategies such as keyword(s); the Boolean identifiers present the adaptations and modifications through 
and, or, and not; and other strategies appropriate to specific search the use of graphics instead of writing.
engines;
English Language Arts 3.31​ Students are expected to participate in
teacher- and student-led discussions by posing and answering questions
with appropriate detail and by providing suggestions that build upon
the ideas of others.
ELPS.c.2:​ The ELL listens to a variety of speakers including teachers,
peers, and electronic media to gain an increasing level of
comprehension of newly acquired language in all content areas. ELLs
may be at the beginning, intermediate, advanced, or advanced high
stage of English language acquisition in listening. In order for the ELL
to meet grade-level learning expectations across the foundation and
enrichment curriculum, all instruction delivered in English must be
linguistically accommodated (communicated, sequenced, and
scaffolded) commensurate with the student's level of English language
proficiency.

Bloom’s Taxonomy:  Differentiated Learning:  Classroom Strategies:  Curriculum Integration: 

Knowledge/Remember  Auditory  Cooperative Groups      Social Studies    
Application  Visual/Spatial  Technology      Writing
Evaluation Kinesthetic  Charts/Graphs/Maps  
Verbal/Linguistic   Lecture 
Intrapersonal  Whole-group 
Interpersonal  Student Presentations

Objectives: ​(Statements about what the children will do, written out as “the student will.” Include 
objectives for your chosen content area(s). Refer to the TEKS and ELPS. The number of objectives should 
meet the number of TEKS and ELPS)
Students will identify how people in different communities adapt to and modify the physical environment in
which they live.
Students will list (3-5) modifications that are present in a given region/landform.
Students will list (3-5) adaptations that are present in a given region/landform.
Students will construct research using technology.
Students will justify their answers through their research and provide detail when asked.
Students will implement and apply their knowledge of the English language to new academic language.

Lesson Plan: ​(Plan how you will teach the lesson and follow the lesson plan cycle: ​(This is the 5E/7E model) 
Elicit ​prior understanding​: ​teacher finds out what existing knowledge the students have. ​(Write what 
CREATIVE, thing you will say to activate the student’s interests). 
Definition of adapation:

1
Ask students, after introducing the topic,
“Today we are talking about adaptions, can anyone tell me what adaptations are where we live ?” (2-3
examples should be given by different students).

Definition of Modifications:
“We are also going over modifications, can anyone tell me what modifications people use in the state of
Texas?”
 
Engage: ​teacher introduces the topic in an interesting way to arouse a student's curiosity, violate their 
current notions of the way things ought to be encourages them to seek out new information and ask questions. 
(Write what CREATIVE, COMPELLING thing you will say or do to immediately grab the children’s attention and 
interest.) 
The students will be greeted at the front door with colored popsicle sticks. The teacher will then tell them, to
have a seat at the name tent that matches their colored popsicle sticks. There will be 5 different groups of 5
people.
“Students, look around at the different name tents on the tables. Can anyone take a guess as to what we will
be doing/learning today?”
-Incorporate wait time to let the students respond.
“Those are all great guesses! Today we will be covering adaptations and modifications of the environments
that we previously covered the class before.” 
 
Explore​: student investigates the topic more thoroughly including original research and the use of a variety of 
problem solving techniques. ​(Explain how you will guide research, what methodology you will accept i.e...web 
sites. Books etc.) 
Students will be using co-operative groups to complete their research over their given environment and
complete a poster to present to the class. They will need to answer the questions from the powerpoint. They
will put the answers using technology to research together on their created poster.
 
Explain​: students "explain" a summary of what they have learned in the Explore section (the form of class or 
group discussion) or demonstrate their grasp of the concepts after completing their research. ​(Explain how 
you will guide this explanation [whole class, jigsaw, group, using technology, chart paper, etc.]) 
After the students have completed their posters over their assigned environment, they will present their 
original research to the class. The class will then fill out that environment’s record sheet for their 
notes. 
 
Elaborate: ​the students work directly on the project, or problem-solving assignment. Students demonstrate 
their application of new information, present their findings or conclusions to others. They may submit 
materials for evaluation. 
The students will go into detail over their research such as the questions that were given in the powerpoint
for them to find the answers for.
How do the people in your region make adaptations for:
● Housing
● Transportation
● Clothing
● Food
How do the people in your region make modifications for:
● Climate
● Natural Resources
● Agriculture
 
Evaluate/ Assessment: ​evaluation continues throughout the process, however this is where the teacher 
evaluates the learning that has occurred. The students are encouraged to engage in self-evaluation, group 
evaluation and develop their own tools to do so. ​(State your method of evaluating whether or not the students 
learned the concepts or skills ​listed in your objectives above​. State WHAT you will assess, when and HOW 
you will assess. (i.e.…rubric, observation, ​BE SPECIFIC​)  
Observation will be used. The teacher will go around the class as the groups are working on the answers for
their posters to assess that the students are understanding the vocabulary words adaptation and
modifications. The teacher may ask further probing questions to make sure that they are understanding, or
scaffold and use suggestions so that the students may build on their research without giving answers. As
the students are presenting their posters the teacher will be able to assess that the objectives have been
met.
 
Extend/ Enrichment: ​students transfer their learning and examine ways in which they can bring their findings 
to others or apply their understanding to new and unfamiliar circumstances.  

2
Have the students get out a piece of paper and create a quick writing prompt response: “If you were 
stuck in your assigned environment what kind of adaptations and modifications would you use to survive? 
Make sure to go into detail describing the causes and effects of having or not having these adaptations 
and modifications.” 
 
Closure / Culminating Activity:​ (Explain how you will accomplish this short portion of the lesson)) 
Restate to the students what they learned that day (restate the objectives)(What we will learn and how we will
learn it powerpoint slides): What we will learn: Identify and compare how people in different communities
adapt to or modify the physical environments in which they live. How we will learn it: By ​identifying how
people in different geographic regions adapt to and modify the physical environment in which they live.
Reteach ​(This may not be necessary, but state HOW you will reteach. ​BE SPECIFIC​) 
Make sure that the students understand the vocabulary meanings of “Adaptation” and “Modification”.
Adaptations: Changing your needs to fit your needs to fit the environment. Different actions or characterstics
people do.
Modifications: The ways that people change the environment to fit their needs.
Review the meanings of the words and give some examples. (clothes, transportation, a/c or heater, water
conservation). 
 
Self-Assessment​ on how the lesson was presented by you and perceived by the students​.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Survivor: Writing Prompt  

 
Instructions:​ If you were stuck in your assigned environment, what kind of adaptations and modifications 
would you use to survive? Make sure to go into detail describing the causes and effects of having or not having 
your chosen modifications and adaptations.  
Write your prompt on a seperate piece of paper and staple this to the top when turning your prompt in. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
 
 
Survivor: Writing Prompt  
 
Instructions:​ If you were stuck in your assigned environment, what kind of adaptations and modifications 
would you use to survive? Make sure to go into detail describing the causes and effects of having or not having 
your chosen modifications and adaptations.  
Write your prompt on a seperate piece of paper and staple this to the top when turning your prompt in.